Author Spotlight: How Fleur Gaskin survived the Modeling World

I'm so happy to be receiving author Fleur Gaskin today to promote her new YA novel, Arabelle's Shadows.

Everything in Arabelle's life is coming together. She has confidence, great friends, she's even dating Naak, a wealthy Thai socialite. But there are too many models in Bangkok. Arabelle’s broke, she can’t find an agent in New York, and Naak isn’t as wonderful as he first appears.

Slowly the Shadows creep back into Arabelle's mind, bringing with them thoughts of hopelessness and despair. The vile Shadows know something Arabelle's refusing to remember and, if she's not careful, they'll use it to destroy her.

Based on a true story, Arabelle's Shadows takes us on a journey through the struggles of growing up, not quite making it as an international model, and attempting to overcome a crushing depression.



                   Find it on Amazon                                               Find it on Goodreads 

Hi Fleur, thank you for being with us. Please do tell, what inspired you to write this book?

When I first started writing Arabelle's Shadows I simply wanted to show the world what being a model was really like. Sure, if you want to make it to supermodel status then your life becomes pretty glamorous but everyone who reaches the top 5% of their profession will end up with a pretty exciting life. Imagine being a chef in the Food Network vs being a chef in a diner. I wanted to tell of the difficulties and injustices most models face on a daily basis. 

Then I started writing and I found that the story was more about the difficulties of growing up and learning how to love yourself. The  world of modelling and travel became the setting for a tale of depression, friendship  inner chaos, and suicide. In the end, my inspiration for Arabelle's Shadows was to hope that, by reading the book, others would not have to go down the messy path I went down to find their peace.

Can you name some of your favorite authors?

My favorite author is Autralian John Marsden. His books discuss real issues in creative, fascinating, relatable ways. I've read the Tomorrow When the World Began series several times and continue to get more and more out of it. I think J.K. Rowling is a genius and I read Harry Potter whenever I feel lost or upset, it brings me a sense of understanding of this world. I can continue writing about authors I love all day. I simply love reading and have great respect for these storytellers. 

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Keep going! Writing a book takes a really long time. Don't be disheartened when your first attempts turn out to be less than perfect, no one gets it right on the first go, it's all about rearranging, reworking and polishing. Ask anyone who is willing for thoughts on your writing.  It hurts when you get criticism but ultimately other people's thoughts help you create better work.

What are you working on now -- or would you rather surprise us?

It's going to be a surprise. I can tell you it's going to be more light hearted and comical. Arabelle's Shadows was based on some dark points in my life --  often very difficult to write. This time I want to have fun, perhaps a little romance.

You can find Fleur Gaskin on:


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Thank you for being with us Fleur, and good luck on all your future projects.