The Perfect Romance - Guest Post Mandy Baggot

It's always lovely to welcome guests onto my blog who I've met in real life as well as on social media. This week it's author Mandy Baggot's turn to take the hot seat and she'll be talking about her writing process and her new novel, A Perfect Paris Christmas which is out today!

 

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY, MANDY!

A Perfect Paris Christmas has just been published. How hard is it to write a Christmas book when the sun is shining and the birds are singing?

It is so so hard! I find it much harder to write Christmas in the nice weather than I do to write summer books in the autumn/winter. My deadlines have moved around a little bit recently though so I have been able to write slightly more in line with the seasons!

Could you describe your novel in a sentence?

Can two broken hearts heal in Paris at Christmas time?

Have you always wanted to write in the romantic comedy genre?

I have always written some form of romance since I was a child. All my stories have been based around that first flash of a connection and how that grows and develops. Comedy is part of who I am and so that has naturally come into my romance writing. I always think life is a perfect mix of love, life and laughs and that’s what I want my stories to reflect.

Are you a plotter or a pantster and how long did it take you to write A Perfect Paris Christmas?

I am a total pantster. When I submit the premise of my book to my publisher it’s quite vague because I really don’t exactly know what’s going to happen yet. My characters really do take me on the journey and I think if I planned everything out in the finest detail I would be bored writing it. The getting to know the characters as I write is the bit that I enjoy the most.

It takes me about 3-4 months to write a book. It was a challenge writing A Perfect Paris Christmas in lockdown with children being home schooled and a husband also working from home…

Are any of your characters ever based on real people?

No. You can never truly base characters on real people. But you can take traits you notice or things that happen in real life and weave them into stories. Actually though, Bo-Bo in A Perfect Paris Christmas was based on a dog in my little Greek village…

Most of your novels are set abroad. How has that come about?

I get asked this a lot. I write two books a year at the moment. One is a summer book usually set in Greece and the other a Christmas book usually set in either London, New York or Paris. I feel really comfortable writing about Greece as I have a house there and spend as much time in Corfu as I can. I provide the foreign escape people are craving, particularly during 2020 when travel was very difficult or non-existent for most people. I like exploring abroad and readers have come to expect me to take them on a trip somewhere that either they’ve been to and love or somewhere they’d like to go one day. My love stories are almost as much about the locations as they are about the characters.

Did you always want to be a writer?

I’ve always written. I never thought I would make it a full-time job. It seemed to be an elite profession that ‘normal’ people would never be able to achieve. But now it is more accessible as a career than ever before. Starting out self-publishing definitely shaped my career in the best of ways. Success had to be achieved on my own – there was no editor, no proof-reader, just me - and I am really proud of how things have developed since those humble beginnings. Were those first books perfect? Of course not! But readers are still loving and enjoying them now. Growing on the job, thrusting my work out onto Amazon and trusting my instincts that the stories would be enjoyed has been the best thing for me. I truly appreciate every stage of publishing now.

Could you describe your typical writing day?

Every day starts with a school run and usually some exercise and then I get down to social media first. Real writing of words starts around 11am until 3pm with answering emails in between and doing the mum stuff of washing and housework too. The pick-up school run starts about 3.15pm and I don’t usually write again unless I am on a tight deadline or need to edit or answer more emails. I try and have the weekends off but that depends on deadlines or if I have a book promotion that needs shouting about. It’s a really full on job but I love it!

What is the best piece of advice would you give to an aspiring romantic fiction writer?

Always trust your own writing voice and never try to emulate anyone else. Seek inspiration be reading and reading some more but remember your own style and stick to it. Don’t be put off by negative feedback, take the positives from every criticism, because there will be positives there. Enjoy your writing, because if you’re not enjoying it then what’s the point?

What next for Mandy Baggot?

Well, I am deep into my next book (my 22^nd novel!) for summer 2021. I can’t tell you what it’s called yet, but it is set in Greece…

Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer represented by Tanera Simons of The Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency.


Mandy is best-known for her laugh-out-loud romantic comedies featuring strong heroines, gorgeous heroes and always that happy-ever-after!

The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK's Festival of Romance, her novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy's books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech and Hungarian.

Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, wine, cheese, Netflix, country music and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1's Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor.


Mandy is a member of the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

Visit Mandy's website at www.mandybaggot.com or follow her on Twitter @mandybaggot, Instagram @mandybaggot and Facebook @mandybaggotauthor.

 

Buy A Perfect Paris Christmas:- https://amzn.to/2Ygmf9R

An Exciting New Romcom Series - Guest Post Liz Eeles

This week, I'm delighted to welcome back to Wendy's Writing Now good friend and talented author, Liz Eeles. Not only do we share the same publisher but Liz lives in the next town from me which is lovely. The first in Liz's new romantic comedy series, New Starts and Cherry Tarts at the Cosy Kettle, was published this week by Bookouture. Publication week is always a busy time for authors but Liz kindly spared me a few minutes to answer a few questions. Hopefully her answers will whet your appetite for her new novel.

Can you remember where you were and what you were doing when the idea for New Starts and Cherry Tarts at The Cosy Kettle first came to you?

Not really – which isn’t a great start on question 1! I wanted to write about the beautiful Cotswolds, where I grew up, and knew the book would have a romance at its heart. But the rest – the bookshop, the café, and how my main character, Callie, grows in confidence and stops being such a people-pleaser – came to me gradually.

What three words would you use to describe your novel?

Funny, heart-warming and romantic.

How long did it take you to write?

I wrote a pretty rough first draft in about four months and spent another month re-writing it, before it was in a fit state to start going through the edits process. Having a deadline really helps me to sit down, stop faffing about and get on with it.

Do you think it’s easier to write a series than a standalone novel?

That’s hard for me to judge because my first three published books are also a series, set in Cornwall – though all three can be read as standalones. Writing a series is probably easier in some ways because your characters and setting are already established by the time you get to books 2 and 3. And it’s great to have the space to develop characters and stay with them for longer. But it can be tricky if you resolve a character’s problems in book 1 and then have to come up with more problems for them in book 2 or 3. I always feel a bit mean putting them through another trauma!

Who was your favourite character to write?

Definitely Stanley, Callie’s granddad. He’s just had his eightieth birthday and has decided to become his ‘true self’ before it’s too late. This involves saying what he thinks, taking on challenges from wild swimming to parachute jumps, and becoming an eco-warrior. He was great fun to write and I’m delighted when readers say how much they love him.  

When you write a character, do you have an image of a real-life person in your head?

Not really, though Josh, the handsome hero in my first Cornwall trilogy, ended up looking rather like Richard Armitage in the TV series North and South, which was absolutely fine by me.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Getting away from my computer and out into the open air helps to blow away the cobwebs. I live on the south coast, so I walk a lot by the sea with friends and enjoy having a good natter. And I love watching telly and can often be found binge-watching box sets.

What does your family think of your writing?

They’re all very supportive, especially my husband who always reads an early draft of my books - I’ve introduced him to the genre of romcom. He’s also very long-suffering as publication day approaches and my anxiety levels start rising! 

Any advice for budding authors?

Don’t listen to that little voice in your head which says: You’re really rubbish at this writing lark, you’re wasting your time and will never get anywhere. I’ve realised that published authors – even those who sell loads of books – can suffer from anxiety about whether they’re good enough. So, keep going and seek informed and constructive feedback on your work, rather than listen to your inner critic.

What next for Liz Eeles?

More Cosy Kettle books! I’m editing the second book in the series at the moment, and the third and final book - which will be a Christmas story - is all mapped out. Now all I have to do is write it!

After yet another failed romance, twenty-six-year-old Callie Fulbright is giving up on love. She’s determined to throw all her efforts into her very own, brand-new café: The Cosy Kettle. Serving hot tea, cherry tarts and a welcoming smile to the friendly locals proves to be the perfect distraction, and Callie feels a flush of pride at the fledgling business she’s built.

But her new-found confidence is soon put to the test when her gorgeous ex reappears in the quaint little village. She’ll never forget the heartache Noah caused her years ago, but when they bump into each other on the cobbled streets of Honeyford she can’t help but feel a flutter in her chest…

As Callie and Noah share laughter and memories, she starts to wonder if this could be her second chance at happiness. But when Callie discovers that someone is mysteriously trying to ruin the café’s reputation… she has an awful suspicion that Noah knows who’s involved.

Was she wrong to ever trust him again? And can she find out who’s behind the lies and rumours, before it’s too late for the Cosy Kettle?

You can buy New Starts and Cherry Tarts at the Cosy Kettle here:  AMAZON

About Liz

Liz Eeles writes funny, feel-good romantic comedies set in the Cotswolds and Cornwall. She was brought up in Gloucestershire so the Cotswolds are 'home', and she fell in love with Cornwall during family holidays there as a child.

Liz worked as a journalist for years and brought up a family on the south coast, all the while writing fiction on the quiet. After being short-listed in a couple of national novel-writing competitions, her dream of being a published author came true when she was signed by Bookouture.

Website                Facebook             Twitter