Blog Tour - BORN BAD
Blog Tour
Brother and sister Peter and Adele Robinson never stood a chance. Dragged up by an
alcoholic, violent father, and a weak, beaten mother, their childhood in Manchester only
prepared them for a life of crime and struggle. But Adele is determined to break the mould.
She studies hard at school and, inspired by her beloved grandmother Joyce, she finally makes
a successful life for herself on her own.
Peter is not so lucky. Getting more and more immersed in the murky world of crime and
gangs, his close bonds with Adele gradually loosen until they look set to break altogether.
But old habits die hard, and one devastating night, Adele is forced to confront her violent
past. Dragged back into her worst nightmares, there's only one person she can turn to when
her life is on the line – her brother Peter. After all, blood is thicker than water...
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TzpmbX
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2tFvKih
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2J06zCB
iBooks: https://apple.co/2IX25wo
Gorton, famed for Belle Vue zoo, the Moors Murderers and the original setting for
Shameless, is the working class area of Manchester where I grew up and also the
area in which I have based the novel, Born Bad. I lived in Gorton in the sixties and
seventies and life was very different then to life in twenty first century Britain.
We lived in an area of two-up, two-downs with no central heating or hot water but it
didn’t bother us as we didn’t know any different. There was a corner shop on almost every corner where the gossips would gather to discuss the latest scandals and scrutinize the minutiae of everyday life. Pubs were in abundance and frequented
mainly by working men during the week who would call in on the way home from
work.
Children would be sent to play in the street or the local playground by their harassed
mothers who needed a break. In those days parents didn’t worry so much about
letting their children play out except when a number of children went missing from
the local area. Each time it happened parents would become extra vigilant for a while until the heat died down and life went back to normal. It transpired that the missing children were victims of the Moors Murderers, and Myra Hindley actually lived just a few streets away from my childhood home.
In the seventies I remember going to the phone box to make regular calls to my
grandma, and the excitement of hearing her voice on the other end of the line. Near
to the phone box was the bus stop where we would catch the bus into Manchester,
around three miles away. On the way there we would pass Gorton Monastery, a
nineteenth century Franciscan friary which was given Grade II listed status in 1963.
As we passed the Monastery we would see the monks, wearing their long brown
robes and sandals, walking up and down the steps and in and out of the building.
We would go swimming most weekends and, as a special treat, in the school
summer holidays we would go to Belle Vue, Blackpool or Southport. Belle Vue was a
well-known zoo with an amusement park. It was also a speedway venue where
athletics, wrestling and other sports were hosted, and there was a separate
greyhound racing track. I also remember Belle Vue Granada Bowls, a ten pin
bowling venue with an amusement arcade. I think the greyhound track is the only
part of the original Belle Vue which still remains.
I have drawn on many of these childhood memories when writing Born Bad,
especially the corner shop, local gossips, the pubs and playing out on the street.
Apart from the places, I have also drawn on a lot of the characters who were around
at that time. Joyce represents the typical northern matriarchal figure that is strong,
feisty and has an opinion on everything but also has a heart of gold. Shirley, on the
other hand, is characteristic of many women who struggled to bring up children
against a background of poverty and abuse, and Tommy, unfortunately, is the type of
man whose life revolves around work, boozing and abusing his family.
I am sure these characters also exist today but I think that the world we live in
nowadays is more covert. With the disappearance of a lot of the corner shops and pubs, many families’ business is kept private unlike in the seventies when it was
often made public by the gossips.
It’s interesting to think how much my childhood memories have influenced my writing so many years on
Heather Burnside spent her teenage years on one of the toughest estates in Manchester and she draws heavily on this background as the setting for many of her novels.
After taking a career break to raise two children Heather enrolled on a creative writing course.
Heather now works full-time on her novels from her home in Manchester, which she shares with her two grown-up children.
Follow Heather:
Twitter: @heatherbwriter
Facebook: @HeatherBurnsideAuthor
BORN BAD
by HEATHER BURNSIDE
On my blog today I have the pleasure of sharing with you.....
BORN BAD
I would like to thank Victoria from Aria and HEATHER BURNSIDE for inviting me on the blog tour.
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Book Information
alcoholic, violent father, and a weak, beaten mother, their childhood in Manchester only
prepared them for a life of crime and struggle. But Adele is determined to break the mould.
She studies hard at school and, inspired by her beloved grandmother Joyce, she finally makes
a successful life for herself on her own.
Peter is not so lucky. Getting more and more immersed in the murky world of crime and
gangs, his close bonds with Adele gradually loosen until they look set to break altogether.
But old habits die hard, and one devastating night, Adele is forced to confront her violent
past. Dragged back into her worst nightmares, there's only one person she can turn to when
her life is on the line – her brother Peter. After all, blood is thicker than water...
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TzpmbX
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2tFvKih
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2J06zCB
iBooks: https://apple.co/2IX25wo
⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻
My Review
5☆ A Gritty & Enthralling New gang-lit series I couldn't put down!
Born Bad is the first part in a new gritty gang-lit series.
However I read Blood Ties first which is the second book. But I'm so glad I went back and read Born Bad as it really shaped the characters lives.
I really felt a bond with them in this book, as the second book I missed out.
Born Bad takes you on a journey of two siblings living in an abusive home and how they each coped differently.
Adele and her younger Brother Peter don't come from a loving or nurturing home.
Their Dad is a violent Alcoholic, who regularly beats his wife and Son Peter.
Their Mother is a victim who is so low and down trodden she relies heavily on medication to blot out the world around her.
The house is filthy, barely anything to eat, the children don't have new clothes or clothes that are suitable.
The only constant and loving family member is their Grandmother who does what she can, but her health is deteriorating fast.
Adele is studious and very clever, but she is bullied by the other kids, which in turn evokes her Anger she tries so hard to suppress.
Adele was courageous and strong even if she did get side tracked sometimes.
Peter is a wayward child, a lil bit of a rogue but his increasingly becoming more violent, warped, and sinister, it certainly made me shudder!
Peter gets in with the wrong crowd as he gets older and soon finds himself serving time.
What I loved was the bond between Adele and Peter. They relied on each other, to look out for one and other, even though they was so very different.
Even when she knew Peter was in the wrong she always tried to protect him.
Especially from getting severe beatings from their Father.
It was very clear that Peter was his Father's whipping boy and Adele always jumped into save him.
There are some sensitive subjects such as domestic abuse, violence, depression and bullying and some reference to animal abuse, which some readers may find difficult to read, but Heather has handled them with the right amount of sensitivity to still make an impact.
Born Bad is a Gritty, Enthralling read that I couldn't put down.
For me reading the books out of sequence, meant that finally reading Born Bad was like the glue that merged the stories.
The Characters are perfectly developed for the story, they are strong, multi-layered, Complex and relatable.
The pace was gripping, tense and enticing.
Born Bad is the perfect start to another Gem of a series by Heather Burnside.
I can't recommend reading this new gang-lit series enough!
Born Bad is the first part in a new gritty gang-lit series.
However I read Blood Ties first which is the second book. But I'm so glad I went back and read Born Bad as it really shaped the characters lives.
I really felt a bond with them in this book, as the second book I missed out.
Born Bad takes you on a journey of two siblings living in an abusive home and how they each coped differently.
Adele and her younger Brother Peter don't come from a loving or nurturing home.
Their Dad is a violent Alcoholic, who regularly beats his wife and Son Peter.
Their Mother is a victim who is so low and down trodden she relies heavily on medication to blot out the world around her.
The house is filthy, barely anything to eat, the children don't have new clothes or clothes that are suitable.
The only constant and loving family member is their Grandmother who does what she can, but her health is deteriorating fast.
Adele is studious and very clever, but she is bullied by the other kids, which in turn evokes her Anger she tries so hard to suppress.
Adele was courageous and strong even if she did get side tracked sometimes.
Peter is a wayward child, a lil bit of a rogue but his increasingly becoming more violent, warped, and sinister, it certainly made me shudder!
Peter gets in with the wrong crowd as he gets older and soon finds himself serving time.
What I loved was the bond between Adele and Peter. They relied on each other, to look out for one and other, even though they was so very different.
Even when she knew Peter was in the wrong she always tried to protect him.
Especially from getting severe beatings from their Father.
It was very clear that Peter was his Father's whipping boy and Adele always jumped into save him.
There are some sensitive subjects such as domestic abuse, violence, depression and bullying and some reference to animal abuse, which some readers may find difficult to read, but Heather has handled them with the right amount of sensitivity to still make an impact.
Born Bad is a Gritty, Enthralling read that I couldn't put down.
For me reading the books out of sequence, meant that finally reading Born Bad was like the glue that merged the stories.
The Characters are perfectly developed for the story, they are strong, multi-layered, Complex and relatable.
The pace was gripping, tense and enticing.
Born Bad is the perfect start to another Gem of a series by Heather Burnside.
I can't recommend reading this new gang-lit series enough!
⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻
Author Guest Post
Growing up in Gorton
Shameless, is the working class area of Manchester where I grew up and also the
area in which I have based the novel, Born Bad. I lived in Gorton in the sixties and
seventies and life was very different then to life in twenty first century Britain.
We lived in an area of two-up, two-downs with no central heating or hot water but it
didn’t bother us as we didn’t know any different. There was a corner shop on almost every corner where the gossips would gather to discuss the latest scandals and scrutinize the minutiae of everyday life. Pubs were in abundance and frequented
mainly by working men during the week who would call in on the way home from
work.
Children would be sent to play in the street or the local playground by their harassed
mothers who needed a break. In those days parents didn’t worry so much about
letting their children play out except when a number of children went missing from
the local area. Each time it happened parents would become extra vigilant for a while until the heat died down and life went back to normal. It transpired that the missing children were victims of the Moors Murderers, and Myra Hindley actually lived just a few streets away from my childhood home.
In the seventies I remember going to the phone box to make regular calls to my
grandma, and the excitement of hearing her voice on the other end of the line. Near
to the phone box was the bus stop where we would catch the bus into Manchester,
around three miles away. On the way there we would pass Gorton Monastery, a
nineteenth century Franciscan friary which was given Grade II listed status in 1963.
As we passed the Monastery we would see the monks, wearing their long brown
robes and sandals, walking up and down the steps and in and out of the building.
We would go swimming most weekends and, as a special treat, in the school
summer holidays we would go to Belle Vue, Blackpool or Southport. Belle Vue was a
well-known zoo with an amusement park. It was also a speedway venue where
athletics, wrestling and other sports were hosted, and there was a separate
greyhound racing track. I also remember Belle Vue Granada Bowls, a ten pin
bowling venue with an amusement arcade. I think the greyhound track is the only
part of the original Belle Vue which still remains.
I have drawn on many of these childhood memories when writing Born Bad,
especially the corner shop, local gossips, the pubs and playing out on the street.
Apart from the places, I have also drawn on a lot of the characters who were around
at that time. Joyce represents the typical northern matriarchal figure that is strong,
feisty and has an opinion on everything but also has a heart of gold. Shirley, on the
other hand, is characteristic of many women who struggled to bring up children
against a background of poverty and abuse, and Tommy, unfortunately, is the type of
man whose life revolves around work, boozing and abusing his family.
I am sure these characters also exist today but I think that the world we live in
nowadays is more covert. With the disappearance of a lot of the corner shops and pubs, many families’ business is kept private unlike in the seventies when it was
often made public by the gossips.
It’s interesting to think how much my childhood memories have influenced my writing so many years on
⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻
Author Bio
After taking a career break to raise two children Heather enrolled on a creative writing course.
Heather now works full-time on her novels from her home in Manchester, which she shares with her two grown-up children.
Follow Heather:
Twitter: @heatherbwriter
Facebook: @HeatherBurnsideAuthor
⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻⚘🌻
If you enjoyed My Post then please Share so we can get Everyone Reading and Talking about.... BORN BAD by HEATHER BURNSIDE
You can also follow along with the Blog Tour by Checking out the Poster Below ⬇️
#BornBad
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Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for taking part in the book tour for Born Bad. :)
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