Q&A with Lynne Shelby

 Welcome to The Comfy Chair Blog... Lynne Shelby, author of ' The Summer of taking Chances.'

I write women’s fiction/contemporary romance. When I’m not reading or writing, I can usually be found exploring a foreign city, writer’s notebook, camera and sketchbook in hand, or in the audience at the theatre.

I live in London with my husband, and I have three adult children who live nearby.

1.      What was your favourite childhood book/author?

My favourite childhood book was Prince Caspian by C S Lewis, which I originally read when I was seven and re-read many times. I enjoyed all the Narnia books, but this was this was first one I came across – I remember seeing it in a bookshop, and thinking that the cover, with a boy galloping a horse through some woods, looked very exciting. Like so many children, I fell completely under the spell of a story about a magical land where animals could talk.

 

2.      What inspired you to start writing and how long has it taken you to get to this point? 

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing. I have a vivid memory of writing a story when I was five about sheep escaping from a field – although it was only three sentences long! When I was fourteen I submitted a novel I’d written to a publisher, and although they didn’t publish it, a kind editor sent me a letter encouraging me to go on writing – I’m so glad I took her advice. It was, however, several decades – and half a dozen manuscripts in different genres – later, that I ‘discovered’ romantic fiction, and realised that this was what I wanted to write. In 2014, I spotted a nationwide competition with the prize of publication for a women’s fiction/romantic novel, which I entered and won with the ms that became my debut novel, French Kissing, which was published in 2015.

 

3.      Describe your writing space - neat and ordered or creative chaos

When my children were young, I wrote anywhere – in a car waiting for them to come out of ballet class, or in the kitchen while I was cooking – but when my eldest moved into her own flat, her old bedroom became my writing room, where I now have a desk set up under a window, and shelves for books. When I first start writing a novel, my desk is set out neatly, with just my laptop, a coffee mug and a couple of objects that I’ve chosen to inspire my story, but as I write, it becomes ever more cluttered, with pens and papers scattered across its surface, while post-its with my scribbled notes spread from my cork notice board to all around the walls, and reference books pile up all over the floor. I do tidy up the room between writing each draft of a book, but it soon returns to a state of creative chaos.

 

4.      What is the easiest and hardest part of the writing process? 

The hardest part for me is getting to the end of a first draft. Advice for authors is to write a first draft as fast as possible without editing, but I must admit that I can’t always prevent myself from tweaking it as I go along – although this is something I’m consciously trying to avoid doing in my current WIP. The easiest part is the editing. I find it great fun to add details and colour to a story.

 

5.      What does literary success “look” like to you?

For me, literary success is having people read and enjoy a book I’ve written. When I see that someone I’ve never met has gone to the trouble of writing a glowing review or when someone comments on social media how much they’ve loved one of my novels, I’m a very happy author.

 

6.      How do you select the names of your characters?

My main characters tend to rock up in my head fully formed with their own names, demanding that I tell their story. For minor characters I choose names that I like, although I try to avoid picking the names of family or close friends. I find it fascinating how names go in and out of fashion, and I always check which names were popular in the year my characters were born.

 

7.      Do you hide any secret ‘messages’ in your book that only a few people will understand?

I don’t have secret ‘messages,’ but I do sometimes put in an anecdote that a friend will recognise from being present at the event I’m describing.

 

8.      If your book were to be made into a film/TV programme, which actors would play which role? 

It’s a dream of mine to have one of my books made into a film! Several members of my family and a lot of my friends are actors, so I’d suggest to the casting director that they play my characters.

 

9.      What do you hope your readers take away from your book?

I hope that when my readers reach the last page of my books they are satisfied that my characters are where they meant to be.

 

Lastly, Jenn (The Comfy Chair) likes to enjoy a good read snuggled up with a cup of tea and piece of cake... what cake or sweet treat would you suggest to accompany your book? 

Genoa fruit cake, please – my favourite!

The Summer of Taking Chances

‘Ten years from now, imagine where we might be…’

When Emma Stevens was seventeen, she and Jake Murray were both living in the small seaside village of South Quay, dreaming of glittering careers on the stage. Jake left the village to go to drama school, and the following year, Emma planned to do the same…

Ten years later, Jake is living in London, a successful and well-known actor, while Emma is still living a quiet, uneventful life in South Quay, working in a local hotel. Then Jake returns to the village for the summer…

AVAILABLE HERE - OUT NOW!!