I’m excited to have Phillipa Ashley with us today talking to us about her latest release, Just Say Yes. Β Please help me in welcoming Phillipa to Cocktails and Books!
PA: I live in a tiny village in the heart of England, recently in the news because a huge hoard of Anglo Saxon gold was found here, though sadly not by me. I have a lovely husband whose one liners occasionally make it into my books and a daughter whoβs great at helping with plot brainstorming and anything medical/scientific.Β
How did you get your start as a writer?
PA: Iβve worked as a freelance copywriter and journalist since I left university but I only started writing fiction in 2005 after being inspired to write a fanfic tribute to a BBC TV costume drama based on North & South. Someone pointed out to me that Iβd written a romance and I realised how much fun it was. I joined the Romantic Novelists Association (like the RWA) and got a deal in spring 2006. I havenβt really stopped writing romance since.
What is your typical writing schedule like?
PA: I have no fixed schedule, it depends on my deadline and other writing commitments. I tend to write my βday jobβ work in my office and save the romance for my laptop,Β usuallyΒ in front of the TV with tea and biscuits.
Tell us about Just Say Yes.
PA: Just Say Yes was inspired by a news item. A man had hired the commercial time during an episode of Veronica Mars to propose to his girlfriend and she was filmed giving herΒ response. Fortunately, she said yes! But I thought, what if she said βnoβ? How hurtful and humiliating that would be for both parties? The story kicked off from there.
Where did you get the idea for the series?
PA: Just Say Yes is a single title but although all my books are different, they do have common themes: about facing up to your responsibilities rather than running away, and how hard that can be to do. Vivid dramatic settings also inspire me, I think they can be a character in their own right βJust Say Yes is set in London and the seaside resorts of Cornwall
What do you think readers will think about Josh and Lucy?Β How are they different than Lucy and her ex-boyfriend?
PA: Nick is handsome and fun but he also loves the limelight and perhaps, canβt live without it. Heβs a man whoβs driven by circumstances, but he also chooses how he reacts to them. Josh is the opposite, a private, quiet man who has uncompromising values due to this tough upbringing β but needs to learn how to open up and forgive. Lucy ends up stuck in the middle but has to find her own place in the world too and decide what she believes in.
What was your favorite scene from Just Say Yes?
PA: I had such a lot of fun writing it that itβs hard to choose but I rather enjoy the scene where Lucy first meets Josh and slams the door in his face. Poor, misguided girlβ¦ There are some scenes with the hero and heroineβs doggy friends that still make me laugh too and the ending was meltworthy to write.
What do you like to do when you arenβt writing?
PA: I like to go to the places where my books are set – the Lake District, Corsica, Devon and Cornwall. If I could go bodyboarding or surfing every day Iβm not sure Iβd get any writing done… We donβt live by the sea, so I usually go swimming in an outdoor pool nearby several times a week β even in winter (itβs heated!)
What are three things about you that might surprise your readers??
PA:Β Iβm terrified of speaking in public even though Iβm quite a lively outgoing person in the flesh. I oftenΒ feel physically ill before a talk but as an author, I just have to do it sometimes.
I like eating leftover cold curry, pizza etc from the fridge β even in the morning. My husband thinks thatβs disgusting.
I donβt like reality television where people who should know better get ritually humiliated β but you could have guessed that from Just Say Yes!Β
Whatβs next for you?
PA: Iβve got a new contemporary romance out in October 2012 called Mirandaβs Mount which is set on an island castle in Cornwall.
A big THANK YOU to Phillipa for stopping by today and chatting with us.Β Β
If you want to know what our guest reviewer, Jenn, thought of Just Say Yes, click here.
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There’s one question a girl should always say yes to…But Lucy Gibson said no. On national TV. Now she’s hated by nearly everyone.
Fleeing the spotlight’s glare, Lucy holes up in a cottage in the country, where she just might find the right reasons to say yes after all…
From beloved novelist Philipa Ashley, Just Say Yes is a sharp and exuberant tale of the rocky road to love that’ll leave you saying “Yes!”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shannon
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Oh, that sounds awkward. A failed marriage proposal on Nat’l TV? Yikes!
I enjoyed the interview and learning about the author too.
Thanks for the giveaway opportuntiy.