Blurb: When one door closes…

Review: When we start the book, Zoë is in a very difficult situation. She lost her fiancé, Paul, and his best friend, who was also one of her best friends, disappeared after Paul's death. Her other best friend is in the other end of the world. And Zoë is just taking one day at a time, living without living, stuck in the past, surrounded by grief. So it was very interesting to read how she started living again, first moving to a different house, then following her dream of opening a shop, and then starting to connect with people again. She realised that she was stronger than she thought and that life is full of possibilities. And this is one of the reasons why I liked this book, because it's an uplifting story full of hope.

Plus, when Zoë moved to Neil's house and started writting to him, I thought that the ending of the story was quite predictable but I was greatly surprised by a couple unexpected twists and then, the ending turned out to be completely different to what I had expected. And it's always good when a book manages to surprise you!

Although I have to admit that for a moment I was a bit confused, or maybe I should say sad, because some lies were revealed and one of my favourite characters on the story who seemed like a really good guy, ended up being not that good in reality. But I guess that life is not always nice and fair so we have to learn to move on and to forgive and especially to follow our dreams, just like Zoë.

 And if you want to find out more about the author, Liesel Schmidt, and how her publishing process was, don't miss the interview I posted yesterday with her!

Today I am very happy to welcome Liesel Schmidt to my blog. Liesel has recently published her debut novel, Coming Home to You, with Carina UK and today she is going to answer some bookish questions for us.

Hi Liesel and welcome! Tell me, did you always want to be a writer?
No, actually. Writing always scared me in school because I was afraid that I was horrible at it, and book reports absolutely paralyzed me! The only thing I actually enjoyed writing were creative pieces that generally were few and far between when it came to school assignments, so I didn’t do much of that until my very late teens and early twenties. Still, I never even really considered that it would become a career path for me, since it was just a hobby, and I never seemed to finish anything I started.

How was the publishing process?
Long, grueling, and emotionally taxing. Really, you learn how to take rejection. Not that I don’t still feel the sting when I get a rejection on something I’ve written, but still. You learn to grow a thicker skin and recognize that sometimes the rejections aren’t even really about you. They’re sometimes not even really about your work. Sometimes they’re simply mailed out willy-nilly by an office assistant who’s been handed a stack of query letters that the editor or agent doesn’t have the time for.

Zoë, the main role in Coming Home to You, wants to pursue her dream: opening a shop. If you had a shop, what would you love to sell?
Much like Zoe, I love lipstick, so I think it would be a blast to own a makeup boutique. I’d also love to have a coffee shop and bookstore that sold various little odds and ends that local craftspeople and artists have made. Not very original, I suppose, but I love books and coffee and quirky, handmade, one-of-a-kind things. And I love to meet and talk to people. I think everyone has a story, and I love to listen to those stories!

Are you working on book 2? What can we expect?
Yes, actually, it’s due to be published in March 2015. What can you expect? The unexpected!

What is the best thing of being an author? And the worst one?
I think the best thing is being able to create my own little worlds, to explore life in a way that I can’t otherwise. I get to imagine so many different paths, to say things that I feel but am too afraid to say without the armor of another identity. The worst thing would have to be...the low pay? And the feeling of vulnerability when you so literally put yourself on the page.

And finally, which authors inspire you?
Too many to count. I love Fannie Flagg, Jennifer Weiner, Kathryn Stockett...And I’ve got such a long list of British authors that I can’t keep track of them all!

Thanks so much Liesel  for stopping by and answering my questions. It was lovely getting to know you a bit more. 

Connect with Liesel on twitter: @laswrites

Haven't you read Coming Home to You yet? What are you waiting for? Here is a bit more about it:

 When one door closes…

Zoë and her fiancé Paul had everything ahead of them. So when Paul dies suddenly, Zoë doesn’t recognise the life she’s left with. Helping a friend by housesitting for a stranger is the last thing she wants to do – but she can’t deny that she needs time away from the memories which crowd her flat. So, collecting the keys, Zoë lets herself into her temporary home.

…another one opens.

Surrounded by a stranger’s belongings – his toothbrush, his favourite records, the pictures on his walls – Zoë begins to build a picture of the flat’s owner, Neil, who is away in the military. Driven by a need to know more, Zoë begins writing to Neil and finds herself feeling an unlikely connection with him. But while some people are destined to share our lives forever, others are sent simply to help us on the way. And for Zoë, a new life is just beginning…

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