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Chick Lit Author Melissa Nathan
Chick Lit Authors

Chick Lit Author Melissa Nathan

Melissa Nathan was born in 1968 in Hertfordshire and went on to study Communications at the Polytechnic of Wales in Pontypridd. Though she acted in plays throughout college, she decided to take a post graduate course in journalism, then went on to work as a writer, sub-editor, and commissioning editor for women’s magazines. Melissa Nathan continued on writing novels, and published five titles: Pride, Prejudice, and Jasmine Field, Persuading Annie, The Nanny, The Waitress, and The Learning Curve.
Melissa Nathan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 while working on Persuading Annie. Initial cancer treatments went well, and in 2003 Nathan gave birth to her first child, son Sam. Unfortunately, the cancer returning shortly after the birth of Sam, and had spread to her liver and bones. Melissa Nathan passed away in April 2006 at the age of 37.

March 15, 2010
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Chick Lit Author Sierra Michaels
Chick Lit Authors

Chick Lit Author Sierra Michaels

Sierra Michaels was born in Cincinnati but moved to Los Angeles as a young adult. Though she attended UCLA for Anthropology and Archaeology, she loved when she was able to write essays and use her creativity. It wasn’t until she was vacationing in the Bahamas with her husband when she finally started writing her first novel. It was living in LA that inspired her story, and Intimate Encounters was created by Michael’s ability to observe all the unique subcultures of Los Angeles.
Sierra Michaels currently lives in Florida with her husband, and also has a second home in Bimini, Bahamas, where most of her writing takes place. Intimate Encounters went on sale March 9th, and you can order your copy below.

March 13, 2010
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Out April 6: Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow
Chick Lit Authors

Out April 6: Just Like Me, Only Better by Carol Snow

Carol Snow’s latest novel, Just Like Me, Only Better goes on sale April 6th, and I am looking forward to getting my review copy soon. Snow is the author of some fantastic titles, such as Here Today, Gone to Maui, Getting Warmer, and Been There Done That. Be sure to pre-order your copy of Just Like Me, Only Better from Amazon, and look for my review and interview with Carol Snow.

Just Like Me, Only Better:

Ever since Veronica’s husband found the love of his life—and it turned out not to be her—she’s been a mess. It doesn’t help that she keeps getting mistaken for Haley Rush—the Hollywood starlet whose dazzling life is plastered on every magazine at the checkout line of her suburban California grocery store.

So when Haley’s manager offers Veronica a job as a celebrity double, it only takes a moment for the shock to pass before she says yes. Is it a fantasy come true or a disaster in disguise?

Ever since Veronica’s husband found the love of his life—and it turned out not to be her—she’s been a mess. It doesn’t help that she keeps getting mistaken for Haley Rush—the Hollywood starlet whose dazzling life is plastered on every magazine at the checkout line of her suburban California grocery store.

So when Haley’s manager offers Veronica a job as a celebrity double, it only takes a moment for the shock to pass before she says yes. Is it a fantasy come true or a disaster in disguise?

March 13, 2010
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Interview with Shanna Swendson
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Shanna Swendson

Q: Why did you start writing?

I’ve always entertained myself by making up stories in my head. From there, it seemed like a natural progression into writing those stories down.

Q: I just got into your Enchanted series. I was always a fan of shows such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and I love reading these magical adventures. Where was the inspiration for these novels?

When I first came up with the idea, chick lit was the big publishing trend, and I loved those books that reflected the kind of life I was having as a single woman, with difficulty finding Mr. Right, bad dates, crazy bosses, and all that. At the same time, I’d just discovered the Harry Potter series. I’d always been a big fantasy fan, but hadn’t read a lot of fantasy novels that took place in modern times in more or less the “real” world, and I really loved that aspect of the series. I loved the places where the magical world intersected with the real world or where the magical people tried to hide what they really were — like the secret entrance to Diagon Alley or the mysterious Platform 9 3/4. I also liked the whimsical way the magical world duplicated many of the familiar elements of the real world, like the mail service, the school and the shops. The school parts of those books reminded me of my own school days because I am essentially Hermione Granger, and I was just like her when I was that age. I even have the bushy hair, and I was generally best friends with guys, many of whom I had crushes on even while they didn’t realize I was female. I found myself mentally merging the chick lit world and a Harry Potter-like modern magical world, and then I realized that was exactly what I wanted to read — something like chick lit that reflected my adult life, but with magic in it, or else something like the magical world of Harry Potter, but about adults. At first, it was mostly what I wanted to read, but when I couldn’t find anything like that, I decided to write it myself.

Q: I just had a guest post about first timers at a writer conference. You gave some details on your website about your first conference. What was one of the most important lessons you took away from that?

I honestly don’t remember anything from any of the session I attended at that first conference. The main thing I learned from just being at the conference was that writing was something I could do and maybe even eventually do as a job. Up to that point, being an author seemed like dreaming of being a movie star, not like something an ordinary person could do. Meeting real writers and seeing that they were just people was eye-opening. I also met editors and agents for the first time at that conference, and even chatted with them, and that taught me that they weren’t superhuman beings sitting on Mount Olympus, but that they were people who loved books and reading, just like me. It made being a published author seem like a real possibility instead of just a wild dream.

Q: You contributed an essay to Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume. How did it feel to be included in that piece?

I felt so honored. I still get a thrill out of the thought that Judy Blume now might have the slightest idea that I exist.

Q: Are you currently working on any novels?

I’m working on a book that may spawn an entirely new series, but I haven’t sold it to a publisher yet. Right now, I’m mostly writing it for fun, and then I hope it will be published. Meanwhile, I’m researching the next book I hope to write, which will be very different for me and probably rather challenging.

Q: What is your biggest personal accomplishment?

I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’ve been self-employed for eight years now and am making a living as a novelist, which is the fulfillment of a life-long dream.

Q: What is your favorite part about being a writer?

Working at home, on my own schedule, with no boss and no office politics. It’s wonderful that I can get up when I want, wear what I want and work when I want. This job offers so much freedom and flexibility. Plus, I make money for doing the things that I do to amuse myself.

Q: How long does it take you to finish writing a book?

It really depends, and the writing comes in phases that may not be connected, with multiple projects overlapping. I can generally write a first draft in a couple of months, but it may take me months before that to research and think about the story and months after that to revise the book. I guess if I crammed together all the parts of work on a book, it would take me about four or five months. Some books come more quickly than others, and some take a lot longer.

Q: What is your advice to aspiring writers?

You need to be persistent. One of the biggest mistakes I see in aspiring authors is giving up too soon — thinking that the first round of rejections means they aren’t going to make it or falling prey to vanity publishing scams and spending a lot of money to publish a book that isn’t really ready instead of getting back to work and writing something new that stands a chance of being published the right way (where the author gets paid). At the same time, you need to know when to give up — not on writing entirely, but know when to give up on a project and try something new instead of getting bogged down on something that may not ever go anywhere.

Q: What is or do you think would be your favorite place to travel?

I have two favorites. One is New York City. I love how you’re seeing an entirely different city, depending on where you go and what you do. Oddly, I’ve always been there for business or to research books, so I haven’t done the standard tourist stuff (I’ve never been to the Statue of Liberty!), but I’ve discovered a lot of fun nooks and crannies that aren’t in guidebooks. Then I also love going to England. The English countryside is gorgeous, and I love how there are walking paths all over the country, going from village to village across fields. It’s a wonderful place to escape from day-to-day life and clear your head.

March 12, 2010
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Interview with Janet Gover
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Janet Gover

Q: How did you get into writing?
When I was at school about eleven or twelve years old, my teacher set us weekend homework – to write a short story. It was supposed to be one page. I wrote about twenty pages. I typed them up on my Dad’s typewriter and even made a cardboard book cover and illustrated it. This book was called Sunbeam, and featured a girl and her pony. I think my Dad still has it in a drawer somewhere.

I fully expected an A+ for the assignment. I didn’t get it (I got an A- ). It did however, convince me that writing was the best thing in the world to do.

Q: Where do you get the ideas for your plots and characters?
For me, this is the really magical bit of writing.

Ideas can be triggered by anything I find interesting or unusual. Some tiny thing will float around the back of my brain for a while, meet up with another idea and slowly a story starts to build. Most books are several different ideas merged into one tale.

People are a constant source of inspiration – usually without knowing it. I have a T-shirt, a gift from another writer, which says…
Be careful or you’ll end up in my novel.

That’s not far from the truth.

Q: You have a novel coming out in July, Girl Racers. What can you tell us about this book?
My brother is a rather successful amateur car rally driver. One day I was driving one of his cars… a classic 1969 Ford Mustang. Within half a mile, I was pulled over by a policeman even though I was doing nothing wrong. He just seemed to find it very strange that a woman would be driving such a car.

As a result, I decided to write a book about a girl in a sports car… well, two girls – who might break some speed limits …. and some hearts.

Q: What did you do to celebrate your first published novel?
All right – I’ll confess. The day I got the phone call saying Little Black Dress wanted to publish my first book, I cried like a fool. It might seem silly, but it was the realization of a dream for me. My partner John and I went out for dinner to celebrate. It was a Korean restaurant – lots of raw fish and chilli.

Q: What do you want readers to take about from your writing?

I write about people’s lives and emotions… their hopes and fears and desires. I would like to think that the readers will relate to some of those things. My characters (at least the good ones) always end the book in a better place than they began… and maybe that might give the readers encouragement to look towards their own positive future.

I also like to think my books will give each reader a smile – maybe more than one.

Q: I read that you have always loved horses- I as well! How hard was it training for horse shows?
In the Australian bush, horses are work more than play. I used to muster cattle on horseback. When I moved to the city, I brought a couple of horses with me, and that’s when I got seriously involved in competition.

I had a ‘real’ job as usually two horses in training at the same time. I would get up when it was barely light to work one horse before I went to work, then ride the other after I got home. What a great way to lose weight and get fit! On weekends, several of us would travel together to shows to compete. I’m not the world’s greatest horsewoman, but I did win a few ribbons here and there.

Q: You went into journalism after graduating, is that what your major was?
When I was still at school, I saw a reporter on television doing a story about a fancy beach holiday resort. I decided on the spot that was the job for me. Writing and beaches – what could be better?

I studied journalism at University, but also stumbled into sociology and political studies. My career as a reporter followed a similar path. I was a general reporter, then became a specialist crime reporter. After that, I migrated across into politics. I never did get to that beach resort.

I discovered that whatever field I was in, the best part about it was the fascinating people I met. From Presidents to policemen, movie stars, nuns, teachers to taxi drivers… every single one of them had a story to tell.

Q: You now work as a consultant with computers, how did you get into that field? And how do you find time to do that work and write novels?
The computer work arose from being a television journalist. I was a producer – working behind the scenes to make TV programmes. I was really interested in the technology that I used to do that. These days, I spend a lot of time designing computer systems to help other producers do what I did – but better and easier.

As to time – I do spend a lot of time in planes and airports. I hate both and bury myself in writing when I’m stuck there. I write in hotel rooms where the TV programmes are in languages I don’t speak. Basically, if I stop doing anything else for more than a few minutes, I start writing. Even if it’s just in my head. There’s a lot of thinking and plotting and planning goes into a book before the words get onto a page. I can do that anywhere, anytime.

Q: What would be your advice to aspiring writers?

There are two things I think are important..

You need to be determined. You’ll face a lot of criticisms and rejections, and not just when you are starting out. You just have to take it. Learn from it if you can, then keep going. I have a drawer full of rejections – they were part of the learning process. The important thing is not to give up.

You need to write from the heart. Trying to write what you think someone else wants never works – at least it doesn’t for me. Write what you want to write. Write something you believe in. That’s what makes your work shine.

Q: You have lived and traveled a little bit of everywhere! Where would you say is your favorite place to visit?

It may sound corny, but my favourite place to visit is somewhere I haven’t been yet. The world just fascinates me. Every place is different and has its own special charms just waiting to be discovered. People are fascinating too – how different they are from place to place and how much they remain the same everywhere.

But – if you are going to force me to choose…

A desert anywhere for the silence and the beauty.
Any mountain for the taste of the air.
New York for the shopping.
London for the theatres and bookshops.
Sydney for the harbour.
Rome for the men (Mama Mia indeed!).

March 12, 2010
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Interview with Kasey Michaels
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Kasey Michaels

Q: You have an incredibly touching story to how you began writing. Can you tell us what the main reason was that convinced you to start your stories?

Samantha — feel free to cut and paste from my website on that one:
When our oldest son was eight years old his kidneys failed. I had two other young children at home; I was pregnant. And here I was, on the Critical Care floor of a children’s’ hospital seventy miles from my husband, my other children, surrounded by sick children, injured children, dying children … and sleeping on a cot beside my own very ill son. For weeks on end. For nine long months, until his first transplant (and three weeks after the birth of our daughter), I performed dialysis on our son at home and in the hospital. I rode in too many ambulances, I watched too many children die, I sat, unable to sleep, in the Parents Lounge with other mothers going through their own hells – and I noticed something.
The nurses who lived with all this pain and suffering every working day, all seemed to have romance novels stuck in their pockets as they rode the elevators to the lunch room in the windowless basement. The mothers hid inside the pages of romance novels when they couldn’t sleep, knowing they could be interrupted when the words “Code Blue” blared over the loudspeaker, knowing one of those calls could be for their child. A librarian friend kept me supplied with romance novels – I had a special small suitcase for them and lugged it to the hospital with me along with my pajamas, maternity clothes, and stash of cookies.
We mothers would read, share, trade the books that kept us sane. We all lived in a real world in that hospital, a world too real; we all functioned at the highest level, because there was no choice but to function, to persevere – and we all occasionally escaped that world into the hope and happy endings of romance novels. Those moments of “escape” made it easier, never easy but easier, to deal with the real world.
I’d written my first book, THE BELLIGERENT MISS BOYNTON, just before our son’s kidney failure. It wasn’t a career move, it was just an idea I had and wrote with little thought to a career. I wrote my second book during those long nine months, staying awake all night twice a week, to scribble it in longhand at the dining room table. A Regency romance, a very funny romance, this book became THE TENACIOUS MISS TAMERLANE – and, looking back now, as I write this, I guess the word “tenacious” was, sub-consciously – a pretty good choice.
Years later I was told, by a reviewer, that she called this book her “rainy day” book, because if she felt down, she knew reading this book would make her laugh. I wrote that book for me, and for those nurses, for those mothers trying to make it through just one more night. So that’s how it really began, with that second book, before the first one was sold. It was that second book that told me, yes, you have a chance for a career here. You can do something for yourself that just might make somebody else’s day a little brighter. It sounds hokey, but that’s how it happened…

Q: You write a variety of romances, including contemporary and historical. How do you get the ideas for both genres?
I’m supposing you’d like honesty here, so I’l be honest: I have no idea how I get my ideas. I just seem to think in ‘what if.’ I’ll see something, hear someone say something…and the next thing I know, I’m scribbling on napkins, the backs of envelopes, whatever is handy. There truly are times I’d like to shut it off for a while, this idea factory that seems to have taken up residence in my head. But, mostly, I’m grateful to have it!

Q: Is there any particular book that you have written that you especially loved, either the characters or doing the research for?
That’s rather like asking which of my four children I love most, and of course the answer is that I love them all equally. I am always most involved with the next idea, the next character, but I love them all. All my books, over one hundred now, are all also my children. I’m just glad I don’t have to buy them shoes…
Q: You have received numerous awards for your work. How did it feel winning that very first award?

Thrilling and terrible. Thrilling because, heck, it’s an award, who wouldn’t want it, right? And terrible because I’m very comfortable in front of a computer … not so much in front of a huge banquet room filled with people who expect me to say something brilliant. I think I stumbled through a mumbling ‘thank you,’ and quickly took me and my boneless knees back to my seat. Has either feeling changed? Nope, not at all.
Q: How long does it take you to finish a novel once you’ve gotten an idea for the plot and characters?

In the beginning (back in the Stone Age…), it took me seven to nine months to write a book. Now, thirty years later, a lot of my research has morphed into a “store of knowledge,” so that I am not stopping every five minutes to look up something or search my brain for just the right word. So now it takes me about three months or less (depending on the deadline and whether or not my family greets me with daily emergencies). I’d like to keep a schedule, but that’s impossible, so sometimes I can write 3,000 words a day for a while and actually have a life, and sometimes I end up working twelve hour days for two or three weeks in a row (weekends included), rarely even having time to get out of my pajamas. Staying in your pajamas, by the way, greatly limits pleas to play hooky and go to the mall, to dinner, etc.
Q: How do you enjoy spending your free time?
I don’t understand that expression: free time. You don’t write three to — my record — seven books a year and still have anything even remotely resembling a life. If I’m not at the computer I’m thinking about what I’ll do when I get back to the computer, or another idea comes knocking and I have to pay attention. In fact, when I do declare that this is it, I’m taking two weeks off, within a week my family is none-too-gently urging me back to the computer, as I’m much happier when I’m writing. This may have something to do with my extreme disenchantment with housework, but I haven’t been able to prove it… I do have one vice: I love the penny slot machines, and do try to visit our local casino every few weeks and happily, mindlessly, watch the reels go around and pretty much “zone out” for a few hours, let my mind go blank. These little excursions invariably end with an idea sneaking into the void, either to solve a problem in my current manuscript or to give me an idea for a new book. Really, penny slots should be tax deductible for writers…
Q: Do you have any “guilty pleasures?”

M&Ms, definitely. I could not produce a word without chocolate. I buy them in the giant economy size and keep them in a cookie jar on my desk. I’m so ashamed…
Q: What are some of your favorite books?
It’s easier to list favorite authors, I think. I’m a voracious reader, and once I discover an author I pray he/she has a huge backlist, then devour it. Lee Child, Jonathan Kellerman, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Tami Hoag, Carl Hiaason — name a ‘thriller writer,’ and I’m there. Georgette Heyer, definitely. Terry Pratchett is way up there — I read his books over and over and over again, and always discover something I’ve missed, another “level” to his writing. I only read romance when I’m not writing it; otherwise I can’t enjoy it just for the pleasure of reading. There are too many great romance authors out there for me to even begin to list them.
Q: What would be your best advice for aspiring writers?

Read. Then read some more. I wrote my first book after realizing two things. 1, I would get to the bottom of a page of a book I was reading and know what was going to be on the next page, and 2, I would read a book and think, “No, I would have done this…and this…” It’s difficult for a writer to truly get submerged in a book, because we read critically, watching style, how the author handled a plot twist, etc. When I find myself lost in a book, not looking at it clinically but simply drawn in, then I know I’ve found an exceptional writer and I will read the book for pleasure, then read it again to try to figure out why I was able to suspend my disbelief and simply enjoy.

For aspiring romance authors, the natural answer is to join RWA. This is where you will find kindred spirits (who understand things like writing in your pajamas and/or talking to the people who live in your head). My other advice would be to worry less about what you’ll put on your website and how you’ll design your bookmarks and other promo than you do about writing a book a publisher will buy. It’s great to know about the nuts and bolts of the business — but don’t put the cart before the horse; first, learn your craft. I’m also not a huge fan of writing contests, only because many aspiring writers seem to take entering contests to the extreme, get too much feedback, too many varying opinions from contest judges, and suddenly the book is a “book by committee,” no longer your own idea, your own work — and the joy disappears. Don’t write for contests — write for you.
Q: What is or do you think would be your favorite place to travel?
I’d be up for going anywhere in the world, were it not for my abject fear of flying… In the past year I’ve been to Colonial Williamsburg and Florida, and I’ll be traveling back to Florida in the fall, for the Novelists, Inc., conference (www.ninc.com). I can’t get out of that because I’m the conference chair — but much as I look forward to the conference, I’m already shaking in my shoes about the flights. I may write about courageous heroines…but I’m a wimp. LOL

March 12, 2010
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Interview with Sierra Michaels
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Sierra Michaels

Q: What made you want to start writing?
As an undergraduate student at UCLA writing reports and essays was essential. I especially enjoyed and excelled in classes that allowed me to use my creativity when writing. I didn’t have the time until recently to write for myself and this started on a whim in Bimini, Bahamas. My husband would go out fishing and I would read a book on the beach or in our home. One day I picked up my laptop and just started writing and creating characters. As the story developed I dove into the art of writing and concentrated on learning from other writers.
Q: I read that a certain LA subculture gave you the inspiration for your novel, Intimate Encounters. Can you tell us more about that subculture?
A good friend of mine worked in the sensual massage industry and she would tell me funny stories about the business and her clients. I used that premise to create my characters and develop the story along with my own experience as an archaeology student. Intimate Encounters merges the two, creating internal conflict for the main character, Cali.
Q: Are you currently working on a second novel?
Not currently, but I will be this spring and summer. Once I start writing the process happens pretty quickly for me. Sometimes I spend all day writing.
Q: What did you find most difficult about writing?
Editing is my least favorite part of writing. But it’s a necessity.
Q: Why did you move to Los Angeles from Cincinnati? What was the biggest adjustment you had to make?
I wanted to travel and live somewhere warm. My good friend from high school needed a roommate and I longed to get out of the suburbs of Cincinnati and explore the world. It seemed like the perfect opportunity. We lived together in a tiny studio apartment with no kitchen and we shared a bathroom with the entire apartment complex. I hated it, but we were within walking distance to the beach. The biggest adjustment was going from a somewhat small town to such a large and diverse city. It took me awhile to learn the freeway system and neighborhoods of Los Angeles. I once found myself lost in a bad part of East L.A., and that scared me into learning the roads and city layout. After about a year, I loved the city and I made it my home.
Q: You have a Masters degree in Anthropology with a concentration in Archaeology. What made you decide on that major?
The diversity of people in Los Angeles fascinated me and I wanted to learn more. I became very passionate about the study of culture, especially ancient societies. As a young student, I had the opportunity to travel to Egypt and I decided then to pursue my dream of becoming an archaeologist. Once I make a decision I give it 100% and follow through.
Q: What is one personal goal that is at the top of your to-do list?
That’s a hard one. I’ve done so much in my life and I would have said write a book, but now I can take that off my to-do list. I’ve never had a child and I think being a mother would be a wonderful experience. But I haven’t decided on that, yet. It’s such a commitment and I go back and forth with the decision.
Q: How do you enjoy spending any free time?
I have my pilot’s license and a plane, so flying is at the top of my list. It’s such feeling of freedom to fly to the islands or another town with my husband and friends for lunch or an overnight stay. I also like reading, watching movies and getting killer massages.
Q: What would your advice be to aspiring writers?
Write for yourself. It’s a rewarding experience and write because you like it. Always strive to learn more about writing and improving your own skills. Don’t let rejections stop you, instead let that become your inspiration to learn more about the publishing business.
Q: I read that you have had the opportunity to travel pretty extensively. What was the favorite place you visited?
Each place is unique and beautiful in its own right. I would say several places hold a special place in my heart. Recently, I went to South Africa and the beauty of Cape Town was unparalleled along with a safari in the northern part of the country. For me Italy is the most romantic place, and it’s where my husband and I spent our honeymoon. Egypt and Russia for its long rich history. Vietnam, Ireland and Peru all combine natural beauty and history.

March 9, 2010
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Interview with Gemma Burgess
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Gemma Burgess

Q: Why did you decide to write The Dating Detox?
A combination of things came together to create a perfect storm of novel-writing… I was in bed with a tedious back injury, my sister and I had been talking about the kinds of books we wanted to read, and then I just started writing one night. I wanted a heroine that was normal – you know, funny and confident and silly and ballsy. And I wanted to reverse the usual chicklit thing of having a girl pining for love – I wanted to create an anti-romantic comedy, with a heroine who was saying ‘up yours’ to love…
Q: Are you currently working on another book?
I’ve just finished my second book, The Dating Virgin. I’m editing it as we speak. It’s about a girl who learns to be single after a long time in a relationship – it’s a tough thing to do, and there’s not much out there about it. She learns to date like a man – more specifically, like a bastard…
Q: What did you find most difficult about writing?
Self-doubt is the hardest thing. Not writers block – I very rarely have that, probably as I’ve earned my living writing for advertising agencies for a long time, so I know that when it strikes I just need to read something else for an hour or go for a walk somewhere distracting like, you know, Zara. But self-doubt! That’s a killer. Those evil little fairies who tell you that you’re a bit poo… you have to just ignore them and keep going.
Q: You have a feature on your website, Name That Bastard. (Hilarious). What gave you the idea for that?
I find naming really hard. When it came to naming the bad guy, Rick, in The Dating Detox, I sent emails to all my friends asking for the name of any bastard ex-boyfriends they had… the emails poured in and everyone told me the bastard story behind why it should be this name or that name, and that’s how I chose Rick. So for The Dating Virgin, I threw it open to the world with www.namethatbastard.com… I get some hilarious emails – and I think it’s like free therapy, too.
Q: What are some of your favorite books or authors?
Ayyy so many… I read a lot. I love Nora Ephron, Jilly Cooper, Plum Sykes, Nancy Mitford, Kingsley Amis, Bret Easton Ellis, Stella Gibbons, Jane Austen, Julian Barnes… Recently I read The Adventures Of Kavelier and Clay, by Michael Chabon, which was incredible, just brilliant. And I just read The Making Of Mia by Ilana Fox, which is fab glitzy revenge fash-lit.
Q: How do you spend your free time?
At the moment? Planning my wedding! I’m getting married in April in New York so, since we live in London, that’s a bit of a time-suck. The rest of the time, when I’m not writing – and I’m writing quite a lot, it has to be said – I’m the same as most girls, I think: go out for dinner and drinks with my friends, read magazines in the bath, read books, go shopping, try to force myself to work out, watch SkyPlussed episodes of Glee…
Q: I see you are fellow shoe lover. What is your favorite pair of heels in your closet?
Oh, gosh. So many… Well, I bought a pair of red Miu Miu heels to wear on my wedding day… a bit untraditional, I know, but I LOVE them. They’re attached. I have a silly amount of shoes for a girl who spends most of her time in Converses. Most of my shoes are from Office. Damn I love that place.
Q: Where is one place you absolutely advise against trying to meet a man?
Anywhere that those dreadful books tell you to meet them, like salsa class… I don’t know any normal single man who would go to a salsa class. Men I know go to work, the gym, bars, restaurants, and home. I think you can meet a man anywhere as long as you’re not obsessing. That irritating adage ‘it happens when you least expect it’ is true. The Dating Detox just takes that to the next level.
Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Read, write, edit. Repeat…And ignore the self-doubt!
Q: I read you grew up everywhere. What would you say was the best location you lived in?
Tough question! I am pretty seriously in love with London. I’ve lived here since I was 22 and I love, love, love it. It’s home. My parents are still in Hong Kong, where I spent most of my life before London, and I count that as a sort of second home – whenever I head back I feel that ‘ahhh’ relaxed feeling. The light, the smell, the humidity, the beautiful lights… it really makes me feel all warm and happy. And I went to university in Sydney, in Australia, and have lots of fond memories of there, too. It’s a great place to live… I don’t remember Singapore or the other places all that well as I was pretty young. In summary? London, followed by Hong Kong!

March 9, 2010
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Interview with Sarah Mason
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Sarah Mason

Q: Why did you decide to start writing? I had just finished a very demanding job and just got married. My fabulous husband suggested I take a few months off to decide what I wanted to do next and, without really thinking about it, I started writing. The result was Playing James.

Q: Where do you get inspiration for your characters? Everywhere! In cafes, from friends, from films, from family. I watch people the whole time. I probably look a bit creepy and people take very wide circles around me. My husband and I spent a very memorable Valentine’s evening when I was completely transfixed by the couple at the next table having an enormous – yet whispered – row. Our waiter kept missing bits as he went back to the kitchen and would ask me what happened when he came back. It went on for about 45 minutes.

Q: My first book I read by you was Playing James. How did you like writing about romance with a tinge of mystery and crime involved in the plot? I love writing books with a bit of a plot! In fact I would find it hard not to. It gives a real focus for the characters – something to revolve around.

Q: Do you have a favorite book or author? I love Atonement and I love Sarah Waters. I’m years behind and have piles and piles of novels next to my bed waiting to be read. It’s hard to read anything when I’m actually writing so they have to wait until a holiday and then I will take between 10 and 20 with me. My poor husband, I barely utter a word for hours. I LOVE reading.

Q: Is there a certain area where you get your writing done? Yes, I have a study which is covered with papers and research books. We moved house recently and I had some very posh and expensive cupboards built because I was convinced the reason that I was so messy in my office was because I didn’t have enough storage. That was not the reason. The cupboards remain empty and I remain messy.

Q: Is there such thing as a ‘typical day’ for you? I get up at 5 am every morning apart from the weekends and work until my children get up at about 7. Then we all get dressed and I take them to school. I start work again at 9 and finish roughly at 12. Then I pick up my little boy – who only does mornings at pre-school – and we do something together until it’s time to collect his big sister. Somewhere in all that I fit in some exercise and cooking and washing. Often not very well.

Q: Can you pick one of your novels that perhaps is your favorite, or you had the most fun writing? I think Playing James because I liked the sparkiness between the characters. I loved writing those conversations.

Q: What is a unique fact about you that others may not know? I have a degree in maths from Bristol uni.

Q: Are you working on new material right now? Yes. A change of genre. Still some mystery and some sparkiness though. It’s an ambitious novel and hard to write.

Q: Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? Read, read and read. Take notes on structure and plot of the books you love. Decide what sort of author you want to be. Do you want to entertain or shock or thrill? Drill your book into sections and work separately on characters, plot, period detail, dialogue, scene setting, etc.

Q: What would be or is your favorite place to travel? Cornwall. We visit at least four times a year. I grew up there and I adore it.

March 7, 2010
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