Welcome to Friday Chat & Drinks, lovely readers! Today, I have the lovely Rachel Barnett joining me so we can find out more about her and her books...
Rachel, it's so great to have you here! Let's get things started with my questions.
R: What was your first job? Did you like or dislike it? Why?
RB: From an early age I helped on the
family farm, feeding calves, collecting milk, bedding up stalls – not paid
work, so I’m not sure it counts, but teaching a baby calf how to drink milk
from a bucket was very satisfying.
First paid job was a holiday job
waitressing in a local pub. The landlady was a bit of a tartar, and I remember
all our tips were taken by management rather than being split fairly, so it
wasn’t the finest introduction to the world of work.
First professional job was as a
primary school teacher, which I did for many years and thoroughly enjoyed.
Well, I enjoyed most of it…
R: Do you have a pet peeve? If so what is it?
RB: I’m now in my mid-fifties, so I have a whole pile of pet peeves. It would probably be easier to tell you what doesn’t annoy me!! I think the one which top the list, though, is being spoken to like I’m an idiot and know nothing. I can’t stand that.
R: Haha! I hear you with the pet peeve... why do people do that? Drive me nuts, too!!
Do you spend more time researching or writing?
My books are contemporary, so I
am spared the dedicated research required by those writing historical fiction
(hats off to those who do this!). However, I do set my novels in escapist,
exotic, or dramatic locations which I haven’t necessarily visited… Not yet
anyway! So, I do plenty of careful research on those locations – using a mix of
travel guides, holiday brochures/friendly travel agents, personal experiences
or those of friends, the internet and TV. I find YouTube very helpful – most
places on the planet have been filmed by visitors and posted online, which is
so helpful.
Once I contacted a mountain
rescue expert located in the French Alps to ask about helicopter rescues!
I tend to use a mix of real and
fictionalised places; to allow for discrepancies and so I can allow my
imagination out to play.
RB: My friend and I have discussed
holidaying at an Italian cookery school for years, the mix of a beautiful
environment and amazing food – win-win! I also had some characters, including a
brilliant chef struggling with grief and a young professional woman constantly
being dumped on by her celebrity food critic boss who seemed to fit perfectly
into the setting – with a supporting cast including an Australian lady on a
bucket list holiday and an octogenarian gentleman with plenty of secrets, the
idea for The Italian Lakes Affair began to form.
And now the book is published –
guess what? My friend and I have booked said trip for later this year! Although
we’re heading to a beautiful town close to Venice, rather than Lake Garda. I’m
hoping the different setting will fire up some new ideas for a future novel –
how could it not?
R: Sounds wonderful! There is still so much of Italy I want to see...
How much of your book is realistic?
RB: The Italian Lakes Affair is set
in a fictional cookery school, but I hope the setting will be recognisable to
anyone who has visited Lake Garda. The people, too, are all completely
fictional but, let’s face it, our characters always contain grains of real
people – either those we know or those we’ve come across. Naming no names…
R: What are your future ambitions for your writing career?
RB: To be able to continue to write
for as long as possible. It’s as simple as that. Finding enough time to write
was always the challenge – life/career/family present so many demands on our
time. Once I eventually found time to write, I knew I’d finally found ‘me’. And
now I am absolutely delighted to be writing for the fabulous Boldwood Books. I
feel like I have finally landed in the right place and I’m loving it!
Do you admire anyone? If yes, who and why?
RB: I have decided not to admire
anyone famous any longer. As I progress through life, I think the saying ‘never
meet your heroes’ rings truer with every passing day/revelation. Instead, I
admire people I know. My friend who is dealing with a mum with Alzheimer’s alongside
a school-age child and work, but who still has time for others. My sister,
diagnosed with a horribly aggressive cancer but coping in a way I cannot
imagine I would be capable of. My daughter, already an incredibly level-headed,
measured human being – I want to be her when I grow up!
Actually – on the famous thing –
I do admire Claudia Winkelmann. That hair is out of this world, and she is a
total legend on The Traitors…
Share one fact about yourself that would surprise people.
RB: I’m not sure there’s anything about
me which is surprising – but perhaps that’s because I think I know everything
about myself!
I am a bit of an apocalyptic film connoisseur – not necessarily something which goes hand in hand with being a contemporary romantic fiction writer. Some I properly admire; some are just plain daft. All give me a break from reality, which I think is why I enjoy them so much. I’ve seen loads, including Sharknado (does what it says on the tin…), Knowing (Nick Cage does ‘weird’ extremely well…), 28 Days Later (but not 28 Years Later – so disappointing…), I Am Legend (that poor dog…), 12 Monkeys (mind bending…), 2012 (made in 2009 which didn’t show much faith in our immediate future…!), World War Z (enjoyed the film much more than the book…), Don’t Look Up (social commentary hidden in the end of the world…), Contagion (slightly close to the bone these days…), Under Paris (totally daft…), The Day After Tomorrow (one of my all-time favourites…), Jaws (de-dah, de-dah, de-dah-de-da-de-dah de-da...) – does that fit the genre? Not sure, but I love it all the same. Haven’t even mentioned Terminator, Independence Day, Mad Max… Or TV series like The Walking Dead… I could be here some time…
Blurb for The Italian Lakes
Affair:
‘Luxury and desire collide at one of Italy’s most exclusive cookery schools.
Amy’s life runs like clockwork – as personal assistant to a notoriously sharp-tongued celebrity food critic, she’s used to managing chaos without ever creating any of her own. But everything changes when she’s sent to a prestigious Italian cookery school and meets Tad, the enigmatic and quietly brilliant head chef running the show.
As sparks fly in the kitchen, Amy
finds herself drawn into a world far removed from the one she’s always known.
But with her demanding boss determined to be the centre of attention – and
possibly Tad’s too – Amy must decide if she’s ready to step out from behind the
scenes and take a chance on love.
Set against a backdrop of shimmering lake views and old-world luxury, this is a story of forbidden love, personal reinvention, and the courage it takes to follow your heart.’
https://mybook.to/ItalianLakesAffair
Happy Easter, everyone!
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