Hi!

H.C.Elliston

The youngest of two and originally from Cheshire, I live in West Yorkshire, UK, with my fiancé and two dogs, close to my fiance's three daughters, the oldest of which is married. I have always had a creative streak and, although hard work, believe I have the best of both worlds by swinging between artwork and writing, and I like to think that it uses both sides of my brain - one side gets to rest while the other is in overdrive.

I am a trustee for an animal rescue charity in Yorkshire, (Campnibble.com) and have a select number of other animal charities I help out by donating artwork for fundraisers, and/or a percentage of sales.

I am an international pet portrait artist (see below) began writing novels in early 2007 (ish), and have been unable to stop ever since. I can often be found working late into the night and at weekends.

Loving thrillers, mysteries, and romance in both books and movies, it was only natural that my stories would reflect this. I love throwing interesting, but everyday-type characters into awful situations, and watching them use their own creative streak to battle their way out. My books always involve some level of romance be it light or heavy, and a drop of humour in some, as I try to bring out a range of emotions from within the readers.

The central theme to my books, is battling for survival, coming through tough problems, having your life and those you love threatened, and coming out stronger. People in the real world deal with numerous problems each day, no matter how big or small, be it financial matters, personal problems, family issues... I show the struggle to overcome problems in my books, just on a far bigger scale! I mean... we don't all get threatened, abducted, or have our private lives streamed on the internet, right? (Hopefully not) Things don't always work out perfectly in my books, but then they don't always in real life either!

I would like to thank everyone who has taken a chance on me by purchasing my books and/or purchasing my artwork over the years, giving me the opportunity to try to fulfil my dreams & make my family proud..

Thanks!

BUDDY

THE AUTHORS PET PORTRAIT WEBSITE
helenclaireart.co.uk

Pet Portraits

CLICK TO FEED THE FISH

FAVOURITE PIECE OF MUSIC?

Yurima - River flows in you. I just think it's so beautiful!! I also love Adele - her music is so moving! The song Paperweight... And many other artists. Not sure I have a favourite. I am sometimes in the mood for slow, sometime more upbeat tunes. My partner is more music obsessed - he has an incredible amount of music on his phone.

FAVOURITE MOVIES?

Romance - Dear John.
Horror - The descent ( 1 & 2) Saw (My partner hates slashers & horror, but I like them)
Older classic - Aliens & Rambo.
Comedy - The hangover... there's more - just can't think which right now.
Action - ooh, where do I begin? Too many to mention! Die Hard, The Fast & Furious, Abduction, Lockout, The cold light of day, James Bond! the list could go on!

What can I say... I love watching films.

WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

I tend to have several books on the go at once! I switch between them, depending on my mood. I have a number of friends who are writers, some published, some not yet, and I also read their work and they read mine.

WHICH AUTHOR HAS INSPIRED YOU THE MOST?

Peter James, Linwood Barclay, Lexi Revellian (who's also an Independent author and she's done really well) to name a few. I read a fair amount of books, mixed genres too. As you can probably gather from what I write, mystery, thrillers, action and romance is my thing!

FAVOURITE LINE / PHRASE?

Someone said this to me as I was making the decision on publishing my first book when I said it felt like I was about to jump off a cliff:

 'Maybe only the brave find out if they can fly.'

FAVOURITE FOOD?

I am a vegetarian, and have been since I was about 10 years of age when I suddenly could not stand the thought of eating an animal, as I considered animals as pets. I had rabbits, hamsters and dogs while growing up, and now have 2 dogs of my own which I adore. (Yes, i've veered off the food track - I know)

I absolutely love Vegetable mousaka, plum tomatoes, lentils, cheese, french baguettes, pasta... Oh, and how could I forget to mention hot chilli sauce?- in fact I can't survive without it and have been known to take a bottle on holiday.

QUIRKY THINGS ABOUT ME!

hmmm..... let me see.

I scribble book ideas on toilet rolls in the middle of the night. In fact I tend to get my inspiration around bedtime. This annoys me because when I should be going to sleep, my brain is turning things over.

Keep my work desk in a constant mess! Yes, it just builds up and I don't notice how bad it gets until someone points it out to me or a stranger comes into the house and I find myself blushing at the mess.

Love cold baked beans on hot toast for breakfast or a snack. Yuk! I hear some of you say.

I need silence when writing. I don't even play music in the background. When I write, I seem to totally zone out, it's like I retreat into a bubble for a while.

I am a dogmomma! absolutely love my two dogs and cannot imagine my world without them. I wish they could speak! How amazing would that be?

Really scared of big spiders, and not too good with heights.