Ghost
Love
Nelli
Rees
Genre: Romance (with a hint of
the paranormal)
Publisher: Phaze
Date of Publication: 20th January
2015
ISBN: ISBN-13 978-1-60659-849-8
ASIN: B00SNYRXH8
Number of pages: 332
Word Count: 90,000
Cover Artist: Niki Browning
Book Description:
In the madcap, chaotic days when
Communism crumbled in the USSR, Tonia meets and falls in love with Englishman,
Peter Monroe. Despite the protests of her family and the more strenuous
objections of the KGB Tonia
agrees to marry Peter only for him to mysteriously disappear.
Twenty years later a
life-toughened Toni must revisit these bitter-sweet memories when she finds
herself and her daughters endangered by the consequences of that love affair.
In her despair Toni comes to
realise that true love really does conquer all … even death.
Excerpt: Prologue
Present Day:
Dorset, England
Excitement being
a kindred spirit to fear, Toni was undecided as to whether it was a trickle of
fear she felt shivering down her spine or a trickle of excitement.
As she sat
staring at the screen of her laptop, the darkness shrouding the room seemed to
draw in on her: her head swam, her palms became clammy. Tears welled up in her
eyes. She blinked them away, hoping that by doing so the message on her screen
would disappear. It didn’t.
Peter Monroe
wants to be friends on Facebook
Hesitantly she
maneuvered the cursor over the ‘connect’ button and pressed ‘enter.’ The screen
mutated to show the Facebook page for ‘Peter Monroe.’ It was Peter! She
recognized the profile photograph instantly. She’d taken it. She remembered
posing him in front of the bandstand in Gorki Park on that spring day back in
1990, remembered laughing at the stupid faces he pulled, remembered the way his
long chestnut hair flopped over his forehead, remembered…
How could she
forget? He had been her one true love.
Love. A word
made empty by misuse…by overuse. She wondered how many had ever endured the
touch of real love, that soul-eviscerating sensation that comes when you know
you have found your soul-mate. Very few, she decided. Perhaps this was all for
the good: true love brought anguish in equal measure to joy. As the last twenty
years had taught her, finding true love was a bitter-sweet blessing. Her
fingers trembled as she typed.
Is it really
you, Peter?
The reply was
instantaneous.
Yes…I’ve missed
you, Tonia.
She couldn’t
stop herself: the tears flowed down her cheeks.
But…
She paused, terrified
that what she would type next might cause this marvelous mirage to vanish.
But I thought
you were dead.
The seconds
ticked by, then:
I am.
About
the Author:
Nelli Rees, born in Moscow,
trained as a linguist and a musician. With her future husband Englishman Rod
she worked and travelled around Russia, finally coming to live in England in
1998. Nelli has had several successful careers: recording a critically
acclaimed nu-jazz album “Jazz Noir”, becoming an award-winning jewellery maker,
writing a book “Glass Bead Jewelry Projects”, and doing all this whilst being a
mother and a wife. “Ghost Love” is Nelli’s first novel and draws heavily on her
own experiences as a young woman in Soviet Russia and the obstacles she and her
husband-to-be faced during those difficult times.
Interview
Where
are you from?
I was born, raised and went to university in Moscow,
Russia. I came to England in 1998 and have lived here ever since.
Tell
us your latest news?
I am now the proud possessor of every reference book
ever published pertaining to the Regency period, this preparation for the
writing of my magnum opus (get me!) a romantic thriller designed to pop off
socks (and to bust stays, of course) of anyone reading it. Now all I have to do
is find the time to write the thing.
When
and why did you begin writing?
I started when I was a kid, writing fairy stories to
tell to my classmates, but I only got serious a couple of years ago. The idea
for “Ghost Love” had been bubbling around in my head for ages and when I
started commuting to London every day (what a drag) I used the time sitting on
the train to put my thoughts on paper. After that it became something of an
addiction and the journey time noticeably shorter.
When
did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I first held
the paperback copy of “Ghost Love” in my hands. That’s when a writer knows they
can drop the adjective ‘wannabe’ from their job description.
What
inspired you to write your first book?
The ‘what’ was my own life, living through the confusion
of the Second Russian Revolution (the ‘soft’ one when Communism crumbled); of
meeting and falling in love with an Englishman and the difficulties that
caused; also the stresses and strains of coming to England to live.
The ‘who’ was my husband Rod. When I showed him the
drafts of the first few pages of “Ghost Love”, he read them, nodded and said
‘This is good stuff. Keep going.’ So I did.
Do
you have a specific writing style?
One book in it’s a little early to say. I like unconventional
story patterns (“Ghost Love” has two intertwined stories set twenty years
apart) and I like strong, memorable characters. I also write for pace; I hate
books that dawdle.
How
did you come up with the title?
It must have been rattling around in my subconscious
for years before I put pen to paper. But as soon as I wrote ‘Chapter 1’, out it
popped.
Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Good question and on consideration I think there is.
Follow your heart. Life can be difficult but it’s best to have to deal with the
problems caused by chasing your dreams rather than by standing aside and
watching others follow theirs.
How
much of the book is realistic?
The part set in Moscow circa 1989 … a lot. It was a
really freaky time when all the old certainties of Communism disappeared to be
replaced by chaos. It was simultaneously exciting and scary. Like travelling in
a fast car which ain’t got any brakes.
The part set in present day England … less so. But
there’s still quite a bit of fact flavoring the fiction.
Are
experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Me. Tonia (my lead character) is a music-obsessed
Russian girl studying English and Linguistics at a Moscow University who meets
and falls in love with an Englishman and pisses off a LOT of people in the
process. Oh look … that’s me!
What
books have most influenced your life most?
Orwell’s “1984” (I read it back on 1990 and the
parallels to Soviet Russia were really upsetting). “Invent-10n” by Rod Rees got
me thinking about the consequences of living in a surveillance-obsessed
society.
If
you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Rod, my husband who writes SF (the “Demi-Monde”
series). He’s been with me every step of the way encouraging, suggesting,
editing and acting as beta-reader. Okay, he isn’t a natural romantic and his
use of commas is suspect but he made a great sounding board.
What
book are you reading now?
“The Prince of Pleasure” by J.B. Priestley which
describes the life and times of the Prince Regent. This is part of the
background research I’m doing for my next book which will be a Regency era
romantic thriller. A word of warning
to any would be Jane Austens out there: the research needed to get it right is
simply mind-blowing …
Are
there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Now that I’ve started writing I don’t have much time
for reading!
What
are your current projects?
The aforesaid Regency romantic thriller (which I’m
really excited about) and I’ve also got a companion story to “Ghost Love” on the
stocks, this one entitled “Hotel Rus” which deals with the madcap – and
dangerous – world of the nuRussia of the
1990s.
Video of Nelli performing
"Falling In Love Again":
Tour
giveaways
Prize 1: "Pink Flowers"
Necklace from Nelli’s "Jewelry for
All Seasons" collection (handmade lampwork beads, sterling silver
findings, crystals and hand dyed silk ribbon);
Prize 2: "Malachite
Mystery" Pendant and earrings (handmade lampwork beads, sterling silver
findings and chain, crystals);
Prize 3: "Tiger!
Tiger!" Earrings (handmade lampwork beads, sterling silver findings,
crystals);
Prizes 4-7: Bookmarks with glass bead ornamentation
(handmade lampwork beads, crystals, steel dividers);
Prize 8: Signed paperback copy of
'Ghost Love';
Prize 9: Signed copy of Nelli’s book 'Glass Bead Jewelry Projects';
Prize 10 - 14: Signed promo
copies of Nelli’s album 'Jazz Noir'.
Thanks for hosting this awesome giveaway.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Sara, I echo that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting "Ghost Love" - really excited to be here! :) x
ReplyDeleteI love books with paranormal
ReplyDeleteIt's just a flavouring of the paranormal, but it is an important part.
ReplyDeleteGreat giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stacy! Best of luck in winning one!
ReplyDelete