SO happy to have you here, lovely lady, so we can have a catch up after meeting for the first time at this year's Romantic Novelist Assocation conference. Harper Impulse seems to be snapping up some great authors both here and in the US and I am thrilled to be such good friends with so many of them. Wishing you oodles of success and sales with your latest release! Let's get started with the questions....
- What do you wish men understood about women?
That it is essential to
have a lot of shoes and handbags. My husband doesn’t understand this and he
really should by now.
- Do you only work on one book at a time?
Sort of! Yes, I do but
if I do get a little idea for another one I tend to jot down the outline and
perhaps make up a blurb so I have it to refer to when I move on. Generally,
once I’ve committed to one book I stick with it until it’s finished.
- Who is your favorite fictional couple?
They’re not
really a couple…yet! But I love Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon from The
Mentalist. How she’s learned to cope with his eccentricities is amazing!
They’re almost opposites but there’s a definite attraction there. Come on Mr
Scriptwriter!
- Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?
It’s
actually one I made up:- ‘Work hard, make your own luck and then go and tweet
about it!’ I am a great believer in hard work and determination being the keys
to success in life. If you want something go out and grab it!
- Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?
I’ve
just been discussing this very subject with some of the other Harper Impulse
authors. I aim for a 1k word count 5 days a week, but I’m flexible on this
because sometimes things will crop up and you need to adjust your schedule.
When you’re launching a book for instance, you will spend most of your time
writing blog posts and doing interviews to promote it. I try and write
something every day, even if it’s a couple of lines. They might be the best
lines of the whole book you know!
- What do you like better, Twitter or Facebook? Why?
Everyone knows I’m a Twitter addict! But I’m also very partial to
FB too! I use them in different ways! Twitter is the best site for promoting
your books and connecting quickly with people. Facebook is better for sharing
photos and more personal stuff. I don’t usually put pictures of my dinner on
Twitter but I post them on FB all the time!
- What are you working on now?
I’m working
on my second book for Harper Impulse with a working title of ‘Made in
Nashville’ (thanks Sue Fortin for the title!). It was spawned from my love of
country music and features a tattooed, fit, Southern rock country hero called
Jared ‘Jed’ Marshall.
- Tell us about your latest release and where we can find it?
My latest release is my first with Harper Impulse entitled Do You
Remember? It’s a contemporary romance and is available as an e-book right now!
Here’s the blurb:-
First Love. First Loss. Last
chance?
2005 was the most traumatic year
of Emma Barron’s life. It was the year her mother died and the year she met Guy
Duval. Eight years on, she’s an English teacher with a doting boyfriend and a
young son. Life’s been hard but now it’s comfortable. She’s settled and
content…so why would she risk it all for another chance with the man that broke
her heart?
Guy’s an international renowned
footballer newly signed to a top UK team. But behind the confident facade is a
man determined to drown the horrors from his childhood with fame, success and
money.
Unable to confide in her best
friend, Ally, Emma tries to hold her life together as her heart is pulled
apart. Did she turn her back on love too soon?
Neither of them know what really
happened on 5 September 2005 and as events are slowly revealed can anyone cope
with the truth?
Mandy Baggot is a romantic
fiction author. In 2012 she won the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the
UK’s Festival of Romance. Her self-published title, Strings Attached was also
short-listed for the Best Author Published Read award.
Also in 2012 she signed
with American publishing house, Sapphire Star Publishing, who produced her
novels, Taking Charge and romantic suspense, Security.
I
n
June 2013 she signed a two book deal with Harper Collins' digital first romance
imprint, Harper Impulse.
She is a regular
contributor to writing blogs and on-line magazine, Loveahappyending Lifestyle http://www.loveahappyending.com/.
Mandy loves mashed potato,
white wine, country music, World’s Strongest Man, travel and handbags. She has
appeared on ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and auditioned for The X-Factor.
Mandy is a member of the
Romantic Novelists’ Association and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with
her husband, two daughters and cats, Kravitz and Springsteen.
Thank you so much for having me, Rachel! Loved answering your questions!
ReplyDeleteMandy :)
Great Interview, Ladies! Keep up the good work, both of you! xxxx
ReplyDeleteOh, I love this: "Work hard, make your own luck and then go and tweet about it!" She does work hard, y'know! Best of luck, Mandy! :) xx
ReplyDeleteRachel, I LOVE your blog header!!! Sigh. :) xx
ReplyDeleteAwesome interview! Loved it both questions & answers I so can't wait for Made in Nashville to come out I too love country music & love the title. Read a few of Mandy's books now love them so have to catch up some:)I too love your header!
ReplyDeleteToni
Really looking forward to meeting Jed, Mandy! I do like a bit of Nashville...but I have to say, Do You Remember is a fab read and so hot! Waves, Rachel!
ReplyDelete