London, Can You Wait? was the winner in the Women’s Fiction category of the 2019 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Jacquelyn Middleton.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
London, Can You Wait? — published October 2017
What’s the book’s first line?
Mark would never forgive her.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
London, Can You Wait? is a passionate tale of secrets, loss, and ambition unfolding in London, Dublin, and New York. American playwright Alex Sinclair loves her life in London. She’s writing for the theatre, has found fantastic friends, and is in love with the man of her dreams, gorgeous Irish actor, Mark Keegan. But a year into their relationship, Alex and Mark’s lives are turned upside down. Mark is catapulted to stardom and his success means they’re apart more than they’re together. Missing Mark and battling career uncertainty, Alex’s anxiety and panic attacks return as her hopes for a stable life began to fade making her wonder: how much more can she bend before she breaks?
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
A love of London, playwriting, and theater, as well as an interest in long-distance relationships. I met my British husband while he was visiting NYC (I’m from Canada), and we had a two-year long-distance relationship. I’m also curious about couples whereby one person is massively famous and the other isn’t, and how that impacts their relationship, privacy, and trust. I also wanted to write an honest and empathetic story about a woman with mental health challenges. London, Can You Wait? ticks all those boxes for me.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Alex is quietly determined and extremely talented as a writer. She also has had anxiety and panic attacks all her life, and like most of us with those challenges (I’m an own voices author in this respect), has had to deal with ignorant people believing the stigma and labeling her weak. But Alex is anything but weak. She’s a positive, hardworking example of a woman with mental health challenges who learns how to take care of herself and get the help she needs.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
My books are character and relationship-driven stories about people dealing with the triumphs and disasters we all experience. They’re also love stories for hopeful romantics—I say hopeful because my books are always full of hope. But life is messy, and my books aren’t afraid to go there, too. My goal is to entertain and help bust the mental health stigma—one book at a time. If one person with anxiety or depression comes away from reading my books and feels understand and not alone, I’ve done my job.