Tuesday, 13 December 2016

Carla Burgess about Marry Me Tomorrow


Twelve days. Two gold rings. One BIG secret…
Emily needs a husband…fast. It’s just a few days until Christmas and to finally put a stop to her nagging mother’s matchmaking plans, Emily has convinced her that she’s already married!
And when her excited mum announces that she’s coming to stay, Emily can think of only one man to play the part: gorgeous ex-soldier, Sam. It’s the best part of her day, handing him a coffee every morning – but then, Emily never expected to offer him her hand in marriage, too…
All that’s left is for Sam to say ‘I do’ – it’s the perfect plan! So why then, do her ‘pretend’ feelings for Sam seem far too real?

***

I really enjoyed writing Marry Me Tomorrow. I love Christmas, especially now I have children. I love the build up to it all: the excitement and anticipation, the lights and the decorations, the songs and the films. It’s a time for being with family and friends, and I love the cosiness of being indoors when it’s cold and wet outside. But I also think it’s a time of thinking about the less fortunate. It’s a sad time of the year for many people. All that emphasis on being happy and together can make the lonely and displaced feel even more isolated.
There has been a lot of coverage in the media about homelessness recently. It seems like something that should belong to a bygone era, and yet more and more people are finding themselves homeless. In Marry Me Tomorrow, Emily takes in a homeless man and asks him to pretend to be her husband while her mum visits from America. She’s been buying Sam coffee every morning on her way to work, but she doesn’t really know him so it’s a relief to discover he’s a lovely guy. As Emily gets to know him, she finds herself falling in love with him - something she is reluctant to do as she has hang ups from her past.
Writing about Christmas also got me thinking about the elderly. We used to live next door to a lovely old lady who ate Christmas dinner with the neighbours over the road. I always thought this was such a lovely thing, so I had Emily invite Brian, the nosy old man from the flat next door around for Christmas dinner. Despite Sam’s warnings that he might turn out to be a real weirdo, Brian has a really interesting hobby and Emily is surprised to find how little she knows about him.

About the Author
Carla Burgess was born in Solihull and now lives in Chester with her husband, three children, dog, bearded dragon and crested gecko. Her love of books was sparked when she borrowed Ghost Ship to Ganymede by Robert Swindells from her primary school library and devoured it in one night. It was just after this that she started writing her own stories and inflicting them on family and friends. She began her working life as an editor on a trade magazine where she dreamed of writing about romance and not tubing, but still felt privileged to be working with words. She has a degree in English Literature and Psychology, and loves animals, the countryside and the sea.

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