How many books have you written? Which one is your favourite?
I write contemporary women’s fiction immersed in the sights, sounds and flavours of Italy with a feel-good vibe. Invitation to Italy is my fourth book. As for a favourite, it’s always the latest one! Aside from Invitation to Italy, I am very fond of The Italian Fiancé and its heroine 70-year-old Aunt Jane who is preparing to marry Luciano, a flamboyant Italian artist she met on holiday. Not everyone approves of Jane’s decision to transform her life so dramatically. When Jane’s two nieces, Cassie and Lisa, put their differences aside to travel to Tuscany to check out Luciano’s credentials they’re shocked to find their own lives turned upside down and their relationship with each other changed for good.
Have you ever travelled as research for your books?
Yes. I like to really know my locations and I prefer to choose somewhere I have been to more than once. Ideally, I like to visit again (purely for research) during the writing of the book though that isn’t always feasible. During the covid lockdowns I came up with a story (The Italian Fiancé) set in Lucca, Tuscany because I had been there many times and could read over my parents’ holiday diaries which were a fabulous resource.
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
I love everything I have read so far by Elin Hilderbrand. She crafts a compelling story whilst really digging into the nitty gritty of her character’s lives and she’s not afraid to have multiple points of view. I’m sure I’d learn a lot from chatting to her. I’m also imagining that I get to meet her in Nantucket where most of her books are set and I can experience all those things in her novels that seem so exotic to me like clam bakes and wafting around in ‘patio dresses’!
What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
Do what works for you and don’t worry if someone else is writing thousands of words a day or starting work at 5am. Also remember that there are no rules. As soon as you read a piece insisting you avoid adverbs or prologues or whatever you’ll find yourself reading and enjoying a book that does everything you were just told you shouldn’t do! And remember there’s no point getting someone to give you feedback if they’re just going to tell you it’s wonderful.
What book or books do you like reading?
I alternate between ‘women’s fiction’ and something very different which could be crime, something ‘literary’ or even memoir. I got completely absorbed in The Salt Path and love Marlene de Blasi’s various Italian based memoirs. I read a lot set abroad. That could be a ‘holiday’ based story by someone like Rosanna Ley or something that’s just set somewhere outside my experience like The Paper Palace.
What inspired the idea for your latest book?
Invitation to Italy is a tale of new beginnings and letting go set on the idyllic sun-drenched island of Procida. The initial idea came to me whilst sitting on a train listening to two women discussing what their kids were doing in the school holidays. One had a daughter who was spending the summer abroad with the woman’s ex-husband and his new wife. The woman seemed very relaxed about the arrangement, but it did make me wonder what would happen if the relationship between the two women was less cordial. This inspired the relationship between Abi and her ex’s fiancée. Loretta, my other main character, once completed the challenging Capri to Naples swim. I always wanted to include that in a book after watching swimmers emerging onto the harbour in Naples and wondering what was going on!
What’s the best money you’ve ever spent with regard to your writing?
Joining the Romantic Novelists’ Association and their New Writers’ Scheme. Through the scheme I received feedback from an anonymous published novelist on an early draft of The Italian Holiday. I had read a few ‘how-to’ books/blogs etc but my reader was able to point out areas of strengths and weaknesses in my own work. I rewrote the manuscript and within a few months I found my agent and The Italian Holiday became my first published novel.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
On a writing day I often like to fit in a walk or swim in the morning because the rhythm – and change of scene – really helps me to iron out plot points if I’m stuck. When I’m on a roll I will get straight to my desk. I usually write for between one and half hours to two hours then take a break for coffee/lunch/general tasks before starting again. During the break time I will probably read over what I have written (printed off on paper). I edit with pen or pencil before starting the next writing round. I don’t over edit during the first draft; I’d rather get onto the next chapter. I will stop anytime from mid-afternoon to evening depending on how things are going.
What’s your favourite and least favourite part of writing/publishing
My favourite parts of writing are when a vague new idea begins to develop into something I can use for the next book, and when I’m editing my first draft and can see it turning into a readable book. The worst part about writing is the fear of never having another idea. The best parts of being published are seeing the cover design and reading the first good review. The worst part is the incredible slow pace of the business which would amaze anyone who hasn’t experience it – especially waiting for that elusive ‘yes’.
Whom do you trust for objective and constructive criticism of you work?
My husband is always the first to read my books although he isn’t the ‘target reader’. He is very good at pointing out anything that doesn’t make sense. He tells me if bits are boring or a character is unappealing.
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