Before You Were Mine by Em Muslin @quaintrellem #GuestPost #BlogTour @NeverlandBT

Thank you for joining me for my stop on the blog tour for Before You Were Mine by Em Muslin. Today I'm sharing a guest post from Em Muslin and there is also a great giveaway to enter. First of all though let's take a look at the description for the book...

About the book

Sometimes hope has a way of changing everything…

Just hours after giving birth, Eli Bell is forced to give up her newborn baby daughter for adoption. Devastated, she tries desperately to rebuild her shattered life.

Then, over thirty years later, Eli catches sight of her daughter. And she knows that she must do everything to find a way back into her life. Even if it means lying…

While her husband Tommy must grow to accept his own part in the events of her early life, he can only try to save her before her obsession with the young woman ruins them both.

Don’t miss the breathtaking debut Before You Were Mine by Em Muslin! Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Anne Tyler, Joyce Carol Oates.

Buy Link

Amazon

Also available on Kobo/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/GooglePlay books

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Praise for Before You Were Mine:

"A heartbreaking novel about what happens when we don't have the power to make our own choices. BEFORE YOU WERE MINE is a moving and emotional story that is sure to touch readers' hearts." ~ Karen Katchur, author of THE SISTERS OF BLUE MOUNTAIN

"5 STARS - A love story that surprises in so many ways. Em Muslin has written a great debut book here. Before You Were Mine explores love on so many levels it had me reaching for the tissues more than once. It's heartening to see people who seem totally self-serving suddenly step up and make things right. I would like to share some fudge pie and coffee with Eli."  - Jo Ann Mapson Best selling author of Owen's Daughter/Finding Casey/Solomon's Oak/The Owl & Moon Cafe/The Bad Girl Creek trilogy/The Wilder Sisters/Hank & Chloe; Loving Chloe/Shadow Ranch/ Blue Rodeo

Em Muslin’s Debut novel is heart stoppingly beautiful.

Muslin was born to write, her observations are breathtaking

I was so involved in the story, I missed my stop on the train.'

- Lynn Parson - Radio Broadcaster

5 STARS -Pleasing to the mind,

Em Muslin's debut novel, "Before You Were Mine" is written with a beautiful touch where heartbreak meets love and loneliness meets freedom. Every reader can benefit from reading this book as it grabs onto your heart strings and pulls you in to compelling story that includes all aspects of family. This story is not only a great piece of literature, the story unfolds into much more than just Eli's obsession but digs deeper into the life she left behind years ago. - Biblio Beauty Book Blog

Publisher: Harper Collins

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Guest Post

Rules of Writing – Em Muslin

So here are some lessons I have learned on the way...

The first lesson is the most important one ... but sometimes the hardest.

Maintain a sense of humour at all times.

‘Oh right sure’, I hear you say when you’re letting your baby out into the world. ‘You try laughing when you’re getting bad reviews/poor sales/arguing (read: constructive discussion) with the editor/insert you own problem here ________’  but that is exactly when you need to step back and laugh. Yes, I know – you have literally sweat blood and tears over your manuscript and someone has just trampled all over it – or no one seems to have discovered your masterpiece etc. But have faith and above all laugh. Things take time. And we have to remember that in the scheme of things, despite how hard we have worked to achieve our goal of getting published, it really is not important. We have to look around and see the devastation that is happening in our world, to our neighbours, our friends. Some of it on a political level, some of it on a personal level. Some of it both. Getting a bad review, or no sales means nothing in that context. And that is why we have to shake our heads and smile when things don’t go our way. Don’t get me wrong – I have felt utter frustration when my publishers haven’t promoted the book, or when I see sales are reflecting that or the feeling you’re just this tiny cog in a big publishing machine  – but all I can do, is breathe, laugh, take stock and just keep pushing the rock uphill.

One piece of advice someone gave me recently was ‘your first book will always be there.’ And by that they mean; when your readers discover your second (and that’s when you have to maintain faith that a) you’ll finish a second and b) it gets published) they will want to read your other works too. We’re making tiny steps on our path to literary success.

One key thing that helps me keep my sense of humour when frustration kicks in – is the support I have had from other twitter followers, from readers, reviewers and bloggers. These guys have cheered me on, and lifted my spirits hugely. They don’t know me from Adam – but still they have been wonderful. To read some of the incredible reviews I have received for Before You Were Mine makes my heart soar. To see someone retweet a message I’ve written makes me punch the air. Because they do not have to do that. They are doing it because they support you. They care. And that is the fresh air that fills my lungs with laughter.

Don’t check your sales. Really. Don’t. It’s depressing.

Do check your sales. Really. Do. It’s enlightening. First it stops any delusion for when your royalties statement finally arrives. It stops you buying a huge house. It stops you buying all the rounds at the bar. And it also makes you rethink your sales technique. Question what you can do better. What can you change to get the sales. See if the new methods take effect. And keep on working on it. And if the sales still aren’t budging ...?

Maintain a sense of humour at all times. Sorry but you gotta do it.

Finally, keep writing. Laughing at your own journey will help you keep on writing. Enjoy it for what it is.

Now to check my sales ....
(cue laughter!)

Thank you to Em Muslin for the fab guest post!

About the author

Em muslin has worked in the film and television industry for over 20 years. She first fell in love with reading and writing after experiencing Judith Kerr's When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. She hasn't stopped devouring books ever since.

She loves words that capture an experience or emotion in a singular form: her current favourite, describing herself, isnemophilist.

Em's writing career has included developing a script for a stage musical with Tina Turner, and writing a bitter-sweet comedy screenplay, Last Chance Saloon.

Em's writing focuses on the texture of domestic life, relationships, family and the pressures of social convention. Her characters are often fighting to become the hero of their own story, searching for hope, despite the adversities that life inevitably brings.

Author Links

www.emmuslin.com

Twitter: @quaintrellem

GIVEAWAY

Giveaway is International

A £10 or $10 (depending on where the winner is from) Amazon giftcard

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you get chance follow along with the tour, details below...