I’m delighted to welcome Rose McClelland to my blog today to discuss the themes of her new novel, ‘Under Your Skin’. I was privileged to read the first few chapters of this book, and I can highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read the rest!
Hi Jo! Thanks so much for having me on your blog today. I really appreciate being able to discuss the themes behind my latest novel.
“Under your skin” is a psychological thriller and it kicks off with Kyle phoning the Police to inform them of the disappearance of his wife, Hannah.
Chapter two jumps straight to Hannah and we learn that she is locked in a basement but we don’t know who has placed her there.
So the first theme of the book centres on Missing persons. We see the impact on the loved ones left behind and we also see the impact on the wider community. There is a sense of togetherness as many people join in the #FindHannah campaign to try to help Kyle and the Police locate Hannah. So even in the face of adversity, there is still a strong sense of love and altruism.
This book also looks closely at relationships – particularly coercive destructive relationships. There is a certainly a feminist theme running through this book with the female characters learning to be strong and independent.
It’s a strange coincidence that this book has been published in the middle of lockdown. When I sat down to write about a woman being trapped in a basement, I had no idea that we would all be indoors on a daily basis also. Hannah however is not allowed a daily walk or a trip to the shop for essentials. The only question is, why is she there, and will she be found?
Blurb
When Kyle’s wife Hannah goes missing, the whole town is out in force to try to find her. One person knows where she is. One person is keeping a secret.
Detective Inspector Simon Peters and Detective Kerry Lawlor have been brought in to investigate the case but Hannah has left no traces and Kyle has no clues.
Local Belfast resident Julia Matthews joins the #FindHannah campaign and becomes friendly with Kyle, sympathising with his tragedy. As Julia becomes more involved in the case than she bargained for, she begins to uncover more secrets than the Police ever could. Julia was only trying to help but has she become drawn into a web of mystery that she can’t escape?
About the Author:
“Under your skin” is Rose’s fourth novel. Her previous three novels were romantic fiction published by Crooked Cat. She has made the genre jump from “chick lit” to psychological thriller and is enjoying delving into a darker corner of her mind!
Rose has also written two short plays which were performed in the Black Box theatre in Belfast.
She discusses book reviews on her You Tube channel and writes theatre reviews for her blog.
She loves nothing more than curling up with her cats and a good book. She has two rescue cats – Toots, who is ginger with an inquisitive face and Soots, who is black and hops along on his 3 legs looking ever so cute.
Links to Rose on Social Media:
Facebook Author page: https://rebrand.ly/0vujcw4
Facebook Personal page: https://www.facebook.com/rose.mcclelland2
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoseMcClelland1
Blog: http://rosiesrag.blogspot.com/p/home-1.html
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosiegirl2000/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805471.Rose_McClelland
