Introducing Tasha Harrison, author of Pearls

My guest today is a talented author I recently came across on Twitter, Tasha Harrison. Even though I have over 300 unread books on my Kindle (mostly free downloads!) I decided to buy one of Tasha's books because the cover caught my eye and the description sounded like something I would enjoy.

I'm so glad I decided to read Pearls; it's one of the best books I've read recently. You can see my review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

After reading the book, I was keen to invite Tasha here to introduce her to all of you. She has told me that she is planning a free promotion of the Kindle version of Pearls on 13th & 14th February! So, mark those dates in your diary and make sure that you download a copy.



Here's a useful link for the Kindle book (it should take you to your local Amazon store): viewBook.at/B00A8RJE8O

Without further ado, here's my interview with Tasha:


'Pearls' is all about people finding themselves and how it's never too late for someone to change. Your character Charlie likes the mantras she finds on the cards in Kate and Gary's house. Do you have a favourite mantra that helps to inspire you?

‘Everything is exactly the way it’s supposed to be at this moment’ is a bit of a hard one to get your head around when life isn’t going your way, but I’ve found it gives me a sense of comfort, knowing that I’m not in control and that maybe something else is.

Ah, yes, I like that one :)



Your character, Miriam, has a paranormal experience in the book. Have you ever had any similar experiences?

No, but I’d like to! I believe in life after death, although I don’t subscribe to any particular belief as to how it all works. I was watching Brian Cox on TV the other night talking about the beginnings of life on our planet and I was finding the scientific explanations a bit hard to follow until he said, ‘Energy can’t be created or destroyed, only conserved or transformed.’ And that made sense to me. I suppose that Miriam’s experience – seeing a young woman’s soul leave her body at the point of death – is something that while on the one hand, would be quite disturbing, on the other, could also bring much peace of mind.

Yes, it's kind of like the scene from Ghost when Sam dies!

How long did it take to write 'Pearls'?

I guess about a year to write the first draft, while trying to juggle part-time work and family life. My working day stops at 3 when I pick my kids up from school. Some days I write in the evening if I have the energy! I’m a speedy typist, so if I’m on a roll, I can cover a fair bit of mileage in a short amount of time.



Apart from 'Pearls' you have 2 other books. Can you tell us a bit about those?

Package Deal and Hot Property are both beach reads through and through. Package Deal is set on the Greek island of Kefalonia and is about a group of British holidaymakers whose lives become entangled on their two-week holiday in a newly-built apartment complex. The caretaker there, ladies’ man Dimitri, immediately eyes up singleton Mia, but for once his charms are having little effect.



Hot Property is similar but is set in Crete and is about a group of ex-pats who are striving to live the perfect sun, sea and sand lifestyle, but thanks to a devious local property developer, life is not quite as idyllic as they’d hoped. Both novels are humorous holiday reads, and are told from lots of different characters’ viewpoints.



They sound like fun! I will be adding them to my list of books to read :)

Your bio says that you studied journalism, and worked as an editor for various magazines. Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction writing?

I worked as a sub-editor, so not as high up the ranks as an editor, but doing the job of editing nonetheless! I love writing fiction and can’t imagine not doing it, but since starting a blog, I’ve rediscovered how fun writing non-fiction can be. However, I find it hard to find the time to fit it all in – writing a blog, promoting my books, writing books, kids and work – there aren’t enough hours in the day!


Do you do the editing and formatting for your books?

Both Package Deal and Hot Property were taken on by agents, and therefore underwent several drafts before being submitted to publishers. Sadly neither agent was able to sell, so when I decided to self-publish them as e-books, I asked sub-editing friends to proofread them for me. With Pearls I didn’t have an agent’s guidance, but I paid a friend I used to work with to edit and proofread it for me. You can never have too many fresh pairs of eyes to spot the mistakes you missed! On magazines, every single page gets proofread by a whole team of sub-editors, and still mistakes can slip through the net! As for formatting, I’d be lost without my husband’s help – though that said, I did manage to format my own table of contents on Pearls which I was very proud of! It was actually very simple, but I can usually be trusted to mess up even the simplest of technical tasks.

I'm like that... a bit of a technophobe, but have found that most things are easier than they first seem once you set your mind to doing them!

All the characters in 'Pearls' struck me as being very realistic. Are any of them inspired by people you know, or are they totally fictional?

All the characters are completely fictional apart from Miriam, who was inspired a fair bit by my mum but also by a friend. Many years ago, after losing her sister to cancer, my mum turned to AA when she felt she’d become too dependent on alcohol. Her drinking was nowhere near as bad as Miriam’s, but she felt she needed to take control of her life and turn over a new leaf. I went to a few AA meetings with her and they were incredibly humbling and inspiring. As a result, I joined Al-Anon (a self-help programme for friends and relatives of alcoholics) for a few years and it turned my life around. My mum conquered her demons, too. More recently she’s been exploring Buddhism (as does Miriam in the book), so thanks to her, I’m always getting some kind of spiritual education that challenges my way of thinking!



Which one of the characters in 'Pearls' can you most relate to?

I can relate to all of the three main female characters to some extent. There’s a bit of me in each of them. In my early twenties, I was like Charlie, lacking in confidence and self-belief, while like Kate, I was also holding onto a lot of anger from the past. Today, like Miriam, I’m more at peace with myself.



Who designs your book covers?

My brilliant husband! I tell him what I don’t want and he works out what I do want and puts it all together.

I must admit I was drawn to read Pearls because of the cover! That happens to me sometimes LOL



Who are your favourite authors?

I love Lionel Shriver, Anita Shreve, Sarah Waters, Khaled Hosseini, to name but a few – all such gifted storytellers. Recently I read The Legacy by Jill Rowan, a witty time-travel novel with a romantic twist – I couldn’t put it down.





Do you prefer e-books or paperback/hardback?

I’m not bothered. I think e-books are a brilliant innovation – they make reading so much more instantly accessible. But when I read a book that really bowls me over, I quite like to own it in paperback and put it up there on the shelves for keeps!



Me too!

Are you working on any other books at the moment?

Yes, my current WIP is called Blown-Away Man and is set in the '80s and the present day in London and Lincolnshire. For the first time ever I’m writing in the first person, the story is told from one character’s viewpoint only, and that character is a man. Uncharted territory for me!

That is a challenge, but those types of thing can really help with our development as writers.



Where is the best place for readers to connect with you online?

Come visit my blog at www.tashaharrison.com or look me up on Twitter http://twitter.com/TashaHarrison_ 



Where can people buy your books?

Currently they’re only available on Amazon. But I’m hoping to put them on Smashwords at some point this year.



Do you have any tips for someone who might be considering self-publishing a book?

If you don’t get your book properly edited and proofread by someone who does it for a living, there will undoubtedly be more mistakes than you realise in it and you risk not being taken seriously. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever read a trad-pub book without a typo or two in it! Also it’s well worth sending your manuscript to somewhere like http://www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk/ who, for a fee, will give you some professional, honest feedback in a written report. The more professional feedback you can get before you self-publish, the better.

Yes, I did that with a couple of my novels. I sent them to Cornerstones. That type of professional feedback is very helpful, I've found.

Thanks so much for being such a great guest and for answering all my questions, Tasha! I wish you continued success with you writing!
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Remember to download your free copy of Pearls during the free promotion on the 13th & 14th February: viewBook.at/B00A8RJE8O