Today we are meeting a very special UK author, Eliza Hope-Brown. As I’m sure some of you know, Eliza is a close friend and I have been privileged to work with her on her debut novel, Sanctuary, (my review here) part of the Sweet Inevitability series. Armed with my regular questions, join me in conversation with Eliza to discuss her writing.
We’re talking in early 2023, as Sanctuary has been released in paperback – tell me about this book (which you know I loved, both as your editor and as a reader) – what was your inspiration? Did you know the ending before you began writing or did the story evolve and take on a life of its own?
So the inspiration for Sanctuary actually came from a dream. It sounds horribly cliched but it’s the honest to Gods truth. When I woke up after a nap, I had a very vivid memory of it and immediately wrote it down.
The dream I had was actually a variation on the final chapter of Sanctuary and from there I sort of worked backwards, letting the story evolve freely. I’ve found that if I just write, my stories take on a life of their own and I don’t need to plan out what’s going to happen, it just flows.
I know that Sanctuary is part of a series of standalone books that are somehow linked – talk me through this.
Yeah, so it’s part of a set, although right now I don’t know how many books will be in the series. The premise is that the two main characters, Dan and Laura, will appear in multiple timelines throughout but while their lives and situations are always very different, they’ll always try to find their way to one another.
What in terms of your writing are you most proud of?
Wow, that’s a tough one. I think I’m most proud of finishing the book. My brain isn’t good with finishing things off usually, so to actually have a finished book, that’s published and printed is something I’ll always be very proud of.
Was it always your ambition to become a writer? If you weren’t a writer what would be your dream job?
I haven’t always wanted to be a writer. Words are something that have found me when I needed them most. If I wasn’t a writer now, I’d still be in the creative space. It’s who I am at my core and I can’t imagine being any other way. One of the reasons I gave up teaching was that it didn’t quench my creative thirst, even then I knew that creativity was my thing.
What are you working on currently?
I’m currently working on finishing Colours, the next book in the series, which is very nearly done and then I have plans to get started on the third book.
Who are your favourite authors? Who do you automatically pre-order without even bothering to look at the synopsis?
I like all sorts really. I read a lot of things outside of out the romance genre, to be honest. I’ve loved Stephen King’s Fairy Tale recently and I’ll buy any book Chase Jarvis ever puts his name too.
If you were to write an autobiography, which would be the chapter you enjoyed recounting the most?
Probably the chapter where I realised I was a writer. It’s a part of my life that makes me smile a lot.
If Sanctuary was to be turned into a movie or mini-series on TV, who would you like to see in the main roles?
Ha! Well if I could get complete creative control, Bradley Cooper for the role of Dan and the singer Kelly Clarkson would play Laura. That’s more or less how I imagined them to be when I was creating them.
Thank you for your time, Eliza. Because you are staying in the background somewhat, happy to just let your books do the talking, it’s nice to be able to share a little insight into who you are.
Beautiful book, I read it and truly enjoyed every moment of the journey