Inside the
Whispers – A J Waines
Today I am pleased to be able to participate
in one of the final stops on this blog tour for Inside the Whispers by A J Waines. My thanks go to Bloodhound Books for my spot on this tour.
About the
Book
The most dangerous place is inside
your own head…
Dr Samantha Willerby, a specialist in Post Traumatic Stress, has never seen anything like this before. Following a fire on the London Underground, three survivors seek her help - but although unmistakably traumatised, their stories don’t match the facts. Are they ‘faking it’? Sam’s confusion turns to horror when one by one, instead of recovering, they are driven to suicide.
When her lover, Conrad, begins to suffer the same terrifying flashbacks, Sam is desperate to find out what’s causing them. As a mysterious and chilling conspiracy begins to unravel the nightmares begin for Sam…
Today I am
pleased to be joined by A J Waines who is sharing her thoughts on shining the Spotlight on the series lead character.
The book is
described as ‘The crisp, pacey writing grabbed
me from the first page and wouldn’t let go’ which makes me want to pick up
this book and curl up and read. The
above quote is from EM Powell, No 1
Bestselling Author of the Stanton and Barling Mystery series, and has certainly
pipped my interest.
Now before we find out all about the lead character, a little bit of background
for you.
AJ Waines has written five standalone psychological thrillers to date,
but Inside the Whispers, introduces a
gutsy amateur sleuth, clinical psychologist, Dr Samantha Willerby. Dr Sam is
set to appear in at least two more psychological thrillers, Lost in the Lake (later this month) and Perfect Bones, (to be released in
November 2018).
Now to shine that Spotlight and find out, who is Dr Sam and why will
readers want to root for her? AJ takes it from here…
Who is your series lead character?
Name: Dr Samantha Willerby (Sam to her
friends, Sammie to her best mate)
Job: Dr Sam is a clinical psychologist in an
NHS hospital in London - a trauma specialist for victims who’ve been caught up
in shocking incidents. As well as offering ‘talking therapy’, Dr Sam helps
patients recover memories of their chilling experiences. Sam’s intrepid nature,
her professional curiosity and drive to get to the bottom of things inevitably
lead her into situations where she finds herself seriously out of her depth…
Role: Sam unwittingly becomes an ‘amateur
sleuth’ as she tries to unravel the deadly mysteries she’s faced with in this
series. In the first book, Inside the Whispers, survivors seek her help
in the aftermath of a fire in the London Underground, but it isn’t long before
Sam realises their stories don’t match the facts. Why are they lying? Sam gets
caught up in a dark conspiracy that threatens far more than her career.
Why did you create Dr Samantha
Willerby?
I love reading psychological thrillers and as
a former psychotherapist myself, I know how fascinating and intriguing that
world can be! I wanted a character who could show readers an aspect of
psychology that’s usually kept behind closed doors, so they could be a fly on
the wall and observe what really goes on when someone goes to see a ‘shrink’.
Having a lead character with a range of unusual skills gives her a unique edge:
Sam is able to read body-language, she can often tell when people are faking
it, she listens intently and notices details. I didn’t want to create a
traditional detective, so Sam is a different kind of ‘detective’. Writing about
a psychologist opens up a huge range of plot possibilities. I love secrets,
lies, hidden vices, hidden motives and moral dilemmas. It’s great having the
scope to explore all these themes in my novels!
What
about Sam’s personal life?
Sam isn’t married, largely because she’s been
too focused on her career, but she also has a dreadful history of choosing the
wrong men. She lives in a rundown flat in Clapham, always thinking about moving
somewhere more upmarket, but never getting around to it. Sam’s own
sister has schizophrenia and is the reason Sam trained in psychology in the
first place. Miranda is two years older; she’s flighty, erratic and often
irresponsible, but Sam adores her. Their history is turbulent due to
misunderstandings about Miranda’s diagnosis and she’s wary of Sam, who only
wants to help and support her sister, but who is often accused of interfering.
Their stormy relationship is an ongoing theme in the books.
How
does Dr Sam develop through the novels?
Sam Willerby is keen to learn and has always
wants to be an expert, so new areas of training shift her into fresh terrain in
terms of her patients. In Inside the Whispers, she focuses on PTSD (Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder), whereas in book two, Lost in the Lake (out
late October 2018), she gains new skills in memory recall. With special
techniques, she helps victims to ‘step back’ into traumatic situations and relive them as
though they’re actually happening. Unexpected and shocking consequences follow!
What do you like most about her?
She’s really good at her job and is always
striving to help people in distress. People expect her to stay calm and
professional in all situations and she can often appear detached, but inside
she’s bubbling over with emotions, struggling with fraught decisions and
quandaries. I feel for her, because she’s vulnerable and scared (just like
anyone else), but she feels she has to hide it and be strong. She’ll put on a
brave face and always go the extra mile for people.
What do you like least about her?
The truth is Sam often feels lost, lonely and
desperate to find love and happiness. Because she pretends to be fine, she
never asks for help, so at times she can appear arrogant or cold. Only on rare
occasions does she allow her polished front to slip. She can also be naïve. In Inside
the Whispers, her lover starts
to suffer the same flashbacks as her patients – flashbacks to events that never
actually took place. Then she, too, begins to have nightmares… It turns her
world upside down.
Does she share any similarities
with you?!
Yes! I think most people would think I’m
pretty together and organised, but most of the time I don’t feel like that
under the surface! Like Sam, I’m keen to learn and push myself and I’m very
dedicated and disciplined. Sam is much tougher than me, though. She’s really
good in a crisis, but I’m not sure I would be! She digs beneath the surface and
ends up unearthing all kinds of horrors and I’m sure I’d have hurried away back
to my bolthole long before then!
Wow that sounds like a great
spotlight on the character and has me wanting to know more. Another one added to my ever growing TBR pile
and hopefully in 2019 I can play catch up on some of this fabulous authors
work.
About the
Author
AJ Waines is a number one bestselling author,
topping the entire UK and Australian Kindle Charts in two consecutive years,
with Girl on
a Train. Following fifteen years as a psychotherapist,
the author is now a full-time novelist with publishing deals in UK, France,
Germany, Norway, Hungary and Canada (audio books).
Her fourth psychological thriller, No Longer Safe, sold over
30,000 copies in the first month, in thirteen countries. AJ Waines has been
featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Times and has been
ranked a Top 10 UK author on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).
She lives in Hampshire, UK, with her husband.
Find her books here
and visit her website
and blog, or join her on Twitter, Facebook or on her Newsletter.
Her next thriller, Lost in the Lake,
will be re-released by Bloodhound Books on 24 October 2018.
Social
Media Links
Find AJ Waines books at: http://viewauthor.at/AJWaines
Website
www.ajwaines.co.uk
Newsletter
http://eepurl.com/bamGuL
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/AJWaines
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/AJWaines
@AJWaines
Goodreads:
www.goodreads.com/AJWaines
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ajwaines
Check out the rest of the blog tour with these
fabulous blogs:
My thanks to A J Waines for joining me on my blog today and giving us the lovely
insight into Dr Samantha Willerby,
the publishers Bloodhound Books
along with Emma Welton for my
spot on the blog tour.
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