Thank you for inviting me to your blog, Rachel.
You're welcome! It's great to have you visit with me and my readers again - I am looking forward to discovering more about you and your latest release BIG DREAMS FOR THE WESTEND GIRLS... Let's get started!
1.) Do you use pictures as inspiration at the start of a book?
Pictures can be very inspiring, especially historical ones. When I was doing my research for The Foyles Bookshop Girls I came across a photo of the devastation caused by an explosion at the munitions factory in London’s Silvertown, that inspired me look into the history of it, and The Foyles Bookshop Girls at War was born.
I use photographs of properties and packaging of products of the time I’m writing about. The visualisation helps the imagination as well as making sure it’s authentic for it’s time.
2.) What is your favourite period drama?
This is a difficult question for me. I have Selfridges and Downton Abbey on DVD, but I’m yet to find the time to watch them and that’s mainly because I will want to watch them continually. I do love Pride and Prejudice, but then who doesn’t. I also enjoyed Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and dramas about Queen Victoria, which is an era I love and one I’d like to write about.
3.) Are the titles of your books important?
I believe the title of a book is very important. It serves several purposes; it attracts readers and gives an insight of what the story is about. It can also set the scene along with the cover art. My publisher and I discuss titles to decide what’s best for the book/series.
4.) If you’re struggling with a scene or difficult character, what methods help you through it?
I have been known to shut my laptop and distract myself for a little while before going back to it. Sometimes a discussion will take place with one of my children, and that can bring about a light bulb moment. Other times I’ll just leave it and write a different scene and then go back to it on a different day. My latest novel, Big Dreams for the West End Girls, has scenes that I struggled with but I don’t use any one method; I suppose it depends on how frustrated I’m feeling at the time.
5.) Are you an early bird or a night owl?
I’m definitely an early bird. My writing day tends to start around 6am and ends around 3pm.
6.) Who’s your favourite author? Why?
I find I don’t read as much as I used to. In my younger days I would read a book in a day or two. Having said that I do still read quite a bit and many different genres. I love a Dilly Court saga, but I don’t read them while I’m writing my own sagas. Another author I enjoy is Dorothy Koomson, her stories have many twists and turns, which is what I love. I do like a story that keeps you guessing. I read many sagas but I would be giving you a very long list if I named them all.
7.) Do you have a pet peeve?
One of my pet peeves is bad customer service, which links into bad manners. I always used to say to my children, and now my grandchildren, manners cost nothing. I like to hear a please and thank you. The other thing that I hate is people dropping, or leaving litter. It’s so unnecessary, along with men leaving the toilet seat up. Oh, sorry you said only one.
8.) Do you remember your dreams when you wake up in the morning?
I’m not sure if I have them, at least I don’t remember if I do. It fascinates me when people can recall so much detail.
I have nightmares about my plot lines and characters sometimes, and I definitely remember them.
Thank you for the interesting questions.
Book Blurb
Nothing will
stop her – not even the war!
1914. Working in a bustling café on London's Shaftesbury Avenue, Joyce
Taylor dreams of opening her own restaurant. But when the man she loves enlists
in the war, and a surprise request comes through from her dying grandmother,
Joyce's life gets turned upside down.
Struggling to keep the café afloat with her new-found responsibilities, it's not long before Joyce starts to feel the pressure might be all too much. Luckily, her supportive friends Annie and Rose are on hand to help. Despite all the madness, can Joyce find a way to make her dreams come true? And will her love story have a happy ending?
Bio
Elaine Roberts had a dream to write for a living. She completed her first novel in her twenties and received her first very nice rejection. Life then got in the way until circumstances made her re-evaluate her life, and she picked up her dream again in 2010. She joined a creative writing class, The Write Place, in 2012 and shortly afterwards had her first short story published. She was thrilled when many more followed and started to believe in herself.
As a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Women Writers & Journalists, Elaine attends many conferences, workshops, seminars and wonderful parties. Meeting other writers gives her encouragement, finding most face similar problems.
Elaine and her late husband, Dave, have five children who have flown the nest. Home is in Dartford, Kent and is always busy with their children, grandchildren, grand dogs and cats visiting. Without her wonderful family and supportive friends, she knows the dream would never have been realised.
Amazon Link: Big
Dreams for the West End Girls
Facebook Author Page: Elaine Roberts
Facebook Author Page
Twitter: @RobertsElaine11
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