Oh wow - welcome to the world, Anna Browne!

So, I finally have a cover for my seventh book, A Parcel for Anna Browne. And I'm thrilled with it! Ahem... drumroll, please... TA-DAAAAAAH!

What I'm so happy about is that my book getting its cover is one step closer to it being shared with the world. And that makes me happy because this is a story I have wanted to tell for several years. Moving to my new publisher, Pan Macmillan felt like the right time to write Anna Browne's story - and I'm really proud of the book. I firmly believe it's my best yet and I can't wait to share it with everyone! Exciting times, lovelies! xx

Writer Spotlight - Neal Doran

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm delighted to welcome the very wonderful (not to mention a fab former Future Star) NEAL DORAN into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight...

When did you decide you wanted to write?

I decided I wanted to write when I was a teenager.
I decided I was going to sit down and actually finish something when I was in my mid-30s.
For a while that gap between the two events did make me feel like I’d wasted DECADES not doing something I wanted to do. But more recently I’ve realised that taking that time was fine. Every half-finished project and idea that never came to anything – the attempts at short stories, stand-up, or screenplays, or whatever – was a part of the training that meant when I finally had the personal experience I needed to write about what I wanted to write about, I’d learnt what I needed to know about writing to be able to do it.
The difference between wanting to be a writer and becoming one feels to me to be a matter of timing. You might want something, but it takes a while for everything to fall into place so it can happen. Without wanting to get all Thought For The Day on you, I think that applies in most areas of life…

Are you a dedicated plotter or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-winger?

When I started secondary school we were taught in English to write stories with this really clear and clever way of turning our ideas into something that resembled an actual proper story. This was done first by coming up with a series of ‘thoughts, words and phrases’ that summed up what we wanted to write about; we were then told to order these into a structure that would support a coherent story, and then write a sentence that would describe each paragraph. We could then use that plan to write the story.

I used to write the story, then go back and make up the plan when I’d finished it so I could hand it in with my homework as demanded.

This probably tells you all you need to know about my leanings on the plans/pants spectrum.

When do you write? What does your typical writing day look like?

I get my writing done in the time before the rest of the house has to get up at 7 in the morning, so I have an hour or two most days except Sunday when I get a lie-in.

It’s a brilliant time to work because it’s quiet in the house (and on the internet) and I think being half-asleep in a strange way makes it easier to write without being overly conscious and critical of what I’m doing. Then from 7am, when I wake up my wife, Jo, with a cup of tea, and get cracking on packed lunches, the rest of the day is daydreaming about what I’m going to write the next morning.

When people I’ve known since childhood hear that I get up before 6am, six days a week, to write novels the bit that surprises them most is I’m getting out of bed before I absolutely have to.

What inspires you as a writer?

I’d say it the little things, tiny details, minor setbacks, small triumphs. I think it’s in those run-of-the-mill aspects of life that everyone shares that you find the everyday romance that goes towards making up the big things in life.

Not What They Were Expecting is your new novel. Tell us about it!

Not What They Were Expecting is the story of Rebecca and James, a couple that have just found out they’re having a baby. Their exciting news is trumped though, when their family goes into meltdown after Rebecca’s dad, Howard, gets arrested for allegedly propositioning a policeman in a gents’ public lavatory. Then James’s activist parents start a protest campaign to bring attention to Howard’s plight and, as life gets even more complicated, the pressure builds on the relationships between everyone in the family -- including the parents-to-be.

It’s about two people trying to be strong together as the world around them goes crazy.

What inspired the story? I was looking for something about a couple going through a significant moment in their lives. Having a first child seemed a pretty important one… I remember when Jo was first pregnant what an exciting time it was, full of possibility from day one, even though in a lot of ways nothing had changed yet – we still had the time to think about what it could all mean. It was the most life-changing event that’s ever happened to me, and I wanted to write about it (although my whole family likes me to stress that all the incidents in the book are entirely made up).

Another thing that inspired me, particularly when writing about the grandparents-to-be, was that moment in your life when you go from being permanently on edge about your potentially embarrassing parents, to holding up your hands and saying ‘I have no responsibility for their behaviour whatsoever’ and letting them get on with it.

How did you find writing your second novel? Was it a different experience to writing your first, Dan Taylor Is Giving Up On Women?

The main difference was the help and support I had while I was doing it.

Writing Dan Taylor is Giving Up on Women was a pretty solitary experience. I didn’t show anyone anything till I was finished, and there weren’t many people that even knew I was writing.

The second time around it felt there were people cheering me on. Obviously, Miranda was a big help with her Future Stars support – listening when I got stuck in a slump at the halfway mark and not sure how to get out of it, and being an all-round magnificent cheerleader. Other writers have been lovely too, for example Matt Dunn, Kitty French, and the other authors who share my current publisher Carina. They’ve all answered questions, given friendly advice, and made me feel welcome in Write Club.

Then on Twitter and Facebook there were people who’d read Dan Taylor and were saying nice things about it, and how they were looking forward to what I did next. That in particular really, really helped on the mornings staring at the screen asking myself, ‘who would ever want to read this?’ I hope that the readers and bloggers that make that effort for authors realise how much it is truly appreciated.

What have you learned about your writing since becoming a published author?

I think I’ve learned to have more confidence in my writing, and to give ideas a bit more time and space. On my first novel I was obsessed with making sure the jokes and funny lines were coming at an almost sit-com pace. This time around I was more confident that the situations were funny and entertaining without having to constantly prove it.

Not What They Were Expecting is simultaneously more relaxed and more ambitious. It’s like Lord Sugar in the titles for The Apprentice, standing on his yacht. Or Des Lynam juggling seven flaming torches.

Do you have a dream project you'd love to write?

I’d love to create a cast of friends and family that would become part of the readers’ friends and family. A group of people dealing with everyday life in all its glory, and trying to figure out what it means. I’d love for it to start as a little seed of a group of young people really still starting out in life, but over years and decades (it’s a dream project: I can be ambitious…) it would become a story featuring multiple generations on a stonking big tree that’s full of life hidden in all sorts of places.

What's next for you? I’m hoping to make a go of something that could, in the end, become my dream project…

Not What They Were Expecting is available from Amazon and also all other good e-retailers! I am a massive fan of Neal's books - they will make you laugh, cry and think, with brilliantly warm characters you root for and a razor-sharp wit that will leave you breathless. I thoroughly recommend you add his novels to your e-reader as soon as possible. He's fast becoming a star in romantic comedy writing!

You can follow Neal on Twitter, @nealdoran and on Facebook.

Miranda Writes 14 - Reviews, Copyright and Dream Destinations...

All this year I'm documenting the writing, editing and publishing of Take A Look At Me Now - my fifth novel - giving you a unique, behind-the-scenes look at my life as a writer. This week, I answer your questions on authors and reviews, copyright, dream destinations for books and which of my characters I'd like to hang out with - including Nell from Take A Look At Me Now...

I have four fab questions this week, including one from the lovely Heidi at Cosmochicklitan book blog and two very special questions from the very gorgeous Kirsty at I Heart Books book blog, to celebrate the one-year blogaversary of her blog. Congratulations, lovely lady!

What do authors really think about reviews? Are they a help or a hindrance? And how can reviewers write reviews to bring about better books? I answer these thorny questions and more this week! To ask me a question, simply leave a comment on this post or email me: mirandawurdy@gmail.com

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled: 'Things that make you go HMMMMM...'

Guest Author: Matt Dunn - A Day At The Office

I am thrilled to welcome awesome author (and all-round lovely bloke) MATT DUNN to Coffee and Roses to tell us about his latest book A Day At The Office, which is out now. Over to you, Matt!



Every writer knows what their books are about – the story, I mean – when they're writing them. But sometimes (for me at least) it takes a while to realise what they're actually about - in terms of the theme. For example, in my previous six novels, the themes were friendship (Best Man), being dumped (The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook), fatherhood (From Here To Paternity), relationships (Ex-Girlfriends United), marriage (The Good Bride Guide), and fidelity (The Accidental Proposal).

And when I thought about it, I realised these were pretty much the six themes I'd wanted to cover when I first began writing, and started trying to give my 'unique' male perspective on life, love, and relationships.

The trouble was, once I'd delivered my sixth book, that meant it was pretty much a case of 'job done', which left me with a bit of a dilemma, as I was probably too old to go and retrain as an accountant. And besides, as a comedy novelist, I still had some jokes left in me.
But what on earth could I make those jokes about? As a strong believer in 'write what you know', I'd pretty much written everything I knew (though not for one moment do I want you to think all of my books are autobiographical – no one person could be that unlucky in love!). And then it hit me. The one theme that was perhaps common to each of my previous books – and probably the one theme that features strongly in every book ever written about love.

Loneliness.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to write about how we'll do anything to avoid the feeling of being alone; embarrass ourselves in front of the opposite sex, put up with, shall we say, less-than-perfect relationships, put ourselves through hell in the gym, expose ourselves (not in that way!) on the internet, obsess about people who perhaps don't even know we exist, lay ourselves on the line, only to have our heartfelt declarations of undying love thrown right back in our faces... And how sometimes, the loneliest of times are, ironically, when you're surrounded by millions of people.

And that's how my seventh novel, A Day At The Office, was born. It's the story of five people who work for the same company in central London – Sophie (the office singleton), Calum (tiptoeing gingerly through the minefield of internet dating), Nathan (broken-hearted), Julie (let's just say 'it's complicated'), and Mark (unrequited love) – all looking for love on the most romantic day of the year. And even though they might not realise it themselves, it's the need to not feel lonely that's driving them all.

Of course, I'm a comedy novelist, so it was important to make it funny (even though loneliness is perhaps the least funny feeling anyone can experience), but fortunately, I found I didn't have to try too hard – the things we all do to avoid being alone are quite frankly, in some cases, ridiculous. As to whether I've succeeded, well, the reader will have to be the judge of that!

Thanks so much, Matt! I’m reading A Day At The Office now and I can thoroughly recommend it to everyone. I’m a massive fan of Matt's books and it’s a real treat! Matt previously ventured into the Coffee and Roses Author Spotlight back in 2011 – you can read his interview here. Watch out for more Guest Authors coming soon!

The VLOGS are back! Big decisions and exciting times...

All this year I will be documenting the writing, editing and publishing of my fifth novel, giving you a unique, behind-the-scenes look at my life as a writer. This week, I've made a huge decision about Book Five...

I debated whether or not to reveal this, but I think it's something that will encourage you if you're a writer (and show you how important you are if you are a reader!) But over the past two years that I've been filming and sharing my vlogs, I've always been as honest as I can about the reality of being a writer.

So find out what my writing resolution is for 2013 and hear how my search for my FutureStars is inspiring me already...

As always, I love answering your questions in my vlogs. So if there's something you would love to know about writing, editing, publishing, my novels, or anything else, leave a comment below, or email: mirandawurdy@gmail.com, chat to me on twitter or leave me a comment on facebook. I'd love to know what you think of the first vlog of 2013 - and my big news!

Enjoy! xx

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled, 'Look at the beautiful butterfly!'

When I Fall in Love - my book is printed!!

This year I'm taking you behind the scenes of writing, editing and publishing my fourth novel, When I Fall in Love. This week, it's a very special vlog and another ambition fulfilled - I get to see my book being printed!

Usually at this time of year, I receive a package with two copies of my new book. As you'll know from my earlier vlogs, this is always a very special moment, but this year I was really honoured to be invited down to Clays Ltd in Suffolk, to watch my book actually being printed. It was a fantastic day and fascinating to see the process from start to finish. All around the factory I saw new books being created for really famous authors and it was amazing to see my book alongside these.

When I Fall in Love is published on THURSDAY 8TH NOVEMBER and I am even more excited now I have seen how gorgeous the books are. I can't wait to see what you think of the story! Next week's vlog is going to be all about the book, so what would you like to know? Ask me a question in the comments section of this post or email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com.

Enjoy! xxx

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled: 'Cracking cheese, Gromit!'

The Perfect Treat for you - and it's free!

So, the weather is foul, they're predicting snow today - yes, snow - and already the British summer seems to have given up the ghost. It's too long to Christmas but there isn't enough of the summer holidays left. What we need is a bit of a treat to pick us all up, make our days sparkle again and bring back some of the magic we've been missing...

Well, fear not! I have exciting news that just might make you grin like a loon...

How would you like to read exclusive short stories by bestselling authors Julia Williams, Claudia Carroll and little old me, together with tales from Avon's hotly-tipped debut novelists Liz Trenow and Mhairi McFarlane? And get a sneaky peek at the first chapters of our new novels - including an exclusive first-look at the opening chapter for When I Fall in Love?

And how would you like all that for FREE?

All of this is in The Perfect Treat - a fab, free ebook from Avon (HarperCollins) that I'm so thrilled to be a part of. It's released on 17th September and you can preorder it for your Kindle right now. Click here to get yours!

My story, Love, Loss & Coffee Cake is the story of how Uncle Dudley and Auntie Mags from It Started With a Kiss got together, after so many of you said you wanted to read more about them. I hope you enjoy it!

Go on - treat yourself!

Writer Spotlight: Mel Sherratt

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm excited to welcome the very lovely ace blogger and now successful published author MEL SHERRATT into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight.


When did you first decide that you wanted to write?

I’m one of those people that have wanted to write for as long as I can remember. When I was twelve, I won a writing competition (the only one I’ve ever won). I was one of 20 children chosen from over 60,000 entries nationwide. I won an adventure holiday for me and a friend (I’ve been scared of water ever since having to roll in a canoe…). I was even honoured by Staffordshire County Council. It all went a bit down hill after that!

What interests you as a writer?

I think it’s the writing process itself. The way we can take an idea and make it into something so much more than it was in the first instance. How we start with as little as a sentence and create a whole book with characters, plots and subplots galore. How we get from a blank page to 100,000 words and over 400 pages. Where ideas come from. And how we discipline ourselves to keep going.

Oh, and book covers – I love looking at covers.

Do you have a typical writing day?

I’m extremely lucky that writing has become my day job, for the time being at least. So once I have the house to myself around 7.30am, the first couple of hours are spent on the settee with my laptop and a snoring dog by my side. I work best during those first couple of hours. If I’m mid draft, rewrite or edit, I’ll continue through until 4 o’clock-ish. If I’m near to the end of a draft, I can work on it from 7.30am until I go to bed, stopping only when I have to until it’s finished. I love that feeling when my characters don’t want to stop talking.

Alas, when I’m faffing around – I mean beginning a new book, like I am now – I aim to write any amount of words just to get me started!

What made you decide to write Taunting the Dead?
The idea came from watching news coverage of murder investigations. Neighbours and friends are often shown talking about a victim in a good light. I got to thinking what would happen if a murder took place and no one really cared for that person. This led me to thinking that these friends and family could be suspects. In the end, Taunting the Dead was set up with six people, all family and friends, that could have murdered the victim, Steph Ryder.

What are the best things about being a writer?
Getting emails from readers. I had one this week who said that Taunting the Dead should come with a sleep deprivation warning after keeping him awake until 3am. I’ve often sent emails to authors I’ve enjoyed reading. Now I know what it’s like to receive them – very special.

Also, having twitter as my virtual office. Every day is a riot but without cakes, well most of the time without cakes. And doing what I love is another. Yes, it’s hard work and often I’m tearing my hair out as I get the words down. But no one says fun should be easy. The main thing is that I enjoy it.

And the worst?
That flipping thing called self-doubt. It sits on my shoulder, lurks in every dark corner and always nabs me when I least expect it. I try poking it in the eye with a heel every now and then but it always seems to come back…

Poor reviews aren’t nice either. Taunting the Dead is a controversial book. The main character does something that most readers can sympathise with because I feel it makes her human. But some readers have said they don’t believe she would act like that or even that she shouldn’t have acted like that. It’s good to evoke controversy, though.

Another point is that half my book is based around selfish, nasty characters and the effects that their behaviour has upon them, and the other half is police procedural. Some readers haven’t liked the fusion of both. So for many the beginning – pre-murder – was too slow but for others they preferred that part to the following police investigation.

Tell me what you're working on now.
I’m writing the first draft of the next novel involving my main character, Detective Sergeant Allie Shenton. It’s called Follow the Leader and will be predominantly about a serial killer. It’s especially challenging for me as there are six murders in this one and again, everyone knows everyone, so it’s all secrets and lies.

You’ve been interviewing authors on your fab blog, High Heels and Book Deals for the past two years. How does it feel to be on the other side of the questions now?

It literally seems like the shoe is on the other foot. I’ve often wanted to be asked to do an interview, especially when I’ve seen how much time and effort a particular author has put into it for me. So it’s great to get ‘out there’ and do some of my own.

What would be your top three tips for aspiring writers?

I’m not one who can write a set amount of words per day but I always aim to finish what I’ve started. So if you’re writing a book, don’t give up until you’ve got to The End. That way, I think you always have something to work on and improve, rather than a blank page every time you start a new idea.

I’m going to pinch a tip from an author I know, David Jackson. He’s a crime thriller writer too and he always says ‘write what you read’ as well as ‘write what you know’. When I started to write crime thrillers, even though it wasn’t a genre I read at the time, I read lots of them and learned from the masters and mistresses. I don’t think you ever take away a part of their writing but I do believe you create your own style by doing this. And lots of ideas of your own too.

Mostly, enjoy it. It’s so easy to get hung up on the whole business side of writing. If you enjoy writing, your reader will know because it will be seamless.

Do you have a dream project you'd love to write?

Can I have two? Well, you wouldn’t expect anything else, really, would you? I do have the gift of the gab! I’ve had an idea for a psychological thriller in the back of my mind for a while so I might put a few things down for that shortly. I’d also love to be included in an anthology of top crime authors – well, you did say dream project!

Anything else you’d like to say?

Thank you for having me!

Thanks so much to Mel for braving the Writer Spotlight! You can visit her website here and follow her on twitter @WriterMels. Mel is represented by Curtis Brown.

Would you like to feature in a forthcoming Writer Spotlight? I'm looking for both aspiring and published authors to take part. If this sounds like you, drop me a line at: mirandawurdy@gmail.com.

Writer Spotlight: Ali Harris

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm thrilled to shine the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight on the very wonderful ALI HARRIS!


When did you first decide that you wanted to write? (Was it a Damscus-esque flash or a slow burn?)

It was completely a Damascus-style epiphany! That isn’t to say I didn’t dream of writing books as a child, but I didn’t believe I could actually do it for a living until my early 20s. As well as being a bookworm as a teenager, I was also obsessed with (double geek alert!) musicals and after my A levels, I was torn between doing an English degree and Performing Arts but in the end, the high kicks beat the classics but it soon became clear I wasn’t a natural born actress. I’d only do improvisation on pain of death and I always chose to write 5,000 word essays over doing performances! Despite these (pretty major) clues that I might have chosen the wrong career path, I was still convinced it was an actor’s life for me. So when I graduated, I took a job as a waitress at a theme restaurant, and then a steakhouse in London to try and earn enough money for drama school. I basically lived Emma Morley’s restaurant experience from One Day for four whole years! Anyway, starved of any creative outlet, I started writing during the day whilst serving tables at night. Bridget Jones had just been published and when I read it – and the wave of books that quickly followed it – it was literally like hearing a West End chorus singing! I remember feeling overwhelmed by how much I related to this exciting new genre, how much it spoke to me. And it was saying, ‘maybe you could do this too’. From that moment on I was determined to be a published author one day. And it only took me… 13 years!!! (via a career as a women’s magazine journalist – it was SO worth the wait – and I adored the diversion, too).

What interests you as a writer?

Primarily, it’s people over plot, every time. Perhaps it’s due to my ‘acting’ (ahem) and my journalism background, but my characters always come first and I definitely find that my books are driven by the need to tell a character – or a collective of characters’ stories. But I am also someone who believes 100% in escapism and I’m unashamedly romantic. I love books that make me feel that life can be richer, better, more magical and more romantic than it feels on a day-to-day basis. They’re the books I choose to read, and that’s the kind of books I aim to write, too.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?

I’ve got two children under 3 so nothing can ever be typical! As soon as I think I’ve got a routine cracked my baby girl will refuse to nap or my three year-old son will be sick! On Mondays and Tuesdays my writing completely revolves around them – I squeeze it in by occasionally getting up before them (which as any parent knows is as close to madness as you can get when you spend so long trying to get them to sleep through the night!) but can I emphasise this is only occasionally! I then do another couple of hours at lunchtime when my baby sleeps. Wednesdays are 100% ‘mum days’ but on Thursdays and Fridays my son is at nursery and I have a nanny for my baby girl so for two days I can devote my attention solely to my other baby….my book! On those days I aim to be at my desk, or even better, cosily ensconced in a coffee shop with no internet and no distractions by 9.30am and I write until after lunch – or until I’ve hit 4,000 words. That way I don’t feel guilty for the days when I don’t write at all. Obviously as I get closer to my deadline, all of this will go out the window and I’ll be writing through the night and handing over the kids to their grandparents to get it done on time!

Which authors inspire you and why?

Oh my goodness, so many! I am an absolute stickler for the genre that I write in. I love Marian Keyes (but who doesn’t?!) She just has this incredible ability to write exceptionally prolific tragi-comic novels unlike anyone else in the genre. In my opinion she’s ‘Chick Lit’s’ very own Shakespeare! I also love Jennifer Weiner for writing about real women, being brilliantly funny and clever and also for being such a strong defender of women writers. Then there’s Adriana Trigiani for her wonderfully evocative descriptions and Jo Jo Moyes for her sweeping, thoroughly engaging love stories. Ooh and the next two aren’t fictional authors but they have written books so I can get away with mentioning them! For being a wonderful writer/director of rom-coms and her hilarious observational musings, I love Nora Ephron. And Tina Fey is a modern day writing GODDESS (and someone that I have a massive girl crush on!)

Tell me about Miracle On Regent Street.

With pleasure! It’s a classic Cinderella story, a real cuddle-up-with-a-cashmere-blanket-and-a-hot chocolate kind of a read. I like to think it’s the kind of book that will remind you of classic old movies and those bygone days when Christmas was about magic, not money. It’s a story about a sweet, unassuming stockroom girl called Evie Taylor who works in the basement of Hardy's; a faded, forgotten old department store that has seen better days. For the past two years she's lived an invisible life in London, sorting endless boxes of old-fashioned stock by day and looking after her sister’s two young children at night. Her neighbours think she's the hired help, her self-obsessed shop floor colleagues mistake her for her stockroom predecessor and even her manager doesn't know her actual name. But despite all this she loves working at the store. So when she overhears that Hardy's is at risk of being sold unless it seriously increases its profits by December 26th – just three weeks time - she hatches a secret plan to save it. Evie and Hardy's are both looking for a Christmas miracle to turn their fortunes around, but will it take the form of the handsome American who has swept in to town and shaken things up like a snow globe?


What are the best things about being a writer?

How long have you got? Ok, here goes...
1. Fulfilling my dreams
2. Being able to justifiably live in what my husband calls ‘Ali’s world’.
3. Getting PAID for it!
4. Knowing that people are READING what I write.
5. Hearing from people who have liked what I’ve written.
6.Working in my pajamas.
7. Not having to leave my house unless I want to (all writers are natural hermits, right? Or is that just me..?)
8. Getting to lust after (fictional) men without getting in trouble with my husband (not fictional = not ok!!)
9. Reading my favourite books and rom-coms and calling it ‘research’.
10. Being able to write from anywhere in the world… but mostly choosing to do it in my house.

And the worst?

Honestly? There are no downsides. I’m so lucky to so this for a living I can’t complain about anything… oh hang on, yes I can! Writer’s bottom - Doing this job is proving disastrous for my backside!

What are you working on now?

My second book!! Gosh it feels amazing to say that! It’s called The First Last Kiss and it’s an all-encompassing love story that focuses on Molly and Ryan, a young couple in their 20s who have always seemed destined to be together until something unexpected tears them apart. The story follows the ups and downs of their relationship and each chapter of the novel is a memory triggered by a kiss. The book examines if you can ever hold on to a love that you know is slipping away from you. It is a departure from Miracle on Regent Street in the sense that isn’t necessarily the classic happy-ever-after novel that people may expect, but I hope they will love it all the same!


Do you have a dream project you would love to write?

Well, mostly books 3, 4, 5, 6, 7… ad infinitum! It’s not so much about having a specific dream project, more a dream to keep writing novels as long as I possibly can. Although having said all that, if Andrew Lloyd Webber would let me write a novel that is set backstage on one of his musicals (and give me a starring role, obvs) then that would be AMAZING! I’d need singing lessons first. And some dancing ones. And my acting is a bit shaky, but seriously, Lord Webber, you know where I am if you want me!

What are your top three tips for aspiring writers?

1. Stop treating it as an indulgence. To finish your book you have to write every day. Even when you don’t feel like it or when The X Factor is on. At the very least, set yourself a word count each day. And that includes if you already have a full time job. Even you can only manage 500 words per day by the end of one month you’ll have written 10,000 words!
2. Write from your heart. Don’t try to second-guess ‘what’s selling’ or ‘what the publishing industry wants’. If you tell the story that has spoken to you, that stops you from sleeping, wakes you up in the morning, fires your creativity and that most importantly, that YOU want to read, then and only then will you have written something to be proud of and that other people will want to read too.
3. For my last tip I’m dusting off my jazz shoes and jazz hands to join the cast of Glee in singing…. ‘Don’t Stop Belieeeevin’! Because if you believe it can happen, everyone else will eventually follow! Even if, like me, it takes 13 years! Ooh and if you want any more tips (on writing, not singing obviously) – go to my facebook.com/aliharriswriter!


Anything else you’d like to say?

Just a massive thank you to everyone who’s bought Miracle on Regent Street, is thinking about buying it, has picked up a copy of it, has bought a copy for someone else, might buy my book after reading this interview… And to you Miranda, for thinking of asking me to take part in your Writer’s Spotlight, then asking me, then having me….

Miranda?! Miranda’s blog readers? Are you still there….? *beeeep*.

Thanks so much to Ali for such a fantastic interview!

Miracle on Regent Street is a fabulous read - really warm-hearted and old-fashioned in the best sense of the word. I adored it and would highly recommend it - you should definitely check it out!

You can visit Ali's website here, catch her on Facebook and follow her on twitter.

It Started With a Kiss episode 15: edits and the RNA...

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November (but you can pre-order it here!). This week, the line edits are complete, so I head off for fun and inspiration at the RNA Conference in Caerleon - and gain a new hat!

First of all, massive apologies for the delay in getting this episode to your screens. I had just two weeks to complete what turned out to be a mammoth line edit (15,000 words ended up being edited from the manuscript, but I think it's better for it, even though it was a bit scary!) and then I contracted flu and was out of action for almost a week...

But I'm all better now, thank goodness, and just about to start going through my novel again, this time checking the edits suggested by my new copy editor, Rhian. It's quite surprising to a lot of people when they discover how many times I 'finish' my book through the various edit stages, but I'm a big believer in the importance of all of these edits to create a story that is the best that it can possibly be.

The best reward for emerging victorious after the killer combo of edits and flu was to join with lots of lovely RNA members at this year's RNA Conference at the University of Wales in Caerleon. Writing can be such a solitary pursuit, so to be able to spend time with other writers and share inspiration and experiences of writing is always a treat! I also received a lovely new hat (which you can see in the vlog) from the very lovely Mandy Baggot (read my Writer Spotlight interview with Mandy here). I had some issues with my Flip camera, so didn't get to film as much as I wanted, but hopefully the bits in the vlog, together with the photos I took, will give you an idea of this fabulous weekend...

So here's this week's vlog and photos from the conference are below. Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled 'Half-asleep at a picnic table'



Images from the RNA Conference: Tamsyn Murray's brilliant talk on the rise of the bad boy in YA fiction - with a plug for Keris Stainton!); the very glamorous Gala Dinner; and my table at the Gala Dinner with the very lovely Tamsyn Murray, Cally Taylor (who also won the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy for her short story on the night) and Kate Harrison... together with (not pictured) Ruth Saberton, Julie Cohen and Joanna Cannon.

It Started With a Kiss week 9: Meet the band!

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 3rd November. This week, the structural edits continue, plus get a world premiere of my dream cast for The Pinstripes - the wedding band at the centre of the novel!

Thanks again for all your fab questions, too. This week, I talk about how my writing process has changed since I became a published author, writing full time (or not!), using real people as inspiration for my characters - and what can happen to my stories when real life influences fictional events...

On Twitter this week, we had a lot of fun as I gathered together my perfect cast for Romily and her friends in The Pinstripes wedding band. Thank you so much to everyone who suggested such amazing actors! For an exclusive introduction to the characters you'll read about in It Started With a Kiss, check out my Dream Cast list underneath the vlog!

So enjoy - and let me know if you have other suggestions for my cast.

Oh, by the way, if you're Richard Curtis and, by some amazingly implausible twist of fate, you've happened upon this blog post, you've got the cast all sorted below - so how about being my dream Director and making It Started With a Kiss the movie...? :o)

p.s. This week's YouTube nominated freeze frame is affectionately known as, 'Slightly Manic Neighbour'...



And now, for your viewing pleasure, may I proudly present...

THE DREAM CAST of IT STARTED WITH A KISS...

ROMILY PARKER
played by Claire Foy (recently seen in BBC1's Little Dorrit)

By day, Romily is a jingle-writer for Brum FM, Birmingham's third most popular commercial radio station, but her real passion lies in songwriting and performing as part of The Pinstripes wedding band with her best friends. A strong believer in the power of possibility, she is confident and optimistic, with the kind of outlook on life that always looks for the best. When the story begins, Romily has just confessed her undying love to her best male friend Charlie (drummer with The Pinstripes), but unfortunately things have gone horribly wrong. Mortified and thoroughly embarrassed, Romily runs from him through the crowded streets of Birmingham's famous German Christmas Market - straight into the arms of a handsome stranger. So unexpected and world-changing is this moment that when the stranger is suddenly called away, Romily vows to spend the next year trying to find him. As she embarks on her yearlong quest, she will need all of her trademark positivity and resolve - especially when Charlie starts to change his mind...

CHARLIE WAKELEY
played by Ben Barnes (recently seen in The Chronicles of Narnia)

Image from The Bosh.com
Gorgeous, arty, sensitive and charming, art gallery manager Charlie is the drummer with The Pinstripes and Romily's closest friend since school. They've shared everything over the years and know more about each other than either cares to admit. It's generally accepted in the band that he and Romily will one day get together - their chemistry is plain for all to see. After his initial bad reaction to Romily's confession, Charlie quickly seems to be backtracking - and with looks and charm this devastating, might he be the right one for Romily after all?



WREN
played by Holliday Grainger (recently seen in ITV1's Demons)

image source: RottenTomatoes.com
A sassy redhead with angelic looks and - it has to be said - an utterly filthy sense of humour, Wren is The Pinstripes' diminutive singer and bass player. Fiercely loyal to Romily, she champions her best friend's seemingly crazy quest to find the handsome stranger - but her overenthusiastic attempt to help (via an advert in the Encounters section of the local paper) leads to a couple of toe-curlingly awful dates for Romily... Always in demand with the male population of Birmingham and beyond, Wren harbours a secret soft spot for D'Wayne, hapless manager of The Pinstripes - even though he appears to be terrified of her!

TOM
played by Jim Sturgess (recently seen in the feature film The Way Back)

image source: RealBollywood.com
Guitarist and avid mountain biker, Tom is the charming joker of The Pinstripes. His brooding good looks and cheeky sense of humour makes him a definite hit with the ladies. A computer whizzkid by day, he is responsible for landing The Pinstripes their biggest gig to date: playing at the lavish, celebrity-packed wedding of his millionaire boss's daughter in a breathtaking London stately pile. But could his new girlfriend, ambitious journalist Cayte, be about to cause untold problems for Romily?






JACK
played by Christian Cooke (also recently seen in ITV1's Demons)

image source: FeastofFun.com
Gentle, wise-cracking Jack is the only member of The Pinstripes who works full-time in music - in the recording studio he owns in the heart of the City. One of Romily's closest confidants, Jack encourages her to pursue her songwriting ambitions when he sees her song ideas scribbled in a notebook that she inadvertently leaves at his studio. The house that he shares with his girlfriend Sophie is the unofficial base for The Pinstripes - from official band meetings to frequent social gatherings. Jack is also Charlie's best friend: can he see something developing between them that Charlie and Romily can't?

D'WAYNE MCDOUGALL
played by Adetomiwa Edun (recently seen in the RSC's Romeo and Juliet and BBC1's Merlin)

image source: Independent.co.uk)
Hapless yet lovable D'Wayne is the not-so-hot manager of The Pinstripes. He's trying hard, but several of the wedding gigs he books for the band turn into complete disasters (don't even mention the One With the Tights...) Undaunted, his ambitions for the band only grow stronger - and when they land the Millionaire Gig, D'Wayne steps up his game. To the amusement of the band, the only person who can reduce this handsome, assured young man to a quivering wreck is tiny, flame-haired Wren - but does his apparent terror hide his true feelings for her?


So, what do you think? Let me know! More dream cast members will follow over the next few months, including UNCLE DUDLEY, AUNTIE MAGS, SOPHIE (Jack's girlfriend) and, of course, THE MYSTERY MAN! (watch out for him next week!)

Check out my new blog look!

WOW... how cool is this?!

Many, many thanks to Hilary from Simply Yours Designs for this fantastically girlie-groovy-gorgeous design!!

What do you think of the new look for Coffee & Roses? Let me know!