Tell us in a
couple of lines what the book is about.
Fashion
designer Celeste Renshaw is living her dream amidst Hong Kong’s glitterati. But
the sparkle on her glamorous lifestyle soon begins to fade when she stumbles on
a dark secret her husband has been keeping.
An
exotic location. Tell us a little more.
There
are a couple of key locations in the book. The protagonist Celeste takes a
career break to travel and in Thailand where she meets Mr Charismatic – Alex
Renshaw. An unfortunate event pushes
them together and they travel on from Koh Phi Phi to Krabi. The story takes you
on a journey through the islands encountering the smells, sounds and the tastes
of the East. Thailand remains a special place for the couple and they venture
back there when their marriage is on the rocks.
Then
there is London, which is home and where Cross is based (the name of the
fashion house where the protagonist is a designer). The reader is
introduced to luxe living and private members clubs and is given a
glimpse into what life is like behind those closed doors.
In
Hong Kong, where Celeste and Alex eventually settle, you have the atmosphere of
street life - hawkers selling century eggs and glazed ducks hanging in windows.
Hong Kong is such a busy place, full of culture and the hustle and bustle of
street life at every corner. But Hong
Kong has another side as well - a commercial side which
can be quite anonymous. You have these towering skyscrapers and malls with
exquisite dining options in each one.
Once you are inside one of these malls you really could be anywhere in
the world.
You
are a keen traveller. Are any of your travel experiences reflected in the book?
I
backpacked around Thailand so I experienced some of what
Celeste experiences. There is a scene in the book where Celeste is on a boat (very similar to the one I went on) and a little barefoot boy
throws rice into the brilliant turquoise waters near Kho Phi Phi and hundreds
of silver fish come to the surface to eat. That memory is so vivid in my mind
from my time travelling that I just had to include it. There are a few snippets
like that in Poison.
I
have also spent time in Hong Kong – as a child we went there as a family on
holiday, then again when I was backpacking and I have been there on business as
well. My sister had an apartment there too. A few years ago I went over to help her furnish
the three floor property and spent a good month in Hong Kong. Looking at fabric
swatches during the day and eating at luxe restaurants at night. Each time I
visited Hong Kong I experienced a different side to it. It was just the perfect place to set a
novel.
What inspired
you to write Poison in the Water?
The lives of
the rich can be something of an enigma to us. We are intrigued by socialites
and we have certain perceptions of them. Whilst many are pretty ordinary, some are not. You just have to turn the TV on these days and
you can see ‘The Real Housewives of….’ Or Millionaire’s Mansions. Programmes
that revolve around a lifestyle with money.
I have been
lucky enough to get a glimpse into this lifestyle and see what it is really
like. The apartment my sister had in Hong Kong was luxury itself, set over
three floors. It provided amazing inspiration for a place to set this book. I
could just see Celeste and Alex living in an apartment like that with the money
to match that lifestyle. I have had the privilege of going to private members
clubs in London and going to expensive restaurants. It was this champagne
lifestyle that inspired me to write the book. Because the adage of ‘All that
glitters is not gold,’ is quite true and I wanted to explore this theme.
So the book
revolves around a champagne lifestyle. What other themes are prevalent in Poison in the Water?
Love, of
course. It is a romantic suspense and tells a love story. Celeste meets the man
of her dreams, but things are not all as they first appear. Friendships are a big theme in the book as
well. Some are tested and some are broken. The protagonist has some close
friendships, a man she adores and a meddling busy body assistant. They all help and
hinder her to some extent. Knowing who to trust is a big issue for Celeste,
especially when she has been let down so badly. But the protagonist is not
perfect herself. She has made some mistakes too and finds it difficult to
swallow her pride. Saying she is sorry to the right people is important.
Who is your
favourite character and why?
Celeste, the
protagonist. It has to be. She is a career woman with steely determination and
when we meet her she has such a passion for life. I love that about her. She
lives for the moment – whereas I am constantly thinking about the future. She
reminds me to be more present in the present!
Celeste gets swept up into a world that is all diamonds and Dior, but
the sparkle soon begins to fade and she faces some difficulties that no woman should
ever have to face. She has some strong people around her, but she has to find
an inner strength to truly move on. I suppose, on some level, I admire her and
what she goes through in order to get out the other side.
What next?
I am working
on the second book in the Chupplejeep mysteries. It’s called The Body in the Bath and is a
light-hearted detective story set in rural Goa. I am also working on a thriller
called Splinter.
Poison in the Water is on pre-order now and on
general release from the 26th May. Marissa de Luna is an author with
a passion for travel and adventure. Poison
in the Water is her fourth novel. For more information see www.marissadeluna.com
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