It’s a very busy time for Louise Douglas following the recent launch of her latest book, The Secret by the Lake. How exciting! What’s even more exciting is that she’s joining us to tell us all about her Hot Holidays!
But first, here’s something about The Secret by the Lake:
A FAMILY TRAGEDY : Amy’s always felt like something’s been missing in her life. When a tragedy forces the family she works for as a nanny to retreat to a small lakeside cottage, she realises she cannot leave them now.
A SISTER’S SECRET: But Amy finds something unsettling about the cottage by the lake. This is where the children’s mother spent her childhood – and the place where her sister disappeared mysteriously at just seventeen.
A WEB OF LIES: Soon Amy becomes tangled in the missing sister’s story as dark truths begin rising to the surface. But can Amy unlock the secrets of the past before they repeat themselves?
That’s got me chomping at the bit! I cannot wait to read it!
You can find out more about Louise or about what she’s up to on the following links:
Website: www.louisedouglas.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Louise-Douglas-Author
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LouiseDouglas3
For those of you who don’t know, Louise was born in Sheffield, but has lived in Somerset since she was 18. She has three grown up sons and lives with her husband Kevin. The Secret By The Lake is Louise’s sixth novel and she currently writes around her full time job. In her spare time, Louise loves walking with her two dogs in the Mendip Hills, meeting up with her friends and she’s also an avid reader.
You can buy The Secret by the Lake on Amazon:
UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Lake-Louise-Douglas-ebook/dp/B011FFXA5A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1446991672&sr=1-1&keywords=the+secret+by+the+lake
Louise Douglas
ES: Welcome to Hot Holidays, Louise and thanks for taking the time to join us at such an exciting, busy, happy time! Can we start off with you telling us where you spent your last holiday and why you chose to go there?
LD: We went to Sicily for a week. I’m mad about Inspector Montalbano and
wanted to see all the places that inspired the books and that are used
as locations in the television series. We visited Montalbano’s house in
Punta Secca and the beautiful Baroque cities of Modica, Ragusa and
Scicli. We also swam in the sea every day even though it was mid-October
and had plenty of wine and lying about on the beach too. It was one of
the best holidays ever.
ES: That sounds wonderful. Is being on a beach your favourite type of holiday?
LD: Not necessarily. My favourite holiday would be somewhere I haven’t been before, somewhere warm and beautiful and not crowded or polluted.
ES: And your least favourite?
LD: Least favourite is hard but I don’t like flying long-haul, don’t like being organised, don’t like big,
swanky hotels. I don’t think I’d like Las Vegas, but I could be wrong.
ES: Yes, you might be pleasantly surprised! Where did you spend your best ever holiday and what made it so memorable?
LD: Every summer for about seven years when the children were small we used to catch the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen and drive to Brittany and stay in a caravan. They were the wildest, most carefree holidays. My favourite place is probably Carnac; just outside the campsite are thousands of standing stones, and the beaches are fabulous. Writing this has brought back so many memories. I want to go back!
ES: Have you had any holiday or travel disasters?
LD: We were due to go to France, Kevin was working away so the plan was I would drive over with the children and he’d fly out to join us. I wrote the car off the day before we were due to leave. I was treated for shock, but otherwise unhurt and didn’t want to ruin everyone’s holiday so I arranged to pick up a hire car in Caen. When we arrived at the car hire place, me and four children, the car we’d booked had been ‘upgraded’ to a minibus. And of course it was right-hand drive and I’d never driven one of those before, plus I hadn’t realised how shaky I was after the accident. It took us ten hours to drive 100 miles because I kept having to stop to cry.
ES: Aww, Louise! How awful! Now, cheer yourself up by telling us about a place you long to visit and the reasons why.
LD: I would love to go Canada in the autumn. The scenery looks so beautiful and I’ve always wanted to go whale-watching. I’d also enjoy hiking in the mountains and looking out for other wildlife.
ES: Who’s your favourite travelling companion(s) or do you prefer your own company?
LD: I couldn’t travel alone. I know that’s pathetic, but I couldn’t. My favourite travelling companion is my husband, Kevin. Luckily we mostly enjoy the same things. He gives me confidence. I don’t know what I’d do without him.
ES: Can I be indiscreet and ask if you’ve ever had a holiday romance? And if you have, may we have the details, please?
LD: When I was 17 I went to Corfu – my first time abroad, and I fell in love with the island and the Greek way of life and I also fell in love with a boy. He took me out on the back of his scooter, we walked along the beach, we drank Bacardi and coke by the pool. We wrote to one another for almost two years after that but eventually lost touch. It gives me goosebumps now to think of him.
ES: How would you spend your dream twenty-four hours, Louise, if you could
travel to multiple, worldwide destinations with no travel restrictions?
LD: What a brilliant question! OK I’d start in Iceland at midnight because I’d love to see the Northern Lights and swim in the hot springs and enjoy the amazing scenery. Then I’d travel South, having breakfast on a boat in the middle of a Norwegian Fjord. On down to Croatia and Turkey, then a swim in the sea and lunch in a little restaurant on the beach in Positano, Italy. I’ve never been to Africa so I’d spend the afternoon there, visiting an elephant sanctuary. After that, onto New Zealand to sit on a mountain and watch the stars of the Southern Hemisphere until
we fell asleep after finishing off the wine we picked up in Italy.
ES: Wow! That’s some trip! And finally, what tip or piece of advice would you give to holidaymakers and/or travellers?
LD: Insect repellent and sunscreen are all you really need.
Thank you so much for sharing your Hot Holidays! with us, Louise. You have been a great guest. All the very best for your new book.
