Joanne Phillips lives in rural Shropshire with her husband and young daughter. She’s the author of romantic comedies Can’t Live Without and The Family Trap, and the Flora Lively series of mysteries. Can’t Live Without was an Amazon top 20 bestseller in 2012 and her books regularly appear on category bestseller lists. Before becoming a writer, Joanne had jobs as diverse as hairdresser, air hostess and librarian, but now divides her time between writing and finding creative ways to avoid housework. She’s a fan of super-dark chocolate, iced coffee and Masterchef. Joanne blogs about writing and publishing at www.writersjourney.co.uk
Interview
1. Did you always
dream of being a writer?
I did, right from when I was in primary school. Telling stories is
something I’ve always done – in my head, to myself, as well as on paper.
2. Can you tell us a
little more about your debut novel Can’t
Live Without?
Can’t Live Without is about a
single mum called Stella, who wakes up one morning to find her kitchen on fire!
She loses everything she owns in the fire, and has to start over, figuring out
what it really is she can’t live without.
3. The Family Trap is a stand alone sequel to Can’t Live Without, what’s the story
about?
Here we pick up with Stella at the moment she’s about to become a
grandmother – the same day that Stella discovers she’s pregnant by the man
she’s about to marry. But the course of true love does not run smoothly –
Stella finds out that Paul is not so keen on the idea of babies, and her dream
wedding soon turns into a nightmare.
4. Murder at the Maples is book 1 of a mystery series your writing. What can we
expect from that series and why mystery?
I wanted to combine my love of romantic fiction with my love of innocent
(i.e. not gory!) mysteries, which led me to create the character of Flora
Lively. In future books we’ll see more of her love/hate relationship with
Marshall, and find out more about her troubled past. Flora will grow and learn
to trust, while solving increasingly complex mysteries on the way!
5. What are you working
on right now?
My next release will be another romantic comedy called You Are Here.
This is one I’ve been writing on and off for years, and it is close to my
heart. The heroine leaves her husband and goes off in search of her teenage
love – with hilarious consequences.
6. You also wrote a
novelette and a collection of short stories, how is that different from writing
a full length novel and what are the stories about?
It’s very different – the novelette was originally going to be a novel,
but the topic – a woman with a stammer who has to overcome her fears to be able
to marry her soulmate – was one that would have been difficult to develop into
a full length novel. That it couldn’t be done, just that I didn’t want to go
down that route. Working it into a shorter form felt right, and the reviews for
that book have been amazing. The short stories are all about different aspects
of relationships, but it’s a loose connection. There are very short flash
fiction stories, and a few longer ones. I write short stories all the time,
just to get into the flow of writing, so expect more collections in the future!
7. Where and when do
you write your stories?
I write whenever I can, wherever I can – but mostly I write in the day
while my six year old daughter is at school, and either in my office in the
house or in my summerhouse in the garden.
8. What do you do and
enjoy when you’re not writing?
I love sewing and knitting/crocheting! I do like to be doing something,
whether it’s creating or reading or going for walks. That said, I can also be
incredibly lazy, and will happily spend an entire afternoon watching old
episodes of Murder, She Wrote!
9. Who is your
favourite author and why?
Anne Tyler is my favourite author. Her book, A Patchwork Planet, was my
inspiration for becoming a novelist. She’s amazing – her books are all so
different, but have this heart to them. She makes her characters real and
flawed and endlessly interesting.
10. If you were
shipwrecked on a desert island what 3 books would you want with you?
A Patchwork Planet, Here Be
Dragons by Sharon Penman, and a massive dictionary. There is always more to
learn about our wonderful language.
11. How would you
describe your style of writing?
I’m trying to make it sparer, and
I’m trying to focus more on creating a sense of the setting – description is
not my strong suit. I think it’s just unique to me, really. I like to have my
characters facing some kind of crisis, and I like to talk about the wider world
through them and their reactions.
12. You’re novel Cupid’s Way comes out June 27th.
It’s a romantic comedy, what was your inspiration for it and what’s the story
about?
The story is about a woman called
Evie Stone who is trying to save a Victorian terrace street – Cupid’s Way –
from demolition. Evie’s grandparents live in the street, along with a host of
colourful characters. The inspiration comes from a terrace close to a place I
used to live, where the residents had saved the street from being knocked down
by forming a cooperative.
13. Does your
childhood have influences on your writing?
I’m sure it does, but I’m not
certain exactly how. One thing that is key is that my early stammer created the
need for me to ‘live in my head’ – I’m a very auditory person and I literally
hear the dialogue between my characters as I write it. I was a loner as a child
– still am! – and this sense of reaching out, trying to make sense of the
world, comes through in most of my writing, I think.
14. How important
is the title of a book for you?
It’s possibly the most important
thing! I can’t get into writing properly until I have a title, and I rarely
change it once it’s set in stone. The title takes on its own life, it has a
feeling attached to it, and it has to be attractive to readers.
15. Imagine Cupid’s Way would be turned into a
movie. What would be your dream cast?
I’m rubbish at these questions
because I really don’t watch many current Hollywood films. I think Hugh Grant
might make a good Michael Andrews, but as for Evie Stone I have no idea!
16. Coffee or tea?
Tea – or iced coffee!
17. Paperback or e-reader?
Both. Can I have both?
18. Mountains or the sea?
The sea. With the view of mountains behind me J
19. Summer or winter?
Winter.
20. Sweet or salty?
Sweet. Dark, dark chocolate is my favourite.
Website: www.joannephillips.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joannephillipsauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joannegphillips
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Joanne-Phillips/e/B0083UEG86/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2862086.Joanne_Phillips
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