Have you ever had a secret? One so important that it feels as if it will tear you in two?

Stephen’s got one. He’s also got a great job, beautiful wife and an adorable son. Outwardly his life seems perfect but it means nothing without Alice.

Read Without Alice and meet a man who you will love to hate until you learn to love him.

I met DJ Kirkby online many years ago now and we ‘clicked’. Her blog made me smile and her enthusiasm was (and still is) infectious. I’ve since met her in real life and I’m proud that she’s my friend and I’m also proud of this, her debut novel.

Governed by duty, lost without love, Without Alice is a story that will touch many hearts. DJ Kirkby offers a truly insightful narrative, one that is skilfully controlled by her delicate hand.

You can but Without Alice direct from Punked Books.

Asking DJ Kirkby:

You’re having two virtual book tours. Can you explain how the publication is happening? Well other than the fact that I’m having two blog tours because I know one is going to be so much fun that I’ll want to do it again; I’m also having two blog tours because Without Alice is having two publication dates. The first on July 31^st is when Without Alice become available exclusively from the Punked Books website and the second on the 4^th October is when it will go on general release and be available everywhere.

How did you find your publisher and how did you feel when they said that they’d love to publish Without Alice? I met my publisher on facebook! Hence I now think facebook is one of the greatest social networking sites ever. When he offered me a contract to publish Without Alice I was thrilled and instinctively wanted to laugh and say “What? Really?” out of sheer delight but realised in time that would definitely sound all kinds of wrong. I can’t really remember what I actually did say in response (other than ‘yes’) but it definitely wouldn’t have come out anywhere near as hysterically enthusiastic as I felt inside.

Where did you get your inspiration to write this novel? Because I am autistic, I am fascinated by all aspects of communication and how easily something can be communicated badly or misinterpreted. I was keen to play around with the foibles of communication, to see what good and bad could come from it which also helps me to interpret the behaviours of non autistic people. Eventually all this testing out of the different aspects and methods of communication worked itself into a novel.

How long did Without Alice take to write? It took me about two years of messing around and playing at writing to get the first draft written by March 2008, and the final professional edit was completed in September 2009.

Writers often find redrafting and self-editing difficult. Can you offer any words of wisdom? If a publisher offers to publish your book without editorial support – don’t sign the contract! I made this mistake with my memoir From Zaftig to Aspie and am now very embarrassed by it because it wasn’t edited properly. I learnt my lesson and paid to have Without Alice edited by BubbleCow which gave me the confidence to submit it to Punked Books. Kevin Mahoney still did his own edit of Without Alice after Punked Books had offered to publish it. I was very impressed with the one major edit he asked for and feel that Without Alice is a much better novel because of it. I believe that having my novel professionally edited enhanced the work I’d already done.

Who do you feel would be your ideal reader? My ideal reader is any woman or man who has experienced the challenges that arise from miscommunication, those ‘how did I get myself into this mess and how do I get myself out of it?’ moments. Hah, you see what I did there? My novel is ideal for any adult reader, yay! G’wan everyone, read it and let me know what you thought of Without Alice! Seriously, do let me know what you thought of it. There’s a facebook page dedicated to Without Alice. Please join in the discussions, the more the merrier.

What do you plan to write next?
I am currently writing two novels. The Plump WAG’s Club – A year in the life of four fat forty-something friends and A Dappled Life – A young man struggling to leave his past where it belongs.

Can you offer any tips for people wanting to be published? 1. Write a novel.

2. Pay to have it professionally edited, no matter what your day job is.

3. Believe in yourself as an author!

I’m autistic, dyslexic and dyspraxic, and while none of these have kept me from living my dream of writing novels, if I hadn’t believed in myself then I would never have submitted Without Alice to a publisher. Whenever I read advice about not believing you’re a good writer because you’ve been told you are by friends and family I think ‘oh what rubbish!’. If their support helps you to believe in yourself then that can only be a good thing. Use their support to give you the confidence to get your work professionally edited and then you’ll have the confidence to begin submitting to publishers or agents.

You’re an amazing woman. You’re a mum, you write, work full-time and study, do you ever have any spare time? Erm, no. However, because I’m autistic I’m not terribly social anyway so the time that others might fill with going out socialising is time going spare for me to use on other things. And as for the studying I just like to say I’m done with that, no more please. Please? Pretty please? I hate studying! Don’t tell my boys I said so….

If you weren’t a (fabulous) writer, what would you like to be (when you grow up)? When I grow up I would like to earn a living by writing full time. I’ve got my fluffy dressing gown ready and waiting.

And, finally, do you in any way know Simon Cowell? All I know is that I’m a Simon Cowell fan; he even gets a mention in The Plump WAGs Club. I do know Goofy though, and he said to say ‘Hi’. Ok that’s a lie….but one of these days it’s going to happen!

Feel free to ask your own question of DJ Kirkby in the comments.

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About the author: I spent my childhood knowing I was different though I didn’t get to prove myself right until I was diagnosed with a form of Autism called Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of 40. I spent my childhood in the wilds of the Canadian West Coat not realising how very lucky I was to have room to roam and longing to be a grown up so I could do something with my life.

I developed a passion for reading at four years old, progressed to writing quirky stories at an early age and then produced volumes of dire poetry full of teenage angst at just about the age you would expect such behaviour. When the opportunity arose to actually do something different with my life I came to England to pursue the dream and never left. I now have a husband, son and 2 stepsons whom I love with every beat of my heart. My home is often filled with the sound of laughter as well as two crazy cats, a grumpy tortoise, and loyal friends who stop by from time to time to make sure I’m not writing anything about them.

I post three times a week on my Chez Aspie blog and waste far too much time on twitter as well as taking a regular romp through facebook.