Soulmate for Sin
The effects of an attack on Sin, a twenty-nine year old university lecturer, reach out further into his future than Sin could ever imagine.
In a story, which seems doomed to start with an end, Sin learns about the forever kind of love, and how family is not just biological.
Soulmate for Sin shows how twists of fate can take a loving, but ordinary family, from a small market town in England, and turn them into something extraordinary.
Renae: Hi, Izzy. Tell me, how hard was it to write your first story? What bits were easy? What was the hardest bit?
Izzy: First of all, thank you so much for having me on your blog today! I’m a bit of a fan of yours *grin* so I’m very honoured.
Hmmm that’s difficult to answer really… I’ve always had stories in my head but I was at University for 10 years, which meant I learned to write in a way that is hopeless for fiction. The hardest part is changing my style of writing. I say ‘is changing’ because it’s an ongoing process that doesn’t always go well. Lol. Story outlines come to me when I’m in bed trying to sleep, or in the shower. I keep a pen and notebook on my bedside cabinet as I often get really cool ideas then forget them by the morning! When I write, the characters seem to take over and the stories go off in odd directions.
Izzy: I always wanted to write about ordinary people falling in love, but real love is extraordinary, so I wanted to add the soulmate twist, as I think it the most romantic idea of all. I like to highlight that, however ordinary we think we are, there is something ‘extraordinary’ about all of us.
Renae: I admit that I haven’t read the story, it’s in my ever growing TBR pile. So when I read the blurb, I’m confused. I went to some of the reviews for clarification, and I’m even more confused. **LOL** Is this paranormal? Sci-fi? How would you classify the story?
Izzy: I’ve read your FB threads - with your busy life you are forgiven for not having read Soulmate… yet *wink*
I class it as a romance pure and simple. However, family plays a big role in it - the families we create at different times in our lives. I think the confusion comes because of the soulmate thread. *wink* The prologue explains where the idea of soulmates originated. Then, about chapter three, SIN meets the incarnation of his soulmate in the future, which may be a dream or not *wink* and there is a cute epilogue concerning his future soulmate… can’t give away too much. I had great fun writing snips about the 31st century LOL.
I think it’s quite limiting to put definite labels on books. What began as a marketing tool is now restricting people when they go to read. We have tags, warnings, blurbs, reviews and excerpts… before we even read the prologue. I think it makes us, as readers, lazy we don’t just try something anymore.
Renae: To me, the blurb feels very philosophical. “In a story, which seems doomed to start with an end…” Do you think you have a message for the reader?
Izzy: My prologue tells about the belief in ancient Greece regarding ‘split aparts’ / soulmates, and if I believe in anything it is the strength of love. I like to think that when you find your split apart / soulmate, the essential part that makes you both unique will never be parted again, even by death and time.
I dedicated the book to my ‘split apart’ - it was something we used to talk about when we were first together.
Renae: Reviewers have commented that they were taken on an emotional journey at times. Was that deliberate, or did you just go where the story needed to go?
Izzy: The first chapter does include an attack because the characters are gay, and although the attack is very short and not explicit, the repercussions are at the core of the story. It isn’t possible to write a story like that without it being emotional. I like to think it is also quite funny and sweet in places – I wanted to make the book optimistic where good triumphs.
Renae: You talk about soulmates. Is that a personal belief of yours? How often do you think we find our soulmate in real life?
Izzy: Yes, I like to believe that something as strong and positive as love doesn’t die with us, and our essence or soul goes on looking for its soulmate in the next life and so on, until they are reunited. I suppose it’s a form of reincarnation, so if we find love in this life, but it ends or fails, we may find the perfect love the next time round. All love is wonderful though, whether it is our ‘split apart’ or not.
Renae: I understand you are writing a sequel to Soulmate for Sin? Is this correct? What is this book about?
Izzy: I have several works in progress, and the sequel is one of them. I get asked a lot, what happened to Charlie? Well the sequel is his story, Charlie’s Rainbow. It is a romance set in the same location, but more focussed on The Rainbow Lounge, that also appears in Soulmate…and Charlie’s life. This book includes, the amazing Clitty Sparkles, lovely Lady Charlotte, a stalker and precocious three year old twins. What could possibly go wrong!
Renae: When will it be out?
Izzy: Um... hoping that my publisher still wants it LOL… I hope the end of the year.
Renae: Where can people contact you?
Izzy: I have an author page on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/IzzyvanSwelm
Plus, people can also friend me as Izzy van Swelm. I’m on twitter and on Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/IzzyvanSwelm
Renae: Thank you for joining me on my blog. Congratulations on your first release, and I hope it is #1 of many to come.
Izzy: Thank you again for having me Renae *big grin*