JO COTTERILL: A LIBRARY OF LEMONS...

My author pal Jo has a new book out today... read on to find out all about A LIBRARY OF LEMONS!

Jo says:
What I like about writing is that no two books are the same. Sometimes a character pops into my head and I just have to write a story to fit him or her - or sometimes I start with 'What if?' which is a brilliant way to come up with ideas. A LIBRARY OF LEMONS started with the title. I have no idea where it came from, but one day, there it was, in my head - and the title gave me the whole story! Well... not quite the whole story. It gave me the basic idea: that a girl lives in a house with her father, who is a recluse. They both love books and have a whole room each in the house just for their books. They can go hours without talking to each other or seeing anyone, just lost in their books. And the father is writing a huge non-fiction book called A History of the Lemon. But unknown to his daughter, he's not quite as sane as he appears... and before long she uncovers a shocking secret that's going to change both of their lives.

Once I had my idea, I started writing. I love that stage - not quite knowing who my characters are and allowing them to tell me along the way. My central character is Calypso. She has red hair and her heroine is Anne of Green Gables. She doesn't have friends, not in the usual sense. She has books instead - they're easier to get along with than people. At the beginning of the story, a new girl comes to school and is determined to make friends with Calypso. Mae comes from a 'normal' family (although at one point in the book, the girls try to make a list of what's 'normal' and have trouble with it!) and she loves books too. Before long, Calypso has been captivated by this funny, warm and welcoming family and begins to wonder if, perhaps, friendship is something she should have after all.

Some books can be easily summed up in one sentence. I can't do that with this one, because it's about so many things: grief, friendship, disasters, family, stories... However, there is something quite important that I want to say through this book. We all, at times, feel lost and lonely and weak. Calypso's father teachers her that we should find our inner strength, that we are the only ones who can get ourselves through the tough times. But Calypso discovers that's not true: other people can be your strength at times of sadness and fear. She realises that opening yourself up to other people and letting them into your heart doesn't make you weak... it makes you stronger. And that's what I hope people will find in this book: the importance of human connections and letting people in. Because no one should be alone in their heart.

A LIBRARY OF LEMONS is out now, published by Piccadilly Press. It's available from all good bookshops or online here.

Cathy says:
This sounds fab... it's on my to-read list now! Have YOU read an awesome new book lately? COMMENT BELOW to give it a shout out!