What subjects and themes will you see in my work?

I have no idea how many fictional books have been published throughout the world. I guess it’s one of those vast, unimaginable numbers that becomes sort of meaningless due to its magnitude.

What astounds me is that each one is different. With so many genres and story lines within each even if you found  books that tell the same story, the words and vibe would be different. Each will evoke a unique feeling in its readers and have a distinctive voice.

Often, you can tell something about the author’s life and values from the repeating patterns and themes that appear in their work.

So what about me?

It’s the dynamics of relationships that I find endlessly fascinating, between lovers, family, friends or anyone. It’s the response we have as individuals to the changes, the dilemmas and the blessings that life throws in our path that intrigue and delight me. Maybe I should have been a psychologist?

Most of my writing delves into the characters’ behaviours and their innermost anxieties. It can make a writer feel a little God like. 

There are other themes and motifs that make themselves apparent. I can’t help myself.

You see, there is something about water; oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and even the humble garden pond. If I could spend most of my time in, on or under the water I would consider myself blessed so it is a natural extension of that love that I weave it into my fictional writing. Being a newly qualified  SCUBA diver, I have been privileged to see some incredible sights below the surface – turtles, sharks, Moray eels, rays and many other types of colourful fish. The marine biologist at the dive centre was also helping a small female green sea turtle to recover from injuries sustained when she became entangled in discarded plastic fishing net.

So I’m sure you can understand the natural world and the effect we are having on it has become something of an obsession too.

In terms of character development, I’m drawn towards writing about transformation; about people facing great struggles who must find a way forward. It can be like those rides at the amusement park that leaves your stomach a hundred feet above you as you plummet to the ground. It’s shocking and yet I’m endlessly amazed at the capacity we have to take a breath and carry on. Often, after a period of adjustment, many women will take huge strides following on from an earth shattering trauma, powering on with renewed vigour and determined to show the world that they will not be beaten by events.

It’s not easy. To return to the amusement park theme, it truly is a roller coaster. The highs bring a thrilling sense of achievement only to be followed by lows which can make you feel as if things will never improve, that you will never get your life back on to the path you want to follow.

And yet, you just keep going. And one day, you wake up and everything seems a little brighter, your body less tense, your outlook more positive.

That women have this ability to renew themselves and find a better way forward is something I love to write about.  Each one of us has a unique way of moving on after a disaster and when we all support each other, the hands of friendship, the advice and encouragement we give each other is one of life’s true gifts.

The women in my stories all have flaws they need to overcome and external problems that appear like a slap in the face making them feel vulnerable and uncertain. Their pasts have moulded them into the people they are now and they are faced with choices about whether old habits and belief systems can really work for their new lives.

I’m still in the revision phase of Breaking Eggshells, and the women – especially the three main characters, Amanda, Maddy and Julia – are real to me now. I’ve thrown some uncomfortable dilemmas in their way and can hear each of them speak to me as they find their own very different ways of coping.

Of course, my obsession with the ocean will also play a big part in their journeys.

I hope to have more news on the book within the next couple of months. Getting the story in shape has taken longer than I anticipated, but I can sense it all coming together and am excited for the future of these characters.

©Liv Andrews 2019