Love & Lies: A Secret Memoir received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Ann Hymes.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Love & Lies: A Secret Memoir; released, May 15, 2020
What’s the book’s first line?
A woman can hide in the raising of sons.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The book is a sequel but a stand-alone story about a woman looking back on a life of missteps and family secrets. She has betrayed her husband and sons, causing them to be unsuspecting players in her orchestrated deception. She is reflective and smart, but her safety from exposure gradually unravels with the mysterious death of her youngest son. Through losing and finding love, she redefines family.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
My first book was inspired by the dissolution of my marriage and the need to explore problems in a relationship. I did not expect to write another book, but I heard from readers that they wanted to know what happened next in the story. My response of “Nothing happened; they’re not real!” did not satisfy, and gradually some ideas kept prodding me. My main character tells the sequel in her own voice, first person.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Love & Lies examines the relationship of those two words and the consequences of behavior. With a beautiful setting, the story does not shy away from serious issues and brings the reader into the discussion.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The main character has stumbled, but she is earnest and interesting; we care about her. Alas, she reminds me of me.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I’ve always liked to write and was an English major in high school, college, and graduate school. In 10th grade I won an award for a haiku. As an adult, I began to write essays and had them accepted for publication. Then one day I heard a novel being read for an hour every day on public radio. I thought, “I can write as well as that!” Naiveté met “pride cometh before a fall,” and the journey began. I joined a writing group. I dug into relationship issues, and I set the story in a place I’d like to live.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
No, the first book was Shadow of Whimsy: A Cape Cod Love Story. Published by Secant Publishing in 2016.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
Retired real estate broker.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Creative work only happens for me in the morning, sometimes producing a sentence, sometimes a flow of ideas that just can’t wait. (I am able to edit and revise in the evening — and always use the printed computer words and a pencil.)
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I love my publisher. Infidelity is not appealing.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I am beyond thrilled when people respond well to what I’ve written, that they are touched somehow and feel a connection. Anyone who writes motivated by money will be sadly awakened.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Jane Austen.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Anything with Pat Conroy’s name on it.