Book signing and Next Big Thing

I have to pass this theme on – but first of all many thanks to my lovely mates who turned up for my book signing and came for lunch afterwards. For those that say the age of the book is over – it’s not! The tills in Waterstones rang continuously for the 2 hours that I was there – though admittedly this must be their busiest time of year.

Here’s hoping that my next book signing (she says, being optimistic) is the novel.

As it's the winter solstice on Friday, here's one taken at Lanyon Quoit over a year ago - sun going down.

Now, having been kindly nominated by Debbie White for The Next Big Thing. I have to answer these questions:-

What is the working title of your book?
FOUR LEFT FEET – and you have to read the book to discover why!

Where did the idea come from for the book?
It came from several things:- going to a friend’s funeral and noticing a well dressed man sitting beside me, at the back, weeping all the way through. He obviously loved the deceased very much, but why wasn’t he at the front, with the family, and why did he rush off straight afterwards, without talking to anyone? Later on, Pip said, looking at the children, “I wonder who Matt’s father is?” and that got me thinking….

I also wrote it because my husband had just been diagnosed with cancer and I was wondering how the hell I would cope if anything happened to him.

What genre does your book fall under? Commercial women’s fiction.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Alan Rickman would play Leo, Cate Blanchett would be Gaby and Maggie (can’t remember surname) would play Tiff.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Leo returns to Cornwall to try to come to terms with losing Gaby, the love of his life; in doing so he finally comes to terms with the past and has a second chance at love.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About 3 or 4 months. But the edits took a lot longer, and I’m sure that if anyone does take it on, there will be many more edits needed.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Me Before You (Jo Jo Moyes); Never Change (E Berg); Thursday Afternoons in the Park

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A stranger at a funeral (see above), and the strong belief that we all have more than one chance at love.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Since I wrote this, many of the events in the book have come true. Even down to the dialogue, on occasions!

When and how will it be published?
That is in the lap of the gods – or rather, the agent who is reading it at the moment.

Now I am supposed to pass this on to 5 other writers who could well be the Next Big Thing.

Debs Car Debs has just got an amazing agent for her novel so she is well on her way...
Chris Stovell Chris's second novel Move Over Darling has just been published by Choc Lit - she's already Got There and I loved this novel as much as her first, Turning the Tide.
Emma Timpany (but she has no blog)- a fabulous New Zealand writer who has won several awards for her short stories and aiming for an agent for her novels
Nancy Kinnison - no blog but another very talented writer
Susie Nott Bower - for her fabulous first novel, The Making Of Her which I couldn't put down.