A warm welcome to author Gemma Rogers, who is interviewing Brooke Simmons from her latest thriller, The Babysitter. Let’s take a look at the cover and blurb first.
Blurb
Ali and Christopher Tolfrey’s one year old daughter Eden is abducted whilst in the care of Ali’s best-friend.
Snatched in broad daylight from Bushy Park on a trip to the swings, Eden disappears without a trace.
Brooke Simmons, regains consciousness, dazed from a blow to the head, to find Eden, her best friends’ child is missing.
Someone has taken Eden and Brooke knows who. But it’s a secret she can’t share with Ali or the Police without revealing the web of deceit she’s spun.
Can Brooke get Eden home before her lies come back to haunt her? Or is the net closing in on her?
Purchase link:
Amazon link – https://amzn.to/3jbbQWS
Now let’s move onto Gemma’s interview with Brooke
Thanks for taking the time to talk Brooke. Can you tell us, how did you meet Ali?
Sure, I met Ali when we worked together at a Lifestyle Magazine about four years ago, it was a small set up. She used to write a lot of the features that were published online. I was a junior accounts assistant and well, we just clicked. We always had a right laugh even though she was a bit, you know, well to do, she was down to earth and friendly. Always had time for a coffee and a chat.
When did you start babysitting her daughter Eden?
Well, that was a surprise, Ali only found out she was pregnant just before she got married to Christopher. Eden wasn’t planned and I could tell Ali was struggling in the early days when she came along. I tried to help as much as I could. Ali was quite an anxious mother, despite Christopher being a GP but Eden used to cry a lot, more than average I’d say. Sometimes for hours at a time. I think she picked up on Ali’s energy, you know. I offered to have her now and then so Ali could get some rest.
I adored Eden; she was such a gorgeous baby. I wanted to settle down and have a family of my own so looking after her came naturally to me. When Ali saw how good I was with her, we arranged I’d have her twice a week. This was when Eden was six months old, so Ali could ease herself back to work. I’m not sure Christopher was overly pleased, but he soon came around to the idea.
Did you get on with Ali’s husband Christopher?
Sure. When the magazine went under, they both kind of took me under their wing. I was pretty low at the time; my fiancé had cheated on me. I had no job and had to move back in with my mum. Life was shit for a while. They used to have me round for dinner, try and motivate me to get my act together. There’s a seven-year age gap but I didn’t notice it much. At times they felt like my sponsors and I appreciated their help and advice. Christopher can be a bit prickly at times, pompous even, but he’s generally a good guy.
Tell us about Jimmy, is he your ex-fiancé?
God no! Karl was my ex-fiancé who cheated on me with the slapper who lived in the maisonette downstairs. I walked away with nothing, even though I’d helped pay his mortgage for months! I had to move back in with my mum, it was awful. I met Jimmy later, when I started getting back out there. I’d spent long enough licking my wounds from Karl and I thought Jimmy was different. I thought he was serious about me and things moved fast between us. We had such a great connection. I fell head over heels but then he ghosted me. Disappeared from my life without so much as a goodbye. Blocked me on social media, blocked my number. He’s an arsehole and he deserved everything he got.
I’m sorry to hear that, are you seeing anyone at the moment?
It’s a bit difficult right now, as you can imagine. To be honest, I’ve had enough of men altogether. Can’t bloody trust any of them. People you let close to you always let you down don’t they.
Are you still in touch with Ali and Christopher?
I write letters, all the time, but I haven’t seen them. I miss Eden a lot. It’s a bit of a sore subject to be honest. Can we talk about something else?
How about your Mum, are you close?
Closer now than we were. She’s a bit… claustrophobic if you catch my drift. Living with her made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. Now she has no choice but to focus on other things. I’m not around for her to guilt trip me into spending time with her. Moving out was the best thing I did, I think we get on better now than we ever did.
So, what does the future hold for you Brooke?
Well, I’m sworn off men, so I’m going to focus on my career. Ali convinced me I could be a freelance bookkeeper. I’m going to open my own business, a one-man-band. Do people’s tax returns, monthly accounts, that kind of thing. There are so many freelancers out there that struggle with the finance side, I’m going to provide that service. I’m qualified too now, so it won’t take long to get up and running.
That sounds great. I wish you the best of luck and thanks again for agreeing to the interview.
No problem. Thanks for the visit. It’s nice to see someone other than my mum!
Some Nice Reviews:
Carol. D:
Wow what a rollercoaster of a read this is, a new author to me but I am definitely a follower now of Gemma Rogers.
This is a brilliantly addictive book and I just loved every page, so well written, interesting characters, and nice shortish chapters, I just couldn’t put the book down.
Lucy. C:
Another fantastic story from Gemma.
When Eden goes missing from the local park can you really trust the babysitter?
I really enjoyed the layout of the book in the days, hours, and chapters from the POV it kept me really engaged.
This had me gripped into the early hours of the morning, Where I was just like oh one more chapter!
Reviewer 567374:
Gemma just gets better and better with every book she is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.
‘The babysitter’ is another great read from Gemma Rogers.
While novels based around child abductions are common, this one felt very unique, unlike most in this genre, in this novel we are constantly aware of the baby’s whereabouts, with the plot centred around the relationships between characters, showing the drastic consequences that can arise from deception and extortion.
The original take on the child abduction plot had me invested from pretty early on, and as the story unfolded, it didn’t disappoint.
Gemma Rogers has a sassy no-nonsense signature style that I personally love! This is a book I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to readers of this genre.
What brilliant reviews! If, like me, you’re intrigued and want to read the book you can get a copy here:
Meet Gemma
Biography:
Gemma Rogers lives in West Sussex with her husband, two daughters and beloved bulldog.
Her love of writing began in her early teenage years, inspired by hours spent buried in Point Horror, Richard Laymon and Christopher Pike with the occasional Judy Blume thrown in for good measure.
Other passions include movies – horrors especially (who doesn’t love a good scare), bulldog walks, swimming and anything involving cake.
Her debut novel Stalker was released on the 10th September 2019, quickly followed by Payback in January 2020, and Reckless in May.
Gemma’s fourth novel Bad Girls was published January 2021 and is followed by her new book, The Babysitter, released on 14th September.
All are standalone titles.
Gemma is currently working on her sixth book.
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Thanks so much for dropping by to tell us about your fantastic new book, Gemma! Wishing you much success with it.
Karen King – Writing about the light and dark of relationships.
Amazon Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/y2q5audb
Website: https://karenkingauthor.com/
Karen King: Author 