Tuesday 6 December 2016

Christie Barlow about her inspiration for Lizzie's Christmas Escape


Thank you for inviting me to take part in your Christmas blog feature. I absolutely loved
writing Lizzie’s Christmas Escape and I am thrilled it is now an Amazon top twenty bestseller on Kindle!

I got the idea to write this book when I was travelling on the train to London one day. A couple of middle aged women were sat opposite me. For the whole journey they chatted about how it would be fantastic to escape from their mundane routine and how if it wasn’t for each other they would definitely go insane.
When I began to write Lizzie’s Christmas Escape it was in the middle of January and Christmas had been and gone. So, I set up a little area in the house with Christmas decorations, scented mulled cider candles and fairy lights and began to write!
The characters of Lizzie Stevens and Ann Sandeman have been a huge part of my life this past year. Their tale of genuine friendship is one I can absolutely relate to, and I think the idea of having a bestie whom you can totally rely on through the good and the bad has resonated with the readers.

Lizzie’s Christmas Escape is my fourth published novel. And I’m looking forward to the release of my fifth in March next year. It really has been a dream come true for me. I self-published my first novel ‘A Year in the Life of a Playground Mother’. In the midst of writing its sequel “Misadventures of a Playground Mother’, I signed a publishing deal. And to think, this writing lark started out when I hit my 40th birthday – my kids asked me what I would like to do with my life and when I told them ‘write a novel’, I thought I best get on with it!

I have to say I’ve never looked back and get excited coming up with new story ideas. My trusty sidekick, Woody, my mad cocker-spaniel, helps keep me on track when I’m in the middle of deadlines. My family and friends have been so supportive and when I shut myself away in my writing cave, they know at some point I’ll be back seeking cuddles, laughs and cups of tea!

Link to the book: Amazon UK

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