Lucy Elena Books

Book Tour Days 9 and 10

Book Tour: Days 9 and 10

Well, its the last two days of my book tour with The Starling Dance and its been fantastic. Thank you to all the bloggers and reviewers that have hosted us and, once again, many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organising the tour.

On Day 9, I was interviewed by Mai at Mai’s Musings. She asked me about my characters and the inspiration for The Starling Dance. There were, of course many influences – my time living in Paris and Rome; my experiences as an international journalist, learning to film; the people I met there; and the books I love.

But I also wanted to shine a light on people suffering with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.

OCD is often associated with the stereotypes we see on TV or in popular culture – an obsession with cleaning or precision, for example. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. The obsessive part of OCD often manifests as persistent unwelcome and distressing thoughts that can have a serious negative impact on people’s lives. It has been likened to having a bully living in your mind, constantly accusing you of things that make you feel uncomfortable. Many people who suffer from OCD never share their distressing thoughts with anyone, feeling too ashamed. They don’t realise that they are experiencing common symptoms of OCD, which affect at least three quarters of a million people in the UK alone, according to OCD UK.

The good news is that OCD can be cured or greatly improved through therapy. If anyone has been struggling with persistent distressing thoughts, I really encourage them to look up OCD on trusted sites and seek professional help. In The Starling Dance my character, Viviano, unknowingly suffers from OCD, accusing himself of wanting to harm people, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

You can read the full interview here.

On day 10, the tour concluded with a mention by Literary Hoarder and a lovely review from Ritu at But I Smile Anyway… I love that Ritu picked up on the ‘little fantastical elements’ that are part of the story. Which, she says, give the book ‘an added sparkle’.

There are couple sources of inspiration for the touches of magical realism that I’ve included in The Starling Dance.

The first comes from my own reading. I’ve always loved  the magical realism in Latin American literature, in books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabelle Allende and Laura Esquivel for example. I like the way those touches of magic add a different dimension to their stories. They always make me smile and add to the general wackiness that I enjoy when I’m reading.

I had also imagined The Starling Dance as a film, and often would think about how these slightly fantastical scenarios would play out on the big screen, beautifully filmed and full of colour.

I didn’t want to make the book completely unbelievable. Instead, I wanted to find the edge of what could be possible, but probably would not happen in reality.

You can read Ritu’s review here.

Have you got your copy of  The Starling Dance yet?

BUY IT HERE

Book Tour: Day 8

Book Tour: Day 8

Another exciting day on tour with The Starling Dance.

My first stop was at The Book Magnet where I received the most fabulous review from Michelle. As a debut novelist, I find my self-confidence can be quite low. You can never be sure that people will ‘get’ what you have written and will enjoy your book as much as you hope they will. So it was so motivating to see my book described like this:

Beautifully written, incredibly entertaining and completely mesmerising. The Starling Dance is a stunning first novel that makes me very excited to see what Lucy Elena writes next.

You can read the full review here.

As part of my second stop of the day, bookwormwhitlock86 featured an extract from my book (part 1 of Chapter 31 – If a tree dates in the jungle, does it make a sound?).

You can read the extract here.

In this scene, while listening to music, my main female character, Laure, remembers when she reached her lowest point, a year ago, while on sick leave from work due to burnout. That day, she was surrounded by her friends but inside she felt very lonely – a failure in her career and her love life. It was this feeling that pushed her to leave Paris and move to Italy for a fresh start. Now in her room in Rome, Laure feels the culmination of all the pressures she has heaped upon herself over the years to conform to what society expects of her and to please her parents, rather than trusting her own instincts. Her chance meeting that day with Viviano, the free-spirited street artist, opens her eyes to this self-imposed weight pulling her down. When Laure starts to draw the vines on her body, symbolically, it signals the beginning of a transformation in her life – to let go of what other people think of her and to start to be more free and more rebellious. To connect with nature and with herself.

You can find out what happens next in The Starling Dance.

Have you got your copy?

BUY IT HERE

Book Tour: Days 6 and 7

Book Tour: Day 6 and 7

Day 6 of my book tour resulted in two lovely reviews. Once again, both noted how much they particularly enjoyed the setting for my story.

Thank you Natalie @curlingupwithacoffeeand a kindle and Zara @worm_talk_book_club for your encouraging words.

You can read both reviews by following the links above.

Day 7 started with a surprise from splashesintobooks. Another great review but in verse! Thank you Elaine. How creative! It’s amazing how you managed to capture so many aspects of The Starling Dance – characters, themes, storylines – and all in rhyme.

You can read this poetic review here.

Then it was time for me to do some work. MJ Porter was kind enough to invite me as a guest blogger on her site. I chose to write about the street artists who perform for tourists around the squares in Rome who, it transpires, have been a feature of street life in Rome since ancient times.

Although the main inspiration for The Starling Dance was Rome itself. I started meeting many different kinds of people that live in the city – the locals, the artists and performers that line the streets, and the migrants who have risked their lives to reach Europe and, from all this. I knew that one of my main characters would be a street performer, so I took the time to meet many street artists around the city and get to know them.

In the book, Viviano is a street artist who poses around the city in elaborate costumes, which he designs and makes himself. He’s a fiercely intelligent, eccentric and artistic Italian in his late twenties. He lives with his mum. Viviano could have the world at his feet, but his mental health struggles, which he hides behind his smile and good humour, hold him back in life. He loves adventure and has a diverse group of friends. He cannot bear to be alone with his own thoughts.

We often walk past these people, who paint their bodies, wear disguises and perform for crowds but usually we never know anything about the person behind the costume. I wanted to portray them as real characters with fascinating lives and back stories.

You can Read my guest blog here

Have you got your copy of The Starling Dance?

BUY IT HERE

Book Tour Days 4 and 5

Book Tour: Day 4 and 5

On Day 4 of my book tour I stopped off at Tea leaves and Book leaves, where I received a lovely review from Emma, which you can read here

Day 5 was busy. My visit to Pickled Thoughts and Pinot resulted in another lovely review. Thank you.

My favourite line was

Quirky, often sweary, highly amusing and yet at times quite reflective and serious, this book ticks plenty of boxes.

You can read the full review here.

Joanne’s review, like many others I received, spoke about the setting for my story – Rome during a sweltering summer. Joanne, who had visited Rome before enjoyed being taken back to the streets of Trastavere. For those of you who haven’t visited, Trastevere is a neighbourhood in Rome just south of the Tevere river. It’s full of small, winding cobbled paths, houses painted the colours of Autumn and little bars and restaurants which teem with people in the evenings. I spent a lot of time there while I was living in Italy – especially eating takeaway pizza on the fountain steps in the ancient Santa Maria square.

A lot of research went into The Starling Dance. I was living in Rome when I thought of the idea for the story, and after a year of exploring, I came to know the city very well. The places described are all depicted from my memories of being there. People have described the book as a ‘love letter to Rome’, which I really wanted it to be because, to me, it’s such a magical city. The Starling Dance was first conceived as a film and I’m delighted when readers’ comments indicate that the visual impact and energy of a sun-baked Rome, with its stunning architecture and colourful people has translated to print.

Fittingly, my final stop was at Sarandipity’s  where Sara featured an extract from The Starling Dance (Chapter 3: I’ve Been Watching You).

In this extract, the reader is introduced to Trastevere, where our main female character Laure lives, as she heads to her local coffee shop before work. While pining for her boyfriend, Davide, who has suddenly stopped replying to her messages, Laure fails to notice that someone is watching her.

You can the extract on Sara’s blog.

If you would like to be transported to Rome, read The Starling Dance.

Have you got your copy?

BUY IT HERE

Book Tour Day 3

Book Tour: Day 3

 

Day 3 of my book tour was busy and so exciting.

First I visited TBHonest where I received a wonderful review.

As a new author, it’s quite daunting to put your book out there for others to read. You can never be sure if other people are going to enjoy it as much as you hope, and sometimes self-doubt takes over. So it was such a joy and a real boost to my confidence to see The Starling Dance described as ‘a stunning debut’. Thank you!

You can read the full review here.

This review spoke about my female main character, Laure, as being ‘instantly likeable and relatable’. Many readers have mentioned that she is their favourite character because she is very human – quite fallible and funny.

Laure is a 29-year-old, from Paris and she’s going through a rough patch in her life. After suffering a burnout, she left her job in France and moved to Rome for a new start. She’s weighed down by all kinds of expectations (almost entirely self-imposed) on how her life should look as she nears her 30s. In the book, we follow her journey as she searches for a sense of purpose, self and belonging.

My next stop – Against the Flow – focused on another, quite different main character, Viviano. He’s a fiercely intelligent, eccentric and artistic Italian in his late twenties, who lives with his mum. Viviano could have the world at his feet, but his mental health struggles, which he hides behind his smile and good humour, hold him back in life. He’s a street artist who poses around the city in elaborate costumes, which he designs and makes himself. He loves adventure and has a diverse group of friends. He cannot bear to be alone with his own thoughts.

I have a real soft spot for Viviano. I love his intuitive personality and creative and kind nature. From backflips on slacklines, to the eccentric costumes he dons as a street performer – whether it be a tree, a cat or a ripe tomato – he’s unique. I feel sorry for him because of the mental health issues which he suffers alone, but I like that he starts to work through them during the book.

Laura featured an extract from The Starling Dance (Chapter 24: Slacklining Over The City).

In this part of the story, Viviano, has come to meet his friends at Rome’s picturesque Gianicolo Hil. It’s a chance for the reader to get to know Viviano better and see him in a more relaxed environment, on days when his mental health challenges are not flaring up. Even in the company of his friends, Laure – Viviano’s love interest – is never far from his mind. We also learn a bit more about Viviano’s best friend Mickey, a migrant from Senegal.

You can read the extract on Laura’s blog

I finished the day with another author interview with Deborah from Against the Flow. Our conversation raged from my favourite characters and who I’d like to play them in a movie – The Starling Dance was first conceived as a film – to my inspiration for the book and what I’m planning on writing in the future. You can read the full interview  here.

Have you got your copy of The Starling Dance yet?

Buy it here

Book Tour Day 1 and 2

Book Tour Day 1 and 2

 

It’s finally time for The Starling Dance‘s first book tour organised by Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources.
The first stop on the tour was at B for Bookreview where I was interviewed by Els. She asked me about my writing process, what I like to read (and what I don’t like) and about my future writing plans. You can read what I had to say in her blog, which you can read here.

I was also at @littlemissbooklover87 and @malloch_books where I received two lovely reviews. Follow the links to their sites to read the reviews.

Thank you so much, Els and the reviewers.

The cover design which one review admired was designed by Duncan Grant with the graphics on the cover and inside the book by Linda Cole (@lindacoledesign).

I’m so happy that both reviewers particularly enjoyed the sense of place that I wanted to create when I was describing the vibrant bustling streets of Rome (where I lived for a time) and the often overlooked street artists and migrants who live there. Laure, my main female character, a French girl who moved to Rome to start a new life after work burnout back home, was also a hit. She’s been in Rome for a year now and things are not working out for her. When she gets involved with someone she shouldn’t, her life starts to become very complicated.
Have you got your copy yet?

Buy it Here

The Starling Dance is going on tour……

The Starling Dance is going on tour.......

Having travelled the world since it was first published in August, it’s time for The Starling Dance to embark on a book tour.

From 16th November until 25th November, The Starling Dance will be visiting the websites of bloggers and reviewers around the country. There will be reviews, guest blogs, author interviews and extracts from the book. The full programme is in the image below. I do hope you will drop in and join me.

You can follow The Starling Dance at each stage of its tour, either here, or via my social media links.

Thank you so much Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising such a great programme.

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