Sandra D Bricker: Interview

Sandra D Bricker the author of the Emma Rae Creation series, including Always The Wedding Planner Never The Bride (you can read my review here ). Sandra writes hilarious womens fiction for the inspirational market. Thankyou to Sandra D Bricker and her publishers at Abingdon Press for proving this interview. To find out more about Sandra you can visit her website here

Q&A With Sandra D Bricker

1. How did you decide on a wedding destination hotel as the setting for your books?

As a former publicist, a lot of event planning went into that job. I used to wish all the time that there were more venues that offered everything in the same place and that led me to the idea of one location that offered everything from engagement party through honeymoon....and The Tanglewood was born!

2. How did you "meet" the character of Sherilyn?

I looked in the mirror. LOL. Well, then I squinted my eyes and made her a natural redhead with awesome features! Sherilyn is very much a reflection of myself. She battles a weight problem, she's uber-organized to the point that she makes people around her a little crazy, and she has a wilder side that she has worked very hard to divert.

3. Is there any part of your personality in Sherilyn or the other characters?

I think there's a little piece of me in all my characters. From the first book, Emma was a diabetic with a penchant for cake [Check!] In The Big 5-OH!, Olivia was an ovarian cancer survivor in search of what comes next after an experience like that [Check!] Sherilyn, of course [Check! and Check!]

4. While doing the research for the book, did you come across any interesting stories of weddings gone awry?

I did! A disappointing wedding, I have come to believe, is the most traumatic thing a bride can experience. She's been building up to that one moment and that one day, often since childhood. I can across several stories that made me cringe, and even cry. One bride with an outdoor wedding wasn't just rained out, it was a monsoon! Another bride I read about, broke the heel of her SIX INCH shoes and fell into her cake, before they had even cut it. Like any other carefully planned event, a wedding is pretty likely to have something go wrong. But sometimes things go "wronger" than others.

5. Do you think you would make a good wedding planner?

I think I would. I used to enjoy that part of my job as a publicist. My clients were all actors, and they had their fan club gatherings and pet charity fundraisers, all of which required event planning skills. But on occasion, I've been asked by my less-organized friends to help out with planning their weddings, and it has been a real kick for me. In fact, my friend Dianne (the most UN-romantic or ceremonial person I know!) told me her and her fiance had decided to go downtown that week to get married at the courthouse. "Dianne", I objected. "You can NOT call and tell your friend the romance writer something like that!" A month later, they went to St. Augustine and were married in a beautiful wedding destination planned by ME.

6. What type of environment is the best for your writing?

I write best with a large block of time (no less than four hours) to be alone and play my inspiration music and really get into my story. I usually have a cold bottle of water, a cup of coffee or tea, or even soda nearby, and a bowl of munchies, like nuts or pretzels nearby.

7. What do you hope readers will take from your stories?

Before I turn it in to the publisher, I pray over every manuscript I complete and ask that God's hand would be upon it, and that every person who reads what I have written would be blessed in some way and drawn closer to Him.

8. What's next for you?

I have just finished the third book in the Emma Creation series (Always The Designer Never The Bride) and I'm about to start on book four, the final one in the series (Always The Baker FINALLY The Bride). I'm really excited about the opportunity to give Emma and Jackson their happily-ever-after ending at last. Emma's been a good friend to me after all! I want to see her blessed and happy.

An Interview With: Sue Watson

Sue Watson was born in Manchester and moved to London to work as a journalist on tabloid newspapers and women's magazines. She then moved into television, and became a producer with the BBC, working on garden makeovers, kitchen programmes and daytime talk shows. Sue now writes novels in Worcestershire, where she lives with husband Nick, daughter Eve, two cats and a rather glamorous goldfish.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sue, earlier this week, about the success of her debut novel Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes and here is what she had to say:

Thankyou so much for joining us at Chick Litaholic today and congratulations on your debut novel Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes. How did you come up with the idea for the novel?
I think the seed was planted for Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes several years ago when I was working as a TV producer with the BBC and struggling with being a new mum. I remember a friend saying that she'd like to just stay home and look after her children and bake.... that sounded like a lovely idea and got me thinking.

How similar to the character of Stella are you?
I think I am very much like Stella and once I began writing her character it just flowed because I felt things in a similar way to her. We both deal with life in a similar way .... by never letting things get us down and we always add a large sprinkling of humour. Like Stella I also struggled with the pressures of motherhood, work and marriage, but being in a media career there was also pressure to stay young ... and being a springy size zero.

Are any of the characters in Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes based on real people, or are they all fictional?

I think most of my characters have elements of people I know in them. I found it helped to have a vague idea of a real person in mind and build on that while developing the characters. It helped me to think 'how would she deal with that?' or 'how would someone like him react to that situation?' I also have a friend called Al who is involved in the Gay swimming community (yes it does exist!) and there are definatly some cute little bits of him in the book character, but the real Al is far more sensitive, and wouldn't ever be as hilariously tactless as the fictious Al.

In Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes Stella loves to bake. Do you enjoy baking in your spare time?
I love to bake - I find it very therapeutic and my favourite part about baking fairy cakes is the decorating bit! I love to ice the tops and put candies and jellies and little coffee beans (on the coffee flavoured cakes.) My book contains lots of recipies that are referred to in the narative and that were all created by me in my own kitchen .... like Cranberry and White Chocolate Chritsmas Fairies and cute coffee cupcakes.

What is your favourite food that you enjoy as a treat?
Well I have to say fairy cakes. I love coffee and chocolate ones the best. I also LOVE chocolate (or candy) in every form and could probably eat it all the time ... hell I do! And let's face it that's probably why I never have been, or never will be a size zero.

It sounds like I love chocolate just as much as you! If Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes were made into a movie, who would be your dream cast?
Ooh what a lovely thought that would be! I would like Stella to be played by someone who is naturally big and gorgeous - not some skinny actress who has to eat doughnuts for a few weeks to put on half a stone and call herself 'fat'. I would love to see someone like Brooke Elliot who plays Jane, the plus size girl whose body is inhabited by the soul of a supermodel, in Drop Dead Diva. She's a big, beautiful, sassy lady who I just know would play a witty, intelligent heroine perfectly. I think she has just the right balance of beauty, bigness, feistiness, yet vunerabilty ... she'd be fabolous. For Stella's best friend Al, it would have to be Micheal Urie who plays Marc St James in Ugly Betty. As Marc he has the crazy energy and twisted dark humour that I love so much in Al ... he also tells it like it is!

What do you think of the chick lit label being placed on your novel?
I am so delighted to have the book in print (and kindle) and so flattered anyone would want to read it I really don't mind about the label. I am really interested to know what my readers think and whether or not that believe it fits into the chick lit genre? I also guess it's about how you define chick lit and I see chick lit as a very broad genre. Essentially it's a women's commercial fiction - but chick lit just sounds lighter and more fun!

I agree! Who are your favourite authors?
I love Jen Lancaster - she's outrageous, says it like it is and though I don't always agree with her politics I love her writing. 'Such a Pretty Fat' is one of the funniest, most brutally honest books I have ever read. In complete contrast, I love Anne Tyler - 'Back When We Were Grown Ups' is my favourite book and centres on a slightly older heroine - which is quite unusual. Tyler's characters are so incredibly real and she writes with clarity, revealing their innermost, peeling away their layers of dissapointment, hurt, love that they have gone through - and essentially what it is to be human moving through life and living in relationships with other humans.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Yes. Never give up ... writing can be the loneliest, most thankless and yet most wonderful profession. I left the BBC and my career in TV to pursue this and it has taken years to get to the publication stage. There have been times when I have had rejections and been so dissapointed that I wanted to throw the towel in but something drove me on .... I always believed in this book and wanted to share the story. Think about your cover - imagine the book on shelves, on Amazon ... just keep visualising it and re-editing and sending it out again and again. Believe it what you are doing and don't let anyone put you off - and don't read statistics about how unlikely it is you'll get published ... someone has to!

Are you working on a second novel, and if so can you tell us more about it?
Yes, I'm currently completing my second book, 'The Terrible Truth About Tanya Travis.' It's the story of a talk show host - with a dark secret. I think Tanya is as engaging and in her own way as funny as Stella, but she's a very different character, Tanya is slightly uptight, suffers from OCD and is always feeling anxious and finds relief in cleaning. Tanya is great fun to write about, but has provided quite a challenge for me as a writer because she is so different from Stella. I am also planning a sequel to Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes and want to take Stella and her friends to Hollywood - because I know they will love it! I want them to bake glamourous fairy cakes and sip frothy cocktails by fabolous blue swimming pools. And who knows? There may even be a few film stars dotted around the 'Fairy Cake' landscape!

Sounds exciting. I know I can't wait for your next novel. Thankyou so much for joining us here today.
Thankyou so much for having me - I do hope your readers enjoy the interview...!

To find out more about Sue Watson you can visit her website: http://fatgirlsandfairycakes.blogspot.com/

Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes is avaliable on Amazon on Kindle (US and Canada) and paperback (UK). To buy the novel, click on the links below:

Interview with: Adena Halpern

Adena Halpern is the author of four amazing novels; Target Underwear and a Vera Wang Gown, The Ten Best Days Of My Life, 29 and her latest Pinch Me. Adena has a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts in dramatic writing and a Masters of Fine Arts in screenwriting. Adena was born in Philadephia and now resides in Los Angeles with her husband. Two of her novels 29 and Ten Best Days Of My Life have been acquired by Fox and are set to be made into films. I previously reviewed Pinch Me here . I just had the pleasure of interviewing Adena Halpern and here is what she had to say:

Thankyou so much for joining us at Chick Litaholic today. I loved your latest novel Pinch Me. What was your inspiration for the novel?

My inspiration was my husband, plain and simple. Sometimes I honestly wonder how I got so lucky. One day I was in a market I used to frequent when I was single. I suddenly wondered what would I do if I walked outside and everything was different? What if I went through some time warp and my old car was in the parking lot, I still lived in my single apartment and my husband never existed? The idea really freaked me out and I wondered what I would do. I knew I would do anything to get my husband back.

Your novels feature magical and fairytale elements. Why do you choose to incorporate them in your work?
To imagine alternate words or crazy scenarios is much more fun for me to write about than it is to write about real life. I could write a straight story about a woman losing her husband to another woman, but what fun is that?

Are you similar in any way to the lead character Lily?
I think I am much more grounded than Lily. All her life she has been the straight man to Dolly and Selma's craziness. I think I am more like her cousin rose who accepts this long lost cousin coming into her life. She believes her story because of something her grandfather told her. I think I would too.

I love the characters of Dolly and Selma, especially their sense of humor. Are they based on anyone you know, or completly fictional?
The characters of Dolly and Selma are partly based on my parents. My parents were always the kind of people who took problems in their stride. If there were dark days, they didn't look at it as part of life. When a dilema would strike they always took it with a laugh and a shrug, dealt with the problem and moved on. It's the greatest thing I learned from them.

If you ended up in a similar situatuon to Lily, do you think you would have acted in a similar way?
This was something I constantly had to think about while writing PINCH ME. If I woke up one morning and my husband wasn't my husband and my current life wasn't my life, what would I do? I would do everything in my power to get it back to the way it was.

Where would be your dream destination to travel to?
My dream destination would be to travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa the mid 70's. My grandparents were alive and healthy. My dad, who passed away last year, was strong, healthy and handsome. My mother would be hosting one of her glamourous dinners for us. I would introduce my husband to my grandparents. My grandmother would gush over him to the point of embarrassment. Maybe my father would show his son-in-law the perfect golf swing. There would be no talk of what is to become of them, only great stories around the table, laughter and of course lots and lots of good food.

If Pinch Me were to be made into a film, who would be your dream actress to be cast as Lily?
There are so many amazing actresses today, Emma Stone, Sandra Bullock, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard. Any of these women would have my blessing.

I heard that both 29 and The Ten Best Days Of My Life are to be made into films. Do have anymore news on this, that you can tell us about?

I just know that both scripts are currently being written. Both production companies have been so kind with updates and I can't wait to see the finished products.

What do you love most about chick lit?
The thing I love most about chick lit is that it never fails to put me in a good mood. Whenever I go to a different country, I buy up all the chick lit I can find. I've spent hours in bookstores in England, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Scotland. I love the romance, I love reading about women my age around the world. I love how we all have the same issues. It's truly a passion of mine.

Are you working on a new novel at the moment, and if so can you tell us anything about it?
I am working on a new novel now, but I never talk about it for fear I'll jinx it in some way.

Thankyou so much for taking the time to join us at Chick Litaholic today. We wish you lots of luck with the movies and your latest novel.

If you would like to learn more about Adena Halpern you can visit her website here .

You can also buy her novels below:

Geraldine Solon: Author Interview

Until recently Geraldine Solon was a new author to us here at Chick Litaholic. I recently reviewed her latest novel, Chocolicious (you can read the review here ) and fell in love with her style of writing. We recently found out the exciting news that her first novel Love Letters is being made into a movie. I was lucky enough to interview Geraldine Solon and here is what she had to tell us:

Thankyou for joining us today. I really enjoyed your latest novel Chocolicious. Where did you get the inspiration for the novel?  I was craving for a three-layered, rich-filled chocolate cupcake one day when a vision of a distressed woman came to my mind. I was so absorbed in her world that I knew chocolate cupcakes had to be the epitome of the story.

What was your biggest challenge in writing this novel?
My biggest challenge was raising the stakes in Blair’s life and I think I made every dramatic turn I could think of. They say you get to know a lot about a person when tragedy strikes. Although it hurt me to witness Blair suffering, I knew there was so much I could infuse in her character. People cope differently and some may embrace trials, while others can run away from them. I believe that Chocolicious demonstrates the perfect example of the quote, “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.”

Chocolicious is a novel focused around romance. Would you say you are a romantic at heart?
Chocolicious is actually Women’s fiction, and although there is a love story, the underlying theme is about a mother’s love and sacrifice. There were various relationships explored in this novel which was between lovers, sisters and mother’s and daughters. And yes, I’m a hopeless romantic. I’ve always been a firm believer that love conquers all.

If Chocolicous were to made into a movie who would be your dream cast?
Nicole Kidman would be an ideal fit for Blair’s character and I know she loves playing dramatic roles that focus on love and loss. I would love to see Kevin James play the role of George since he fits the description. It would be exciting to watch Kevin play a serious role for a change.

Do you enjoy baking like Blair and her sister do in the novel?
Good question. LOL! No . . ., but I enjoy eating. LOL! And chocolate is definitely my weakness. I mean c’mon, I don’t really know anybody who doesn’t like CHOCOLATE.

Do you have any advice for women to empower themselves?
Women have different roles—mothers, wives, daughters and while serving others, we tend to forget about ourselves. We live in an era that offers more opportunities than what our grandmothers used to have and I say we should take advantage of it. My biggest advice for women is to put their heart and soul in their passion. Passion creates zeal, zeal creates confidence and confidence leads to independence. It’s the best gift a woman can give to themselves. Women have continued to evolve from beautiful creatures, to intelligent warriors that are making a difference in this world. This is the best time to be a woman. Embrace it!

With your novel being titled Chocolicious, what is your favourite chocolate dessert?
Anything that has chocolate in it. LOL! But if I were to elaborate, it would be Chocolate Decadence Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Mud Pie, Better Than Sex Chocolate Cake, (Okay it isn’t better, but the chocolate is so rich that it comes close. LOL!), Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Brownies and a lot more.

Who are your favourite authors?
Danielle Steel, Nicholas Sparks, Eileen Goudge, Lisa Scottoline, Chevy Stevens, Kristin Hannah and Dan Brown.

Are you working on anything new at the moment, and if so can you tell us about it?
My next novel is called The Assignment and is set in the Philippines. I'm submitting it to my editor this month so she can edit my book.

Here’s a brief summary:

Travel journalist, Sophie Matthews is a nomad who hasn’t found a place she could call home. Working for Constar Communications has allowed her to embrace different cultures. As she turns forty, Sophie’s desires are different—she now wants to settle down and have a family. Her boss, Greg Sullivan leaves her with one request to fulfill her last assignment, featuring the life of artist/writer Marina Suarez who was captured by Japanese soldiers during World War II in the Philippines. Ten years ago, Sophie left Manila with a broken heart, but as fate would have it, she soon finds herself in the busy streets of Manila and crosses paths with Eric Santiago once again. As Sophie tries to unravel the mystery of Marina’s life, she learns that Eric is the only one who can help her gather the pieces together. When Sophie discovers Marina’s deep, dark secret, little does Sophie know it will change her life forever.

We cannot wait to read your new novel. Thankyou for joining us at Chick Litaholic

Thanks so much for your support.

You can visit Geraldine Solon at her website

Beth Harbison: An Interview

Beth Harbison, author of Always Something There To Remind and Shoe Addicts Anonymous (to name just a few) was kind enough to join us on Chick Litaholic this week to answer all our questions. I recently reviewed her latest novel Always There To Remind Me: here

1. What was your inspiration for Always Something There To Remind Me?

It's about a woman who finds herself chewing and chewing on the ancient and unresolved remains of her first love relationship, to the point where it distracts her present life until she finds a way to resolve it.
It was inspired by me finding myself chewing and chewing on the ancient and unresolved remains of my first love relationship. Seriously. Had a dream about my first love, emailed him, which I've done periodically over the years, and expected to just feel weird for a few days and then get over it, as usual. But somehow this time we immediately starting tangling over who was the bigger jerk when we broke up and, at long last, the real reasons behind the break-up and the real feelings in the aftershocks. I went into the conversation half wondering if I'd ever really mattered to him. Now I know all the answers I needed to know, but it took months of back and forth. While I was in that process, I stopped the book I was writing and switched to this one, thinking I could put the crazy, angsty energy to good use. It nearly gave me a nervous breakdown. Truly.

2.  Wow it must have been a crazy time. You definatly got me and I'm sure many other readers thinking about past relationships! How has your writing changed from your first novel to now?

I don't know. It's gotten crisper, faster to the point, fewer superflous details, I think. Early efforts at novel writing tend to be pretty masterbatory - this is what I think, and this is how I think it and blah blah blah. That said, I think some of my old Silhouette romances contain some of my best writing.

3. What is your biggest challenge when it comes to writing?

Doing it. Every day.

4. I love all of your novels! Which of the novels you have written is your favourite?

ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME, and a Silhouette Special Edition called DRIVE ME WILD (another love story about coming home to the boy you never quite stopped thinking about....hmm.....I sense a theme).

5. A great theme at that. If you were sent to a deserted island and could only take three books with you, what would they be?

1. A SHORT HISTORY OF EVERYTHING by Bill Bryson - I keep meaning to read it but never feel I have time

2. THE SHELL SEEKERS by Rosamunde Pilcher, an all-time favorite 

 3. HOW TO GET OFF A DESERTED ISLAND by anyone but Gilligan, Skipper, The Professor, the Howells, Ginger or Maryann.

6. When your not writng what do you enjoy doing to relax?

Sitting poolside under a palm tree in Disney World, reading.

7. Sounds like my idea of heaven! If you weren’t writing novels what job do you think you would be doing now?

I'd work at Sephora. No, I'd OWN Sephora. Go big or go home, right?

8. Love your ambition. One of your novels, Shoe Addicts Anonymous is being made into a movie - can you tell us any news about it?

Everything is moving along at just about the pace everyone expected -- apparently movie-making takes forever and there are a million details that need attention along the way, but Halle Berry is signed to star and Paul Weiland is signed to direct, and I am delighted.

9. Sounds exciting - I can't wait until it's released. If you could choose any of your other novels to be made into a movie which would you pick and what would be your dream cast for it?

Actually, I think SECRETS OF A SHOE ADDICT would be a fun movie. I don't know who I'd cast, honestly, but I always love to watch Sandra Bullock and mid-80's Meg Ryan. So - them.

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Not really, beyond the usual "write" and "submit" - it's a pretty straightforward process, though definitely not easy.

11. Are you working on a new book at the moment and if so can you tell us a little bit about it?
WHEN IT DOUBT, ADD BUTTER - about a personal chef who cooks up way more than she means to...

Thankyou so much Beth for joining us! Its been a pleasure interviewing you

Dont forget you can visit Beth Harbison here

And you can purchase here novels here:

Samantha Sotto: An Interview

Once I finished Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto I was intrigued to find out more about the lady behind the novel and about how the novel originated. I recently reviewed the novel and loved it (you read the review here ). With Before Ever After being Samantha's first novel, I was excited to find out what the futures holds for her. Read on to find out what she has to say.

Thankyou for taking the time answer my questions. I absolutly loved Before Ever After, as it seems does everyone who reads it. Where did the idea for the novel come from?
Thank you! I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. Max popped into my head while I was stuck in traffic. I think it came about as a result of the Doctor Who marathon I had just emerged from and the "hangover" I had from reading The Time Traveller's Wife.

Did you visit all the places that you mention in Before Ever After?

I've been to all the countries in the book except Slovenia - which is probably why I had the most fun writing the chapter about it. My imagination had a bigger playground.

Where has been your favourite place that you have travelled to?

I love Venice. I have absolutely no sense of direction and Venice is the perfect place to get lost in.

Did you have to do a lot of research to ensure all the historical facts in Before Ever After were correct?
 The book took me about a year to write and half of that time was spent on research. It was one of my favorite parts of the process. And yes, I'm a nerd. ;-)

Why did you decide to make chickens and eggs a focal point in Before Ever After?

I thought that a character like Max would have developed some interesting quirks in the course of his life. His love for chickens just made him feel more real and charming to me. On a symbolic level, eggs have long been associated with the concept of life and rebirth.

If you were to make Before Ever After into a movie, who would be your dream cast?
As much as I'd love to answer that question, I have to bite my tongue. (Ow.) I want readers to be able to imagine Max and the gang without influencing them.

How did you celebrate getting Before Ever After published?

I was in Hong Kong when my agent called me at 4AM to tell me about the book deal. My hubby and I ordered champagne and omelets from room service right after I got off the phone.

Do you have a special place where you do your writing?
I wrote Before Ever After at the same table at Starbucks for an entire year.

Do you advice to aspiring authors wanting to get published?

Show up for work and write even if inspiration decides to play hooky.

Will there be another book, and if so can you tell us what it will be about?

I'm working on my second novel. I can't say much about except that chapter twenty four is trying to sip my brain out with a very small straw ;-)

Thankyou so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I, and I'm sure everyone else, cannot wait for your second novel!

Thankyou :-)

Thankyou to the beautiful and talented Samantha Sotto for stopping by Chick Litaholic

You can visit Samantha Sotto's website here

And remember you can purchase Before Ever After below:

An Interview With: Lisa Lim, author of Confessions Of A Call Center Gal

After reading, reviewing and loving Confession's Of A Call Center Gal by Lisa Lim (you can read the review here ) I just had to ask Lisa some questions and find out more about this talented and hilarious lady.

1. Thankyou so much for joining us at Chick Litaholic. I loved Confessions Of A Call Center Gal. What inspired you to write this novel? I'm a chick lit junkie and I've read countless of chick lit novels where the women all have fancy jobs, and they fancy men who hold fancy jobs. And I wanted to read about a woman I could relate to. A protagonist who is regular chick with a very ordinary job, who falls for a guy with an ordinary job. Although, the guy is anything but ordinary (I like to think).
And a reader who reviewed my book echoed my thoughts~ "So many traditional chick lit books tend to go off on a tangent to a life many of us will never have--Bond Street and Fifth Avenue are not a regular part of my routine."
Also, the story is essentially art imitating life. I’m an ex-call center gal myself and I served time in the trenches for several years. Suffice to say, my head was bursting with stories from the call center purgatory.

2. What are some of the worst jobs that you have ever had?

A call center gal and a waitress at a Chinese restaurant where customers would sometimes tip me 10 cents or .0001% instead of 15%

3. You worked in a call centre, is any of the novel based on your real experiences? 100% of the book is based on real experiences as a call center gal.

4. Did you have a close circle of friends at the call centre, like Maddie does with Mika, Kars, Troung and Ingeberg? You bet-cha. I definitely had a tight knit circle of friends like Kars, Truong and Inge; otherwise I wouldn’t have survived as long as I had in the call center purgatory/Gulag camp. And Troung's character is based on a close friend of mine, and he seems to have legions of fans. And he's been whining that I never mention him in my interviews. So Truong, this one's for you . . . let's lock and loll. ;-)

5. Are you in any way like the character Maddie?I’d say about 50% of Maddy is me. Like Maddy, I love The Office, Gossip Girl, Chelsea Lately and I wish I could speak Gaelic. Also, I share Maddy's love for all things Anthropologie . . . I simple adore their vintage inspired dresses. I'm an Anthroholic!

6. What would be your dream cast? Maddy would be played by Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer) and Zac Efron, Zac Levi or Henry Cavill would be cast as Mika—the Belgian stud. Rex Lee or Jo Koy as Truong Nguyen. Blake Lively as Ingeborg and Leighton Meester as Karsynn. Oh and definitely Sean Connery as Archie. I would DIE to have Sean Connery play a part.

7. Who are your favourite authors? Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Chelsea Handler and Paullina Simons who wrote The Bronze Horseman . . . hands down my fave book ever!

8. What do you like to do when your not writing? I enjoy chillaxin with my pooches and my kids, shopping, reading and eating Mexican food.

9. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors wanting to get published?

As the fabulous Sophie Kinsella once said, "Sometimes you don't need a goal in life, you don't need to know the big picture. You just need to know what you're going to do next!" So the same rule applies to writing . . . you don't need to know the big picture, just start writing and keep on writing and eventually, you'll have your book.

10. What did you do to celebrate becoming a published author? I went on a shopping spree at Anthropologie and J.Crew, and I gobbled up 5 bean burritos--in one day!

11. Whats next for you? YA chick lit. But the title is a secret. =)

Thanks again for everything and thanks for having me on your fab blog! You're a rock star!

Thanks to the wonderful Lisa Lim for answering all my questions. Don't forget you can follow Lisa Lim's blog here

You can also purchase Confessions Of A Call Center Gal:

Nicky Well's Author of Sophie's Turn: Interview and GIVEAWAY

Interview

Hi Georgina! Thank you for this opportunity for interview and the fabulous give-away competition. I will be really excited to see your readers' enteries. Now let's take a look at the questions......

1. What was your inspiration for Sophie's Turn?

I was watching a movie one night featuring on of my all-time favourite film stars. I don’t recall exactly who it was (Mel Gibson? Pierce Brosnan?) but I muttered something along the lines of “hmmmm….if he ever proposed, how would a girl turn him down!” My husband pretended to be offended… And there was the crux, the conundrum, the “what if” at the centre of Sophie’s Turn. It came back to haunt me in the middle of the night, and I just had to go and write it down. Then I started spinning a rudimentary tale around it… and the story evolved from there.

2. Why did you decide to self-publish Sophie’s Turn?

Self-publishing is a great avenue for independent authors to get their work ‘out there’ and noticed. It gives you full control over when you publish, where you publish and at what price. It lets me market and publicise Sophie’s Turn in every which way I see fit. What’s not to like?

3. Would you ever turn Sophie’s Turn into a paperback novel or will it always be an e-book?

I would love to publish Sophie’s Turn as a paperback novel. Quite a few people have asked me for paper copies, and I can understand why. However, at this time, the cost involved in making a paper copy and shipping it anywhere but the US is so high that it is not an attractive proposition. I will revisit this issue in the future and you never know…! I’ll keep you posted!

4. Were any elements of Sophie’s Turn based on your own life experiences?

Ah… I wish! I might have hung around a dressing room or three in my time but sadly—no! Sophie’s experiences are all just one big fantasy, mostly! J

But answering your question more broadly… Obviously, Sophie’s Turn is a work of fiction and none of the characters or events in it are real. But how do I, how does any writer, come up with ideas? For me, the answer is that I draw very loosely on things that have happened to me, stories I’ve heard from friends, read in the paper or seen on TV. The process of turning these ‘nuggets’ into a story is not a straightforward one. I never take the real facts or names for my work, but I might draw on the essence, the ‘idea.’ Very often, several ideas come together to make on episode. For example, the ‘de-slugging’ incident that you enjoyed so much came about like this: I know of someone who collects old miner’s hats for a reason that I can’t quite comprehend (that’s one idea strand). My husband gets really annoyed by slugs eating our vegetables all the time (there’s another idea). Slugs always seem to come out in the rain (fact, and another idea). Tim needed to do something really weird (that was a plot requirement). Throw these things in together and mix well…

　
5. With the band Tusk playing an important role throughout the novel, did you go to many gigs or speak with any bands during the writing of the novel?

I go to rock gigs wherever I can get to them—which is not as often as I’d like! I have met a few bands over the years and yes, that helped in writing Sophie’s Turn. But I was quite heavily pregnant while I was writing Sophie’s Turn so I didn’t go to many gigs at that time. The one band I did see then was The Darkness during their Christmas Tour in 2004. They put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen and they made fantastic live music. I hasten to add that I wasn’t moshing in the front row! In deference to my being five months pregnant, we had booked seats right at the top of the arena. Unfortunately, baby-in-tummy wasn’t too impressed by the noise and vibration even though I wasn’t even dancing! At one point I had to leave and get some quiet time because I thought baby would ‘evacuate’ right there and then.

6. If you were in Sophie’s shoes, do you think you would have made the same decisions that she did?

Hmmm…. I was placing myself in Sophie’s shoes pretty much all through writing the novel, but I found she did quite a few things I wouldn’t have done. For example, I don’t think I would have had the courage to accompany Dan to the Royal, let alone his suite. I was glad about the decisions she made at the very end although I personally might have been inclined to do things slightly differently. I don’t want to give too much away here for folks who haven’t read Sophie’s Turn yet!

7. If Sophie’s Turn were to be made into a movie, what would be your dream cast?

Meet: The Dream Cast for Sophie’s Turn

Featuring…

Dan the Rock Star…. Played by Ewan McGregor!

Sophie… Played by Keira Knightley!

Rachel … Played by Emma Watson!

Tim… Played by Jude Law!

8. In Sophie’s Turn, Sophie gets to travel all over Europe. Where is your favourite place to travel to?

I love going down to Cornwall and Devon because it is so unbelievably pretty and wild down there. In fact, I do need some seaside exposure every now and then just to get things in perspective! In terms of Sophie-style travelling, my favourite place to travel has to be Berlin. It is an amazing, vibrant city with lots to do, big open spaces, lots of water ways (amazing, given that it’s completely landlocked!) and it’s full of exciting, slightly eccentric people.

9. What books are you reading right now?

I just finished reading “Extra Virgin” by Annie Hawes. She describes her experiences of settling down as a somewhat exotic ‘foreign’ (English) creature (and female, and single at that!) in 1970s Liguria in Italy. It’s a fantastic, sun-drenched holiday read and always puts me in the mood for yummy Italian cooking. Now I’ve started on “Sowing Secrets” by Trisha Ashley. It’s the first book of hers that I’m reading and I haven’t got very far yet so I won’t comment for now…

10. Do you have any plans for a second book?

Of course! Sophie’s story isn’t finished, and I’m planning the sequel right now. Sophie and Dan will feature (obviously), as will Rachel. Rachel will have a much bigger, very important role to play… and she might not always like it! I hope to finish it inside a year, allowing for ‘resting’ time, editing, rewriting, proofing and publishing. Watch this space!

Thank you Georgina for these interesting questions, and good luck to everybody entering the give-away! XX

Find out more about Nicky Wells at here
Nicky is also on Facebook and Twitter

Giveaway

Following my review of Nicky Wells' novel, Sophie's Turn, (Check out the review here ), earlier this month, I am delighted to announce a give-away of an e-copy of Sophie's Turn. This give-away is part of the Virtual Book Tour of debut novelist Nicky Wells’ novel Sophie’s Turn (Check out Nicky here )

 Sophie’s Turn is a charming, honest and romantic take on chick lit. The novel focuses on one women's entaglement with a rock star .... and who wouldn't want to marry their favourite star given the chance? If you love chick lit, you will adore this novel. Make sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity to win a copy of this e-book.

Nicky has kindly provided one e-copy of Sophie’s Turn for one of my lucky readers. The lucky winner will get a free e-copy on their Kindle, or their Kindle Reading app for iPad, PC, Mac, iPhone or Android (Kindle Reading Apps are FREE to download from here ).

For the opportunity to win an e-copy of Nicky Well’s Sophie’s Turn, please leave me a comment telling me why you absoutely should win this novel. You must include your email address where you can be reached along with the comment.

This giveaway is open internationally.

Giveaway ends August 31^st at midnight EST  
You can find Sophie's Turn on Amazon :
 

Susan McBride: An Interview

Susan McBride’s highly anticipated new novel Little Black Dress is released today (check out my review here )and to celebrate it’s release Susan McBride has kindly stopped by to answer a few questions and talk about the new novel.

Thankyou for joining us today and congratulations on the release of your new novel, The Little Black Dress. I absoutely loved the book. Where did the idea for the novel come from?

Thanks so much Georgina! The idea came from a few different places, starting with my mom's insistence that every girl should have a little black dress in their closet and then realizing that this is probably something all women have in common. I began to envison a black dress with peculiar qualities - like, giving it's wearing a glimpse of the future - and wondered, what if the dress was shared between two sisters and again with the next generation? How would it change their lives? Would it push them onto paths they had never considered taking? Would it tear them apart or bring them together? Once I started pondering all those things I was hooked.

Did you experience any writer’s block while writing Little Black Dress?

I think I have moments while writing every book where I feel like a scene I just finished isn’t quite right, and I can only move sluggishly forward. That’s when I sleep on it (really!), and I wake up with the solution floating through my head. Showers and the treadmill are good for figuring out where I went wrong so I can move forward, too. It’s not a matter of being stuck, but being off-track. So it helps to think outside the box until I can get back on-track again!

Why did you decide upon using a dress as the item which leads these women’s lives towards their destinies?

Not long ago, my mom gave me this lovely painted brooch that had belonged to my great-grandmother. I love the concept of family heirlooms being passed down from one generation to the next. I wanted the magical item in my book to be something other than a piece of jewelry, however. So I latched onto my mom’s “every girl must have a little black dress” credo and said, “Of course, it’s a black dress!” It’s a little like the jeans in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as it fits Evie, Anna, and Toni, even though they’re different shapes and sizes.

Do you own a particular item of clothing that makes you feel special?

I do have a dress that felt magical when I put it on: my wedding dress. On that one day nearly four years ago, in that particular dress, I definitely felt like I was glimpsing a wonderful future ahead of me with my husband. I still have my wedding dress, hanging in my closet! Although I don’t think I’ll ever wear it again; but I keep thinking I’ll get it shortened and dyed. 

Did you know as soon as you started writing Little Black Dress how it would pan out?

 Since so much of the storyline comes full circle, I did know each woman’s secret and what the end result would be. I just had to write the entire middle to connect everything (and the middle, for me, is the toughest stretch!). But I felt more compelled to write this book than any book before it. And it’s the only novel I’ve written that gave me chills. So no matter what happens with Little Black Dress, it will always be special.

Which character do you most relate to - Anna, Toni or Evie?

Definitely not Anna. She’s the complete opposite of me. Although I have to say that the older Anna is someone I find interesting, much more so than young Anna. I do relate to Evie, although she has this sense of calm that I’ve never possessed. I understand the depths of her responsibility and her love of home and husband. I relate to Toni in some ways, too, as she’s in her 40s and still single. I didn’t meet Ed until I was 41, and we married when I was 43. I could be friends with Toni and Evie easily.

You have said before that your previous books have been inspired by different aspects of your own relationship. Was this book inspired by your own life and experiences in any way?

The part of Little Black Dress that was inspired by my own life is my belief that things happen for a reason…and that they happen at the right time. When I look back at the past six years, particularly how I met my husband, I realize how many things had to happen first—like dominoes falling—before our paths could cross. There are so many events in Little Black Dress that reflect that belief. Do I think we’re in control of our lives? Yes, to a degree. Do I think fate or a higher power plays a part as well, putting us places we need to be at the precise moment to make some things happen? Yep, I believe that, too. 

Is there a message you want readers to take away from reading Little Black Dress?

Wow, great question! I hope they take away any number of messages, like the idea that sometimes when life doesn’t turn out exactly as we’d planned, maybe it’s because there’s a different road ahead of us; and that everyone’s life has a little bit of magic in it, but we’re all so busy we don’t notice. When wonderful things happen, we need to hold them close and not analyze them. We should just relish those moments because they never last long enough.

If the story of your own life was made into a movie which actress would you choose to play the character of you?

I would love to be played by Natalie Portman! She’s so lovely and elegant. I’m a big goofball, but I think she’s a good enough actress to pull that off.

What novels are on your reading list?

I am a bookaholic so my TBR piles are never-ending! I just finished reading Escape by Barbara Delinsky, Things We Didn’t Say by Kristina Riggle, and Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, all of which I liked very much. I’ve got The Help still to read (I know, I’m probably the last person on the planet to get to it!), Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, plus books by Jodi Picoult, Santa Montefiore, Nancy Pickard, Isabel Wolff, and so many more. I wish I had time to read more as reading keeps me inspired so I carve out a little time every night when it’s possible to sit down with a book.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Read as much as possible and in a variety of genres. Write whenever you can and don’t worry about being perfect. Just start with observations, little bits of overheard dialogue, descriptions, whatever comes to mind. Understand what makes good books work, whether it’s the characters, the pacing, or the plot. Don’t expect the first thing you write to be published (although, these days, I know it’s possible to publish everything you write if you want to). Decide whether you want to write as a career or as a hobby. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble that way. Don’t compare yourself to others. It’s not a competition, unless it’s you against yourself, striving to be better with each new project. Learn as much as you can about the business online via blogs and web sites, as well as by attending writer’s conferences and workshops. And if this is something you need to do with your life, don’t let others discourage you. Rejection is part of the game. Rise above it, keep going, and find your voice. No one can tell your stories but you.

What’s next for you?

I just finished the first draft of a young adult mystery for Delacorte called Dead Address, and I’m about to start working on Little White Lies for HarperCollins, which will let me delve into the world of magical realism again. It’s about a woman raised by a mother who could tell nothing but the brutal truth; so she’s grown up softening her speech with little white lies. Only those lies could come back to haunt her—particularly a rather large one she’s told her daughter—when a man from her past is dropped back into her life by a tornado. Like Little Black Dress, it’s about love and fate and how our lives can change (for better or worse) in the blink of an eye.


Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I can't wait to read your next novel

Thank you for having me! J