Intent on fixing her broken marriage and the alcohol-fuelled catastrophe that is her life, Kay Harris arrives at her grim and grey holiday let, ready to lay to rest the tragedy that has governed her entire adulthood – the disappearance of her little brother, Adam.
But the road to recovery is pitted with the pot-holes of her own poor choices, and it isn’t long before Kay is forced to accept that maybe she doesn’t deserve the retribution she seeks. Will the intervention of strangers help her find the answers she needs to move on from her past, or will she always be stuck on the hard shoulder with no clear view ahead and a glove box full of empties?
Pink Ice Creams is a tale of loss, self-destruction, and clinging on to the scraps of the long-lost when everyone else has given up hope.
Purchase Links – Amazon.co.uk:
Paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1984168231
Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RV49TKB
Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B07RYX3YWP
Purchase Links – Amazon.com:
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1984168231
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RV49TKB
Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jowoolaston
MY INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
- When did you know that you wanted to be an author?
When I lived alone for the first time, in a caravan by the banks of the river, following a relationship break-up. All my writing to this point had been imaginings, scenarios, stuff happening to other people but now it felt personal and my scribblings became more focussed, more earnest. Some of these early ramblings made their way into Pink Ice Creams – particularly the opening where Kay is sat, alone, in a rented caravan, not knowing what the future holds. Her story is not mine, but the initial fears are, and bewilderment. That was the moment I knew I would only get through my own demons if I could concentrate on something positive – so writing a book became that focus.
- What inspired you to write this book?
A person I met, in unusual circumstances. I was staying in a hotel on the Norfolk coast, where Pink Ice Creams is set, and in the early hours of the morning I heard a woman sobbing outside the window – I couldn’t see her so went to investigate and found her hiding behind a rock. She was in a bad way, hiding from an abusive husband and waiting for the police to pick her up so I sat with her and listened to her woes, which were many. When the police arrived, she was familiar to them – this was clearly a regular and repeated occurrence, which saddened me – I wanted to write her a different ending.
- If you could sell this book in one sentence what would it be?
Everybody deserves a second chance, especially you.
- What are you up to next?
I tend to have a couple of projects on the go at any one time, primarily because I get stuck, and rather than wait for inspiration to strike I will work on something else in the meantime. I guess this means that at least I am writing and keeping the creativity going but it does mean that projects take much longer to finish! So currently I am working on a script with two end-of-lifers embarking on a big adventure which I have now decided will work better as prose – possibly even a series of letters, and I am also working on some 15 minute film ‘shorts’ set in a tower block which, once each part is complete, should tie together to make a whole, if it all goes to plan. But sometimes my characters have different ideas… And I’m also writing a kids animation about socks!
- Who is your biggest inspiration?
Through my screenwriting MA I have been very lucky in have met many talented tv and film writers, both established and those just starting out –all of these have inspired me in their own way, either by helping me view and analyze my own work or by their own gritted determination to get their work out there. Writing is a slog a lot of the time, so it is important to believe in what you are doing and why you are doing it. Surrounding yourself with other writers and practitioners can help you do that and I am grateful to each and every one I have met.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jo Woolaston lives in Leicestershire, England with her extreme noise-making husband and two lovely sons. She tries to avoid housework and getting a ‘proper job’ by just writing stuff instead – silly verse, screenplays, shopping lists…
This sometimes works in her favour (she did well in her MA in TV Scriptwriting, gaining a Best Student award in Media and Journalism – and has had a few plays produced – that kind of thing) but mostly it just results in chronic insomnia and desperate tears of frustration. Pink Ice Creams is her first novel, she hopes you liked it.
Social Media Links –
Writer page JoWoolaston – https://m.facebook.com/nevermindthebloggers
Twitter @JoWoolaston
Website: https://www.jowoolaston.com
Good reads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19176972.Jo_Woolaston
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