Welcome to my little Valentine's Day special. Some lovely romantic fiction author joined me today to answer some VD related questions. Here is part 2:
Diane Claire Benant
1.
Why do you write romantic fiction/women’s fiction?
I was inspired
to write my debut novel, Just Jenna, because I couldn’t find what I wanted to
read. Newly single in my 30s when all around me were getting married, I wanted
a feel-good story about becoming self-reliant and holding out for what you
truly want. I also want my stories to reflect how life can be a lot less neat
than women are often led to believe when they are young - I recently spoke to a
student who said ‘but women by aged 40 have their lives sorted’. That made me laugh so much.
2.
Your favourite romantic fiction/women’s fiction book?
Gosh, that’s so
difficult. If I had to choose one, I loved Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You. Apart from brilliantly written, I loved that the
ending opened up so many possibilities for the heroine.
3.
Your favourite couple in a romantic fiction/women’s fiction book?
I’ve just
finished reading Jenny Colgan’s Little Beach Street Bakery trilogy and I loved sparky
Kerensa and Reuben – they are an unusual couple but it’s totally believable
that they would be together.
4.
Your favourite couple from your own books?
I don’t want to
give the game away but my favourite couple is an unlikely pair who are revealed
towards the end. The most fun to write was Jenna and her ex-boyfriend Marcus – because
I think we’ve all had those maddening conversations with a man!
5.
The favourite romantic moment in your books?
When Jenna
chokes on a peanut… and the mountain rescuer Jean-Luc comes to her aid. I love writing
about the frisson between two people and the delicious anticipation of knowing
something is about to happen before it actually does.
6.
Your favourite first kiss from your books?
I’ve only
written one novel so far it can only be Jean-Luc and Jenna’s long-awaited first
kiss on her skiing holiday in the French Alps.
7.
Favourite first kiss from another book?
E.M. Forster’s
Room with a View, when George first kisses Lucy Honeychurch in a field of
violets – quick, impetuous, passionate and stopped in its tracks by the arrival
of her chaperone, Miss Bartlett. Economically
and beautifully written.
8.
Your favourite memory of Valentine’s Day?
I was 11, in my
final year at primary school in England. Andrew Fleming in my class arrived
unexpectedly at my house after school with a large, homemade, red heart card
decorated with a paper doily, along with some Valentine biscuits he’d made me.
The Valentine biscuits were rock hard but I was so happy that he’d gone to so
much trouble, I crunched my way through them in front of him without ever
letting it show.
Links
Twitter: @dcbenant
Facebook
page: www.facebook.com/dcbenant
YouTube (book
trailer) : https://youtu.be/fcNrmtbHtFI
Website: www.dianeclairebenant.com
Amazon links:
US/International: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0993335500
Fabiola
1. Why do you write romantic
fiction/women’s fiction?
I am a
romantic at heart. I love a good love story, but I also
think life is about
more than just
the romance
aspect. Life is a combination of things, and love makes it sweeter, but I also
love to incorporate challenges people face, struggles they have lived. Reach
deeper within the emotions, and show that there is always hope.
2. Your favourite romantic
fiction/women’s fiction book?
My favorite
romantic fiction novel is Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen. It is a
heart-breaking and beautiful story about being so lost in life, so low, and the
struggles people face. It’s a raw and honest book.
3. Your favourite couple in a romantic
fiction/women’s fiction book?
Oh, this is
a tough call! I have read so many wonderful books with amazing couples. I would
have to say Kellan and Kiera from Thoughtless.
4. Your favourite couple from your own
books?
I am going
with Mia and Grayson from Perfectly Imperfect for this one. They were my first
couple, and I truly love their story. They have such similarities, yet the way
they choose to experience life is different, and it balances them out in their
relationship.
5. The favourite romantic moment in
your books?
Jake’s
proposal to Beth in Whiskey Nights. It is so unique to their relationship. I
want to keep it as spoiler-free as possible, but the idea Jake has is
thoughtful and intimate.
6. Your favourite first kiss from your
books?
Definitely
Savannah and Parker’s in Sweet on Wilde. The mood is so sweet and romantic. It
happens during their first date at the drive-in while they watch The Sandlot. It starts off slow and
innocent, and then more passionate. There is something about a first kiss that
is careful, yet you want to dive in and get lost in the person.
7. Favourite first kiss from another
book?
The kiss in
Roots and Wings by M. Mabie. The build up is great, and it’s tender that Vaughn
wants to know Mutt’s real name, really know her, before they kiss. It adds
tension and gets the butterflies going as they describe their want to kiss, yet
he stays true to this flirting game. Once they kiss, it feels like they have
taken the time to explore the other person more than just physically.
8. Your favourite memory of Valentine’s
Day?
This is
where I confess and say I haven’t celebrated many Valentine’s Days. There is
one memory that comes to mind when I was in college. It was a double date, and
a friend and I made dinner for our then boyfriends, all out with homemade cake
and decorations. It was just a sweet evening, complete with The Notebook and killer pumps for a
gift.
Website:
www.authorfabiolafrancisco.com
Twitter:
@authorfabiola
New
release!
Lovin’ on
You: http://amzn.to/2jgbf51
iBooks: https://itun.es/us/2irUgb.l
Nook: http://bit.ly/2kwp2cL
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lovin-on-you
Rachel Burton
About the about
Rachel Burton has been making up stories since she first
learned to talk, prodigiously early. In 2013 she finally started making one up
that was worth writing down.
Rachel Burton
1. Why do you write romantic
fiction/women’s fiction?
I don’t ever remember thinking “Oh I’ll write a novel in this genre”, I just wrote a novel and it turned out to be women’s fiction. I read a lot of women’s fiction though so I suppose what I read greatly influences what I write. Ultimately I’m interested in people’s relationships with each other and how certain situations affect those relationships. My ideas always start with a “what if” moment – In the case of my first novel it was “what if you finally found out who your father was after he had died.”
2. Your favourite romantic
fiction/women’s fiction book?
Oh that’s a difficult one. There are so many. But I think the one that made me sit up and pay attention, the one that first made me start thinking about writing a novel myself was Bookends by Jane Green which I read when it first came out in 2000. It took another 13 years to find the story I wanted to tell.
3. Your favourite couple in a romantic
fiction/women’s fiction book?
Oh that’s easy – Cameron Laing and Gwen Harper from The Language of Spells/The Secrets of Ghosts by Sarah Painter. Their story is so desperately romantic, funny and sexy in equal measures. I’d love to write a couple like that.
4. Your favourite couple from your own
books?
The Many Colours of Us is my debut novel but there are three very significant relationships at work in it. I think my favourite is the one between Philadelphia and Johnny, simply because they are much older and it was out of my comfort zone to write.
5. The favourite romantic moment in
your books?
I can’t tell you that without giving away the ending!
6. Your favourite first kiss from your
books?
Again, there’s only one first kiss, so I can’t give that away either – I would like people to buy the book after all.
7. Favourite first kiss from another
book?
I love the kiss between Elsie Maynard and Torin Stewart at the end of Miranda Dickinson’s “When I fall in love” and the whole relationship between Rachel and Luke in Marian Keyes’s “Rachel’s Holiday”.
8. Your favourite memory of Valentine’s
Day?
My dad always used to send me a
Valentine’s card on Valentine’s day signed by whoever I had a crush on that
year. The one from Morten Harket was particularly memorable!
Rachel Burton has been making up stories since she first
learned to talk, prodigiously early. In 2013 she finally started making one up
that was worth writing down.
She has a BA in Classics and an MA in English and has never
really known what to do when she grew up. She has worked as a waitress, a legal
secretary, a yoga teacher and a paralegal. She never quite made it to law
school.
She grew up in Cambridge and London but now lives in Leeds
with her boyfriend and three cats. The main loves of her life are The Beatles
and very tall romantic heroes.
Her debut novel The Many Colours of Us is out with HQ in
April
You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @bookish_yogi
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