Published Works: If Only You Knew (2020), Second Chances (2022) & Mistletoe and Hope (2024).
Tell me a bit about yourself?
I’m a fifty-year-old NHS worker with a love of reading. I’m an only child, so spent a lot of my childhood reading Enid Blyton and imagining myself in mystery stories. I’m a lover of writing, reading, gardening and all things cosy.
I’m a big believer in a scented candle, a day at the seaside, a cosy throw and an open fire. I’m happiest when either in the Lake District walking through fields of sheep, in the Cotswold’s disappearing down lanes full of thatched cottages, or in Northumberland, sheltering from the rain with a bag of hot chips in my hands!
What sort of literature do you write?
My favourite genre to read is romance which is what I also write. I write clean romance (also known as closed door romance) and my demographic stretches from teens who like the ‘friends to lovers’ or ‘enemies to lovers’ trope and also my own demographic who want to sit back and be transported to a world of slow burn romances, friendships and real life problems they can relate to.
What inspires you to write?
My own love of writing, but also a burning desire to empty my head of characters, plots and my favourite places to holiday. I’m a stress-head so I need the distraction away from worry worms, and just general anxieties of life. My writing is my comfort blanket that I can slip under.
I quite often give my characters my worries and problems and see how they handle them. Writing really helps me to relax at the end of a busy day. It’s a familiar setting with characters I’ve created amongst a setting where I feel at my most comfortable. It’s my release. I can honestly say, writing has made me a stronger person with a lot more respect for myself.
How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?
I lost both my parents to terminal illness when I was younger and as an only child that left me feeling pretty lonely in the world. I understand grief, a loss of hope, feeling abandoned, unanchored and trying to make a place in the world again where I belonged.
My experiences have enriched my views of the world. I see life differently. Friendships are precious and every day needs to count. I hope my writing leaves a positive imprint and helps others to overcome similar situations. I never write about myself in books, but my characters do express the emotions I feel. That makes the characters rich and stand off the page. To me, they are real people.
Tell me what your latest creative work is about?
Book 4 is about starting over in a new environment. The end of one chapter of life and the beginning of another. It also has a character who is nearing end of life and starts to question has she done everything she wants to. What would be on her bucket list? Has she time to do them?
What are you working on at the moment or what do you have planned for the future?
I’m always plotting and trying to find new characters. Once book 4 is published I need ideas for book 5. I’ve no ideas at the moment, my head is firmly in book 4, but I do like the idea of a flatshare story…
What do you hope your readers will get from your latest creative work?
A sense that life is precious and the people in it even more so. Friendships and family can help you to overcome most things. Also that fresh starts do exist. Just because a door closes doesn’t mean the one you’ve also wished for won’t open.
Tell me what your latest creative work is about?
I’m always plotting and trying to find new characters. Once book 4 is published I need ideas for book 5. I’ve no ideas at the moment, my head is firmly in book 4, but I do like the idea of a flatshare story…
What do you hope your readers will get from your latest creative work?
The exciting things are seeing the characters grow as they overcome their problems and bonds start to form. I often feel like I can lift them off the page and go and have a coffee with them. I love being able to close my eyes and see myself in that house, that room, with that character. Living and breathing the plot and the countryside around me.
Challenges:- Finding the time to write! I work fulltime, so does my hubby, I have a teenager getting ready for university and a very bouncy labrador who needs a lot of walking. I don’t always get the head space to think about my book, the plot and very little time to sit down and write.
What are you working on at the moment or what do you have planned for the future?
Just pick up a piece of paper and a pen and start to write down ideas. I never expected to get a book published, never mind 3 of them, but it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done. Emotionally I’m stronger, richer and I have a focus. It’s the best form of ‘therapy’ I’ve come across so far in my life. Emptying my head onto paper and watching something grow.
Where can readers learn more?
My website: www.louisemercerauthor.com
Social Media Links
Facebook & Instagram.