The Choice by Claire Wade is published by Orion, £8.99
and is out now in paperback, e-book and audio book.
Buy the book
Meet Claire
About Claire Wade
Thursday, 26 December 2019
Welcoming Claire Wade to the blog
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. I don't usually have a guest here on Boxing Day, however, for Claire Wade, who is celebrating the publication of her stunning debut, THE CHOICE today, I am making an exception. Claire is a fellow RNA Norfolk and Suffolk Chapter member, a firm friend and the winner of the Good Housekeeping First Novel Award. AND we share the same agent! Please join me in welcoming Claire here today to tell us all about her thrilling and thought provoking debut.
How was your Christmas? Are you still full from
yesterday’s dinner or are you already eye-ing up that box of Quality Streets? I
promise, there’s no judgement here, but if Mother Mason was prime minister, she
would have a few things to say about it.
Mother Mason is in charge in The Choice, my debut
novel which is released today. She’s fanatical about making the country happy
and healthy. There’s nothing she won’t do. Including making sugar and baking
illegal.
Imagine a world where everything you ate was monitored
by the government. Every step you took was counted. You had to attend mandatory
exercise classes and were weighed every time you went to the supermarket. What
if your neighbours informed on you if you made the slightest mistake and no one
was safe from judgement? What would you do? Toe the line or fight for freedom?
That’s the decision my main character Olivia has to
make. She used to be a professional baker, but her life changed when Mother
Mason came to power. When the government made baking illegal Olivia lost her
livelihood and her sense of self-worth, now she’s struggling to survive in a
world that constantly judges her. She’s desperately unhappy and doesn’t know
how to protect her young children.
I came up with the idea for The Choice after hearing
news reports that said sugar and fat might be as addictive as drugs. I started
to wonder what would happen if this was really true. I love baking, it’s my
favourite way to relax, so a world without cake seemed like a nightmare.
In 2018 I won the Good Housekeeping Novel Competition
and my prize was signing with Amanda Preston, Heidi’s agent, and a publishing
deal with Orion; it was a dream come true. The last year has been a whirlwind,
made so much better by my friendship with Heidi.
As you enjoy the last of the Christmas treats, be
grateful that you can. If your choices were taken away, what would you do? Toe
the line or fight for freedom? You can find out what Olivia decides to do in
The Choice.
Claire Wade is the winner of the Good Housekeeping
Novel Competition 2018. She was bed bound for six years with severe ME, trapped
in a body that wouldn’t do what she wanted; her only escape was through her
imagination. She now writes about women who want to break free from the
constraints of their lives, a subject she’s deeply familiar with.
Her favourite things are books, baking and the WI.
She’s the founding president of a modern WI (Women’s Institute) and runs a
baking club for other cake lovers. You’ll find her in her writing room,
nicknamed Narnia because it’s also home to a wardrobe and is the place where
she escapes to other worlds. She’s happiest if she’s got a slice of chocolate
cake, a cup of tea and a good book.
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