I am thrilled to welcome Katherine Blessan to my blog, as part of her blog tour for her latest book. She explains a little as to how she crafted Home Truths with Lady Grey. First, here is a little taster as to what it is about:

When normally capable, career-minded Jennifer crumbles under a debilitating disease, she struggles with no longer being in control of her life. In the meantime, Mona, a family-oriented mother of Iranian heritage, finds out that her husband is gambling and hiding the truth from her. Can she move beyond betrayal to action?
When Mona goes to work for Jennifer as a carer, Jennifer is initially defensive, but the two soon discover that despite their differences they have so much to learn from one another. Will Mona discover how to balance the conflicting loyalties of family and self? Will Jennifer learn to let others in? And most importantly, will they both survive?

How the idea of Home Truths with Lady Grey came about 

I was walking home from work one day, and the idea of two very different women came into my mind. One of them was physically fit, independent and a little racist (Jennifer). The other was going to be a foil to the first character – from a BAME heritage (which I pinned down eventually as Iranian), and a much warmer, personable character (Mona). The story developed around these two women with all the conflicts and themes emerging over time. 

What the writing process was like

It was a long process that began in 2015 and ended last year. I didn’t write constantly throughout that time. Other writing projects took my focus, for example screenplays and two long ghostwriting projects.

I alternated writing the story between Jennifer’s and Mona’s point of view. Mona was written from the third person limited. Later, I found out that this was the ‘right’ thing to do as Mona is Iranian, thus I couldn’t be accused of what’s known as cultural appropriation. Jennifer’s voice was deliberately written in the first person. I wanted readers to understand her and empathise with her as she goes on this journey from prickly independence into vulnerability. But I knew that she might be more difficult for readers to warm to than Mona. However, the more I wrote from her perspective, the more I enjoyed her and actually found her easier to ‘spend time with’ than the more likable Mona!

My first draft was very much Mona and Jennifer’s two separate stories. They didn’t really meet until the end of the novel. My most astute beta readers [people who read through a first draft and give feedback] told me that this wasn’t working. I had to figure out a way to weave the two stories together more effectively. I did that by inserting little vignettes of Mona and Jennifer’s time together throughout the novel in a way that linked to the themes of each chapter.

The reader’s experience

Because reading a novel is a such a personal experience, every reader will take away slightly different things. But I do hope that readers will take away something of the frailty of the human condition, and be reminded of the importance of gratitude, friendship and openness. As a Christian, I also hope that the readers will take away something of the power of God to break addiction, which can be seen through Mona’s husband James’ story.

Katherine lives in Sheffield and is married to Blessan, from Kerala, India. As well as writing stories that touch on social issues and explore the space where cultures cross, Katherine is a social entrepreneur and English tutor.

Previously, she lived and worked in Cambodia, a rich experience she draws on in her writing. She set a previous novel, Lydia’s Song, in Cambodia – it was a category finalist in the Indie Book Awards, 2016.

Home Truths with Lady Grey is available from 20 April, but can be pre-ordered on Katherine’s website.