Deja vu by Emma Clapperton

Déjà Vu by Emma Clapperton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 30 mins

Pages - 37

Publisher - self

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

1987

Celia was found brutally murdered in a railway underpass. No one was ever charged with her murder, it was like the killer disappeared into thin air. But Celia knew her killer and after she died, she fought for her soul to re-enter her body, to carry on with life. But the force is too strong for her and her soul is cast aside.
Celia did not want anyone to forget what happened to her.

PRESENT DAY

Alice has suffered from anxiety as far back as she can remember. With certain music causing unexpected emotional outbursts and recurring nightmares, she can’t take much more.
But when she gets the job she applies for, the future seems brighter. Soon after her first shift at the office, the recurring dreams intensify, become more detailed. They feel real.
And that’s when déjà vu sets in.
Alice begins to wonder if these spells déjà vu, are actually memories…




My Review

This is a wee short story, I normally don't read short stories as they leave me irritated and wanting more, usually just getting started when it ends. However with Deja Vu we plunge in quickly, we open with Celia, if you have read the blurb you know what is happening, if you haven't you just know something isn't right. We jmeet Alice in the next chapter, Alice is just a normal girl who suffers from anxiety, it is getting worse, music can set off panic and vomiting, not good when you are about to start a new job. Alice doesn't know why she is experiencing this, Celia needs justice for what happened, what is linking these two seemingly separate women?

There is an eerie atmosphere that builds from the first chapter, you know what has gone down but not where the story is going or where the link between the two main characters is. The timeline splits from 1987 with Celia to present day with Alice.

I couldn't figure where the story was heading, which in only 37 pages is pretty good going. I actually gasped at one point, it is testament to the authors ability to evoke an audible response from their reader. Whilst I am still not a fan of short stories I did really like this one, I have read this author before and have another on my TBRM to get to. 4/5 for me this time, if you like short stories you will love this, if you don't like short stories you will still enjoy this, I did!

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Chasing The Traveller by Alex Kane Blog Tour

Welcoming author Alex Kane to So Many Books, So Little Time.




To chat about her brand new book, Chasing the Traveller. You can read my review for this book by clicking here.




Today is my stop on the blog tour for Chasing The Traveller by Alex Kane. Thanks so much Alex for writing a great book, asking me on the tour and taking time out to answer some questions.

You wrote under a different name previously, incase anyone doesn’t know, what was it and why the change?

I write supernatural crime thrillers under Emma Clapperton. I changed my name for the genre switch because I didn’t want people to buy the book and expect supernatural crime and get something different.

What made you choose the travelling community as the set up for this story?

I have a genuine interest in the travelling community and there didn’t seem to be any books out there that tackled such domestic abuse within that setting.

Domestic violence and emotional abuse are horrific topics, some of the scenes will be very disturbing for some readers due to their realistic creation. How did you manage to create/tap into this?

Honestly, I have been fortunate enough not to experience this kind of thing in my life. I can only imagine what it must be like for someone to go through this kind of thing. I tried to imagine how awful it would be and how I would feel if my partner was controlling everything I did, who I saw, what I wore, even what I said. It must be the loneliest place a person can be.

When I picked this book up I thought it was going to be more of a murder thriller type read. Whilst there are themes of this, for me the heart is Kat’s personal journey, was this your vision for the book?

I wanted to write about Kat and her escape. However, I can’t imagine the torment automatically stops when you leave that kind of relationship. I wanted to write about her journey, her road to recovery and finding herself again. Of course, with it being a psychological thriller, I wanted to include some drama in there too.

What research did you do for Chasing the Traveller and did you enjoy it?

I used to work with someone who is a traveller. She was great at helping me out with the language and certain words or phrases that are typically used. I really enjoyed learning about the community and how they live.

What is next for Alex Kane?

I am working on my next psychological thriller. Working title; HER

Do you prefer folk calling you Alex or Emma? Say online or at book events?

Depending on how they know me, I will respond to either.

Do you have book events lined up for this book? Signings? Author chats?

Yes, there is a blog tour lined up to run until Sunday 3rd December and I ran a competition on publication day for people to win signed copies.

Where is best for fans to contact you? Find you?

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Alex Kane Writer.

Anything else you would like to add I haven’t asked?

Thank you for being part of the blog tour and I hope everyone who reads the book will enjoy it.


Check out the other stops on the blog tour for different content and reviews.

Chasing the Traveller by Alex Kane

Chasing the Traveller by Alex Kane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 222

Publisher - Indie

Source - ARC (author)

Blurb from Goodreads

Kat is trapped in a world where she has never belonged. As a traveller, she has always felt lost, especially since the death of her parents in a fire when she was fourteen years old. Having been taken on by the Denton family as their own, Kat falls in love with their son, tearaway Jimmy. His charm soon wears off and Kat finds herself married to a controlling and violent thug.

Sixteen years later, Kat decides enough is enough and begins plotting her escape from a lifetime of abuse.

Stripped of her personality, Kat has no idea how to start again but she finds an unlikely ally in her sister-in-law Ellie who shows Kat that she is not alone.

Kat and Ellie Denton begin their venture into a new world, where they meet new people and build new lives. But Kat still wants to know more about her parents’ past and when she seeks the location of an address on the back of a family photograph, Kat begins to uncover more than she expected including a revelation that will lead Kat back to the traveller site she had been so desperate to escape from.

Will she find the answers she is looking for, or will she fall prey to the violent Jimmy Denton once more?


My Review

Kat Denton is battered, abused, treated like an animal and has nowhere to turn to in her travelling community. Finding herself in a situation that changes everything and forms an unlikely alliance with Ellie, her sister in law, Kat takes the plunge and runs from her abusive husband. This is their story, by escaping Kat and Ellie find themselves on a journey of self discovery, healing, hope and that you cannot outrun your past.

I have bought a few of this authors work when writing under Emma Clapperton but had yet to read them. This is a genre switch and my first dance with this author, the story is both very dark and filled with hope. The start of the story sees Kat being horrifically abused by her husband, violence, rape, emotional abuse and manipulation which makes for hard reading at parts. It is very real to life in parts and I think anyone who has experienced such trauma(s) may find a very emotive response. Passages like this in fiction is really a testament to the authors writing skills and much of the book is not like this, however I feel it needed comment on.

I thought the story was going to be lots of violence and suspense, in actual fact a lot of the focus was about rebuilding a life, acceptance, self discover, survival and recovery. Trust and learning how to assess, accept and recover from emotional manipulation, we follow Kat's very personal journey. It also has danger looming on the edges as Kat and Ellie are on the run from Kat's husband who we know could appear anywhere. The book is a very different read than what I expected and depending on the readers background and life experiences I think it will strike very emotive responses.

Human beings are amazing in what they can endure, survive and cope and whilst this is a work of fiction I think many will be able to relate to it from very real experiences. The book tackles relationships, roles, abuse, family, friendship, love, actions and consequences it also has a sense of danger, survival and the old you cannot run from your past. It is a busy wee book and had time permitted I would have read it in one sitting. 4/5 for me, at time of posting the ebook is available for pre order for 99p. I think I will need to bump the authors other works up my TBRM mountain, this may have been my first dance with this author, it won't be my last!

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