Introducing Augusts’ Book Choice - Star Gazing by Linda Gillard






From the book cover

Blind since birth, widowed in her twenties, now lonely in her forties. Marianne Fraser lives in Edinburgh in elegant, angry anonymity with her sister. Marianne’s passionate nature finds solace in music, a love she finds she shares with Keir, the man she encounters on her doorstep one winter’s night.
Keir makes no concession to Marianne’s condition. He is abrupt to the point of rudeness, yet oddly and touchingly kind. But can Marianne trust her feelings for this reclusive stranger who wants to take a blind woman to his island home on Skye, to ‘show’ her the stars?

This beautiful, passionate and deeply haunting novel has the power to move and gives hope to even the most fractured heart.


This lovely book is an absolute joy to read, and I’m so excited to be able to say that the author Linda Gillard has kindly agreed to join in with our BOTM forum, and will answer any questions you might have about the story, or about writing in general.


Linda’s website


I have checked, and you should find that this book is readily available in the US
Amazon

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Piatkus Books (29 May 2008)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0749938978
• ISBN-13: 978-0749938970


Can I ask that any questions for Linda should be submitted to me by personal message by August 20th, which will give Linda time to view the questions before the book is open for discussion in our BOTM forum on 25th August.

I'm so excited that we are reading this lovely story as Star Gazing was in my top ten of reads for 2009, and I am really looking forward to having the opportunity of discussing the book with Linda.

Happy Reading

I am looking forward to reading Star Gazing, which is next on my reading list as soon as I finish The Help. Thanks for arranging to have the author join the BOTM discussion forum. I will keep a list of questions for her and send them to you in advance.

I'm the author of STAR GAZING and this is my first post in the forum. I have to say I'm a wee bit daunted by the scale and complexity of your amazing site! But I'm here and I'm really looking forward to answering your questions and hearing what you have to say about STAR GAZING - good or bad. SG is my third novel and is partly set on the Isle of Skye where I lived for 6 years. (I quit Skye and went to live in Glasgow for a couple of years, but eventually had to accept that I'm really an island person. I'm now living on the Isle of Arran.)

Thank you so much for inviting me to take part in this discussion. I'm sure we shall have some fun together. There is nothing this author enjoys more than talking to readers about her characters as if they're real people.

How lovely to have you join in with our BOTM discussion Linda, and thanks for joining in with the forum. I am sure that we wil have lots of questions for you...I

I know I am looking forward to spending time with Marianne and Keir again !

WELCOME, Linda!
It's an honor to have you join us!

Linda, it is wonderful to have you here. I am looking forward to reading your book.

Thanks for the welcome everyone! I hope you enjoy STAR GAZING and that it makes you feel as if you've been on a little trip to Skye.

Linda:



I finished SG early this morning and was truly touched by it. I experienced every single step that Marianne took and then some. I look forward to reading your other books.

So pleased, Lady Jayne! I look forward to chatting to you in the discussion.

(FYI - The book of mine that is similar to STAR GAZING is EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY - another island setting, another Scottish hero.)

And another of my favourite books !!

You are too kind, Sassenach.

The book my agent is trying to sell at the moment, UNTYING THE KNOT is set in Perthshire, on the edge of the Highlands. The hero, known as Mad Magnus MacGillivray, lives in a 16thC tower house (a sort of small domestic castle) which he's restored. He's ex-bomb disposal and suffering from PTSD.

I have a suspicion you'd like this one too.

I placed an order for EG and look forward to reading it. I am addicted to Scottish heros and fell in love with Kier Harvey.

Ah, Scots heroes... Sigh... You can't have too many of them, can you? (My favourite is Dorothy Dunnett's Francis Crawford from The Lymond Chronicles - but perhaps saying that counts as heresy on this forum? )

A female reader of EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY emailed to ask if they really do have men like my hero in the Hebrides, "because if so, I'm re-locating."

I am keeping my fingers crossed that your agent can find a publisher.....sounds like another Scottish hero to drool over....and another role for the lovely Mr Butler to play !!

I'm finally (more or less ) caught up on my TBR pile and am starting a new one, so I got the book so I can participate in the BOTM finally! Yay! The big kids start back to school next week and I look forward to a little (semi)quiet time to read.