Emily Astillberry
is an author and RSPCA Inspector from Norfolk, England. She has a
degree in English Literature and Linguistics from York University and
has been investigating animal cruelty and neglect and rescuing sick and
injured animals for 20 years. In her day job, Emily deals with very
difficult and often emotional situations and meets all sorts of people
from all sorts of backgrounds. Her career provides some of the
inspiration for themes and characters that can be found in her fictional
work.
At home, in a very old cottage in the
country, Emily has a husband, 5 children, a dog, a cat, an axolotl, 2
giant African land snails and a varying number of rescue hens, so
finding time to write can be a challenge. She is happiest outdoors,
growing fruit and vegetables in the garden, walking the dog and family
holidays usually involve walking up mountains in summer, skiing down
them in winter and sleeping in a tent whenever possible.
Emily loves spending time with her
large, noisy, chaotic family, cooking meals for friends and playing
board games. She always has at least one book on the go and has always
dreamed of writing her own novel. She now dreams of writing more.
Visit her website at https://emilyastillberry.com.
You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.
The Essence of Bliss is her latest book.
Tell us about your book! What inspired you to write it?
The Essence of Bliss is an emotional rollercoaster, an exploration of human emotion wrapped up in a story that will make you examine those big questions, such as chance, choice and destiny. It began with a
concept, a something that would give me magic to work with, whilst allowing me to establish the rest of the narrative in the real world. That’s what I wanted, a story set in a town of real people living
ordinary lives, characters, themes and development that would be relatable to my readers, with a twist, a frisson of otherworldliness that is enchanting enough to transport them towards a hint of fantasy.
I always knew that I wanted to write something emotional. I believe that our potential to feel - to love, to hate, to fear, to desire, is one of the things that sets us apart and gives us humanity. Whenever I fall in love with a book, and when I think back to all of the books that have moved me the most, it is the characters and the relationships between those characters that makes a good story, great. I read and love books from all sorts of genres but it is human emotion that I find most compelling.
My leading lady, Isabel Bliss, became the focus of my concept. She is, for the most part, a normal person, leading a normal life. She has a family, a boyfriend, a best friend and a job that she loves and is great at. However, Isabel also has something that sets her apart from anyone she has ever met, she has an extraordinary relationship with human emotions. She can feel emotional energy, be impacted by it, experience and influence the emotions of the people around her.
Once I had my concept and my protagonist, I needed a story. I wanted my readers to explore the potential of Isabel’s gift alongside her, which is why The Essence of Bliss became a first person narrative, a journey of discovery for Isabel, peppered with twists and turns that I hope will surprise, upset and delight. I started to craft the story around her, following her as she deals with a pretty horrific situation involving a little boy in her class, and then discovers a huge betrayal in her life and a whole world of possibility that will change her forever.
How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?
I was probably around a third of the way into the book when I settled on the title. I chose the name, Isabel Bliss, before I started writing and knew that I wanted to use her surname in the title of the book, as a sort of a play on words and to indicate, right from the beginning, that this story was going to be an emotional one. I played around with that word, Bliss, for a long time, eventually settling on Essence to go with it, representing the fundamental and intrinsic nature of human emotion.
Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like?
There is a setting in the novel, visited by two of the main characters at a pivotal point of Isabel’s journey of discovery. The cabin in the woods is a private, magical space and I hoped that the image on the cover could capture the emotion of the scene. I sent the following two passages to my cover designer.
I followed him down a steep path through the trees. Within a few minutes we came to a clearing and an old, wooden cabin stood before us. It was difficult to see clearly through the gloom but I got the impression of a quaint, rustic affair with a moss covered roof and a chimney stack. There was a small window in the top half of the structure and a larger window downstairs. There was no lock on the door and Scott pushed it open easily and invited me inside.
The cabin was in a small, flat clearing in the trees on what was otherwise a steep slope leading down towards Ramsey Pool. I could just make out the far shore of the lake. The water was shimmering in the golden, early morning rays of the sun. It was peaceful and still here, a heavenly retreat from the hustle and bustle of the world. I felt like I had stepped back in time, to a simpler, cleaner world. The only sounds were the sweet music of wild bird song, calling to each other with joy on this beautiful winter’s morning and the faint hum of the kettle as it heated the water for our morning tea.
The fresh sun lit the moss softened rocks and illuminated the verdant greens of the trees and grasses all around me. I felt like I had stumbled upon a small slice of heaven, unspoilt and remote. I could understand why Scott would use this place to get away from everybody and everything. It was exquisite in its simplicity and I could feel myself relaxing, moment by moment, just standing on the deck of this old, ramshackle cabin in the woods.
Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?
My cover designer was Laura Cosby of Absolute Book Covers, provided for me by my publisher, Blossom Spring.
What has been the readers’ response to your cover?
The response has been very positive. Readers seem to appreciate the subtle colours and the understated style. The figures on the decking are indistinct but standing strikingly close to each other, leaving the visual details to the reader’s imagination, whilst speaking volumes about the emotional themes in the scene and throughout the book.
What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?
I would say that the more specific you can be with the brief, the better. I believe that most authors have an image in their mind, whether it is a scene from the book or a message that they want to convey. It is so important to get that right. Authors need to do their research, know their budget and know what it is that they want the cover to achieve before approaching any cover designer.
Anything else you’d like to say about your book?
The Essence of Bliss has received some really wonderful 5 star reviews that I hope will inspire potential readers. I will quote from a few below and let them convey their sentiment for themselves.
Emotional, exciting, shocking, beautiful, and romantic.
Beautifully written book; so eloquent and descriptive: I felt every emotion and lived in every scenario. So absorbing.
Every moment in this novel is charged with feeling.
A beautifully crafted love story with a subtle, enchanting twist.
Parts of this book moved me to tears, because I found beauty in the way that Isabel expressed herself, her in-depth way of describing her own emotions and experiences, and her observations of others. Emotions can be very complex, but where would we be without them?
I actually lost count of the number of times this story made me cry. Calling this an emotional book is an understatement.
I actually couldn't put this book down and I couldn't believe how quickly I got through those pages, feeling both sad and in shock when things came to an end.
