Hey Alice! Can you tell us a little about your latest book.
It's called THE MAN IN A HAYSTACK and is written in blog style, like a diary, and follows Mae, a forty-something glamorous woman, as she dates many different men. She is determined to find Mr Right before her looks deteriorate through age and her biological clock runs out! It's funny, emotional, heartbreaking and above all, entertaining. It's set in Essex, UK, and some reviews have compared it to Bridget Jones' Diary which is very flattering. One even said it's "Better than Bridget Jones!" I could kiss that reviewer!
What inspired you to write it?
Some years ago I wrote a blog, primarily to keep my friends and family up to date with my life. I didn't just blog about my dating episodes but also everything else that was going on in my life. However, it soon became very apparent that the dating posts were the most popular and after three people (independently of each other) suggested I turn those in to a book, I began to wonder whether it was achievable. Therefore, it wasn't ever intended to be a novel. It has just evolved in to one and has been turned in to fiction with tweaks of the story and all characters/place names have been changed.
Is it part of a series?
Yes, I have recently decided to write a sequel which will be half based on real life experiences and half not. The working title is THE MAN IN A HAYSTACK - SEARCHING HEARTS.
If your latest book was made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
What inspired you to write it?
Some years ago I wrote a blog, primarily to keep my friends and family up to date with my life. I didn't just blog about my dating episodes but also everything else that was going on in my life. However, it soon became very apparent that the dating posts were the most popular and after three people (independently of each other) suggested I turn those in to a book, I began to wonder whether it was achievable. Therefore, it wasn't ever intended to be a novel. It has just evolved in to one and has been turned in to fiction with tweaks of the story and all characters/place names have been changed.
Is it part of a series?
Yes, I have recently decided to write a sequel which will be half based on real life experiences and half not. The working title is THE MAN IN A HAYSTACK - SEARCHING HEARTS.
If your latest book was made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
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| photo credit: brixton21 via photopin cc |
I have given this a lot of thought, as I'm sure most authors have with their own characters. My leading female character, Mae, would be perfectly played by Gwyneth Paltrow or Cameron Diaz provided they could pull off a convincing British (Essex) accent, or Kate Winslet who is English anyway. My leading men, Fit Guy and Del the Donk could be played by Jude Law and Paul Nicholls respectively. US readers may not know Paul Nicholls as well as us Brits although he did appear in Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason as Jed.
What made you want to become an author?
I kind of stumbled in to it! I had always worked as an administrator and when I lost my job to redundancy after 28 years, it was then that I decided to focus on editing my blog in to the novel that it has become now. I feel a bit of a fraud tagging my name with 'author' or 'writer' but essentially that is what I have evolved in to, and I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying this new vocation.
Name one of your all-time favourite book covers?
I recently bought a book by an author I have become acquainted with on Twitter, Jess Sturman-Coombs. The book is POKER FACE, and when I held the book in my hands for the first time and saw the glossy cover up close, I thought it was incredibly beautiful and classy, and yet so simple.
Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you?
That would be Cecelia Ahern's Where Rainbows End. I read it on the beach when I was on holiday in Fueterventura, Spain, and could not get my head out of it because I identified with the relationship between Rosie and Alex so much.
Who, or what, inspires you?
People who persevere and follow their dreams and don't lose sight of their capabilities, despite others who knock them with comments which could easily sap the confidence out of most of us.
Where is your favourite place to write?
In the comfort and quietness of my own home. Silence, my computer, my thoughts, my pen and paper, and a black coffee with two sweeteners. That's all I need to get me set up for a morning or afternoon of writing.
What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
I am a sucker for romcoms and chick lit. My all time favourite romcom based on a book is Bridget Jones' Diary closely followed by Ps. I Love You.
Who is your favourite author (s) and why?
I am not well read by any means, never having had a huge amount of spare time to get stuck in to reading regularly. But of those I have read, I am drawn to Cecelia Ahern. Having said all that, now that I am writing regularly I intend to read a lot of self published ebooks and was given a Kindle a couple of weeks ago as a birthday present, so I'm all set up and raring to go and have already downloaded quite a few.
Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I am very nostalgic about the 1970s - I love it all - the music, the fashions, the toys. If I could turn back time, that is the era I'd choose to revisit as an adult.
Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
I live in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK. It is a seaside town popular with summer day trippers and it is home to the longest pleasure pier in the world extending 1.34 miles in to the Thames Estuary.
Links to your website / facebook / twitter / youtube, etc:
My/book website: www.themaninahaystack.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/themaninahaystack
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Alice_Haystack
Amazon: www.viewbook.at/themaninahaystack
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/daisykins64
It was a pleasure having you on my blog, Alice. We have a lot in common! I adore Cecelia Ahern's books an PS I Love You is an amazing movie! Oh and I recently flew into Southend Airport LOL!
What made you want to become an author?
I kind of stumbled in to it! I had always worked as an administrator and when I lost my job to redundancy after 28 years, it was then that I decided to focus on editing my blog in to the novel that it has become now. I feel a bit of a fraud tagging my name with 'author' or 'writer' but essentially that is what I have evolved in to, and I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying this new vocation.
Name one of your all-time favourite book covers?
I recently bought a book by an author I have become acquainted with on Twitter, Jess Sturman-Coombs. The book is POKER FACE, and when I held the book in my hands for the first time and saw the glossy cover up close, I thought it was incredibly beautiful and classy, and yet so simple.
Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you?
That would be Cecelia Ahern's Where Rainbows End. I read it on the beach when I was on holiday in Fueterventura, Spain, and could not get my head out of it because I identified with the relationship between Rosie and Alex so much.
Who, or what, inspires you?
People who persevere and follow their dreams and don't lose sight of their capabilities, despite others who knock them with comments which could easily sap the confidence out of most of us.
Where is your favourite place to write?
In the comfort and quietness of my own home. Silence, my computer, my thoughts, my pen and paper, and a black coffee with two sweeteners. That's all I need to get me set up for a morning or afternoon of writing.
What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
I am a sucker for romcoms and chick lit. My all time favourite romcom based on a book is Bridget Jones' Diary closely followed by Ps. I Love You.
Who is your favourite author (s) and why?
I am not well read by any means, never having had a huge amount of spare time to get stuck in to reading regularly. But of those I have read, I am drawn to Cecelia Ahern. Having said all that, now that I am writing regularly I intend to read a lot of self published ebooks and was given a Kindle a couple of weeks ago as a birthday present, so I'm all set up and raring to go and have already downloaded quite a few.
Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I am very nostalgic about the 1970s - I love it all - the music, the fashions, the toys. If I could turn back time, that is the era I'd choose to revisit as an adult.
Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
I live in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK. It is a seaside town popular with summer day trippers and it is home to the longest pleasure pier in the world extending 1.34 miles in to the Thames Estuary.
Links to your website / facebook / twitter / youtube, etc:
My/book website: www.themaninahaystack.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/themaninahaystack
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Alice_Haystack
Amazon: www.viewbook.at/themaninahaystack
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/daisykins64
It was a pleasure having you on my blog, Alice. We have a lot in common! I adore Cecelia Ahern's books an PS I Love You is an amazing movie! Oh and I recently flew into Southend Airport LOL!
I really appreciated the opportunity Suzy :) Thank you so much! I love that we have a lot in common. Funny that you were just down the road at the airport - small world. X
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the interview and I had to laugh because I always tend to see my characters as Jude Law, Kate Winslet or Gwyneth Paltrow (one of them is bound to show up). The other male would be Jon Bon Jovi...he is an actor. Sometimes. =)
ReplyDeleteAll the very best with your book. Susana
Haha! Brilliant :)I actually think Martine McCutcheon would play Mae to perfection, if only she could pass for over 40. X
ReplyDelete