Click for Source Image By Olivia Grey
I have recently had the privilege of interviewing one of the best women's fiction writers there is at the moment; the lovely Tamar (Tammy) Cohen. As a best-selling author of titles such as The Mistress's Revenge, Someone Else's Wedding and The War of the Wives, Cohen's fourth novel The Broken, is due out TODAY, so make sure you grab yourself a copy!
This interview was sought after the release of a review of The Mistress's Revenge that was published on IWG back in February (find it HERE) which described Cohen's story as a true embodiment of the famous saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'.
Here, Cohen discusses The Mistress's Revenge in detail, telling us what inspired her, and what her plans are for the future. We also have exclusive information about The Broken, and there are links to the bottom of this page just in case you feel an immediate need to buy the book. I wouldn't blame you; I've had my copy pre-ordered for months!
I have recently had the privilege of interviewing one of the best women's fiction writers there is at the moment; the lovely Tamar (Tammy) Cohen. As a best-selling author of titles such as The Mistress's Revenge, Someone Else's Wedding and The War of the Wives, Cohen's fourth novel The Broken, is due out TODAY, so make sure you grab yourself a copy!
This interview was sought after the release of a review of The Mistress's Revenge that was published on IWG back in February (find it HERE) which described Cohen's story as a true embodiment of the famous saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'.
Here, Cohen discusses The Mistress's Revenge in detail, telling us what inspired her, and what her plans are for the future. We also have exclusive information about The Broken, and there are links to the bottom of this page just in case you feel an immediate need to buy the book. I wouldn't blame you; I've had my copy pre-ordered for months!
Click for Image Source You are a very experienced writer, both as an author and as a journalist.
Where does your passion for writing come from?
Passion is the easy part. I've always loved writing so it’s a no-brainer that I've followed writing-based careers. A much harder question is where does the motivation come from to keep writing. Most of writing isn't about passion, it’s about hard work, and keeping going. If you sit down every day waiting for passion to sweep you away, you’ll end up spending a lot of time staring at an empty page – the quickest route to madness!
Journalism is a very time-consuming occupation. And writing a novel, some might argue, takes more effort and dedication than any other job in the world. How do you find the time between your job, writing your novels and spending time with family and friends?
When you’re bogged down in a 100,000 word novel, breaking off to write shorter features for magazines and newspapers can actually be a welcome relief. Having said that, in the four years since I started writing my first novel, The Mistress’s Revenge, I've completed five books so I've had to scale down the journalism quite considerably just to fit it in, which is a shame. As for family and friends, I consider myself lucky because I can work around seeing them – I quite often write after I get in from an evening out (amazing how much better you think your work is after a few glasses of wine!)
The Mistress’s Revenge was a hard-hitter with its taboo theme of not one, but two extramarital affairs. Did you ever worry about this being the main subject of your book?
My books tend to be about people in crisis and families in crisis. Infidelity is one of the most common and devastating forms of marital crisis, and its repercussions go way beyond the two people at the centre. Children, friends, colleagues are all affected. Since The Mistress’s Revenge came out, I've had one or two reviews from readers who've struggled with the theme because of things that have happened to them in their lives and that’s absolutely fair enough, but I've had many more from people who've been through something similar themselves and have a powerful response to it because of that.
Where does your passion for writing come from?
Passion is the easy part. I've always loved writing so it’s a no-brainer that I've followed writing-based careers. A much harder question is where does the motivation come from to keep writing. Most of writing isn't about passion, it’s about hard work, and keeping going. If you sit down every day waiting for passion to sweep you away, you’ll end up spending a lot of time staring at an empty page – the quickest route to madness!
Journalism is a very time-consuming occupation. And writing a novel, some might argue, takes more effort and dedication than any other job in the world. How do you find the time between your job, writing your novels and spending time with family and friends?
When you’re bogged down in a 100,000 word novel, breaking off to write shorter features for magazines and newspapers can actually be a welcome relief. Having said that, in the four years since I started writing my first novel, The Mistress’s Revenge, I've completed five books so I've had to scale down the journalism quite considerably just to fit it in, which is a shame. As for family and friends, I consider myself lucky because I can work around seeing them – I quite often write after I get in from an evening out (amazing how much better you think your work is after a few glasses of wine!)
The Mistress’s Revenge was a hard-hitter with its taboo theme of not one, but two extramarital affairs. Did you ever worry about this being the main subject of your book?
My books tend to be about people in crisis and families in crisis. Infidelity is one of the most common and devastating forms of marital crisis, and its repercussions go way beyond the two people at the centre. Children, friends, colleagues are all affected. Since The Mistress’s Revenge came out, I've had one or two reviews from readers who've struggled with the theme because of things that have happened to them in their lives and that’s absolutely fair enough, but I've had many more from people who've been through something similar themselves and have a powerful response to it because of that.
Click for Image Source The main character, Sally, was described in our review of The Mistress’s Revenge as an anti-hero because she does things that aren't typically socially accepted; the main thing being her affair with Clive. Anti-heroes are sometimes difficult to understand and/or relate to for the reader.
Do you think this is accurate of her and was she a hard character to write?
I don’t think it’s Sally’s affair that makes her an anti-hero so much as how she allows that affair and its aftermath to take over her life, at the expense of her job, partner and, crucially, her children. But I think most people know what it’s like to experience heartbreak and how it can drive you to the very brink of madness. What you’re seeing with Sally is the inside of someone’s head who is in total emotional freefall and in that context you start to understand some of the terrible choices she makes. Weirdly, Sally was the easiest character to write because her voice is so strong. Once it was in my head, I immediately knew who she was and how she would react in any given situation.
Your new novel The Broken releases TODAY on May 22nd.
Can you give us any information about it? Can we be expecting another novel that will make us laugh, gasp and cry?
I certainly hope so! The Broken is a bit of a departure for me as it’s written in the third person alternating between the viewpoints of Hannah and Josh, a married couple who find themselves sucked into their best friends’ bitter divorce, with disastrous consequences. Writing in the third person inevitably means the action is more externalized so for me it feels like the pace is faster, less introspective. I also wanted to convey a sense of menace right from the beginning, and there’s a chilling, mystery voice threaded through that only makes sense right at the end, and that was a real challenge – I ended up scaring myself!
Last of all, do you have any advice for would-be writers or journalists out there trying to get a foot in the door of either industry?
You’ll hear a lot of talk about how it’s never been more impossible to make a living from writing and how both industries are on their knees. There might well be some truth in this, but the fact is that some people are still making it as writers, and if that’s what you really want to do, why shouldn’t you be one of them? So don’t be put off, but at the same time be prepared to work extremely hard. Also, now more than ever, it pays to diversify. Most of the really successful writers I know manage to keep several plates spinning at once – features, screenplays, novels, blogs, reviews. Be open minded, tenacious and, above all, learn not to take rejection personally. It goes with the territory.
Do you think this is accurate of her and was she a hard character to write?
I don’t think it’s Sally’s affair that makes her an anti-hero so much as how she allows that affair and its aftermath to take over her life, at the expense of her job, partner and, crucially, her children. But I think most people know what it’s like to experience heartbreak and how it can drive you to the very brink of madness. What you’re seeing with Sally is the inside of someone’s head who is in total emotional freefall and in that context you start to understand some of the terrible choices she makes. Weirdly, Sally was the easiest character to write because her voice is so strong. Once it was in my head, I immediately knew who she was and how she would react in any given situation.
Your new novel The Broken releases TODAY on May 22nd.
Can you give us any information about it? Can we be expecting another novel that will make us laugh, gasp and cry?
I certainly hope so! The Broken is a bit of a departure for me as it’s written in the third person alternating between the viewpoints of Hannah and Josh, a married couple who find themselves sucked into their best friends’ bitter divorce, with disastrous consequences. Writing in the third person inevitably means the action is more externalized so for me it feels like the pace is faster, less introspective. I also wanted to convey a sense of menace right from the beginning, and there’s a chilling, mystery voice threaded through that only makes sense right at the end, and that was a real challenge – I ended up scaring myself!
Last of all, do you have any advice for would-be writers or journalists out there trying to get a foot in the door of either industry?
You’ll hear a lot of talk about how it’s never been more impossible to make a living from writing and how both industries are on their knees. There might well be some truth in this, but the fact is that some people are still making it as writers, and if that’s what you really want to do, why shouldn’t you be one of them? So don’t be put off, but at the same time be prepared to work extremely hard. Also, now more than ever, it pays to diversify. Most of the really successful writers I know manage to keep several plates spinning at once – features, screenplays, novels, blogs, reviews. Be open minded, tenacious and, above all, learn not to take rejection personally. It goes with the territory.
Click for Image Source For your chance to win a copy of The Broken, just tweet @ImWithGeek; "RT To Win A Copy of The Broken @ImWithGeek & @MsTamarCohen"
Link for purchasing your copy of The Broken;
AMAZON UK
Find out more about Tamar Cohen and her books on GOODREADS
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