EXIT: the inspiration behind it by Katy Regan

Het tweede boek van Katy Regan ligt inmiddels in de winkels en de Chicklit.nl Leesclub heeft Exit eens goed onder de loep genomen. Maar wat gaat er allemaal vooraf aan dit alles? Katy Regan vertelt over de inspiratie en de ups & downs tijdens het schrijven.. 

The One Before the One was my second book and was definitely the trickiest to write. My first, as is the case with many debut authors, was quite autobiographical, so when it came to making up a whole story from scratch, based on nothing I’d experienced, I was rather overwhelmed! 
 
It was a big learning curve but in the end, developed me hugely as a writer and gave me confidence that I was able to tackle subjects I previously knew nothing about: i.e. what it’s like to have an affair.  (I assure you, I have never done this myself!)
 
One of the most difficult things was trying to make a mistress a likeable, sympathetic character but with Caroline, I hope I’ve achieved this. Some might say in fact that Caroline Steele - sensitive, neurotic, list-making addict that she is - is the most unlikely mistress and I think it’s because she really has no idea how she got into this mess and certainly how to get out of it, that we sympathise with her.
 
Caroline has other issues: she is unfairly, if not unconsciously stringing her ex along and is unable to let the right relationship blossom due to her obsession with the unobtainable and ultimately weak, Toby Delaney.  I have definitely experienced these relationship issues myself and this is what I wanted to explore in the book: the obstacles to true love and how we often don’t do what’s good for us but the absolute opposite! This is a recurring theme in contemporary women’s fiction, which I am proud to write - after all, as Caroline realizes, the only real prize in life, is love.
 
One of the main components of the novel is Caroline’s relationship with her half-sister, Lexi who comes to stay for the summer and is the catalyst for much of the action. I have two sisters myself so have always been interested in this relationship; however, it was actually a visit from my sixteen year old niece who was in need of some direction in her life, that prompted the idea for the novel. The One Before the One may have been challenging to write at times, but I adored writing the ending and think Wayne is possibly my perfect man in character form! I wonder now, if this book was my One Before the One, since my third, that was a much easier ride from start to finish but then every book is different! 

Nieuwsgierig geworden naar het resultaat? Lees hier een voorproefje van Exit: