Blog Tour: The Island Escape - Q&A with Kerry Fisher

Hi Kerry and welcome to Alba in Bookland. 

Alba, thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog. It’s lovely to be here. 

First of all, tell us a bit about yourself: 

I live in Surrey with two work-in-progress teenagers, a husband who never reads anything I write (but is quite lovely in other ways) and a naughty Lab/Giant Schnauzer called Poppy. I love cooking and seem to have developed a middle-aged obsession with gardening of late. I find a disproportionate amount of joy in seeing my seeds turn into flowers. 

Your latest novel, The Island Escape, is about a woman who escapes her real life and marriage and revisits an island where she spent a summer when she was young. Where did the inspiration for this story come from? 

I lived in Corsica as part of my French degree when I was nineteen. It’s a fabulous island, with the strong perfume of wild rosemary, thyme and gorse everywhere, carpets of wildflowers and the clearest sea. It’s the perfect setting for romance so I chose it for The Island Escape. The idea of the story came from hearing so many women in their forties expressing dissatisfaction with the way their lives have turned out. 

You're quite a traveler yourself, what's the best place you have ever visited and would like to escape right now? 

I love Sydney. There’s such a variety of things to do/see/eat, I can’t imagine ever being bored. The last couple of months have been so busy, I’d like to do the Bondi-Coogee coastal walk, which passes through the peaceful Waverley Cemetery. It sounds macabre but it’s an exquisite graveyard overlooking the sea. I love reading all the old-fashioned names on the headstones and wondering about their lives. 

And what place you haven't visited yet would you love to discover? 

I’m really keen to go to Iceland – the scenery is supposed to be spectacular. 

Are the characters in your novels completely fictional or are they ever based on anyone in real life? 

It sounds odd but I find it more difficult to make real people convincing than entirely fictional ones. What I do take from real life are characteristics or personality traits – a way of standing, a nervous tic, an aggressive or unfortunate manner… 

Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on at the moment? 

I’ve just finished novel three. It’s a very contemporary story about how small secrets can grow huge as they contaminate the next generation, intertwined with a humorous look at how challenging parenting can be. 

And now the important questions ;) 

Secret guilty pleasure: I hardly ever watch television but I do love I’m A Celebrity. I get completely frustrated when contestants won’t even have a go at trials. 

Ultimate Book boyfriend: I’ve just read Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey and I loved her American bomber pilot, Dan. He had all the ingredients for a romantic hero – decent, brave, kind and respectful. 

Best plan for a Saturday night: I like to party but am probably happiest when the whole family is at home, with a film we all agree on (rather than our usual scenario of arguing about every film on Netflix before it gets too late to watch anything!) Add in the dog snuggled up with me on the sofa, a glass of Sauvignon blanc and all mobile phones banished to the kitchen – perfect! 

Thank you for having me.

Thank you Kerry for stopping by and answering all my questions. I would love to be in Corsica right now, but I think I'll have to settle with reading the fantastic The Island Escape.

Haven't you read this fantastic read yet? Find out more about it: 

Title: The Island Escape

Author: Kerry Fisher

Published: May 21st 2015 by Avon

Amazon | Amazon UK

Have you missed any stops on the tour? Check them out for more fantastic content, reviews and interviews with Kerry: