- What do you wish men understood about women?
That
when we say we want chocolate they know that we mean business!
- Do you only work on one book at a time?
Yes, so far that is the pattern. As soon as the book is finished, final
edits done and manuscript safely in the publisher's hands, I begin the task of
getting all the publicity ready - this can be very time consuming but I find it
is essential to do as much as I possibly can. I need to feel I've really done
my very best to 'get the book out there' by publication date and during its
first few weeks. Then I can relax and get on with the next book.
- Who is your favorite fictional couple?
Roy
and Hayley from Coronation Street are top of my list at the moment.
- Do you have a
favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?
My mum always says to me, "The time to be happy is now…" She's
right.
- Do you set daily
writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to
write every day?
I am quite disciplined about my writing and aim
for a thousand words a day when working on a book, sometimes it’s a lot more. I
endeavor to write at least five days a week and in order to do this, get up
very early - when most folk are still asleep. It is my most productive time.
- What do you like
better, Twitter or Facebook? Why?
It’s taken me a long time to like
either and I have no real preference, initially seeing both as a necessary tool
for a writer today. It is important to engage with your audience and with other
writers who help each other with reciprocal 'shares' and 're-tweets' and to
keep up to date with the writing world. If I had to have a preference it would
probably be twitter - it's instant, informative and brief.
- What are you working on now?
At the time of writing this, I'm working on the outline of
my next book which is a follow-up to So,
You Think You’re A Celebrity…Chef? I'm also preparing an article about food
from the series, Downton Abbey. It's a real passion of mine to take a look at
cooking methods over the centuries and I like nothing better than being
immersed in the kitchen of a stately home examining all the utensils and tools
they used at that time. Downton Abbey is interesting because the series covers
food both upstairs and downstairs - from the very grand to the very basic. I'm
sure I was a cook below stairs in a previous life!
- Tell us about your
latest release and where we can find it
My latest release is - So, You Think You’re A Celebrity…Chef?
Published by ThornBerry Publishing and available as both an e-book and
paperback. It is a light-hearted contemporary romance looking at the world of
today's celebrity chefs as they rise through the ranks and how they cope with
fame and fortune. A couple of
years ago I travelled to a food festival in Ireland and had an amazing time.
The Gourmet Food Festival in Kinsale is an annual event and not for the faint
hearted! It was the inspiration behind this book and I would highly recommend a
visit to Kinsale to your visitors.
These quotes just in!
"A
fabulous story, it made me shriek with laughter and I loved every twist and
turn! And so much of it could be only too true! One of my favourite current
reads." Valentina Harris, Author, Chef
& International Cookery School Host.
"You'll
go NUTS! about this book! A Great read!" Andrew
Nutter, Celebrity Chef
So You Think You're A Celebrity...
Chef?
by
Caroline
James
Mix together…
A tough-cookie media agent who's
clawed her way to the top, and a con-man who wants to open a cookery school.
Add in a washed-up celebrity chef
whose career needs re-building…
Flavour with…
An aging rock star fresh from rehab,
and a Sloane Ranger food writer who gets her own TV show…
Bring to the boil:
At a Gourmet Food Festival, in
Ireland, where anything goes!
When media agent Hilary Hargreaves travels to Ireland to look
at a campaign for a new cookery school, she meets a blast from her past - the
romantic but feckless chef Mickey Lloyd, who is hell-bent on resurrecting his
flagging career. Her tough demeanour is rocked as it becomes apparent Mickey's
intentions involve more than a stint behind a stove in his quest to pursue her.
But as plans for the school gain momentum, she realises that she's developing
more than a passing interest in reformed alcoholic Long Tom Hendry, who owns
the crumbling old mansion where the school will be homed. Hilary has many ingredients
to juggle with her demanding client list - which looks set to boil over if she
doesn't keep control. From London's bustling Soho, to Southern Ireland and the
sunny shores of the Caribbean, has Hilary got too much on her plate and is she
really prepared to risk it all for love?
Excerpt
Hilary pressed a security code onto
a keypad. It buzzed and she pushed the front door to her office open and
entered, then flicked it closed with her kitten heel pump and climbed the
stairs. Her footing was cushioned by the soft red pile of an expensive carpet.
Bob had assured her that red was a good feng shui colour – associated with
romance, wealth and happiness. Hilary sighed and wondered why she put up with
his nonsense.
The foyer of Hargreaves Promotions was deserted and Hilary
cursed as she swept past Lottie’s cluttered desk. The girl was nowhere to be
seen and the switchboard lights flickered like traffic lights as they remained
unanswered. A curious sound emanated from Bob’s office, the drone was
low-pitched and sounded painful. Hilary peered through the frosted glass on the
panel door then thrust the door open.
“Good grief, Bob, have you been tangoed?” Hilary planted
herself in the doorway and stared at her assistant in his vivid outfit. He was
all beads, bangles and Buddha since he’d come back from Tibet and Hilary’s
patience was wearing thin. “Where in God’s name did you get that suit?” she
asked. “You look like a space hopper!”
Bob ignored his boss. He kept his eyes closed and fondled
the prayer beads. “Go away, Hilary,” he said quietly. “It’s my lunch break.”
“No, it isn’t,” Hilary said. “It’s three o’clock in the
afternoon and this place is like the Marie Celeste. Where’s Lottie?”
Bob tucked himself under the worn leather top of his
mahogany desk and folded his arms. “She’s gone to get a panini,” he replied.
“We’ve never stopped all day and I shall faint if I don’t get some carbs.”
Hilary stared at a book on Bob’s desk – My Spiritual Journey, Dalai Lama. Bob leaned forward and stroked
the cover protectively.
“Goolanga,” Hilary
muttered. “Aren’t you a little old for all this Hari Krishna nonsense?”
“Don’t knock something you know nothing about,” Bob said and
gazed fondly at his hero’s image.
“I know that my office has ground to a complete standstill
the moment I step out for a quick meeting.” Hilary tapped her elegant 1950s
suede shoe’d foot. “Go and answer the phones please, then make us both an
espresso. I want to hear all about the literary festival in the Cotswolds.” She
turned to leave but called over her shoulder, “When you’re quite sure that that
your chakras are where they should be and you’re ready to do some work…”
Bob screwed his eyes up and let out a hiss between clenched
teeth as he watched Hilary retreat. He glanced at the clock on the wall –
Hilary’s “quick meeting” had been the best part of four hours. He stroked his
beads and breathed through his nose and filled his lungs with air, then exhaled
slowly. He’d give Hilary five minutes then brace himself for her interrogation.
Bob closed his eyes again and thought about the weekend. It
had been awash with literary luvvies who’d flocked to the annual festival.
Hilary had insisted that Bob chaperone one of their clients, Prunella Gray, who
was appearing at the festival to talk about her recently published
autobiography. The festival was set in Chipping Hodbury, a quintessential
English town in the heart of affluent middle England. Pretty limestone
buildings, adorned with flowering window boxes, lined the high street which led
to a double-arched bridge where the River Hod meandered beneath. Chipping
Hodbury Theatre was surrounded by tall weeping willows and gracious lawns which
swept down to the banks of the river where ducks and geese waddled about,
searching for scraps of discarded sandwiches whilst the literary crowd sipped
chilled white wine and picnicked in the glorious sunshine.
Bob thought about the dashing compere, Anthony Merryweather,
who’d watched their arrival and rushed down the theatre steps to open the door
of their courtesy car and greet them. He welcomed them to the festival then
swept Prunella away to prepare for her audience. After several drinks
backstage, Anthony and Bob exchanged numbers and the weekend suddenly
brightened for Bob. Prunella had given a riveting talk and left the stage to a
standing ovation. Enthralled fans hung onto her every word as she embroiled her
life story and described the many perils she’d encountered in the kitchens of
well-known establishments during her career progression. Prunella was an
established household name in the world of food and drink and her warts-and-all
autobiography looked set to be a best seller. She had Hilary to thank for her
success but “thanks” was a swear word
to Prunella Gray and she’d been ruthless in her climb to the top. Bob had
strict instructions to stay with Prunella all weekend and Hilary’s warnings
rung in his ears – Prunella was not to be
left alone, especially with
journalists!
It had been exhausting as Prunella had a rampant appetite
for vodka. She was known as the Poison Dwarf in culinary circles and, in Bob’s
opinion, was an absolute bitch. He’d seen chefs freeze like snared prey and
jack-knife away to avoid her at restaurant openings and media events, where
Prunella tracked her victims. Her sweet little face peered out from a heavy
dark fringe and reminded Bob of the Bette Davis film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. Baby Jane was most definitely
alive and well and lived in a town house in Queen’s Park, where he’d deposited
a drunken Prunella in a heap on Sunday evening.
Bob smiled as he remembered that he was meeting Anthony the
following evening at a restaurant called Dabbous. He couldn’t wait to drop this
in to Hilary – there was a long waiting list for a table but Anthony knew the
manager and had procured a table for eight o’clock.
A tapping sound startled Bob.
Lottie, the
company receptionist, pushed open the door with her pert bottom. Her size three
feet, daintily encased in pink pumps, danced into the room. She balanced a
plate of prawn filled panini in one hand and a mug of peppermint tea in the
other and teetered over to Bob’s desk.
“You’ve got two minutes to eat this. Hilary is on the
war-path and wants you in her office pronto.” Lottie shook her tousled hair and
adjusted a polka-dot bandana. “Prunella’s been on the phone,” Lottie continued.
“She says you abandoned her all weekend and copped off with a compere as camp
as Christmas, then left her to her own devices.”
Bob spat out several prawns. He gazed at Lottie with
saucer-like eyes. “Shite!” he
mumbled.
“That’s not very Dalai Lama – you’d better say a few chants
before you go in.” Lottie wandered away to her desk in reception. She slipped a
head-set on and began to take calls on the pulsating switchboard.
“Hargreaves Promotions. How may I help you today?”
About the Author
Caroline James was born in Cheshire and wanted to be a writer
from an early age. She trained, however, in the catering trade and worked and
travelled both at home and abroad.
Caroline has owned and run many related businesses and cookery is a
passion alongside her writing, combining the two with her love of the
hospitality industry and romantic fiction.
Caroline can generally be found with her nose in a book and
her hand in a box of chocolates and when not doing either, she likes to write,
climb mountains and contemplate life.
She writes fun, romantic fiction and is a member of the RNA
and The Society of Authors. She has had numerous short stories published and
writes a regular column for a lifestyle magazine.
Caroline's debut novel, Coffee,
Tea, The Gypsy & Me went straight to #3 on Amazon and was E-book of the
Week in The Sun newspaper. Her next book, So
You Think You're A Celebrity… Chef? Will be published on October 4th 2013
by Thornberry Publishing.
Web: www.carolinejamesauthor.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolinejamesauthor
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Thanks for hosting me on your lovely blog Rachel, as part of my online book tour for my new book - I enjoyed the interview xx
ReplyDeleteGreat interview ladies.
ReplyDeleteRachel, thank you for taking part in Caroline's tour.
Shaz