Simona's Corner of Dreams: Q & A with Kate Hewitt

1. Did you always dream of being a writer?

In some form or other, yes. I had aspirations to be a playwright but it didn’t happen!

2. How did your writing career develop?

I wrote my first short story for a women’s magazine in 1999, and was fortunate to have it published. I went on to write several hundred short stories and serials for magazines, and then moved into writing romance for Mills & Boon, and then women’s fiction for a variety of publishers. I feel very blessed to be able to share my stories with the world.

3. Your newest novel is called Kiss Me at Willoughby Close, what is it about?

It is about two damaged people who find healing and forgiveness—and a second chance at love—with each other.

4. What was your inspiration for the book?

Last year I moved to the Cotswolds, somewhere I’d never lived before, and it took me awhile to adjust. I thought of a series of novels about women who, like me, moved to the area and needed a fresh start. And so the story was born!

5. Can you tell us more about the main character(s)?

Ava is the third resident of Willoughby Close and a recent widow. The contents of her husband’s will make her question the nature of her marriage, and lead her onto a journey of self-discovery.

Jace Tucker is the sexy caretaker with some dark secrets. He needs a second chance just as much as Ava does.

6. The book is part of a series. Can you tell us about the rest of the series?

Each book in the series focuses on a different resident of Willoughby Close—Ellie Matthews, a single mum; Harriet Lang, a yummy mummy who has fallen from grace; Ava, the ex-trophy wife; and Alice, a drifter who longs to put down some roots. Framing the series is Lady Stokeley, the inhabitant of Willoughby Manor, who imparts her wisdom and wit with a sharp tongue!

7. Where and when do you write your stories?

I write in the mornings, when my youngest is at preschool, at the kitchen table.

8. What do you do and enjoy when you’re not writing?

I enjoy reading, gardening, baking, and also volunteering with the elderly in my community.

9. If you could switch places with a characters from a book, who would it be and why?

I’d switch places with Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, because I have always wanted to be her.

10. What books have influenced your life most?

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss has probably been the most influential in terms of my personal life and beliefs, and A Little Princess by Frances Hodsgon Burnett because it got me hooked on reading and writing as a little girl.

11. What are you working on at the moment?

I am finishing the last Willoughby Close book, and then will be starting a new series set in the Lake District, about four sisters who are the daughters of a vicar.

12. What do you enjoy most about writing?

I love the thrill of a new idea and then being able to put it on the page.

13. Pick three authors you want to have dinner with and tell us why.

JK Rowling, because I am so impressed by the scope of her Harry Potter series; Timothy Keller, because his books on spirituality and prayers are so deep and thought-provoking; Bill Bryson, because I think he would be very funny.

14. Imagine Kiss Me at Willoughby Close would be turned into a movie, who would you cast for the main characters?

This is always so hard, because I don’t know movie actors or actresses very well. Maybe Emma Stone for Ava and Liam Hemsworth for Jace?

15. You have also published other books, can you tell us more about them?

I have published several different series—Hartley-by-the-Sea is women’s fiction set in the Lake District; Tales from Goswell are historical/time slip novels also set in the Lake District; and I also have written 40+ romances for Mills & Boon.

16. How do your own experiences influence your writing?

I think I write my feelings and fears into every book. I can usually tell what my subconscious is mulling over by what comes out in my books! My father died last year and a lot of my thoughts about grief, death, and hope have come out in this series.

17. Coffee or tea? Both, but coffee more than tea

18. Paperback or e-reader? Both, but more paperback

19. Mountains or the sea? Both, but more the mountains

20. Summer or winter? Summer all the way!

21. Sweet or salty? Salty

Blurb: Welcome to Willoughby Close… a charming cluster of cozy cottages, each with a story to tell and a happy ending to deliver…

After her husband unexpectedly dies, Ava moves to Willoughby Close, trying to keep her chin up and herself to herself as she’s always done—not answering questions, not making friends, and not seeing much of a future. Her marriage was far from perfect, but it offered her a much-needed security that has now been ripped away. She’s not sure what to do now that she’s thirty-five, widowed, penniless… and unexpectedly pregnant with her late husband’s child.

Jace Tucker is the over-the-top sexy caretaker of Willoughby Manor, and he can see beneath Ava’s glamor girl act to the hurt she’s been hiding for so long. She has secrets for a reason—and so does he. The last thing she needs right now is a fling with a man who hides a past as regrettable as her own.

But with a baby to think about, and neighbors determined to be her friends, Ava finds herself starting to change and even more alarmingly, beginning to hope. Can Willoughby Close work its everyday magic on a woman like her? And when the past comes calling for both her and Jace, will they have to answer for their previous mistakes?

Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34457635-kiss-me-at-willoughby-close?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=x_gr_w_bb?tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&index=books&keyword=Kiss+Me+at+Willoughby+Close

About Kate Hewitt

Kate is the USA Today-bsetselling author of over 40 books of women's fiction and romance. She is the author of the Hartley-by-the-Sea series, set in England's Lake District and published by Penguin. She is also, under the name Katharine Swartz, the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell. Other series include the Emigrants Trilogy, the Amherst Island Trilogy, and the Falling For The Freemans series.

She likes to read romance, mystery, the occasional straight historical and angsty women's fiction; she particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.

Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in the English Cotswolds with her husband, five children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever. You can read about her life at http://www.acumbrianlife.blogspot.co.uk.

Links:

Website: http://www.kate-hewitt.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/katehewitt1