Maggie Le Page lives in
Christchurch, New Zealand with her partner and two children. Coming from a
background in finance and education, writing wasn’t on her agenda until she
made the fatal comment, “I could write something like that.” She is far less naïve
about writing these days. Learn more about her and her books at her website.
In celebration of the release of The Trouble With Dying, Maggie is offering a digital copy of the book to one lucky
commenter. Tell us if you’ve ever had a near death or out-of-body experience,
or a moment of clairvoyancy or premonition and what happened. But please leave your email address in your
comment. Otherwise, we have no way of contacting you if you win.
I love this time of year. The decorations, the preparations, the excitement in the
air... For me, Christmas is synonymous with family—and a whole raft of
traditions we’ve built up over the years.
But a couple of Christmases ago I looked around and
wondered: what would it be like if I suddenly lost it all? What if I woke up
and couldn’t remember my family, or our Christmas traditions, or even my own
personality? It got me thinking. So, of course, I did what any self-respecting
writer would do and forced a character into that situation, then waited to see
what would happen.
What happened is The
Trouble With Dying, which has just been released.
The
Trouble With Dying starts when Faith Carson wakes up
to find herself in a coma. Obviously I use the term ‘wakes up’ loosely. She doesn’t
remember her past, doesn’t know her name, and she has way more problematic issues than getting ready for Christmas.
Issues like...how to wake up. How to remember what happened.
How to make sure she doesn’t wind up dead. (Sorry, can’t give too much away.
Oh, okay. I’ll give you a hint in the blurb below...)
While writing Faith’s story I spoke to a range of people who’d
had near death and out-of-body experiences. And the one thing that stood out
for me was that most of these people were able to tell me things they’d heard
and seen while unconscious (even flatlining); things that were later confirmed as
correct by medical staff. They were things that could not be explained away as
guesswork or imagination.
Which was great news
for me! It added credence to The Trouble
With Dying’s premise.
My second piece of great news was learning that comas don’t
necessarily follow a set pattern or timeframe to recovery. Comas are specific
to each person’s circumstances. From a storytelling perspective, this was pure
gold. The Trouble With Dying was on its way.
All it needed was a few of my favourite angles—love,
conflict, clairvoyance, skulduggery, and the age-old life after death
question—and I had a novel even my partner wanted to read! Possibly a bit
heavier on suspense than your standard chick lit read, but sometimes the
characters tell the writer how it needs to be written rather than the other way
round. (Shrugs.) I’m okay with that.
And now The Trouble
With Dying is out! It’s been released just in time for another Christmas,
one where, thankfully, I remember everything that’s special to me and am
grateful for it all.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope your mid-winter festivities
(or mid-summer if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere like me) be relaxing and
full of unforgettable memories.
The
Trouble With Dying
When Faith Carson
wakes up on a hospital ceiling looking down on her body in a coma, it’s a bad
start to the week. A very bad start. She has no idea who she is or how she got there
or why, and the biggest mystery of all is why she married the schmuck who wants
her ventilator switched off.
As if that’s not
enough, Faith has a dead gran haunting her, a young daughter missing her, and
one devilishly delicious man making her wish she could have a second chance at
life. And maybe she can, if she finds a way back into her body and wakes up by
Friday. But if she doesn’t, this will be her last bad week—ever.
Nate Sutherland
decided long ago he’d settle for friendship if he couldn’t have Faith’s heart.
But now, as she nears death, he’s going to have to listen to his feelings in a
whole new way—and act. Because if he doesn’t, this week will be the worst damn
week of his life. He’ll lose everything he’s ever loved.
14 comments:
Thanks so much for having me here today! (Well. Today's almost over down here in New Zealand, but you know what I mean.) I can't wait to hear if any readers have had near death or out of body or clairvoyance experiences. Please don't be shy! I may even add a wee experience of my own... :)
Ok here's my weird experience that I have quite often. Imagine the split second an explosion happens, and you know its happened, but before you're consumed by it. That teeny weeny window of time. That's a moment I experience every now and then. And, of course, it only last for a split second, then life continues. I think in a past life I must have been in such an explosion (and I want to say in the Civil War but thats just a feeling).
Nice photo ;)
Peter Walker (I tried logging in with Google but it wouldnt let me)
Peter, thanks for stopping by. :) That is a very weird experience to keep having. I had recurring dreams as a kid, but they definitely weren't past life stuff (think Greatest American Hero with seriously dodgy flying skills). Have you ever been and chatted to a clairvoyant who reads past lives? That would be very interesting!
hmmm...it would be interesting. But I havent :)
P
Enjoyed reading the interview, and intriguing premise of your book. Happy Holidays!
I haven't had any near death experiences (that I can recall) but I have had a few deja vu moments here and there.
Your book sounds like the perfect read during the holidays.
Near-death/out of body experience when I'd lost a lot of blood and was on the operating table...not something I much care to recall! All I remember now is floating above and looking down at myself on the operating table. Wasn't afraid seeing myself like that and it only lasted a few minutes. The transfusion must have worked because I'm still here! (-:
I got this book but I haven't read it yet. Can't wait. It's on the top of my pile!
I've had some strange things and been in some bad stuff over the years including a crash landing of an airplane that really didn't crash - just slide in without any landing gear. But no out of body thing for me. TG!
Anonymous (6.04am) - I'm fascinated by all the unexplainable things that go on in our lives so yes, I'm with you - it's interesting!
Thanks for popping in, Angela. :) I'm glad the premise has you intrigued! My 'holidays' promise to be of the never-a-dull-moment variety - up to Day 3 and already the kids are threatening to kill each other. :o (Hmm. Maybe I should slot that into a book...)
Tamara - yes! Deja vu moments definitely count. I wonder why they happen. Wouldn't it be great to be able to pinpoint why they've happened and what they relate to? Which begs all sorts of past-life questions!
Hi, Vamp Writer. Yay! A bona fide near death experiencer! Thanks for stopping by and telling us about it. I'm glad you're still here with us and able to talk about it, though I can well imagine you wouldn't want to dwell on it too much. Have a wonderful festive break. :)
Hi, E. Thanks for sneaking The Trouble With Dying to the top of your TBR pile. Your secret's safe with me! ;) That crash landing sounds pretty hair-raising. I hate to think how you were feeling at the time. Thank goodness it all worked out okay. (And that's why pilots get paid the sort of money they do, I guess!) I can't wait to hear what you think of TTWD.
Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by and left a comment. :) A winner has been drawn! It wasn't quite done under police supervision but the winner was chosen randomly by my five year old daughter who can't quite read yet (so I figure that's reasonably random).
And without further ado, the winner is . . . ANGELA ADAMS! Angela, I have a (digital) copy of The Trouble With Dying waiting for you! Please get in touch with either Lois or myself to arrange delivery. :)
Thanks again for having me, Lois and Anastasia :) and happy holidays, everyone.
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