Author Interview: Kristen Bailey

Second Helpings by Kristen Bailey
Series: Souper Mum Series #2

Release Date: 17th November 2016
Publisher: Accent Press

Genres: Fiction / Humour

I am thrilled to welcome Kristen Bailey to the blog with an author interview.

Interview

Name?  Kristen Bailey

Do you write under your real name or is this a pen name you use?

This is my real name.  There was the temptation to use a pen name as my first name gets misspelt quite frequently but I’ve stuck with it!

Where are you from?

I currently live in Fleet, Hampshire but was born and raised in South West London.  My mum is from Singapore and my dad is from Guyana.

List 3 interesting facts about yourself. 

I used to teach English in Japan and this is where I developed an addiction to karaoke.  I do a great rendition of Paradise City by Guns n Roses.

I have a tattoo of a monkey on my back.

I have an aversion to brandy snaps ever since an unfortunate incident when I was seven years old. I ate five in a row filled with Cointreau cream and threw up in the back of my parents’ car.

What was the first thing you ever had published?

I won an inaugural short story competition in a magazine when I lived abroad in Singapore.  The story was called The Birth and was about an expat woman who gives birth in the back of a taxi...

Do you have a writing routine?

Family life makes writing to routine difficult so I usually try and write in the evenings when I can have some peace and quiet!  I usually try and sit at a computer three-five times a week and can write solidly for about four-five hours.

Do you have any writing rituals?

No rituals as such but I like to be comfortable and have a constant supply of chocolate.  I also have an excellent tea-maker in the house.  His tea-making skills keep me sane and are part of the reason why I married him.  I also like to listen to music to shut myself off from the world – it’ll depend on my mood but the last novel was written to the soundtrack of Coldplay, early Stevie Wonder and Ben Howard.

Where did the idea for your most recent book come from?

Second Helpings is the sequel to Souper Mum – the story of Jools Campbell, a mum who becomes a reluctant celebrity after she confronts a pompous TV chef.  I’ll admit, the idea first came to me after watching a lot of cookery shows and I wanted to write something that commented on foodie culture and celebrity chefs.  That slowly became a backdrop to the main themes of the novel that look at what it means to be a modern mother.

Who was the first person you shared your book with?

The tea-making husband!  He’s a very to-the-point Northerner and I knew with him, he’d always be honest...sometimes too honest which doesn’t always make for a happy marriage (!) but I value his opinion the most.  He always gives my work a good edit and is a good soundboard for my ideas.

Do you have a current work in progress?

I’m now editing I See You Baby which is a novel about the realities of first-time motherhood.  It will be released by Accent in May 2017.

Do you have any advice for budding authors?

It sounds condescending but...write!  I’ve never had the time or money to go on courses, so the best education I’ve had is to keep writing – whether it’s short stories or novels, I’ve just kept writing, practising, persevering and hopefully, my style and ideas have improved as a consequence.

About the Author

Mother-of-four, gin-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, hapless dog owner, enthusiastic but terrible cook.  Kristen lives in Fleet, Hampshire in a house overrun by Lego and odd socks.  Her debut novel, Souper Mum was released by Accent Press in June and its sequel, Second Helpings is released on 17th November.  

Author links 

She writes a blog about being a modern mother.  That and more can be found at: www.kristenbaileywrites.com

You can also find her on Twitter/Instagram: @baileyforce6

and Facebook: www.facebook.com/kristenbaileywrites

Book Blurb

Souper Mum

Souper Mum is the story of Jools Campbell, a stay-at-home mother of four, who becomes an unlikely foodie hero when she stands up to a pompous celebrity chef, Tommy McCoy on a reality show.  Armed with fish fingers and a severely limited cooking repertoire, we watch as she becomes a reluctant celebrity and learns some important life lessons about love, family and the joyless merits of quinoa.

Second Helpings

Exactly eighteen months after squaring up to a pompous TV chef, Jools Campbell finds herself back in the fame game as she becomes a judge on a family cooking show.  How will she cope being back in the limelight, juggling being a working mum?  What happens when she finds out her old nemesis, Tommy McCoy is her fellow judge?  The knives are sure to fly as 'Souper Mum' makes her triumphant return.

Buy Links 

Souper Mum

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Souper-Mum-Kristen-Bailey/dp/1786150689/

Second Helpings

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Helpings-Kristen-Bailey/dp/1786150999/