Hello! And it’s a very happy Publication Day to GINA HOLLANDS today with the release of the fabulous YOURS, TRUDY! And she gets to share the day with you as she’s taking over my Blog page today to share some background to the book!
Over to you Gina………
Release Day Post: Yours, Trudy by Gina Hollands
Yours, Trudy is my seventh published work but first ever romcom! Friends and family have been encouraging me to write a comedy since I started writing books because I like to inject humour into my work emails and letters and texts to friends and family. Despite that, it took me years to take the plunge and write a comedy because being funny works best when it’s spontaneous. However, once I realised that the funniest moments tend to happen in everyday conversations and communication, I found that the words flowed. A lot of the material in Yours, Trudy is based on real events and communication I’ve encountered in my job and family life. It’s therefore fair to say that my own life was a huge inspiration in Yours, Trudy.
Trudy isn’t me, however. Although there are similarities between us – she’s a wife and mum who’s trying to juggle family life with a career – she’s a huge watersports enthusiast. I love the water but am accident prone, so getting in a kayak would be a very bad idea indeed! Unfortunately for Trudy, she herself had a serious accident several years before the story begins, which has thrown her life off course and even led to the breakdown of her marriage to the gorgeous and loveable Carlton. She feels she’s failed on many levels and in trying to be everything to everyone, has ended up letting down those she loves most. Luckily, Trudy has some great friends – Mary and Aisha – who are based loosely on two of my real-life friends! Female friends are really important to many women, including myself, and I wanted to explore this theme in the book.
Although Yours, Trudy is a romcom, there are several tender – and even darker – moments. In order to get light, there must be shade, of course. The most touching scene, I think, is where Trudy is remembering her late father in a conversation she’s having with her mum. It’s at that moment she realises that she might have misunderstood her mother. It’s a real turning point in their relationship.
I set Yours, Trudy in the seaside town of Worthing, where I live. I love Worthing and wanted to put it ‘on the map’ by making it the setting of my story. It’s such a vibrant, diverse place that in my opinion doesn’t get the credit or attention it deserves. It often sits in the shadow of nearby Brighton and that’s a shame. That’s not to say Worthing is the most beautiful place on earth – although our sunset has been voted one of the best in the world! – it’s more that it’s interesting. There are some great, quirky little shops, restaurants and bars, and The Dome is the best cinema I’ve ever been to. We’re lucky to have such a vivid cultural scene with theatres, art galleries and eateries. I love it here and Trudy’s pretty happy here too, although she’s always dreamed of having a sea view, which she hasn’t managed yet. If she steps outside her front door and cranes her neck, she can see the front of M&S though! In the book I mention several real places in Worthing, including The Connaught Theatre and even the little pizza van that parks on the seafront.
I really hope that readers get a laugh out of Yours, Trudy, champion her as a character and fall a bit in love with Carlton. Feedback so far has been that it is ‘relatable’ and I hope more readers find that. Being a woman in modern society who has a family and responsibilities is not easy. In fact, it’s grossly underestimated how challenging and exhausting it can be. Women often carry the lion’s share of the household’s responsibilities even when they, too, work full-time. It’s time society woke up to this and readdressed the balance. It is my wish that Yours, Trudy can, even to a small degree, bring this issue to light, and do so in a fun and entertaining way.
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About the Book:
How many positive words and exclamation marks can you fit into the space of one email?
A lot is the answer, if you’re Trudy Drinkwater. As ‘Head of People Happiness’, her cheery emails are carefully written to boost the morale of her ‘fellow finned friends’ at Pink Fish Web Design. Yay!
But, in reality, there is very little Trudy has to say ‘yay!’ about in her home life. Her marriage is all but over, she’s in a near constant battle to make her two chicken nugget loving teens eat anything vaguely nutritious, and the days when she and her husband were young lovers with big dreams seem very far away.
Can Trudy keep up the chirpy pretence of her day job, or does she really need a new start and a second chance at true happiness?
Buying links:
Kindle UK: https://amzn.to/3y0c5us
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3dpZOaq
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Q3dqzi
Nook: https://bit.ly/3aiMjr3
About the Author:
Gina Hollands was born and bred in Yorkshire, England. She has worked in public relations for 15 years, since graduating from Oxford University with a degree in modern languages. Gina now lives on the West Sussex coast with her husband and young son. When she’s not writing Gina is likely to be participating in her other hobby – dancing, be it salsa, jive or lindy hop.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginahollands/
https://www.instagram.com/gina_hollands/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginaholls
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