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She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.
– Annie Dillard |
Publisher: Accent Press Publication Date: June 7, 2018 Pages: 270 Add to Goodreads About the Book
From the bestselling author of The Cornish Hotel By The Sea
Every summer has a story... Fun-loving travel rep Jess doesn’t want to be chief bridesmaid at her snooty cousin’s wedding, but it will cause a family feud if she refuses. She doesn’t want to fall in love either but when a raucous stag party arrives at her Majorcan hotel, Jess hits it off instantly with best man, Eddie. A summer romance is exactly what commitment-phobe Jess needs and, as the stag-do draws to a close, so does the holiday fling. She has no intentions of carrying on the summer fun but when Eddie turns up again, Jess is faced with a big dilemma. Will this bridesmaid get the happy-ever-after she never knew she wanted... Where to Buy
Interview
L: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
KK: I’ve been a published writer for over thirty years. I write mainly romance and young adult novels now, but I’ve written many children’s books (120) and several short stories for women’s magazines. I’m also a writing tutor. I started my writing career working for Jackie magazine then other teen magazines and children’s comics such as Postman Pat and Winnie the Pooh, writing stories, comic strips and activities. Gradually I got some children’s books published and for the first twenty years of my writing career wrote mainly for children, before moving onto romance and getting my first romance novel, Never Say Forever, published in 2007 as a People’s Friend Pocket novel, it was then republished by a US company, and then by Accent Press. L: Who or what inspired you to be an author? KK: My dad encouraged a love of reading and writing in me as a child, as did authors such as Richmal Crompton (Just William books), Enid Blyton and – as I got older – Agatha Christie. L: Who or what inspired your novel? KK: I’ve often admired the travel reps at the resorts I’ve holidayed in, they work hard and play hard. I thought a story involving a character working as a travel rep would be really interesting. They have to cope with so many different customers, including stag and hen parties, and there might be times when they have a summer romance with holiday-makers. When my husband booked us an anniversary trip to Majorca a couple of years ago I thought that would make a great setting, popped in a few complications to the story, and off I went. L: What would you say is the genre of your novel? KK: Romance with a touch of humour. L: Why did you pick this/these genre(s)? KK: I like writing stories that readers can identify with, and most of us have had experience of falling in love and all the complications that brings. I keep my novels light-hearted and usually set them in holiday locations as I like to take my readers away from the stresses of everyday life for a while and provide a, hopefully, relaxing read. L: How did you develop your plot and characters? KK: I work out the story outline so that I have a basic structure for the story, write character profiles to make sure I know my characters well, then I start writing. I write the first draft as it comes and often find that as I’m writing the characters will do something I hadn’t planned or the story will go off in an unexpected tangent, I go with it as long as it works. Once the first draft is finished I start editing and often do several rewrites before I’m happy enough to send it to my editor. L: Who or what inspired your protagonist? KK: I wanted her to be a bit unconventional, fun-loving, extrovert. I flicked through some Pinterest pictures for inspiration and saw one of a woman with long, bright red tousled hair, casually dressed. She was perfect for Jess. L: Who or what inspired your antagonist? KK: I wanted Charlotte to be the opposite of Jess, to be snobby, controlling, wanting everything to be perfect. I’ve known a few people like this so it was easy to draw on experience without basing her on one person. L: What was the most difficult part to write in the book? KK: I always find setting and description the most difficult to write. I find that writing character, action and dialogue flows quite easily, but I really have to stop and think when I write setting and description. I think it may be because of all my earlier work writing for teen and children’s magazines where the word limit was too tight to allow for description, the picture told it all. When I’ve written my first draft I go back over it and add more description and visualization to the scenes. L: What was your favourite part of your book to write? KK: I had a lot of fun writing the scenes with the guys on the stag do, but I think the favourite one was in the Caves of Drach. I visited them with my husband on our anniversary and was blown away by how magical they were.
L: Are you a full time or a part time writer? If part time, what do you do besides write?
KK: I’ve earned my living as a writer and writing tutor for the past thirty years, but now I’m concentrating on writing. L: What are you currently reading? KK: Nothing at the moment, I’m too busy writing, but my Kindle is loaded up with a dozen or so books to read and I’m looking forward to reading Mandy Baggot’s latest book Desperately Seeking Summer. L: What are some of your favourite books or authors? KK: I have far too many favourite authors, and books to name but Mandy Baggot is one of my favourites as is Sophie Kinsella and Sharon Shinn. L: What are your future projects, if any? KK: I’m delighted to have recently signed a contract for two romance novels with Bookouture, and am now working on the first one, Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel, which will be out in November, the second book will be out in February. I’ve also signed with Littwitz Press for my YA books, and my afterlife romance, Rise of the Soul Catchers, was published by them in April. L: What is your preferred method for readers to get in touch with you and your books? KK: I always love to hear from readers. Website | Twitter | Romance Facebook | YA Facebook L: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? KK: Don’t give up on your dream. Keep writing, rewriting and sending off your work. And don’t forget to make time for reading, reading is the foundation for writing.
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