"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Ernest Hemingway.

I've been thinking a lot lately about where inspiration comes from. Every book you read is an insight into the soul of the person who sat down to bleed onto the empty page. A revealing of their inner thoughts, their experiences, their unique imagination.

My own novel, Godcorp, was inspired by the death of my long-term on-off-on-off again boyfriend. I'd never have walked the pathways of the mind leading to that story otherwise, not in a billion years. I can only imagine there are a whole rainbow of life events which inspire authors in a similar manner - fashioning stories from their hopes, fears, pains, dreams and tragedies.

There has to be bravery in the heart of the author when they release such a personally inspired story for public consumption. A story from which their tainted essence has soaked into the page. It's as if the author has reached out and shown you their world, disguised and embellished in the realm of fiction.

One such author is Lisa Hinsley. Her latest novel, That Elusive Cure, is exactly one of those stories.

I first came across Lisa's work when I picked up her novella, Plague, some months ago. The book transfixed me. It's a tale so terrible, so frightening and so real that I couldn't put it down. I couldn't sleep after reading it either, for that matter. It's the story of a family holed up while an outbreak of bubonic plague spreads throughout England. Quarantined in their boarded-up home while they succumb to the illness, it's an incredible read, but not a pleasant one. It stayed with me for days afterwards and I marvelled at the mind of the author and the skill with which she conveyed the claustrophobic terror of the family.

When the opportunity came about to read and review her latest novel, That Elusive Cure, I jumped in with both feet. I couldn't wait. It's this novel I really wanted to talk about.

That Elusive Cure is the story of a woman fighting cancer. Kathy is approached by a stranger while waiting for treatment, who offers her a 'cure' for her disease. As you follow Kathy on her journey;  living through the fear, the pain and then, in contrast, the hope, you get a glimpse into the world of cancer and the horrors that inhabit it. It's a heart-wrenching read, but one filled with intoxicating, exhilarating hope against the odds. One, again, that I couldn't put down, not even for a second.

Tackling a subject like this one is brave in itself. It's not an easy topic, it's certainly not a light one, and the book is told with such realism and grit that it reaches out to grab you by the throat. You are well and truly sucked into its depths alongside Kathy. The story appears even braver when you consider that the author herself is fighting bowel cancer.  

She said about the novel, in a testimonial on John Hudspith (editor's) website http://kimissecret.wordpress.com/shop/that-elusive-cure/:

"It’s been a hard couple of years for me, I have stage four bowel cancer, and I’m young. Seems cruel, doesn’t it? To make matters worse I didn’t seem able to write anymore. When the concept for That Elusive Cure popped into my head, I found myself writing for the first time in over a year. I knew this was a purge novel. I channelled many of my own experiences, fears and hopelessness into this novel and I am well aware that purge novels can end up too personal, too ‘woe is me’, too close to the issues at hand to allow the reader to connect and care."

Having read That Elusive Cure I can say first-hand the novel in no way ends up as too 'woe is me'. It is, however, most definitely a channelling of experience, fear and hopelessness. You can feel it in the words. They leap out of the page and plunge into your heart.

I loved the rollercoaster of the novel. It's a purge that hits hard and hits repeatedly as you devour the story. My first thought when I finished? Wow. My second? Wow, that was brave.

It's brave because it's so personal. It's Lisa's pain on the page - her hopes, her dreams, her terror and hopelessness. It must have taken bravery to sit down and write that story, and more bravery still to offer it out to the world. That, to me, is the essence of sitting down at a typewriter and bleeding, and does it work? Hell, yes, it works.

I'm inspired by Lisa's work because it shows how powerful 'bleeding' for your art can be. The subsequent creation is a wonder to be shared by other people all over the world going about their varied, everyday lives. It's a story that will touch others in a similar situation to Lisa, as well as those who aren't. It lives, it breathes, it has depth, it is packed to the rafters with emotional power. To me it embodies what writing is all about.

So where does inspiration come from? It comes from bleeding out your soul onto the page. Dredge the well deep and the blood will be all the richer for it. And that is where the magic lies.

Read That Elusive Cure:

'Kathy is going to die. All that’s left to do is prepare for the end.

While waiting for her chemotherapy session, a woman called Janie approaches Kathy, offering a revolutionary treatment for cancer. Janie pitches the cure like an expert and what does Kathy have to lose? The doctors now measure her life in months, not years.

Kathy follows Janie to an abandoned church where a futuristic machine is hidden. Made of silvery metal, long, and with rounded edges, the pod is like nothing Kathy’s ever seen before. Janie encourages her to climb in telling her the process is painless and quick. A few sessions are all she’ll need to be cured. Despite serious reservations, what does she have to lose? She gets in. And the results are miraculous.

A few days later, when the wonderful sense of well-being she experienced begins to ebb, all she can think about is having another session. In spite of the apparent improvement, Kathy’s renewed energy is soured by doubt. What exactly is this machine? What if none of this is real and the next MRI shows all the tumors are still there? Time is so short…

THAT ELUSIVE CURE is about facing up to illness, both mental and physical, of family struggle and above all, the amazing power of hope.'

Link to Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/That-Elusive-Cure-Lisa-Hinsley-ebook/dp/B00IO4BZP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394411991&sr=8-1&keywords=that+elusive+cure

Link to Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/That-Elusive-Cure-Lisa-Hinsley-ebook/dp/B00IO4BZP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394411991&sr=8-1&keywords=that+elusive+cure

Please let me know your thoughts! What books have touched your soul? Do you bleed onto the page? Is there a writer that has captured you with their bravery? Leave a comment!