The Hippo Hands Over . . . . to Marie Jones

Back in January I read a wonderful book called Into The Shadows (you can read my review here) I enjoyed it so much that I've asked the author, Marie Jones to write a guest post.

About Into The Shadows..

'Into The Shadows' is a romantic suspense, woven with mystery and family drama. It is one woman's journey to take a brave step to change herself and her situation, literally going into the very shadows of herself, and by doing so drawing others own shadows out as they are intricately pulled into her story." Marie was inspired to write the novel whilst visiting a stunning part of Ireland.

Lily Crossways lives a controlled life, where she ensures she never experiences hurt or disappointment. Until, that is, she returns from a short holiday in Dingle, where she discovers an eerie image of a desperate woman on one of her photographs. Lily knows she was alone that day on the beach. Who is she, is she even real, and why has she appeared to Lily? The woman seems to be calling to her, if only Lily can find and rescue her. Lily returns to Dingle and her search leads her to cafe owner David Carson, this missing woman’s brother, and the man who will turn Lily’s life upside down in every way possible. Lily must now convince him to trust in her, taking bold steps to prove herself to him, and together track down his sister before it’s too late. But nothing can prepare Lily for the secrets she uncovers about herself, her own family and how all their lives are intertwined from a distant childhood visit.

Photo courtesy of Marie Jones

Neats invited me onto her blog to share about how one single photo I took inspired my debut novel, Into The Shadows, to come into life and it's an absolute privilege to be able to tell you about my journey into writing.

To me, writing and photography flow together, enriching the other, go hand in hand.  They are both my passions, though if I had to chose between them, writing would still win the day.  Words are so powerful, beautiful, haunting.  They can transport you into a world so unlike your own, even into a different realm, time or space.  They can express your thoughts, dreams, desires, with such great depth and power. They can become your ecsapism, as well as your inspiration to be something more.

It's a little different when it comes to photography, When I go to take a photo, my eye will be drawn immediately onto something. It's a quick rush of feeling, different to what I experience when writing, which evolves over time.   Pressing the shutter release button captures that moment forever - whether it is a newborn's first smile, a dolphin leaping into the air, the majesticness of a mountain, or the unexpected joy of seeing a rainbow.

So for me, the photos I take of this beautiful world we live in will always inspire me in my writing. For my debut novel, Into The Shadows, the photo I took on Inch beach had such a profound effect on me, literally taking my breath away, that once I'd returned home, the writer in me sparked into life and began to weave a story around this one photo, so much so I used the idea of a woman's face discovered on a photo to take my main character, Lily, on an extraordinary journey of her own. One image, one moment, one chance to take it. This is that photo ...

Photo courtesy of Marie Jones

I've begun writing a new novel, based around the highlands of Scotland.  Again, it was the beauty of these raw, wild mountains, alongside the calm beauty of the clear waters of the lochs, that first drew me in as a photographer.  I framed these images on my mind, and now setting to work on bringing a story to life around them.

Before writing Into The Shadows, I ran my own photography business.  I had the privilege of photographing some truly awesome people, often at their most vulnerable as they waited to get married, or just become a mum for the first time and all the emotions that brings.  I love people, I really do.  They continually stagger and overwhelm me with their capacity and strength of mind.  I see beauty in their faces they often can't see themselves.  Now as a writer, I will always strive to capture in my own characters what I observed as a photographer.

We are amazing creations, we really are, and I feel honoured that I get to show this, through my photography, and now as a story teller.

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Having now seen Marie's photo I can definitely see how it inspired her to write her book and just as a little teaser here's the photo that gave her the idea for her next one.

Photo courtesy of Marie Jones

 
If you like the sound of Into The Shadows you'll be pleased to hear that it's currently available on Kindle for just 99p but only for the next few days so be quick. If you've already read it then please consider popping over to World's Best Story to vote for it and help spread the word about this great book. It only takes a few minutes (if you haven't read it you can read an excerpt) and I know it would mean a lot to Marie. Go on, share the book love! 💗

 

About Marie

British Writer, Marie, lives in Sussex and is married with two gorgeous children.  She enjoys photography, drawing, as well as writing. Marie studied creative writing for three years at college before pursuing writing her debut novel.

Her first novel, 'Into The Shadows', was awarded a special 5* Review on Readersfavorite.com and shortlisted for the UK Novel Writing Competition 2017
 

You can find out more about Marie and connect with her using the links below:

Website - You can download The Edge, a free short story for a limited time
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Goodreads

I'd like to thank Marie for stopping by today and to wish her lots of luck with World's Best Story and with writing her next book. 😉