An Interview with the Author: Rose McClelland – Author – “Under Your Skin”

Question: How did this book come to be, what drove you to write the book?

“When I wrote this book, I didn’t realise how apt it would be for lockdown”

When I sat down to write “Under your skin”, I obviously had no idea that we’d be in the middle of lockdown during publication. The fact that the main character is trapped indoors is eerily relevant.

Of course there are some differences – my main character is locked inside – whereas we are free to go for our daily walk each day and to pick up essentials.

However there are many similarities. The truth is, that this novel was inspired by the fact that I had started working from home several years before. When my boss first suggested that I could work from home, I jumped at the chance. No daily commute in the pouring rain? Yes please! Rolling out of bed at five to nine instead of the alarm clock blasting at 7am? Yes please again!

However, as the weeks and months rolled on, working from home became a bigger chore than I’d envisaged. I began to realise that all those small pockets of social interaction add up; the chat with the friendly barista in my favourite coffee shop when ordering my morning latte; the small talk with colleagues at the coffee dock; catching up with tit-bits of everyday chat – what their kids were up to, what was good on the tele the night before. Suddenly it was just me and the four walls.

It became a little bit like Stockholm syndrome. I knew I needed to make extra special effort to get out and meet people and to get some daily exercise but quite frankly, I couldn’t be bothered. I became lazy, introverted and even a little depressed. It affected my mental health.

And that’s when I began to write about Hannah being trapped in a basement. Who put her there? Why? And that’s how the story evolved.

Thankfully, I’m much more able to cope with working from home now. I know what works for me and what doesn’t. I know the things I need to do to look after my mental health. And so, in many ways, by the time lockdown came along, I was well and truly used to this way of living. And of course Zoom online meetings happened and that is wonderful because I connect with people more than ever on a daily basis.

When lockdown lifts, I’m looking forward to getting back to my hairdresser. God, I’ve missed her. But as for working from home, rolling out of bed at five to nine and missing the rainy commute, yeah, I’ll keep it.

Follow Rose McClelland Author

Facebook Author page: https://rebrand.ly/0vujcw4

Facebook Personal page: https://www.facebook.com/rose.mcclelland2

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoseMcClelland1

Blog: http://rosiesrag.blogspot.com/p/home-1.html

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosiegirl2000/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805471.Rose_McClelland

Random Drawing for two lucky winners, your choice of eBook or paperback.

For a chance at your choice of an eBook or paperback copy of Under Your Skin,  please comment on this post and tell me “Do you like Psychological Thrillers, and if so, what draws you to them?”

I will randomly draw two names from the comments for winner’s on Saturday, June 20, 2020. It will be the winners choice of eBook or paperback copy.