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How long can the desire for revenge last?
Kate Shaw, a successful pharmacist, goes to a thirty-year reunion at her old university and uses the weekend to settle some old scores. Her main target is her ex-lover, Jonathan. She decides to scar him for life as he scarred her. Her bizarre plan works but he shocks her with his strange, unwanted reaction.
What is the unexpected link between Jonathan and Kate’s husband?
What is the significance of the ‘Love Bite’ photograph?
What hold does Jonathan have over Kate?
Revenge is never simple.
A darkly humorous story of love, lust, loss and vengeance.
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Q&A
– When and where do you prefer to write?
I love writing late at night, sometimes into the early hours. I sit in my study, in silence – no radio or music – tapping away at my laptop. I’m lucky to have an antique desk and that’s where I sit, my creative place. I like having my writing paraphernalia around me: paper for notes, pens and pencils, lots of writing magazines. I like the curtains open so I the darkness outside can creep in. I ignore my husband who often shouts, ‘Do you know what time it is?’ If the computer didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t know. When I do go to bed, my head is buzzing and I find it hard to sleep. The price I pay for being a nocturnal writer!
– Do you have a certain ritual?
Not really. Always writing in the same place is the closest I get to ritual.
– Is there a drink of some food that keeps you company while you write?
No. I rarely eat and although I may have a cup of coffee with me, it generally goes cold. Eating and drinking are a distraction. However, I have found words flow well after a glass or two of wine! They may not necessarily be useful words but sometimes I find a gem.
– What is your favourite book?
So difficult! I think it changes all the time. I’m a member of a book group and some of the novels we have chosen recently have inspired me. These include ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ by Delia Owens, ‘The Good People’ by Hannah Kent and ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ by Amor Towles. These are, in my opinion, particularly well-written books and I’ve lost myself in them.
– Do you consider writing a different genre in the future?
If I have to put my writing into a genre, I’d say it was Women’s Fiction, suitable for book clubs. However, I know many men who’ve enjoyed my books so the description isn’t totally true. I write what I enjoy most and I think that will continue although I am thinking about a novel set in the 1950s/60s – the period in which I grew up – which would be earlier time-wise than my present novels. However, I am also writing a book about skiing, based on my and my family’s experiences. A piece of creative non-fiction. So that is totally different.
– Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
I never use an individual as the basis for a character. I do, however, often use aspects of an individual, something they’ve done or a physical characteristic. I make sure it’s not obvious. Many friends have searched for themselves in my novels – unsuccessfully! I like to use places I know as settings. It gives veracity and personal insight.
– Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
Not everywhere but I often have one, especially when I travel. I also have a notebook by my bed. I’ve been known to scribble in it in the dark to avoid waking my husband – deciphering my jottings in the morning is interesting. I write in my head on journeys and walks so a notepad is useful or memory failure takes over.
– Which genre do you not like at all?
I’m not keen on horror although as I rarely read it, I’m no expert. I find it either not really horrific or unbelievable. I would consider classic horror, like Dracula, an exception.
– If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
I really admire people who co-write books but can’t imagine doing it. I just don’t know how I’d start. So, bearing that in mind, my choice of author to write with would have to be Nicci Gerrard, who writes with her husband, Sean French, as Nicci French. I love their Frieda Klein novels and would not have guessed that there were two authors. Their writing is seamless – so I think I’d learn a huge amount from Nicci.
– If you should travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you chose and why?
It would probably be France as it’s a country I love and visit often. I speak reasonable French and that is an asset. I enjoy travel writing so I’ve done research overseas before. I used a visit to Verona as the basis of an event in my second novel, ‘A Prescription for Madness’.
Thank you for interviewing me – I appreciate that.
Thank you, Linda Fawke and Rachel’s Random Resources
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About the author
Linda Fawke is an arts person who studied science but always wanted to write. Now retired, she indulges this passion, writing fiction and non-fiction, even occasional poetry, preferably late at night. She has now written two novels, ‘A Taste of his own Medicine’ and its sequel, ‘A Prescription for Madness’ using her background in pharmacy as the setting of both. These are easy books to read, suitable for Book Club discussions. ‘ A Prescription for Madness’ is more serious than the first book, dealing with such issues as pregnancy in later life and Down’s Syndrome.
She has been a winner of the Daily Telegraph ‘Just Back’ travel-writing competition and has published in various magazines including ‘Mslexia’, ‘Litro’ online, ‘Scribble’, ‘The Oldie’, ‘Berkshire Life’ and ‘Living France’. She was a finalist in the ‘Hysteria’ short story competition.
Linda blogs at http://www.linimeant.wordpress.com where her ‘Random Writings’ include a range of topics from travel to ‘Things that pop into my head’.
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Author Links
Twitter: @LindaFawke
Facebook: Linda Fawke
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BookLinks
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Taste-his-own-Medicine-ebook/dp/B01N2NYZVN/
US – https://www.amazon.com/Taste-his-own-Medicine-ebook/dp/B01N2NYZVN/
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