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2017.
Book News: Hashtag Press thriller by Helen Matthews - After Leaving the Village

ADVANCE INFORMATION SHEET

After Leaving the Village

By Helen Matthews

[image]Two women. Two villages. Different destinies. Odeta's life has shrunk to a daily round of drudgery, running her father's grocery store in a remote Albanian village. One day a stranger from Tirana walks into the shop and promises her a new career in London. Odeta's life is about to change, but not in the way she expected. Journalist Kate lives on a quiet London street and seems to have a perfect life but she worries about her son Ben, who struggles to make friends. Kate blames the internet and disconnects her family from the online world so they can get to know their neighbours. On a visit to her home village in Wales, Kate is forced to confront a secret from her past. But greater danger lies closer to home. Perhaps Kate's London neighbours are not the friendly community they seem.

Written by the winner of Winchester Writers' Festival prize for the opening pages of a novel, Helen Matthews, ‘After Leaving the Village' is an absorbing story of deception, guilt, betrayal and the resilience of the human spirit. Helen Matthews's respect for the country of Albania and commitment to raising awareness about the significant problem of human trafficking in the UK combine to create a terrifying story that could happen on any street... in any town... at any time.

"A captivating and accurate portrayal of trafficking and exploitation. Slavery is not a thing of the past. This story is common - the promise of more, the prospect of adventure and escape, the frenzy of falling in love..." -- Kate Garbers, Founder and Director, Unseen

 

About the Author

Helen Matthews is the author of debut novel ‘After Leaving the Village', winner of the Winchester Writers' Festival prize for opening pages of a novel. Born in Cardiff, she read English at the University of Liverpool. After travelling, she worked in international development, consultancy, human resources and pensions management but fled corporate life to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University. Helen has been awarded prizes for short stories and published in the literary journal Artificium. As a freelancer, she writes content for websites and business magazines and has, in the past, been published in The Guardian and had columns broadcast on BBC radio. She is married with two grown-up children and lives in Hampshire.

 

Talking points raised by After Leaving the Village:

  1. Human trafficking - how it happens and could be happening in your village.

  2. Culture and society in Albania.

  3. Family dynamics, parenting concerns about the development of our children, whether they're ‘OK', have enough friends, are doing well enough in school...the pressures we put on ourselves and our kids.

  4. Our reliance on technology, and our difficulty ‘letting go' of the Internet.

 

ESSENTIAL DETAILS

 

Title:After Leaving the Village

Author:Helen Matthews

Publisher:Hashtag Press

Publication date:12/10/17

Availability:Paperback, eBook, International distribution

Category:Thriller, Suspense

ISBN:978-0-9957806-8-2

Price: £7.99

Website:https://www.helenmatthewswriter.com/

Press folder:http://bit.ly/2vAJCeb

Online profile:http://www.literallypr.com/public_relations/file/Helen-Matthews.php

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/HelenMK7

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/HelenMK7Writer

 

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For more information, editorial opportunities, interview requests or review copies please get in touch withhelenlewis@literallypr.com+44 (0) 7904801669