Hi, Kitty! So lovely to welcome you to my blog - Looking forward to learning more about you and your debut release, THE CORNISH VILLAGE SCHOOL! Wishing you all success and sales...let's kick off with my questions :)
What was your
first job? Did you like or dislike it? Why?
My very first job was answering phones, filling in paperwork and making
tea in my father’s office. He worked in the motor trade, it was the
mid-eighties, fast-paced and with lots of banter. I felt so sophisticated being
part of it, at the grand age of twelve.
I would work Saturdays and throughout the school holidays and with him
frequently out of the office I would be left alone to twirl in the swirly
office chair, drink endless cups of tea and answer the phone with my most
carefully enunciated voice. I absolutely loved it.
Do you have a
pet peeve? If so what is it?
Injustice, which is rather unfortunate in a world that is frequently
unfair. I’m pretty laid-back about most things but show me something I consider
unjust (a fairly large list) and I begin to rant and rant, pacing up and down.
It may start as a one-off complaint but if the words, ‘…and another thing…’
fall from my lips, then leave the room; I’ll be furious for quite some time.
Would you
describe your style as shabby chic, timeless elegance, eclectic, country or ____?
I would love to be able to describe my style as chic or elegant but then
I wouldn’t be me. The truth is I dress
to fit my mood, and thus my clothing choices can range from the lazy - whatever
has been dropped on the floor recently - to the bizarre and a whole lot in
between. I often tend to have phases, so it might be jeans and a green t-shirt
for weeks at a time (different ones, I hasten to add) or dress after dress
after dress after dress. I do have a bit of a penchant for short and tight (and
a very mulish expression when friends query whether my skirt is an appropriate
length; I also hitch it up another inch as I’m delivering my death stare –fourteen
year old me hasn’t fully disappeared) a tendency to buy loud patterned dresses
and a love of anything I consider unusual.
Tell me about
your book, The Cornish Village School – Breaking The Rules, and where you got
your inspiration for it?
This book tells the story of Rosy Winter, a headteacher faced with the
imminent closure of her school. She needs to somehow save her school, deal with
a particularly tricky PTA and ignore the romantic intentions of her next-door
neighbour.
I decided to follow the cliché of write what you know. I had lived in
Cornwall for twenty-five years and taught there as an infant teacher, so it
made sense to write a romantic comedy in this setting. Being both a parent and a
teacher I knew exactly how competitive the playground can be but at the same
time how supportive relationships are that are formed both amongst parents and
teaching staff. To me this was the perfect recipe, I could create extreme
characters by ramping up that competitive nature as well as a relatable heroine
in the headteacher, who always has to present publicly as calm, kind and
completely in control but who is as human as the rest of us with all sorts of
baggage bubbling under the surface.
Add in the fact that I have spent the majority of my adult life in
Cornwall, racing around the lanes, loving the beaches, traipsing through the
woods, valleys and across moorland, it just made sense to set in the county I
am so deeply in love with and know so well.
Who is your
role model? Why?
My role model is Mary Beard. I was introduced to her work early on in my
life as part of my degree and I have adored her ever since. She says what she
means without frippery, she is willing to speak up for what she believes and
has achieved a global reputation as outstanding in her field because of her
intellect and academic rigour - not because of who she knows or how she looks.
I think she’s amazing. Plus, I agree with pretty much most of what she says.
How much of
your book is realistic?
Haha! This one I’m tempted to leave for readers to answer.
Obviously, everything within the book is entirely fictitious, the
characters and the plot are of my own making and are not anything I have
pinched from real life. However, do schools have a wide variety of
personalities within their staff? Usually yes. Have some of us encountered
other parents who can be bossy and competitive? Quite probably. And are
teachers a mishmash of all that is human? In my experience, very much so.
What are your
ambitions for your writing career?
I have loved writing this book and am continuing to enjoy writing the
series. I giggle a lot as I’m typing and am never sure whether that is a good
thing, wildly arrogant or bordering on the insane. My ambitions are fairly
simple, I would like to continue writing for as long as I can. I have been
bowled over by the reader response to this first book and the reviews it has
received, the whole process has been awesome, I’d like it to carry on.
Share one fact
about yourself that would surprise people.
Um…I dropped out of university first time around and headed to France because
I thought with the Millennium Bug hitting (anyone remember that?) I may be
better served building a log cabin and growing some vegetables in the Pyrenees.
It wasn’t my best-researched plan. I blame The Swiss Family Robinson.
Following heartbreak, Rosy has rebuilt her life in the beautiful Cornish village of Penmenna. Now, headmistress of the local school, she is living by The Rule: no dating anyone in the village. Easy right? But Rosy Winter has a new neighbour, handsome gardener Matt.
In Penmenna for his new gardening TV show, this guy next door will do everything he can to persuade her to break her rule and win her heart. Meanwhile, Penmenna Village School is threatened with closure and it’s up to Rosy to rally the local community and #SaveOurSchool. Can she bring her worlds together and accept help from the most unlikely of sources? One thing’s for sure… she won’t be giving up without a fight.
Bio:
Kitty Wilson lived in Cornwall for the last twenty-five years having been dragged there, against her will, as a stroppy teen. She is now remarkably grateful to her parents for their foresight and wisdom - and that her own children aren’t as hideous. She very recently moved to Bristol - for love - but is planning on moving back to the county she adores as soon as possible. She spends most of her time welded to the keyboard or obsessing about the beach and has a penchant for very loud music, equally loud dresses and romantic heroines who speak their mind. You can find her on social media.
No comments
Post a Comment