The Nearly Weds tells the story of jilted bride Zoe, who flees to America to escape the pitying looks of her friends and family. There, she goes to work as a nanny for single dad Ryan. He's mean and moody but irresistibly sexy too - and to say there are fireworks in their relationship is putting it mildly.
I've wanted to write a book about nannies in America for a while as I was an au pair in the States myself, so it's a subject with which I'm familiar.
Although, for the record, I never slept with any of my bosses.
Why did you decide to write your first book, Bridesmaids?
I was on maternity leave at the time and had been promising myself for ages – naively as it turned out – t hat I would use my time off to have a go (again) at writing a novel. I pictured myself tinkering away on my laptop – a la JK Rowling - in between yummy mummy-style shopping trips and the odd bit of nappy changing.
It is safe to say I under-estimated how gruelling looking after a newborn can be.
In the event, I only started the book when the little’un was three months old and, even then, I only managed to snatch an hour of writing here and there, usually while he was sleeping.
I can’t pretend I wasn’t permanently knackered, but I loved the writing and constantly looked forward to getting back to the book.
Happily – albeit a long time on – it has all turned out to be worth it.
Where did you get the idea for Bridesmaids from?
The idea came to me while I was a guest at the wedding of our friends, Will and Gemma.
I’d been trying to think of a theme for ages and as I saw Gemma walking down the aisle, followed by her bridesmaids, it came to me in a flash.
I thought following the fortunes of four bridesmaids over a series of weddings would be a great idea for a chick lit novel - on the basis that every woman I know has been a bridesmaid and they all have a tale to tell about it.
Weddings in general have so much potential for drama and comedy – and they’re two things I’ve tried to pack into every page of the book.
Have been a bridesmaid yourself?
Yes, but only once. I was maid of honour for my best friend Nina several years ago and I loved every minute of it.
Well, how can you not? There is something about weddings I find absolutely irresistible. I’m a complete sucker for them.
Is any of the book based on real life?
I took inspiration from all the weddings I’ve been to over the years to try to re-create the feel and atmosphere of them.
But in terms of specific characters and events, they are all figments of my obviously over-active imagination (sorry to disappoint).
The only exception I can think of is a part of the book – which I won’t go into too much detail about as it’s very near the end – in which a bridal car breaks down on the way to the church.
This was inspired by my friend Nina’s wedding in which we ended up abandoning the gorgeous, but clapped out, classic car in favour of a rather muddy Land Rover. Still, it got us to the church on time!
Why did you decide to make the main character Evie a journalist?
I was a journalist myself for more than ten years and know first-hand jus t how exciting and rewarding it can be.
I also thought it wise with my first book to follow the old advice to write about what you know.
That said, I should stress that the newspaper Evie works for is an entirely fictional one. None of the events that happen to her i n this role actually happened. And I’m particularly keen to make it clear that her horrible boss Simon is about as far removed from the Liverpool Daily Post’s exceptionally lovely and talented news editor as you can get!
How does a would-be author go about getting a book deal?
I can only speak for myself. In my case, I wrote three chapters and a detailed synopsis, then sent it off to several agents. One of them was Darley Anderson, who represents internationally best-selling authors including Martina Cole and Lee Child.
Darley phoned me up on the day he received it and said he liked what he’d read, but that he’d like to see the rest of the manuscript before we progressed anything. I then had to confess that I hadn’t actually written the rest of the manuscript.
Fortunately, Darley wasn’t put off and instead spent a long time giving me his advice and direction. I was absolutely inspired to write on.
It took me a few months more to finish the book in its first draft and, after several re-writes under the guidance of Darley and his team, he took it out to the publishers.
I signed the deal with Simon and Schuster UK in late Summer 2006.
Do you prefer writing books or journalism?
I loved being a journalist, but I have to confess that I feel happiest and most inspired when writing books.
It has been a lifelong ambition and, now that I’m lucky enough to be doing it professionally, it hasn’t disappointed in any way.
Obviously, it’s still early days for me as an author, but I’d be lying if I said I am not praying that I have a long and successful career ahead of me writing novels.
Do you think chick lit gets a bad press?
Chick lit isn’t for everyone. But then, what is?
My own bookshelves are filled with all manner of reading material – from classics by the likes of Henry James and Charlotte Bronte to modern-day masterpieces by Lionel Shriver and Andrea Levy – as well as plenty of chick lit by Sophie Kinsella and Adele Parks.
Life is full of light and shade and there is nothing wrong with the same applying to your reading habits. Reading a challenging book is wonderful, but sometimes – particularly if you’re on holiday, or simply after a hard week at work – you want to curl up with something that is light, pacy, funny and easy to read.
For that reason, I do think that the more successful chick lit authors are under-estimated in some quarters. They have created some brilliantly funny characters who women the world over relate to. I know from experience that that isn’t as easy as it looks.
