Day: November 3, 2018

Blog Tour: The Stepsister by Jenny O’Brien

Today I am part of the blog tour for The Stepsister by Jenny O’Brien: I interviewed her!   There is also an INTERNATIONAL giveaway going on.  Be sure to check that out!

Book Description:

When a stranger leaves step-sisters, Victoria and Ness, a half-share in a house in Holland, they think it must be a mistake.

But there’s no mistake when Ness goes missing. 

Desperate for the truth, Victoria heads to Holland to find out what happened to her. Has she, as her texts show, embarked on a whirlwind romance? Has someone abducted her or even worse?

But there’s someone watching, and that person wants her dead. 

Can Victoria find out the truth before it’s too late? 

Buy The Stepsister Now:
Amazon US
Amazon UK


JRR (Jessica’s Reading Room): Tell us a little about yourself.

There’s not a lot to say. I come from Dublin, but my parents moved to Wales when I was in my teens. I currently live on Guernsey where I’m married with three teens and two cats. My day job is nursing.

JRR: Did you always want to become an author?

I’d always liked the idea of writing but, until I came up with the character Dai Monday, the MC in my first book, I thought it was just a pipe dream.

JRR:  What inspires you to write?

I seem to have an abundance of ideas floating round my head and a need to find out what’s going to happen to my characters.  I know the start, middle and end but not the finer plot points.

JRR:  What does your writing process consist of? Do you research, do you handwrite or type, do you listen to music or prefer silence?

Like most authors who don’t write full-time my writing is squeezed in around the rest of my life. I write both in long hand and type. I think it’s important to try and produce something that’s as factual as possible even if it is fiction. I’m forever checking things like train timetables and travel distances, in addition to calling on the kindness of strangers for the answers to my random questions. I don’t listen to music. I don’t need silence and can often be found in a café, notebook to hand. But I never listen to music when I’m working. And even when I’m not working I’m a Radio 4 fan.

JRR:  What kind of advice can you give to aspiring authors?

That a love of books and reading is the precursor to becoming a writer. Read as much as possible, both within and outside the genre you want to write in.

JRR:  Who was your favorite author as a child and did his/her writings influence you to want to become an author?

I loved Enid Blyton but, at that age I had no thoughts of writing as being something I’d be able to do.

JRR: Who is your favorite author as an adult?

There are so many, I read romances and crime/thrillers and it depends on what mood I’m in as to which writer I reach for and, yes, I do re-read my favourite books. For Romances I love Betty Neels, Sarah Morgan, Sue Moorcroft, Jane Linfoot and Eloisa James. For crime/thrillers I love Valerie Keogh, Clare Chase, Martina Cole and Steig Larsson.

JRR:  If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead) who would they be and why?

I enjoy talking about books, so it would have to be three writers:

Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier and Elizabeth Goudge.

As they all lived during the last century it’s likely they’d have at least known of each other’s work if not actually met. We’d meet on the south coast somewhere, there’d be fish and lots of nice wine followed by rich coffee and perhaps a smidgeon of cake. We’d talk late into the night…

JRR:  Which book have you always meant to get around to reading, but still not read?

Anna Karenina. It’s considered to be one of the greatest works of fiction – I’m working up to it.

JRR: Thank you for your time with this interview Jenny!


About the Author:

Jenny O’Brien was born in Ireland and, after a brief sojourn in Wales, now resides in Guernsey. 

She’s an avid reader and book reviewer for NetGalley in addition to being a RoNA judge.

She writes for both children and adults with a new book coming out every six months or so. She’s also an avid collector of cats, broken laptops, dust and happy endings – two of which you’ll always find in her books.

In her spare time she can be found frowning at her wonky cakes and even wonkier breads. You’ll be pleased to note she won’t be entering Bake-Off. 

Contact Jenny:
Website/Blog
Twitter @ScribblerJB

**International Giveaway!**

1st Prize: Win an e copy of The Stepsister and crystal, tulip slider necklace ,
2 x 2nd Prize – an e-copy of The Stepsister

a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.