I'm very pleased to welcome author Suzie Tullett to the blog today with a guest post and an extract from her new novel, Little White Lies and Butterflies.
Guest Post by author Suzie Tullett
During an interview, I was once asked if
there are any key issues that come up again and again in my work. What my core
themes are? Up until that point, however, this was something I hadn’t ever
consciously thought about. Moving on from one project to the next meant putting
all my efforts into what I was working on in the here and now. And so engrossed
I became in each and every project, I’d never actually felt the need to compare
them before.
Once the question had been asked though, I
started to look at my work through different eyes and as such, I began to
realize that, yes, there is a thematic link in much of what I write. Just as in
Little White Lies and Butterflies, my storylines often revolve around a secret
that’s being kept; secrets that impact on everyone around them albeit to
varying degrees, whether my protagonists want to admit it or not.
Of course, in both real life and in fiction
we also have to come clean at some point. Eventually we and our characters have
to face up to these things no matter how long we’ve been keeping them a secret
– for our own sanity or, indeed, that of our protagonists, if not for anyone
else!
And whilst, yes, the consequences can be
just as scary to deal with as they can be dire, I suppose in the meantime we
just have to hope we can manage any subsequent fall out. Moreover, we have to
hope that come ‘The End’ we’re finally able to experience our very own happy
ending.
~~~~~
Here's an excerpt from Little White Lies and Butterflies...
Following the incident at the beach, I had
been hoping to avoid any future
contact with Sam the Climber, yet here he
was, larger than life. Not that I
was sure which had bothered me the most-the
football in the face, or the
slightly unnerving eye contact. Neither of
which I wanted to experience ever
again and I wondered if I should just get up
and leave while the going was
good. But my drink still hadn't arrived and
the last thing I wanted to do
was look rude in of front Efthimeos. I had
to think of something else and
quick.
Grabbing my book from my bag, I opened it up
and used it to shield my face.
This should do it! However, just to make
sure I began sinking lower and
lower into my seat, until I was horizontal
to the point I was almost on the
floor. Now he'll never notice me.
I wondered if I should take a peek just to
check on his whereabouts. But
before I got the chance, a drink landing on
the table in front of me caught
my eye instead. It wasn't the simple glass
of coke I'd originally ordered, I
further noticed, but some fancy, fandangle
cocktail.
I stared at the umbrellas, the tinsel and
the cherries on sticks, not even
daring to look up.
Please let it be Efthimeos . Please let it
be Efthimeos . I thought, finally
plucking up the courage. Lifting my gaze I
realised that unless my host had
undergone some sort of superfast extreme
makeover in the last few minutes,
the game was up.
'There you go,' said Sam, indicating to the
heavily adorned concoction. 'Not
just my apology, but as requested, the most
expensive drink on the menu.'
I put my book down and began the difficult
task of hauling myself up into a
more vertical alignment. 'I didn't request
it,' I replied ungratefully. 'In
fact, if I remember rightly, I said such a
purchase wasn't necessary.'
My unwanted guest just carried on standing
there, for some reason refusing
to see this as his cue to leave-choosing
instead to raise an eyebrow. He
nodded to the drink. 'Well,' he asked.
'Aren't you going to at least try
it?'
I considered his request for a moment,
deciding it was a small price to pay
if it meant getting rid of the man. And,
duly picking up the glass and
locating the straw from among all the flora
and fauna, I took a long hard
draw. 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph!' I
spluttered, all at once choking and
coughing. 'What the hell's in it? Meths?'
Sam laughed. 'A bit of everything,' he said.
He plonked his beer down on the
table and took a seat, uninvited.
'Well excuse me if I don't share your
amusement,' I replied, realising that
was the second time that day he'd tried to
kill me. 'And I don't remember
asking you to join me either.'
There was something of a twinkle in his eye
and thanks to his air of
confidence I could see that he was one of
those men used to getting his own
way when it came to members of the opposite
sex. However, I'd met his type
before and knew there was no way he'd ever
come across the likes of me. Such
a sparkle might've been enough to make any
other girl go weak at the knees,
but unlike theirs, my kneecaps were made of
sterner stuff.
About the book
A child of the nineties, Lydia Livingston is different. The
last thing she’s ever wanted is to be superwoman; she knows
first-hand that ‘having it all’ isn’t everything it’s cracked up
to be. As far as she’s concerned, when it comes to job versus
family, it’s a definite case of one or the other. And whilst
most women her age have spent years climbing the corporate
ladder, she’s made a career out of bagging her perfect man.
At almost thirty and still single, Lydia wonders if she’d made
the right choice all those years ago. And realising the time
has come to take stock, she goes against her family’s wishes
and banishes herself off to a distant land—all in the hope of
finding a new direction.
At least that’s the plan.
But Lydia Livingston isn’t just different, she’s misunderstood.
A fact she knows all too well. So when the totally unsuitable
Sam comes along, she decides to tell a little white lie, re-
inventing herself as a professional chef – not exactly the
best new identity to come up with for a woman who can’t
even cook. Of course, the last thing she expects is for him
to find out the truth and start blackmailing her. Let alone
find herself roped into catering for a local wedding. But
with things going from bad to worse, her madder than mad
family also turn up in something of a surprise visit, intent
on celebrating a birthday she’s no intentions of celebrating!
Little White Lies & Butterflies is published by Safkhet
You can follow Suzie on twitter @SuzieTullett, find her on facebook, and visit her website here.
