In a moment you can hear from Rowan Coleman all about her book and the things she is trying to achieve – I caught up with her and asked a few questions. Before that though….
First of all I’m going to tell you the most important thing about today’s post. You can help support Refuge and get a great story to read to boot, by clickety clicking the link and purchasing Woman Walks Into A Bar. 100% of royalties will go direct to Refuge and the aim is to raise £10,000. We can do that…right? Its a great cause and a lovely thing that Rowan is doing and if you love reading it is a fun way to help out if you can of course.
So I talked a little to Rowan about it all and here is what she had to say.
Domestic abuse is an emotive subject – were you surprised at the response you got when researching for your writing?
Surprised and shocked, and horrified. I suppose, like many people I thought that abuse with in a relationship was rare, happened to people far away, who lead very different sorts of lives. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, it affects women, men, children. And yet its still a problem that exists in the shadows and behind closed doors.
Are the characters in “Woman Walks into a Bar” based on anyone you know?
They are not. Its funny, when I wrote that book I had Sam, the lead character very firmly pictured in my mind, she was very vivid to me. Its been nice to get responses from people who’ve read who feel sure she is a real person. Also when I wrote Sam’s daughter, my daughter was 5, she is 12 too now, and I recognise a lot of traits in her!
Tell us a little bit about Refuge – the charity that you are supporting.
Refuge was founded in the year I was born 1971, and it was one of the first organisation to seek to offer help, advice and a place of safety to women and families seeking to escape an abusive situation. It’s done amazing work in brining the problem of domestic abuse into the public eye over the decades, and continues to work hard reaching out to people who need help, giving them the support and courage they need to make the break. I am very pleased to be able to do my small bit to support them, although its mainly the bloggers who are helping me spread the word and especially the readers that download the book, that are the ones to thank. So, thank you! xxx
Thank you Rowan and good luck! I will certainly be purchasing a copy and I will review it on site soon.
Book Synopsis
A night out with the girls changes Sam’s life forever…
28-year-old single mother Sam spends her days working in the local supermarket and her Friday nights out with her friends letting her hair down at the White Horse. Life hasn’t been easy for Sam and her daughter, Beth (who always looks on the bright side) but she’s always hoped that one day she’ll break free from her past and meet The One.
But after a series of terrible dates with men she’s met through an internet dating site, that have all been as awful as her daughter’s terrible jokes, she’s starting to lose heart – until her friends tell her they’ve set her up on a blind date. Sam’s horrified but finally she agrees to go. After all you never know when you might meet the man of your dreams; just maybe Sam’s happy ending is just about to begin….
But will Sam have to face up to her past before she can find a new future?
Find out more about Rowan and the books here: http://rowan-coleman.tumblr.com/
You can follow on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/rowancoleman
#supportafriend
To find out more about Refuge and how they help : http://refuge.org.uk/
Happy Reading Folks!
