#BlogTour #GuestPost: The Last Village by Audla English @AudlaE @annecater #TheLastVillage #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

The majestic Souter Lighthouse stands proudly at the edge of the cliff top surrounded by open grassy empty fields and overlooking a vast blue wilderness. Anna Charles knows nothing of the life that her grandmother once had here.
It wasn’t until an unexpected engagement, that Anna discovered the past of her Gran and the truth behind an enduring love.

Seventy years earlier, Lillian Smith, had been part of the close-knit community that once thrived in the village that existed next to the lighthouse. A chance meeting with a sailor one day, would change the course of her life forever.

A moving novel set in the North East of England. The Last Village is an enduring love story which spans the 1940’s and modern day, binding the generations.

The Last Village is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

Guest Post:

5 Authors who inspire me
By Audla English, author of ‘The Last Village’

Inspiration can come from anywhere, a rhythm in a song, the sound of crisp snow beneath your feet on a winter’s day or from those childhood tales which have been passed down through the generations. For me, there are many other authors who are an inspiration but for many different reasons. My top five authors who have inspired me are as follows:

Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is my utterly favourite author, I am inspired by his imagination, his playfulness and his ability to make ordinary, even mundane, things magical. I also like how his real-life crosses over into his writing with many of his feelings about situations being conveyed in his stories. My favourite book of all time is ‘Boy’, I can pretty much recite it! It is a book which allows you to get into the authors mind and deepest memories and see where his ideas originate from and how he has developed them in his life and his writing. Even now I enjoy it when I see children discovering a Roald Dahl story for the first time and how much joy and sheer pleasure it brings to them.

Dame Catherine Cookson
Dame Catherine Cookson inspires me not only for her formidable writing talent in writing over 100 books but also because she is from South Tyneside, North East England and has raised global awareness of this region. Despite overcoming significant hardship and trauma in her life, Dame Catherine worked hard to able to write; a gift and a passion which she was able to nurture until her final days. An incredible lady!

Beatrix Potter
I am inspired by Beatrix Potter as she achieved such success by believing in herself and I bet not many people realise that Beatrix Potter self-published her first children’s book about a little rabbit who went by the name of Peter- the rest, as they say, is history. The Lakes District holds a very special place in my heart and is an unspoilt realm. I am hugely thankful to Beatrix Potter as without her talent, self-belief and philanthropic nature, the beautiful Lake District as we know and love it today could have been a very different place.

Gerald Durrell
As a huge animal lover, I have been greatly inspired by Gerald Durrell. I love his vivid descriptions of flora and fauna and his ability to transform his passion for nature into written form. What is most inspiring to me is his legacy with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, with his writing talent he has been able to allow for conservation and protection for some of the worlds most endangered animals. A legacy that will protect species for future generations.

JK Rowling
Lastly, I am inspired by the incomparable JK Rowling not only for her immense writing talent but more so by the fact that she had to face rejection of her writing whilst experiencing trauma in her life, but she continued on regardless. I think that this could only be done by a very strong and determined person and I find that extremely inspirational.

Thanks so much Audla for taking the time to write this fabulous guest post.

A Chill with a Book Premier Readers’ Award winner and 2019 American Fiction Awards Finalist, ‘The Last Village’ is available to purchase on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback format.

About The Author:

Audla English grew up in the North East of England.

Born in Sunderland, a graduate of Newcastle University and living in South Tyneside, she is passionate about this wonderful region which acts as an inspiration to her writing.

Her award-winning debut novel ‘The Last Village’ is a dual time-line historical fiction and is written as a dedication to the now sadly demolished Old Marsden Village which was built by the Whitburn Coal Company in the 1870’s. The Marsden Rock coastal setting is also used to weave a family saga style narrative around a beautiful part of north east England.

The novel is a moving love story about the life of Lily, a young woman growing up with her friends in 1945 whereas the other side of the story, in 2017, is about Anna and her own discovery of her grandmother’s past life- it is a novel which spans and binds the generations through family and friendship.