IN THE MAIL: The Rocks / The Anti-Model Agency / The Girl on the Train

Seeing as it's been a while since I last shared with you some of the latest novels I've recieved in the mail, I think it's time to do it again (and to make this a regular thing!) Getting a new book in the post, or even via email, never fails to brighten my day, so here are three newly-acquired novels on the reading pile...

The Rocks by Peter Nichols

When I was contacted by Quercus about The Rocks, I was rather intrigued. The Rocks is described as a darkly comic womens' fiction novel, from an author whose work I have not yet read, so this is quite exciting.

One summer’s day in 2005 an elderly couple meet by accident on a Mallorcan hillside. They haven’t crossed paths since their divorce over fifty years ago but during a passionate argument they plunge over the cliffs together to their deaths. 

As their grieving families plan the funerals a long buried history is revealed, unravelling over sixty years, amid the olive groves and bars, the boats and poolside parties, the lives and relationships of two intertwined families within an expat community of endearing and flawed characters. And as one story is revealed, another, sweeter one, a love story of a couple from the younger generation, arises in the wake of their elder’s failures.

The Rocks is a darkly comic, bittersweet, finally heartbreaking novel, that slips back in time to reveal the shocking incident that marked and altered these lives forever.

The Anti-Model Agency by Nicky Schmidt

I've been a big fan of Nicky Schmidt since her first novel, Naked in Knightsbridge. It was a quirky, unique chick-lit novel that I couldn't help but love, as was her next book, Marrying Out of Money. So I was excited to hear about The Anti-Model Agency - which is due to be released in February - and to receive a review copy. 

The moment Dizzy Kane is catapulted from her council estate to the catwalk, she promises herself there is no going back. However, when fate and the urge to feast on fries and booze step in, Dizzy is fired for failing to maintain her size zero figure, losing her agency and rockstar boyfriend along the way. Finding herself back in the airless little flat she grew up in, with a mother completely lacking in boundaries and a geeky neighbourhood boy who only has marriage on his mind, Dizzy sets about taking revenge on the industry that turned its Paris-thin back on her. 

(...and in my bag!)

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Okay, so I wasn't sent this one - I've been hearing great things about The Girl on the Train on Twitter recently, so on a weekend shopping trip, I headed into Waterstones and picked this up. Just a few chapters in, and unable to put it down, I can see why this novel is gaining such praise. This is Paula's debut novel.

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She's even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. 'Jess and Jason', she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she's only watched from afar. Now they'll see; she's much more than just the girl on the train...

COMPETITION: Win a Low Expectations goody bag from Quercus!

To celebrate the release of Low Expectations, the debut novel by Elizabeth Aaron (who joined us for the Uncovered Q&A on Friday!), publishers Quercus have some goodies up for grabs.

To be in with a chance of winning a goody bag filled with make-up and perfume samples from Elizabeth (@eaaronwrites), simply tweet ‘Can't wait to read the smart, raunchy & laugh-out-loud funny LOW EXPECTATIONS by @eaaronwrites. A goody bag would be FAB too @quercusbooks’.

Good luck!

Low Expectations by Elizabeth Aaron
Georgie has a glamorous career in fashion.

Her boss doesn’t know her name, but working for a genius will pay off one day. She hopes.
She also has great friends. Granted, they’re sometimes a bit superficial, but who wants to discuss a global crisis on a Friday night? And she’s enjoying her single life. Eighteen months of celibacy, and not a hot prospect in sight. Perhaps life’s not quite what she was hoping for...

But how can she change it, and what does she really want? Stuck somewhere between a quarter-life crisis and self-fulfillment, Georgie is determined that this year, everything will be different. Armed only with her sense of humour, some black eyeliner and her best attempt at ‘charming’, she’s on the way. But just how long will the new improved Georgie last?

UNCOVERED INTERVIEWS: Elizabeth Aaron

Elizabeth Aaron's fashion-focused debut Low Expectations hit the shelves last week. Elizabeth, who studied fashion design in London, interned at Alexander McQueen and Jonathan Sanders, and also worked on a freelance project for Givenchy. In 2012, she moved to Paris to work as a nanny and write Low Expectations - in which single Georgie, working in fashion for a boss who doesn't know her name, decides to change her life in a year...

Tell us about your latest novel in 15 words or less.
A comic love story about trying (mostly failing) to pull yourself together in your 20s!

What inspired you to write Low Expectations?
I had started writing comedy sketches in my final year at University but I didn’t have the self-confidence to preform them. It had always been my dream to write a book, so I decided to take a chance and create a narrative around the ‘voice’ that was emerging in the sketches. My goal was simply to write what I wanted to read on holiday - something smart but also fun, absurd and true to life (with all the dubious morality and griminess that can accompany this). I also had a wealth of hideous social gaffes and romantic disasters that were ripe for exploitation in fiction!

Where do you do most of your writing?
I wrote most of Low Expectations in cafés, but for a few months now I’ve had one of those bamboo bed-desk things that keep your laptop from overheating. Which is dangerous as I have become electively bed-ridden, moving only to walk two paces to the kitchen…

What is your favourite book?
Hard to say, there are so many! The last book I read where I fell utterly in love with one of the characters was East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I wanted to climb into it and marry Samuel Hamilton. Even though he’s about 70. The magic of fiction!

Which part of Low Expectations did you enjoy writing the most?
Probably the situations in which my lead character Georgie is most wild, uncontrolled and badly behaved! Of which there are quite a few. The fashion related scenes were the hardest - to make them feel true and fair while also acknowledging some of the problematic aspects of that world (it’s also pretty hard to describe designer togs in detail without sounding like a tool!).

Who is your favourite literary heroine?
Mae West. She’s unique in being both a writer and performer but also a sort of living, life-long literary creation herself. She never broke character. She just went ahead and did what she wanted, with incredible wit and verve. She was a trailblazer in so many ways (as well as a gloriously camp icon).

Do you have any tips for readers who are looking to become published writers?
Write what you would like to read! Trust your taste. Draw a line under the project and finish it after a set period of time. Even if it is imperfect, send it to agencies to see what response you get. That’s the only advice I feel qualified to give at this point, I am still a novice in many ways.  

Are you working on anything else at the moment and if so, can you tell us?
I am getting started on my second novel, though over the summer I’ll be concentrating on a one-woman stand-up comedy show I am putting on this summer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Low Expectations: The Unpublishable Material is made up of material that was cut from Low Expectations for being too full-on, plus lots of new jokes! I’ll also be projecting my comic illustrations. It’s a terrifying prospect but in a weird way it feels natural, like things have come full circle.

Thanks, Elizabeth!

Low Expectations by Elizabeth Aaron
Georgie has a glamorous career in fashion.

Her boss doesn’t know her name, but working for a genius will pay off one day. She hopes.

She also has great friends. Granted, they’re sometimes a bit superficial, but who wants to discuss a global crisis on a Friday night? And she’s enjoying her single life. Eighteen months of celibacy, and not a hot prospect in sight. Perhaps life’s not quite what she was hoping for . . .

But how can she change it, and what does she really want? Stuck somewhere between a quarter-life crisis and self-fulfillment, Georgie is determined that this year, everything will be different. Armed only with her sense of humour, some black eyeliner and her best attempt at ‘charming’, she’s on the way. But just how long will the new improved Georgie last?