Sandie's Shelves: It's here! The Urbane Christmas Blog Tour has arrived! #QandA #JulieNewman

Julie Newman - Beware The Cuckoo

I feel honoured to host a question and answer feature with Julie Newman the author of a fabulous book which I reviewed here on the blog back in the summer, Beware the Cuckoo.

Book Synopsis: They were reunited at his funeral, school friends with a shared past. A past that is anything but straightforward. A past that harbours secrets and untruths.

Karen has a seemingly perfect life. An adoring husband, two wonderful children and a beautiful home. She has all she has ever wanted, living the dream. She also has a secret.
Sandra's once perfect life is rapidly unravelling. The man who meant everything to her had a dark side and her business is failing. To get her life back on track she needs to reclaim what is rightfully hers. She knows the secret.
As the past meets the present, truths are revealed - and both women understand the true cost of betrayal.

My review:

First of all I have to say what a gorgeous cover design! It was this stunning artwork which drew me to the book initially then once I had read the book I understood how the artwork very cleverly linked to the storyline. Secondly, I do think there should be a warning to readers who are sensitive to the subject of grooming and paedophilia as this is a strong component of the story.The book centres around the friendship between 3 young girls who are thrown in to more of a friendship of convenience and circumstance rather than a close bonding. The lives of them and their families are entwined throughout the girls' formative years as they are tested by peer pressures and the need to fit in with the crowd. Their friendship finally hits a huge stumbling block when tragedy strikes, and the girls go their separate ways. Years later, two of the three are once again forced to meet when events and secrets from their youth rear their ugly head. Years of pent up jealousy and resentment come to a head and the story takes an even more sinister turn.

My only criticism of this book is that the conclusion could have been longer and more detailed to make for a more satisfying finish, hence I award this excellent book a strong 4 out of 5 stars

A chat with the author:

Q) First and foremost, can you tell us a bit of background about yourself, the person behind the writing?

A) I was born in East London but now live in North Essex. I am married with two children. I have had a variety of jobs, including running my own publishing company. I have written a children’s book called Poppy and the Garden Monster. As well as writing, I love reading. Other interests include theatre, music and running. Besides my family, the only thing I love more than books is Bruce Springsteen…

Q) The subject material is quite controversial, some would say a brave choice for a debut novel. What gave you the idea for the book, and how did you research such a taboo subject to make it as credible as possible?

A) The seed for this story was sown during a conversation with friends regarding abuse/grooming after reading about historical cases. As our discussion developed, we talked about toxic relationships and how some people continue with friendships despite said friendship being unhealthy. The idea of a bad friend being better than no friend.

Once I had the idea set for Beware the Cuckoo I undertook some research as I knew I was looking at a controversial subject that required sensitivity. Primarily my research took the form of conversations with people who had experience of the issues involved.

One comment made to me during these conversations was, ‘Abuse is very often in the media these days and I think some people are becoming desensitized and also they think it only happens to vulnerable kids.’ I put this to others I spoke to and many agreed with the comment. This is why I portrayed Karen as a teenager facing the same things that many of her peers face: body image, disagreements with parents, school. She is quite typical and therefore not someone whose ‘vulnerability’ would have been spotted. In doing this I hope I’ve highlighted that anyone could fall prey to a predator like Bill. I was also urged by some not to shy away from detailing the abuse, which is why some passages in the book are explicit.

Unhealthy/inappropriate relationships is the over-riding theme of the book: Bill and Karen, the three girls, Sandra and Nikolaas, even Sandra and her Father. All the relationships are shrouded by secrets and built on lies.

Other themes include growing up and up-bringing.

Sandra is an unpleasant character completely lacking in empathy. This is largely due to her up-bringing. She has been put on a pedestal, told she is perfect and better than everyone else. Her childhood shaped her and turned her into an unfeeling human-being who wants everything her way.

Karen is a character who found her teenage years difficult, she constantly compared herself to others and had very little self-worth. This was clearly not helped by having a ‘perfect’ friend. Her self-esteem issues are carried into adulthood.

Q) Getting your book into print is a difficult job in such a competitive world, tell us more about your own journey into becoming a published author.

A) It has been a long held dream of mine to write a novel. In fact I attempted it several times but I never truly believed my writing was of any merit so consequently many manuscripts were either unfinished or if finished they were unread. However, despite my lack of confidence and self-belief the desire to write never left me. Fast forward a few years and I’m still writing, (albeit just for myself and my children) and I am now a partner in a small publishing company. This was a short-lived venture that, although not a commercial success taught me a great deal. It highlighted the dos and don’ts of the publishing world and introduced me to many people, but most importantly it reminded me that I wanted to be a writer and not a publisher. The route from page to print can be a very fraught one and I hoped that if my work was deemed suitable for publication I would find a publisher and/or an agent who would smooth this passage for me. Although I did not want the responsibility of publishing, (which is why I knew self-publishing was not for me), I did want some input. Someone pointed me to the door of Urbane Publications. What I learnt about Urbane Publications and its founder and Publishing Director Matthew Smith left me suitably impressed and I hoped that he would consider my work. His vision and ideas were exactly what I was looking for. Urbane’s ethos is collaboration; collaboration with author, working partners and ultimately the reader. Thankfully he did like my writing and when I signed with Urbane Publications I knew I had found my publishing home.

Q) Who are your favourite authors and what books would you recommend?

A) Joanne Harris and Ali Smith are two of my favourite authors. Other recommended reads: Natural Flights of the Human Mind by Clare Morrall and The Crime Writer by Jill Dawson. My all-time favourite book is East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

Q) Many authors are life-long readers. What books stand out for you during your early years of reading?

A) The first book I read alone was A Bear called Paddington, closely followed by the Water Babies. Loved them both. My teenage years saw me read more classics like Jane Eyre, Tom Sawyer etc.

Q) What have been your most memorable moments since being signed up as an author? And who would you like to give special mention to for their support along your journey into print?

A) Best moments as a published author - when the books first arrived and when I received my first message/review from a reader I didn’t know.

The biggest support of course have been my family, and a good friend who read as I wrote and encouraged me - and finally but by no means last Matthew Smith.