Tagan’s Child by Amelia Ford Excerpt & Interview

About the Book:

Title: Tagan’s Child
Author: Amelia Ford
Publisher: Carroll Publishing
Pages: 444
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Paperback/Kindle

“His terminology struck me as odd and then I realised he was talking about Toby. I snatched my hand from his and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up like the hackles on a dog. The unease I felt when I first saw him returned…” 

The day after the first anniversary of her sister’s death, twenty six year old Sophie McAllister is paid an unexpected visit from a handsome stranger who delivers some disturbing news about her eight year old nephew and ward. Just when Sophie thought her life was getting back on track, she is forced to put her trust in a man with an extraordinary secret. She begins a perilous journey that not only threatens everything she holds dear, but also challenges her innermost fears. Does Sophie have the courage to defy her enemies, face her fears and open her heart to a man who promises a future that is out of this world? 

A captivating love story about one woman’s struggle to protect, let go and love. 

For More Information

• Tagan’s Child is available at Amazon.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Book Excerpt:

“Goodnight lovely boy.”  I stroked the side of my eight year old nephew’s pale face, noticing the purplish smudges under his eyes caused by a day of crying.  I tucked his duvet in around his shoulders. “Your mummy would be so proud of you.  I’m so proud of you, it’s been a difficult day and you’ve coped with it so well.”

“I miss her auntie Sophie.”  His voice wobbled and I watched a tear roll down each cheek.  My heart went out to him.  There had been times today when my grief had threatened to engulf me, and yet in spite of his tears and his own grief he had tried to be my pillar of strength. 

“Come here.” I gathered him in my arms and he began to sob quietly into my shoulder.

It was the first anniversary of Katie’s death.  A year ago today her life had been snuffed out on a lane just outside our village when her car had skidded on a patch of ice causing her to lose control and nose-dive into a ditch.  She suffered fatal head injuries.  It was the tragic end of a young woman’s life, the end of a doting mother and the end of my very special sister.

“I know you miss her, my darling, I miss her too.”  My throat constricted.  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath willing my tears to stay put.  The pain my sister’s death had caused could only be matched by the pain I felt for my nephew’s loss.  No child should ever have to suffer the death of their mother.

Toby took a shuddering breath. “Do you think she can see us?” He wiped his eyes.

“I’m sure she can.”  I gave him a reassuring squeeze.  I sat back and put my hands on his shoulders. “Your mummy is with you every second of every day, watching over you, watching you grow into a clever, funny, and wonderful young man.”

He gave me a weak smile. 

“She loves you and is counting on you to hold your head up high and be brave.”

He sat up a little straighter and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his pyjamas. “I mustn’t let her down must I?”

His look of fragile determination swelled my heart. “You could never let her down.”

He was a handsome little boy, tall and muscular for an eight year old with a natural talent for sport and a distinct phobia of hairdressers.

I brushed a curl away from his right eye.  I felt a desperate urge to reassure him and let him know he wasn’t alone.  “I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you.  I may not be your mummy but I will always look after you and keep you safe as if I were.”

Toby nodded and his bottom lip trembled.

I wasn’t sure I could hold it together for much longer.  I got to my feet.  “It’s getting late and you’ve got school tomorrow.”

I said this maybe a little too brusquely as I struggled to hold back the tears.  I needed to go downstairs and bury myself in the sofa so Toby couldn’t hear my sobs.  But not before I had made a significant dent in the bottle of rosé chilling in the fridge.

I stood up and switched the lamp off beside his bed. 

“I love you Auntie Sophie.” 

“I love you too,” I said, swallowing back the lump in my throat.  I bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  “Sleep tight and see you in the morning.”

I made my way down to the kitchen taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly in the hope that it would ease the pain lodged in my chest.  It had been a tough day and I felt sad and wrung out.  I knew that Toby would be asleep in a matter of minutes.  I, on the other hand, would struggle to find any respite in sleep until the early hours of tomorrow morning.  Insomnia had become my new best friend since Katie’s death.  Why was it that, as an adult, I had lost that ability to switch off? I envied that about children.

I let Toby’s dog, a Weimaraner called Mungo, out for a last wee before retrieving the bottle of wine from the fridge.  All I wanted to do now was curl up on the sofa and cry until I couldn’t cry anymore.  I made my way into the lounge and poured myself a glass of wine.  I downed it and stared into the fire roaring in the log burner.  My tears began to fall.  I put my glass on the coffee table and buried my face in the cushions.  I sobbed for my sister and the future she would never have, for Toby who would never feel his mother’s comforting arms around him again, and for myself, who felt the loss of Katie so keenly that it had been a constant weight tugging at my heart over the last twelve months. 

Eventually, my tears subsided and my grief was reduced to dry, chest heaving sobs.  Despite feeling exhausted, I knew if I went to bed now I would only lie there, staring at the ceiling in the dark.  I scoured the sitting room for my Kindle.  The days I could cope with, I could keep busy and push the shadows of grief to the background, but it was the nights I struggled with most when the house was quiet and dark.  Darkness only seemed to emphasise my sadness and fear.

 About the Author

Amelia Ford lives in Kent, UK with her husband, three children and a variety of four legged and feathered friends.  Tagan's Child is her debut novel.  She is working on her second novel due to be released later this year.

For More Information

• Connect with Amelia on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Amelia at Goodreads.

Interview:

Where are you from?

I come from Kent in the UK

Tell us your latest news?

Tagan's Child has been in the bestsellers' list in the UK since October but it has just beaten Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series in the ratings. Yay!

When and why did you begin writing?

I started writing about four years ago because I couldn't find anything I wanted to read so I thought I would have a go at writing the kind of book that I enjoy.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I first held the paperback version of my book in my hands.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Not that I'm big into the vampire thing, but I loved the Twilight series for its tale of forbidden love.  It was also the first book I had read that really got inside the head of the protagonist and I loved that.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I guess I write as I think, it's not something I think about consciously.

How did you come up with the title?

Although this is a romance, it is also a story about a little boy with an extraordinary heritage and the title 'Tagan's Child' came to me fairly early on in the writing process.  I wasn't going to use it at first and for about six months I tried to come up with another title, but everything had either already been used or sounded too clichéd, so I returned to my original title because it just felt right.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There is.  Take each day at a time, live in the present and don't worry about the past or the future.

How much of the book is realistic?

This book has a supernatural twist but the characters are flawed and real.  The book is also about the powerful nature of love.  Love between a man and a woman, love between best friends, the love for a child, love between an older couple and the love between old friends. 

 
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I would be lying if I said there aren't elements of my own life experience in the book.  When you are writing it is amazing where you find yourself drawing inspiration from.  Some character traits can be drawn from people you know or an event in the book can be inspired by something that happened twenty years ago or something that happened only yesterday.  Although all the characters and events are totally fictional you cannot help but write a little bit of you into the story.

What books have most influenced your life most?

As a child I read Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Hans Christian Anderson and C.S Lewis.  Actually I didn't read them, I devoured them and I think it is from these authors that I learnt what made a good story and the importance of great characterization.  As an adult, the work of JK Rowling, Mario Puzo, Alexander Dumas and Joanne Harris to name but a few, these authors have been hugely influential.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Stephenie Meyer for her fluid prose and JK Rowling for her epic story telling.

What book are you reading now?

Alexander Dumas' The Three Musketeers.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Collen Hoover and Jamie McGuire

What are your current projects?

I'm writing the sequel to Tagan's Child and then I will finish another book I have started which is completely different to TC.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?

My best friend.  She is a brutal critic but the most supportive and encouraging person I know.

What would you like my readers to know?

If you are not big into sci-fi don't be put off by the sci-fi element to this book, there is plenty to enjoy and relate to.  And thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little better, without the support of readers, us Indie Authors would never get the chance to share our stories.