What would you do if a young girl knocked on your door and asked for your help?
If it was snowing and she was freezing cold, but you were afraid and alone?
What would you do if you let her in, but couldn't make her leave?
What if she told you terrible lies about someone you love, but the truth was even worse?
Stella has been cocooned in her home for three years. Severely agoraphobic, she knows she is safe in the stark, isolated house she shares with her husband, Max. The traumatic memories of her final case as a psychologist are that much easier to keep at a distance, too.
But the night that Blue arrives on her doorstep with her frightened eyes and sad stories, Stella's carefully controlled world begins to unravel around her.
I'm delighted to be taking part in the BLOG TOUR for Luana Lewis' debut novel Don't Stand So Close today.
Don't Stand So Close was published in hardback by Bantam Press on 13 February 2014.
This is at times, a very disturbing and often unsettling story, but it is written so well, with a really authentic feel, that I found myself turning the pages so quickly in a desperate need to discover just what is the truth.
It's a cold and snowy night when a young girl knocked on Stella's door. Stella is loathe to let this stranger into her house, she has enough problems of her own, and can't bear the thought of having to deal with someone that she doesn't know. However, Stella does care about people and can't let this young girl sit outside in the freezing cold. She opens her door and lets her in. This is the start of the night that will change Stella's life forever, and the start of this gripping story.
The story is centred around the hours of that long night and the interactions between Stella and the young girl, who we discover is called Blue. Flashbacks to Stella's previous life and Blue's connection to that life are cleverly interwoven into the plot, which gives the reader a great insight to why Blue has arrived.
Despite this, I found that I just didn't know who or what I could believe. Don't Stand So Close is the ultimate in the unreliable narrator; not one, but two or three, if we include Stella's psychiatrist husband Max who plays a massive part in the story.
Luana Lewis has used her professional expertise to create a gripping psychological drama that deals with many issues including post-traumatic stress, agoraphobia and the delicate balance of the doctor/patient relationship.
This is an excellent debut novel, I was well and truly hooked from page one, right up to the undeniably shocking ending.
I am delighted to welcome the author, Luana Lewis here to Random Things today, she has kindly answered some questions. I hope you enjoy the answers.
Do you read reviews of your novels? Do you take them seriously?
My
book is only just about to be published – so there aren’t very many reviews to
read yet, and yes, I do read them. Much to my delight and intense relief, the
reviews so far have been positive. After years of writing and editing a book,
it is so encouraging to read a positive review where someone has enjoyed the novel
and taken the time to write a thoughtful piece. Sometimes the reviews are so
insightful and readers see things I hadn’t even articulated for myself. So on
dark days…I can always go back and read those!
But
inevitably, I’m sure there will be people who don’t like the book and I’m
steeling myself to deal with that feedback. I’m not sure if it is good for a
writer’s soul or confidence to read really negative reviews. Of course people
are entitled to their opinions, and I’m not criticizing the reviewers in any
way – just questioning if it is the author’s interests to read them.
I
thought hard about the second part of your question about whether I take
reviews seriously as I think it’s an important point, especially for a new
writer where confidence is easily knocked… I did a bit of research on the
internet to see what other authors thought about the topic, and came across a
wonderful blog post by author Thomas Taylor (www.thomastaylor-author.com) He commented that he reads
reviews selectively and ultimately he believes that ‘In the end, reviews are surely meant for readers first and foremost.
Authors should get on with writing their next book.’
I
am very grateful to people who have taken the time to read and review Don’t Stand So Close. No doubt the worst
thing for a writer would be not to be reviewed at all. If no-one knows about
the book, then no-one will read it!
How long does it take to write a novel?
My
first published novel, Don’t Stand So
Close, took around six months to write a first draft, and then a further
year or so to edit and re-write.
Do you have any writing rituals?
I
tend to write wherever and whenever I can, but if possible I spend an hour or
two first thing in the morning right after school drop off, writing at a café.
I find that a very productive time.
What was your favourite childhood book?
The
Chronicles of Narnia, followed closely by the Famous Five.
Name one book that made you laugh?
The
Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Jumped Out of the Window and Disappeared by
Jonas Jonasson. I was reading it on the underground and I kept laughing out
loud which is unlike me but it was just so hilarious and I adored the writing
style. People were looking at me like I was insane.
Name one book that
made you cry?
The Unlikely
Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. I started crying about a third of the way in
and didn’t stop until the end. It’s unusual for me to cry that much in a book
- I found it exceptionally moving .
Which fictional character would you like to meet?
Aslan
from Narnia, without a doubt. In terms
of adult fiction, I wouldn’t mind a meeting with Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole!
Which book would you give to your best friend as a present?
Post Office by
Charles Bukowski, my favourite book of all time.
Are you inspired by any particular author or book?
There
are so many authors I admire. In terms of psychological suspense, I thought Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane was
genius, and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is one of my all time favourite
novels.
What is your guilty pleasure read?
Nothing
– I think any and all reading is good!
Who are your favourite authors?
There
are so many – but to name a few: Peter Carey, Philip Pullman, Mordecai Richler, Antje Krog, Dalene Matthee,
Marlene van Niekerk, Charles Bukowski, C.S. Lewis, Robert Harris, John Le
Carre, Stieg Larrsen, Johan Theorin, Dennis Lehane…I could go on and on!
What book have you re-read?
Post Office and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler.
What book have you given up on?
Despite
finding the beginning possibly the funniest thing I have ever read, in the end
I gave up on The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who
Jumped Out of the Window and Disappeared
- it became a series of ever more unlikely events and the characters and
plot weren’t developing in a way that held my interest.
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Definitely one to add to the TBR pile!
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