Today I'm very happy to welcome the wonderful Lynsey James on Sky's Book Corner, she answered me some questions.
***
1. Did you always
dream of being a writer?
I did, ever since I wrote my own versions of Friends episodes. I think I should have credit for putting Ross and
Rachel together… I always wrote stories, but always thought it was crazy to think
people beyond my family and close friends would ever get to read them. Now here
I am!
2. Your debut novel Just the Way You Are was published In May, what is it about?
It’s about a young woman named Ava Clements, who was the recipient of
some very beautiful love letters from a secret admirer until they stopped. When
he starts writing again, she decides she’s going to unmask him once and for
all.
3. What was your
inspiration for the book?
I was working on another story with the same three characters- Max, Gwen
and Ava- and was going to use letters in that too. That element caught my
imagination and it just kind of snowballed from there!
4. Can you tell us
more about the main character(s)?
Sure! Ava is a magazine journalist who gets landed with her nightmare
job- wedding columnist. Since she’s seen her mum get married seven times, she
hates weddings. However, the letters from Mr Writer provide a pretty nice
distraction! Max and Gwen are her two best friends. Max is a chef who thinks
Ava should believe in herself more and Gwen is a ditzy fashion designer.
5. Where and when do
you write your stories?
I’m a night owl at heart, so I do most of my writing at night. I’ve seen
me stay up till gone 6am working on an idea! My bedroom is my favourite place
to write, it’s so cosy and relaxing. The perfect writer’s retreat, I’d say.
6. What do you do and
enjoy when you’re not writing?
I love reading, spending time with my family and friends and cuddling my
amazing dog Dixie-Beyonce (yes that is her name!)
7. Can you tell us a
little about your road to being a published author?
I started seriously trying to get published a few years back. I could
paper my house with the amount of rejection emails I have! I’d just been
rejected by my favourite literary agent and decided to give Carina a try
because I loved the books they published. Two weeks later, I got an email
saying they wanted to sign me. It all happened really quickly; I think part of
me expects it to all be a dream still!
8. If you could switch
places with a characters from a book, who would it be and why?
Ooh good question! Probably Rosie Duncan from Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson. She lives in New York,
has a flower shop and ED STEINMANN. Need I say more ;-)?
9. What books have most influenced your life most?
All of Mirands Dickinson’s books made me see how beautiful words could
be and how much they could pull you into a story. Harriet Evans is also another
hero of mine. I Remember You is one
of my favourite books of all time.
10. Your second novel The Broken Hearts Book Club was just
published, can you tell us more about it?
I can! It’s about Lucy, who comes back to her hometown of Luna Bay for
her Nana Lily’s funeral and finds she’s inherited a book club of all things!
There’s secrets, a hunky barman and lots more!
11. What are you
working on at the moment?
I’m throwing ideas around for book 3. I have quite a lot to choose from,
so just playing around and seeing what works.
12. What do you enjoy most about writing?
I enjoy getting under the skin of my characters and finding out what
makes them tick. Also the fantasy casting of the romantic heroes is usually
pretty fun. The fact I get to Google James Norton for research as part of my
job is amazing!
13. What does your perfect day look like?
It would involve eating lots of cake, cuddling my dog and watching my
favourite movie, Must Love Dogs. And
lots of time with my family; I love them. Oh and my best friend Jenny would be
up for the day too.
14. Imagine Just The
Way You Are would be turned into a movie, who would you cast for the main
characters?
For Ava, I’d love to have Olivia Cooke. She’s one of my favourite
actresses. Max would be Rory Girvan, who played Sunny in Sky 1’s Stella. Nate would be someone like
Christian Cooke, although someone the other day said Chase Crawford and I loved
that too. Not too sure for Gwen, but I’m open to suggestions!
15. Pick three authors you want to have dinner with and
tell us why.
I’d have dinner with Graeme Simsion, Harriet Evans and Miranda
Dickinson. Grame Simsion would be there so I could ask loads of questions about
Don and Rosie and whether it’s true Jennifer Lawrence is playng Rosie in the
movie crosses fingers. Harriet Evans, because I absolutely love her and
her gorgeous stories and Miranda Dickinson for the same reasons. I also want to
ask if Ed Steinmann is available at all. A girl can dream…
16. Coffee or tea?
Tea! And always with cake.
17. Paperback or e-reader?
I can’t pick here, because I love them both. I’ll say e-reader because
it’s like having a little library with you all the time.
18. Mountains or the sea?
The sea! I live near it and it’s beautiful.
19. Summer or winter?
Winter. I love being cosy when it’s snowing outside.
20. Sweet or salty?
Sweet. I have the hugest sweet tooth ever.
Just The Way You Are by Lynsey James
Blurb: Dear Ava,
How do you start writing a letter to someone, six years after breaking their heart?
Ava is unlucky in love as well as in life. The new office bitch has landed the dating column Ava wanted, and she can't remember the last time she had a second date. It's a good thing she has best friends Max and Gwen to pick up the pieces.
Deep down, Ava knows the reason why one date never turns into two - she's in love with someone else. Someone she's never even met.
It all started six years ago, with a letter from a secret admirer, Mr Writer…but then they suddenly stopped and Ava was heartbroken.
Now the letters have started again and Ava knows it could mean winning back the dating column at work. This time she's determined to unmask Mr Writer...and find out once and for all if he's Mr Right or Mr Very Definitely Wrong!
Book Links:
Author Bio:
Lynsey James was born in Fife in 1991 and has been telling people how to spell her name ever since. She's an incurable bookworm who loves nothing more than getting lost in a good story with memorable characters. She started writing when she was really young and credits her lovely Grandad- and possibly a bump on the head from a Mr Frosty machine- with her love of telling stories. She used to write her own episodes of Friends and act them out in front of her family (in fact she's sure she put Ross and Rachel together first!)
A careers adviser at school once told Lynsey writing wasn’t a “good option” and for a few years, she believed her. She tried a little bit of everything, including make-up artistry, teaching and doing admin for a chocolate fountain company. The free chocolate was brilliant. When Lynsey left my job a couple of years ago, she started writing full-time while she looked for another one. As soon as she started working on her story, Lynsey fell in love and decided to finally pursue her dream. She haven’t looked back since.
When Lynsey's not writing, eating cake or drinking tea, she's daydreaming about the day Dylan O’Brien FINALLY realises they're meant to be together. It’ll happen one day…
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lynsey1991
Thank you for taking part in the tour, lovely! Great Q&A :) xx
ReplyDeleteAlways a pleasure! xx
Delete