I was excited to hear about writer Chris Penhall's success as both a debut and prizewinning novelist, and I have been looking forward to chatting ever since I heard that Chris had won a competition sponsored by award-winning independent publisher Choc Lit and Your Cat magazine.
Chris's prize is publication by Choc Lit's sister imprint, Ruby Fiction.
Chris's prize is publication by Choc Lit's sister imprint, Ruby Fiction.
Let's find out more about Chris.
She's a freelance writer and radio
producer for her local BBC Radio station, as well as being an Associate
Producer for the Richard and Judy Book Club Podcast. Born in South Wales, she
has also lived near London and in Portugal, which is where The House that Alice Built is
set. It was whilst living in Cascais near Lisbon that she began to dabble in
writing fiction, but it was many years later that she was confident enough to
start writing her first novel, and many years after that she finally finished
it. She is now working on her second. A lover of books, music and cats,
she is also an enthusiastic salsa dancer, a keen cook and loves to travel. She
is never happier than when she is gazing at the sea. Chris has two grown-up
daughters and lives in the Essex countryside.
The House that Alice Built is
Chris’s first novel. What a gorgeous cover - and look, there's Aphrodite the cat, who partly inspired the story!
The book is
about sensible Alice, who is working hard to pay for the beloved London house
she and her ex bought many years previously. She’s throwing all her money and
love into that whilst he is off having a mid-life crisis and travelling the
world. But when he sends her a postcard telling her he wants to sell the house
at the same time as she gets made redundant, she panics.
As far as
she’s concerned, he has only paid enough towards it to own the downstairs
toilet. But rather than stand up to him, she does something uncharacteristic.
She leaves the country. But only goes as far as Portugal where her best friend
Kathy is living.
But her ex
isn’t going to give up that easily.
Once
Alice gets to Portugal, she begins to learn how to let go and find the person she
used to be. And of course, there’s a man. There’s also Aphrodite the cat, Elvis
the dog, a spot of paddle boarding, and a bit of dancing on top of bars.
'I wanted to
write about escape, learning to let go, and re-inventing yourself,' says Chris.
'But mostly,
I wanted my story to be fun, sunny, and uplifting. It’s my love letter to Portugal.'
I'm sure all Chris's readers will agree that The House that Alice Built is a fun, inspiring and engaging read. You can get
all the links to buying the e-book or audio by visiting www.chrispenhall.co.uk
Buy the book from Amazon UK:
Get in touch with Chris:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisPenhall
Sounds like a fun read. I'm looking forward to reading it. Well done, Chris.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth!
ReplyDelete