Author Interview - Phillipa Ashley
Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to be
part of the Fiction Addiction Book Tour for It Happened One Night by the lovely Phillip Ashley.
Phillip very kindly agreed to sit in the Hot Seat Interview Chair and
answer some questions. But before the interview lets find out a bit about the
author herself.
About the author:
British author, Phillipa Ashley, loves writing lively, sexy, funny
romantic fiction. After studying English Language and Literature at Oxford
University, she worked as a copywriter and journalist.Her novels have been
published by Headline Little Black Dress, Piatkus Entice and Samhain
Publishing.
She started writing fiction in 2005, after being inspired by the BBC TV
drama, North & South. Her first novel, Decent Exposure
-titled Dating Mr December for the US – topped the Play.com Romance
chart and won the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers Award 2007. In
2009, it was filmed as a Lifetime TV movie called 12 Men of Christmas
starring Kristin Chenoweth and Josh Hopkins. Having her novel made into a movie
inspiredIt Happened One Night which is published in June 2013.
Her most recent book for Piatkus
Entice is Miranda’s Mount which won Best e book at the Festival of
Romance Reader Awards 2012.
Her books have been translated into
many languages including Thai, Turkish, Bulgarian and Russian. In the US, four
of her books have been published by Sourcebooks and reached the Amazon.com
Romance Top 20. She was a judge for the RNA Love Story of the Year 2011 and has
interviewed many interesting people during her career as a journalist including
the writers, Ian Rankin and Sir John Mortimer and actors Richard Armitage,
Robert Powell and Nigel Havers.
Phillipa lives in Staffordshire with
her husband and daughter and loves Champagne, Jane Austen, hiking, surfing and
body boarding. She also loves visiting her apartment in the Lake District as
often as possible, the setting for It Happened One Night.
She is represented by the Wade &
Doherty Literary Agency and Sayle Screen.
So, without further ado, lets hear
from the lady herself!
JB: Did you, at any point of writing
It Happened One Night, make any major changes to the plot or did you remain
fairly focused on keeping to the original plot?
Phillipa: Like many authors, I didn’t have a ‘detailed’ plot outline at
the start of the novel because it’s during the writing process, that you
discover your characters and they lead the plot. I tend to do an ‘exploratory
draft’ and then rewrite several times so yes, there have been major changes to
the plot!
JB: How long, from initial planning
to final edits did it take you to write the book?
Phillipa: Normally, it takes me around a year to complete a 90,000 word
mainstream book from start to finish but with It Happened One Night. I’d
dabbled with the story over a few years, while writing other projects too. I
finally settled down to focus on it in 2012.
JB: Where did the idea for It
Happened One Night come from?
Phillipa: Three main elements came together:
I’d had the idea for the main premise – love lost and then possibly
rediscovered – at the same time as the characters, Sophie and Adam, who are two
young people who inhabit different worlds within the same tiny village. I’d
always loved costume drama and thought the romantic Lakeland setting would be
the perfect backdrop for their story.
JB: Your apartment in the Lake
District is the setting for It Happened One Night. Are there any other
places that have influenced your writing?
Phillipa: Our holiday flat in
Ambleside was actually the setting for my first novel Decent Exposure.
It’s a different house ‘that got away’ which features in It Happened One
Night.Years ago, we’d tried to buy an old copperminer’s cottage high above
Coniston Water and that’s the one I based Sophie’s home on. I love dramatic
scenic settings such as Corsica, Provence and Cornwall – my last book was set
on a fictional St Michael’s Mount style island.
JB: Who is the most interesting
person you have ever met and have they influenced the creation of any of your
characters in this book or any of your others? Or, is that a secret?
Phillipa: That’s a great question
... I don’t think one person has ever morphed into a character but I do draw
inspiration for traits and attitudes from all sorts of people. My first ever
piece of fiction was a fanfic based on John Thornton from North & South but
since then, I’ve created my own characters.
JB: Do you write every day and if so
how much time do you devote to writing?
Phillip: I write around 6 days a
week, usually for around 2-5 hours a day but I also have a copywriting business
on top of that.
JB: Do you have any plans in the
pipeline for another book?
Phillipa: Always. See below!
JB: Are there any other subjects
you’d like to write about or venture into a whole new genre?
Phillipa: I’ve lots of ideas for
books buzzing round my head and have started a new contemporary romance. As for
new genres, I have recently completed two erotic romances – the first one will
be published in September 2013.
JB: You won the Romantic Novelists
Association New Writers Award 2007. How does it feel to win an award for your
writing?
Phillipa: It’s a lovely feeling
because I never really expected to win, as there were 11 contenders that year,
all with great romantic reads. My last book Miranda’s Mount also won the
Festival of Romance Best e book in 2012 – and I didn’t expect that either!
Winning awards is always a welcome boost of self confidence– for a little while
at least!
JB: How does it feel to see one of
your books made into a TV movie and were you happy with the end result?
Phillpa: The morning I heard that Decent Exposurewas going to be
made into a movie was possibly the second most exciting of my career- I found
out via a Google alert and almost fell off my chair. The most exciting moment
was visiting the set in the Rockies with my family. The movie is quite
different from my book, but I still loved watching the screenwriter’s fun take
on my work though I admit it was pretty surreal, to see my characters and
dialogue come to life on the big screen.
JB: Do you have any advice to any
budding authors out there? Any words of wisdom?
Phillipa: In these tough times, it’s even more difficult to get a
mainstream publishing deal with a Big 6 publisher. On the plus side there are
some very exciting smaller and indie publishers out there so I’d advise
aspiring authors to write what *they* love writing and then look around for a
publisher. You need to be persistent and never give up and that means you must
love what you write in order to maintain that spark and keep on going through
the inevitable ups and downs of your career.
Thank you so much Phillipa. A very enjoyable interview! Phillipa is also hosting a competition over at her blog so head on over there now by clicking on the link COMPETITION.
Phillipa’s Links:
It Happend One Night was released on
06.06.2013 and is published as an e-book by Piatkus Entice.
EXCERPT:
Ten years later, no one is more
shocked than Sophie to find him back in the village. Now an up-and-coming film
director, he's returned to make a drama about a notorious local poet and
brought his glamorous cast, crew - and girlfriend - with him. As the on-screen
drama plays out, can Sophie and Adam lay the past to rest or will history
repeat itself?
Neurotically Yours by Bonnie Trachtenberg
Dara
Harrison is in her thirties, beautiful and successful. She has a dream job
writing a relationship advice column for a popular LA newspaper. There’s only
one thing missing. Dara is still single. After many years on the single scene,
Dara has decided to put love on the back burner. After lots of disastrous dates
and a relationship with Tony that ran its course, Dara has decided that she
doesn’t need the distraction of a man in her life. She’s her own woman,
answerable to no-one and she likes it that way. However, the one man she can
never stop thinking about is her father. He ran out on her and her sister and
mother when Dara was a small child. Since then, Dara has never been able to
trust a man or commit to one.
Dara’s
seemingly perfect single lifestyle soon comes crashing down around her ears and
she soon sees a way to use her advice columnist skills to propel her into a
whole new business, aided and abetted by her hilariously funny good friend
Reggie. Together they start a dating service with a no-holds barred date review
system which lands them in hot water. However, Dara bites off more than she can
chew and life once again spirals out of control in the form of a hunky ex
Hollywood stuntman. Can Dara take her own relationship advice or will she
remain ‘perennially single’ and destined to live with only her cat for company!
It appears she is a hopeless case!
Neurotically
Yours is one of those books that will have you thinking about the cast for the
movie that this book is crying out to be made into. It’s a fun romantic comedy
with some hilarious moments. I have to say there was one particular scene that
had me rolling about laughing. I’ll not spoil it for you but suffice to say I
was shouting, ‘Get them off!’ Bonnie Trachtenberg has created such an array of wonderfully
endearing characters that help to develop the plot and make this book so
enjoyable. I defy anyone not to like this book. I didn’t move off the sofa
until I finished it.
Cover Reveal! Falling to Pieces by L.T Kelly
As with any
author, my cover was so important to me. I can be quite fickle, *hee hee*, and I’ve judged many a book by it’s cover.
After all, isn’t it appearances that drive us as consumers to pick it up in the
first place?
I stumbled across a FaceBook page called Cover It Designs!. The owner, Arijana was running a
competition to win a cover design amongst other things.
I’m habitually unlucky, but having checked out her designs on the page and
on her website I made a snap decision that she was the cover designer for me.
Alas, I didn’t win the competition. I started to stalk her page and
website…ok, that had started straight away. I’d sit there salivating over her
covers, pre-designed and already owned.
I just had to have her…
And so our task began. We selected three photographs together from stock photos.
I sent her several ‘could be Marc’s’ and one ‘could be Teagan’. I was rather merry
after a fun session of checking out half naked male models whilst sipping
delicious rose wine. Well, maybe not sipping, more like guzzling.
The next morning Arijana messaged me – ‘I hate this thing I have
created.’
I immediately dismissed the message knowing that she has a dislike for
‘busy’ covers.
When I received it was like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water
over me.
I hated it…
I looked at the woman that I’d selected as Teagan. She was all wrong. She
was like a cheap version of her…I must have been more than tipsy to have chosen
that woman. It was like I had dressed my beautiful children in cloth sacks
whilst gorgeous clothes remained in the wardrobe.
I set to work having realised I was looking for someone very specific. I
loved the rest of the cover, so I searched for a girl who would fit with the
image in my mind as well the rest of the cover.
Eventually, I found the right image. She was beautiful, no doubt, but she
needed work. Poor Arijana spent hours fiddling with the image, responding to
each request, faultlessly sculpting the female’s image until it was one that
was good enough to be called ‘Teagan’.
When she sent me the final image I’m unashamed to say I cried. My hands
shook for an hour and I stared at it for several hours…ok, seven hours in
total.
I’ll never be able to comment on how other cover designers work because
I’ve found the perfect one for me. The one that will work relentlessly to give
me what I want and what my characters deserve.
Without further ado….
The projected
release date for ‘Falling to Pieces’ is the 15th of August 2013.
Don’t forget
to add it to your Goodreads list:
You can
connect with the author at:
Leave of Absence by Tanya J Peterson
Oliver has nothing to live for. He just wants to die. Its as simple as that. He has lost the two most precious people in his life and the world simply holds nothing for him anymore. He just wants to be with his wife and son who have been murdered. However, a failed suicide attempt sees him being admitted to Airhaven behavioural clinic suffering from depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Barely able to function on even the most basic level, Oliver is soon helped and supported by the staff at the clinic. However, he no longer has any fight in him and the desire to give up his life is overwhelming. Then he meets Penelope at the clinic. She is a patient there too and is trying to come to terms with her schizophrenia. She longs to be the happy and carefree woman she was before her illness took a grip off her life and relationships. She has her wonderful fiance William to love and support her but Penelope struggles with whether she should stay with William and inflict her illness and its limitations on him. Together, Oliver and Penelope support each other and this very unlikely friendship is the one thing that helps either one make sense of the world.
This is a totally amazing book. Its a courageous book that is not afraid to tackle what is essentially a taboo subject - mental illness. The story is one of pain, grief and heart breaking sadness. Yet amongst all those things there are two things that shine through - hope and love. The story follows two very confused and desperate people as they struggle not only with their mental illnesses but also with the stigma that is attached to them. The story not only looks at their struggle from their own perspectives but also from the perspectives of those who love them. William's character is amazing and his love for Penelope is beautiful and unconditional. For William, she will always be his Penelope and her schizophrenia is merely an extension of who she is.
Oliver's pain throughout this book is palpable and the reader becomes so invested in this character that his grief becomes our grief and our hearts break alongside his. This book had me reduced to tears on more than one occasion. However, do not mistake this book as a sad and negative book. It is anything but that. Its a book that highlights the strength of the human spirit and the beauty that can be found even in the most cruel situations life can throw at us. It is a book about friendships found in the most unlikely of places. Leave of Absence will leave you feeling more aware of the needs of people living with mental illness and hopefully more aware of the support they need - not judgement or fearful of conditions not easily understood. Leave of Absence will surely serve to educate and make us all a little more compassionate. Tanya J Peterson has written such an excellent book that was difficult to put down. I thought about her characters and their plight often throughout the course of reading this book and knew that the book had affected me on so many levels. I'd highly recommend Leave of Absence.
If you want to know a little bit more about Leave of Absence and Tanya J Peterson you read my Author in the Spotlight Feature HERE
If you want to know a little bit more about Leave of Absence and Tanya J Peterson you read my Author in the Spotlight Feature HERE
Author in the Spotlight - Tanya J Peterson
Brook Cottage Books is thrilled to have the lovely Tanya J Peterson as the Author in the Spotlight. Before we find out about her new book Leave of Absence, lets find out a bit about the lovely lady herself.
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Tanya
J. Peterson holds a Bachelor of Science in secondary education, Master of
Science in counseling, and is a Nationally Certified Counselor. She has
been a teacher and a counselor in various settings, including a traditional
high school and an alternative school for homeless and runaway adolescents, and
she has volunteered her services in both schools and communities. She
draws on her life experience as well as her education to write stories about
the emotional aspect of the human condition. In addition to her novel Leave of Absence, she has published Losing Elizabeth, a young adult novel about an abusive
relationship, Challenge!, a short story about a person who finds the
confidence to overcome criticism and achieve a goal, and a book review of
Linley and Joseph’s Positive Therapy: A Meta-Theory for Positive Psychological
Practice that
appeared in Counseling Today, the national publication of the American Counseling
Association.
She is passionate about issues that involve
mental health and wellness for all people, so she writes novels with themes
involving the human experience of mental illness. Further, she writes a mental
health blog on her website, and she participates in events both off- and online
to increase awareness and understanding and to end stigma. Her passion
stems from unique experiences that have put her on both sides of the proverbial
couch. She’s worked and volunteered her services in order to help people
help themselves. Also, she has been the recipient of help as a
patient. After sustaining a traumatic brain injury after a car accident, she
spent time in a behavioral health center and was ultimately diagnosed with
Bipolar I Disorder. Armed with a desire
to help people, to teach about the realities of mental health, and a love of
writing, Tanya sets out to combine these things in the form of mental health
writing.
She is married and has two children, a
daughter in high school and a son who’s almost done with elementary
school. Living in the Pacific Northwest, she is able to enjoy the
outdoors — hiking, biking, tent camping, kayaking, and show shoeing. She
also enjoys attending musical and theatrical performances and, especially,
spending quiet evenings at home with her family.
I think everyone will agree that Tanya Peterson is a very interesting lady! I will be reviewing Leave of Absence on the blog tomorrow but let me tempt and tease you with a bit about the book.
Leave of Absence,
the Evocative New Book by Tanya J. Peterson, Unlocks the Pain, Struggle, and Triumph of Those Suffering from Mental Illness.
An empathic and honest portrayal of human beings stripped to their core and made to redefine reality and themselves,
Leave of Absence reveals the emotional latticework of those suffering from mental illness, as well as the lives they touch. In this insightful and meaningful novel, Tanya J. Peterson delves deeply into the world of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and schizophrenia, and proves that fiction can act as a powerful vessel for conveying basic human truths.
When Oliver Graham’s suicide attempt fails, he is admitted to Airhaven Behavioral Health Center. Unable to cope with the traumatic loss of his beloved wife and son, he finds a single thread of attachment to life in Penelope, a fellow patient wrestling with schizophrenia and its devastating impact on her once happy and successful life. They both struggle to discover a reason to live while Penelope’s fiancé William strives to convince her that she is worth loving. As Oliver and Penelope try to achieve emotional stability, face others who have been part of their lives, and function in the "real world," they discover that human connection may be reason enough to go on.
Written with extraordinary perception into the thought processes of those grappling with mental illness,
Leave of Absence is perfect for readers seeking a stirring depiction of grief, loss, and schizophrenia, as well as anyone who has ever experienced human suffering and healing.
Cover Reveal - Hunted by M Pratwell
Title: Hunted
Series: Upstate New York Mystery
Author: M. Pratwell
Cover Designer: Genevieve Scholl
Genre: Mystery
Release Date: August 29th2013
Today's cover reveal is for Hunted by M Pratwell. I think you'll agree,
its a great looking cover. Here's a bit about the book.
Frank Hanson was blissfully enjoying his new role as homicide detective. He was even 80% sure that he knew the clue to solving the worst murder case of the year. But, when his girlfirend is kidnapped and a unique ransom note is left for him, he may have to rethink the whole case to save her. Little does he know, she's not the only one he needs to save.
Author Bio
M. Pratwell has always been an avid reader and when her friend,
Genevieve Scholl, started publishing books she found that she had the urge to
write her own novel. She wasn’t sure if she could do even half as well as
Genevieve, but she knew she had to try. With encouragement from Genevieve and
their other friend, H.R Hyacinth, she sat down with her Ipad and started
typing. At first, it was just a jumble of words that made no sense, but eventually
she started to form a mysterious story set in her hometown of Rome, N.Y. She
fell in love with the characters and was desperate to solve the case.
Unedited Excerpt of Hunted
The ride along the Erie Canal was smooth and pleasant, save for the
slight breeze that blew up from the water and chilled her skin. The leaves on
the trees moved in silence, acknowledging the presence of the boat as it
passed. Elena touched two of her fingers to her temple, sending Mother Nature
and the spirits around her a respectful salute. She had boarded the boat to get
away from everyone she knew and clear her head, but she was glad that the
spirits had tagged along. They calmed her.
She closed her eyes and listened to the gentle lap of water against the
bottom of the boat. The spirits might have calmed her, but she still hadn’t
decided what she was going to do about her current situation. How was she going
to support another human being, if she couldn’t even support herself? How was
she going to tell her parents? They’d likely want her to get an abortion, but
there was no way she was going to kill the innocent child that was growing
inside of her. If she couldn’t give he or she a good home, then she would find
someone who could. She allowed a tear to slip down her cheek; giving the child
up for adoption would kill her, but she would do what was best for her baby.
The sound of footsteps behind her jerked her from her thoughts. Swiping
the tear from her cheek, she spun around to the person who had just joined her.
Dark hair covered his head, the ends lightly touching his jaw as the breeze
toyed with the strands. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes and an earring glinted
in the sunlight as it peeked between the strands of hair. He was handsome, in a
non-conventional way, but Elena couldn’t help the unease that she felt as he
continued to stare at her.
“You really shouldn’t be out here on your own,” his gravelly voice said.
“You could fall overboard and no one would know it.”
Before she could respond, he moved. Elena barely had time to blink
before she felt his hands against her shoulders. Her feet came off of the deck
and floated in front of her for a few minutes as the railing dug into her
spine. She deeply inhaled to scream, but before any sound could escape, his
hands moved to her throat to silence her. The pressure he applied was
suffocating and Elena gulped for air. The water beneath the boat suddenly
sounded louder than it had before; it roared in her ears like distant thunder.
She clawed at her assailant’s throat with her fingernails, but to no avail. The
block to her airways was making her dizzy and disoriented. She wasn’t even sure
if she had made contact as her arms flung about like two fish out of water.
She gave up and waited for death to come, but just as the darkness started
to take over, the pressure on her throat was released. She gulped in confusion,
trying to relieve the pain in her lungs. Why had he let go? Had he been scared
off? Her answer came in the worst kind of answer as those hands grabbed on to
her again and pushed her up and over the railing.
