Category Archives: Author Interviews

Like many writers, Amanda Prowse started out doing something else entirely, but ultimately could not ignore the call of the pen. And it’s a good thing she didn’t! Now a bestselling author, she has published four novels and four short stories. The titles in her No Greater Love series all involve strong women “in extraordinary situations for love.” (She also gets extra points in my book for starting out self-published!) 

After the interview, leave a comment for a chance to win one of FOUR SIGNED copies of A Little Love.

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You worked as a management consultant for several years before deciding to take the plunge and try your hand at writing full-time. Was this something you always knew you wanted to do? If so, what gave you the push to finally take that leap and how did you make the transition?

I think if you really really want to do something it’s often because you have a sneaking suspicion that you might be quite good at it! I had always scribbled notes for short stories and gathered snippets about people I met who I thought might make great characters, but writing for a living was inconceivable to me. I come from a working class family and didn’t know anyone that wrote, it felt like another world that I wasn’t part of. Finally aged 40, after overcoming cancer, my sons were older and my soldier husband back from his thirteenth tour—I realised that this is my one time around the block and I had to live the life I dreamed of, so I picked up my pen and haven’t looked back!

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Your first book, Poppy Day, began as a self-published novel. But it quickly became a bestseller, attracted the attention of Head of Zeus publishers, and triggered an entire series. This must have been an extremely emotional and rewarding process. What did that teach you about the industry and your writing?

Emotional, rewarding and like a fairytale! I still pinch myself when I look back at my journey so far. Self-publishing and my naivety about the book industry meant I didn’t see many of the boulders that were blocking my way, meaning I simply jumped over them. Now, looking from the inside out, I can see the enormous problem of actually getting your work read. Publishers and agents are inundated and I’m certain that many brilliant books slip through the net. This is the great thing about the digital world—you can put your work out there and if it’s good enough it will get noticed.
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Just a few days ago, Cathy Bramley’s debut novel, Conditional Love, hit number one on Amazon UK’s Romantic Relationships chart. Talk about perfect timing! 

Cathy has one of those fantastic self-publishing stories that gives other authors hope to keep going. Though oceans apart, we share a phenomenal cover designer, blog tour organizer, and protagonists who begin on the meek side but grow in confidence as they come into their own.  

I am so thrilled to have her here today.  After the interview, leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Conditional Love!

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After spending many years in public relations, you decided to self-publish your first novel in October 2013. Can you talk a bit about how that decision came about?

I had been to lots to conferences where the general consensus was that debut authors have about as much chance of getting an agent as they have winning the lottery. I decided that I would save myself the heartache of rejections and go it alone!

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Conditional Love is about a woman in her thirties who gets dumped by her boyfriend (on Valentine’s Day—yuck!), then receives a mysterious inheritance under the condition that she meet her long estranged father. What else can you tell us about that story?

I had great fun writing this book. Although the main character, Sophie is a bit weak-willed to begin with, I think she’s great fun and big-hearted and she grows in confidence as the story progresses. The theme is love in all its guises. We find love in the most unexpected of places and sometimes love comes with conditions attached. Continue reading →

Today, I am pleased to welcome Effrosyni Moschoudi, author of The Necklace of Goddess Athena. Last month, her debut urban fantasy reached Amazon’s number one spot in the mythology category, and was number two in fairy tales. It also received a perfect five-star rating from The Fantasy & Sci-Fi Network, where it was described as “A Rare Gem.”

After her interview whets your appetite, head over to Amazon (US or UK) tomorrow and Friday to download a free copy! Limited time only!

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1. You published your first book, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, in January. What can you tell us about that story?

The Necklace of Goddess Athena is a fantasy adventure of Greek myths and time travel that is suitable for all ages. It is about two time travellers from antiquity (a brother and sister) who are sent to modern-day Athens by their mysterious father without knowing his purpose. They team up with two orphaned siblings in this new world and soon realize there is a reason that they stumbled upon them. Together, they wind up tracing their family history, trying to reunite with their parents and in the process, find themselves entangled in an ancient rivalry between two Olympian Gods.

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Praised by Time Magazine, Publisher’s Weekly, People, Booklist, and … well … need I go on (?) … Stephanie Evanovich took the publishing world by storm last summer with her debut novel, Big Girl Panties. I am elated to welcome her today as she opens up about her writing process, her famous aunt Janet, and her upcoming release, The Sweet Spot.  

After the interview, leave a comment for a chance to win one of two paperback copies of Big Girl Panties!

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Big Girl Panties is about a 32-year-old widow who tries to get her life back on track with the help of a handsome personal trainer—and winds up changing both of them in many ways. What else can you tell us about that story?

Of course, I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but Big Girl Panties is basically a story about first impressions and second chances.  And by second chances, I mean the chances we take on ourselves, to break away from our own preconceived notions and all the wonderful things that can happen when we do.  Both the heroine and the hero go through that transition, only from different perspectives and with different stakes.

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What do think people will love most about the book? What do you think makes it unique?

Hopefully, readers will be able to relate to the comedy that comes along with the characters fumbling through self-discovery.  Miscommunications, outside influences, all the foibles that accompany Holly and Logan busting out of their respective comfort zones.  What makes it unique?  I want to believe the voice of the storyteller.  I think it’s what makes all books unique. Continue reading →

After working first for a bank and then as a teacher, Bedfordshire author Holly Martin found her  calling when a group of role-playing educators visited her school to bring Tudor England to life. Now, in her words, she spends her non-writing time driving around the country “in my little white van, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next.” 

It must be excellent practice for the imagination, which she needs for her other career as an author. So far, she’s published the first installment of a paranormal young adult series, as well as a women’s fiction treat that weaves a story of laughter, loss, and love in a very unique way — through the pages of seaside inn’s guestbook.

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1. I absolutely love the premise of The Guestbook, which centers around a young widow who runs a guest house (filled with loads of interesting characters), and comes face to face with an old flame while still dealing with the loss of her husband. What can you tell us about that story?

The story of The Guestbook is told solely through the messages left in a holiday cottage guestbook. Annie, the landlady of Willow Cottage, is the main character and it is her story that is told through the messages she leaves for her guests and their interactions with her. I wanted to have a story unravel through just the messages, to have one main story running through it, but also the guests that come to stay have their own story to tell and I love that we get a glimpse into their lives too.

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2. What do think people will love most about the book? What do you love about it?

That it’s something different and unique. It’s still a love story, with humour and great characters but it’s told in a completely different way and hopefully people will embrace that. Continue reading →

What, I have to ask, is Jason Mott’s biggest claim to fame? There are so many options: Writing a bestselling novel. Starting a Hollywood bidding war. Attracting the attention (and the wallet) of Brad Pitt’s Plan B production company. Becoming the creative mind behind what I fully anticipate being ABC’s next big hit TV series. Any one of those is far more exciting than my biggest claim to fame, which is probably getting to tell people I share a literary agent with the esteemed Jason Mott.

Jason is the author of THE RETURNED, a New York Times bestseller that centers around a worldwide phenomenon in which people’s loved ones begin rising from the grave. But no, it is not a zombie apocalypse. It is an emotional, touching, and extremely thought-provoking look at how human beings–particularly Harold and Lucille Hargrave, who lost their eight-year-old son decades earlier–would react to such an event.

THE RETURNED is the inspiration for ABC’s brand new series, “Resurrection,” which premiered three days ago. I am beyond honored to be hosting Jason today, and to be giving away five autographed copies of his novel. Details follow after the interview.

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1. THE RETURNED centers around a worldwide event in which everyone’s loved ones return from the dead. I’m sure this is something we’ve all wished for—just for a moment—at one point or another. But you took it a step further and began to really look at what that would mean beyond the wishful nostalgia. Can you talk a bit about your thought process here?

I wanted to explore the truth behind how I felt that type of event might happen. The entire project started when I dreamed that I came home from work one day and found my mother sitting at the kitchen table waiting for me. It was a warm, cathartic reunion, and I feel that’s how we all think of this idea initially. However, in the writing of the novel, I tried to take things further. I tried to think how this might play out after the initial hugging and crying and joy of being reunited with someone we’ve lost. After thinking it out, I realized that, if my mother returned to me, she would come looking for the 22 year-old son she left behind. What she would find instead is a 35 year-old man who is very different than he was when she “left.” It’s that change, that dissonance of time that occurs when we lose someone, that I wanted to explore with THE RETURNED.

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2. Today, when people hear that a book is about people rising from the dead, they automatically think flesh-eating zombie apocalypse. Obviously, your story wound up becoming extremely successful, but in the beginning, do you think this unique angle made it easier or harder to sell?

I can’t quite say if it made it harder or easier to sell, but I think it definitely made it a different type of sell. There were times, early on, when I had to pre-emptively tell people “but it’s not a zombie story.” But the more I talked about the book the more people began to understand what I was shooting for and, thankfully, the end product has been well-received.

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