During one session in recovery services I was asked to think of something in my life that I’d achieved – and then to analyse how I’d done that. It could be anything that had taken work and time – passing an exam, frequently getting out of the house whilst feeling depressed, saving to buy house, leaving an abusive marriage… the discussion amongst the group was very interesting.

For me I thought about getting published and as I spoke the parallels between that process and getting sober appeared.

It took me eight years to get a deal. During that time I got rejection after rejection. But I picked myself up after the initial tears and kept on writing and submitting my manuscripts.

And during the first few weeks of being in addiction services I kept on stopping drinking – but slipping again. So I tried again. And again.

I remember similar senses of entitlement. When I sent off my first ever manuscript I was upset but also kind of baffled that I received a rejection… I thought that completing a novel was amazing enough to gain a publisher! In the same way, I thought it was enough to finally take the plunge and get into addiction services. I expected the group sessions to magically get me sober; that I was kind of owed that recovery in the same way I’d thought, all those years ago, that I was owed a publishing deal.

Then it hit me about six weeks into treatment: I was going to have to do this myself – albeit with the facilitators’ advice. And I was going to have to work bloody hard at it – just like the writing. No one else would write and polish and submit my novels. It was important to learn my craft and take advice form other authors and How To books etc etc… but, ultimately, it was going to be down to me.

There were big hurdles along the way to achieving both my goals of being published and staying sober. An agent chased me at one point but, ultimately, told me to move on, they were no longer interested. And, three months into recovery, I relapsed. Both of these set-backs were hard and getting through the first helped with the second. Trying to get published had taught me there was no point in pity parties. All I could do was pick myself up and carry on working towards my goal.

That’s the key. Taking it one day at a time. If I’d thought ahead when I’d first started writing, and considered that it might take me YEARS to get a deal, I wonder if I’d have carried on. And when I first went into addiction services would I have stayed there if I’d known about the day to day, month to month, year to year, challenges ahead?

Because it has been hard. The first half of this year was very wobbly for my recovery. But I got through it, one day at a time, not thinking about the future, not thinking about the past.

A therapist suggested I write a positivity diary to help with my mental health issues. Each day I was told to write down a couple of good things about myself. It was hard at first but, over time, it helped change my low opinion of myself. So if you are struggling to get published, do the same to make yourself realise that you ARE  progressing. Perhaps today you finished a difficult chapter or took another rejection on the chin. Write that down. Or keep a daily word count, however big or small. It’s the sum of all these very important little things that, in time, will help you achieve the bigger ones.

Of course, one can never get complacent. Even though I’m about to have my 12th novel The Christmas Calendar Girls published, I am only ever one breath away from a potentially bad review or a downturn in sales. Even though I am 1000 days sober I am only one breath away from relapsing again. The working hard and learning must never stop.

Good luck with your goals. Forget the what ifs and if onlys. Focus on what you are doing and achieving in the present moment and that will be all the magic you need to get there

“This year I will get published.”

“This year I’ll stop drinking.”

Over the years I’ve pledged to reach career heights or sort out all my mental health issues within the space of twelve months.

And every time I’ve failed to reach my set goal. Is it any wonder?

I’d advise you to look carefully at any resolution you make and give it a good edit. Pare it down to the minimum – otherwise you are going to end up disheartened and disappointed.

Let’s take my example of pledging to get published. For a number of years I vowed I would accomplish this but it’s impossible. It didn’t matter how hard I worked, so much of achieving that target is out of an author’s control. Your manuscript has to fall into the hands of the right agent and publisher, and for commercial fiction it has to be suited to the market and your writing needs to be at the top of your game…

So, in time, I learned to make my writing resolutions more realistic. For example “This year I will polish my manuscript and send it out to ten agents” or “This year I will enter some writing competitions and if I can save enough money pay have an editorial report done on my current work-in-progress.” There are many steps to getting published and it is far more satisfying, as time passes, to tick off each one as you accomplish it. Appreciating the journey and looking at it as a series of smaller parts will make it far more likely you’ll reach that ultimate destination.

And this applies once you have signed your first publishing contract. Hands up, secretly I still covet that film deal and stroll down the red carpet. But if I made that my New Year’s resolution, the likelihood is I’m going to feel like a massive failure by the end of the year when I haven’t cast Jason Momoa in the lead of my latest novel or been interviewed on Graham Norton’s sofa!

My resolutions to stop drinking were also unrealistic. Like publishing, the journey to sobriety is made up of many steps. But I’d try in one giant leap and just stop point blank without changing any other aspect of my life. Of course, I would fall off the wagon by the end of January (or often its first week) and feel like a complete loser. Addiction services and AA helped me to refine and edit my goals.

For example, I had quirky routines around my drinking and one was that I’d never allow myself to start before 6.40pm. So a first step – a first resolution, a first small change – was to break this habit by going for a coffee, having a bath, cooking or taking up a hobby at that specific time each day, instead. And doing this was the first step to stopping drinking all together. Each day I managed this, it inspired me to continue my journey.

So go and edit your resolution. Step back from the bigger picture. Analyse exactly what it is you really need to do, to reach your ultimate target. For example to you need to lose two stone? Perhaps resolve to cut out snacks and get off the bus one stop early to walk, as a starting point, instead of embarking on a crash diet.

The photo below is of a writer who’s had highs and lows but has learnt to appreciate ALL the special moments along the way, big or small, such as great reader feedback, foreign rights sales or simply an editor’s enthusiasm. It’s also of a woman who this week turned two years sober. Oh I slipped after three months, and picked up again – that taught me a lot. And I still have days where I want to drown my problems in a bottle of wine. But I don’t. I continue to pursue my goal, one day and one task at a time, relishing the smaller milestones and victories that keep pushing me forwards to living my dream.

And – most importantly of all –  I don’t beat myself if I fail at the target I’ve set myself.

As Nelson Mandela once said:

“I never lose. I either win or learn.”

This was not planned but the characters overtook me. Their story demanded to be written and I was often writing 5000 words a day.

It didn’t feel as if I was rushing – and I would never advocate that. In my experience the plot and characters of every book dictate how quickly or slowly you write that particular novel.

Having said that, I do believe I can offer some tips if you feel you are struggling – or if you are about to take part in November’s yearly NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).

Although just to note – writing is my full-time job. My children are not small. My husband has been equally busy this last month. To a degree my time has been my own.

Main character – I don’t get hung up on getting to know my main character before I start. I used to go though all those processes recommended in books about writing. Like *sitting down* with my character and asking him/her twenty questions about their favourite hobby, colour, type of clothing, pet etc. And this technique work for many authors, but not me anymore. I just decide on the basics and crack on. This means that as I write each chapter I discover new things about my protagonist and keep go back to tweak what I’ve already written. By around chapter six I usually know him/her pretty well and can just continue forwards with no more back-tracking.

Research – to a degree the same applies here. I do a considerable amount before starting, so that the words can just flow. For this book I’ve had to thoroughly research a particular job, which involved interviewing someone and watching youtube videos – and I also needed to look into various emotional issues and a specific period in history. But once I’ve started I try not to become obsessed with checking every fact and item of data. I try to leave as much of the smaller stuff as I can to the rewrite, so that the flow of prose and dialogue isn’t interrupted during that heartfelt first draft.

I get up early – my alarm goes off at 6.30am and I am on my bicycle by 7. By 7.30am I am back indoors and at my desk. I’ll catch up on social media and that write usually a chapter before a bath and breakfast around 10.30am. That leaves the rest of the day to go over the morning’s work, to write maybe another chapter and then fit in domestic priorities. Talking of which…

A degree of selfishness is necessary to write this many words in a month  – and I don’t feel apologetic about that. This is my career. It pays bills. So I may cook from scratch say three times a week. Other members of the household do their bit and then if we’re all busy it’s a case of getting takeaway or using convenience foods. Housework is pared down to the minimum. I’m not superwoman. I know my limits. If I’m going to dedicate more time than usual to one aspect of my life then something else is going to have to give.

Create a diverse cast of characters  (obviously only if that fits your story). Book 12 stars a wide range of eclectic personalities and in the end  I had to cut some out as they all had so much to say – and because they were so different from each other the writing always felt fresh. This is one of the main reasons I didn’t hit writer’s block or find I had a single day where the writing felt samey and dragged.

A mind free from *stuff* – don’t put yourself under pressure to attempt to up your word count if you are current facing personal challenges. Writing this book made me realise just how much my mental health had improved since finding myself in an addiction clinic in 2016 (I talk about that here and how it inspired my latest novel Forgive Me Not) . With book 12 I’ve been going to sleep each night planning the next chapter. This meant that when I got up the next morning I could crack on without any prior thought.

But I haven’t worked like this for years. When my mental health issues were most challenging the time nodding off would be spent going over and over my problems, negative thoughts whirring. These days I’m so grateful that my mind is free from a lot of that *stuff*. If yours isn’t then be kind to you. Concentrate on getting better. I took a step back from my career for around 18 months to get to the place I am now. Writing a novel in a month is exciting – but intense.

Log your word count each day. I did this in a notebook, however little I’d written, and found it so inspiring because it acted as concrete proof that my book was growing and that every day’s efforts mattered. I also posted my daily word counts on Twitter with a suitable gif, just before I logged off at the end of each afternoon. It felt like a fun reward for all the hard work I’d put in.

Coffee. Lots of coffee. And chocolate helps too. Like anything extreme – and writing in this way is – it’s not the healthiest of options. But everything in moderation. I’m now getting back to my normal routine.

Take breaks  This is very important to maintain your energy and motivation. If you try to work all hours or fit this one month writing challenge around other responsibilities such as a job or small children without taking breaks, you will end up ill or burnt out and suffering from writer’s block. During the day I would make sure I got out once for a walk to the shops or to meet a friend for coffee. I also had a strict cut-off time and finished each day no later than 7pm and then spent the evening relaxing.

And I certainly would never advise working like this month in, month out. Part of the reason I ended up ill in 2016 was due to stretching the days and stretching my working week over the weekends. You can only do so much.

I wish you the best of luck! And if you set yourself this challenge, I congratulate you for whatever amount you write. Being an author is a tough business. Inspiration doesn’t arrive on tap. But when it strikes, perhaps grab that moment and look for your takeout leaflets and coffee pot

I sent off my latest manuscript and eagerly awaited feedback. Finally it arrived. I opened the email and… Okay. I admit it. Cue a mini meltdown. The suggestion was that the book needed stripping right back to the original kernel of the idea. Chapters needed down-sizing into paragraphs, or cutting out completely. A good number of characters needed to disappear.

We’re talking a major rethink. We’re talking murdering many darlings. Or possibly ditching the book.

This was new. In the past – and I’ve had eight books published, now – I’ve had what I call “extensive” rewrites but now I realise they weren’t. At the most they’ve meant restructuring a plotline or adding emotion or developing a protagonist further. My first drafts have rarely needed fundamental changes. I plan each chapter in detail before I write. At the end of the process I’m more of a tweaker and that seems to have worked. I’m not used to completely pulling apart a finished draft.

So this has come as something of a shock.

Especially as, when I send off my first draft, I am always in what I call  “delusional X-factor contestant mode”. I make no apologies for this. It’s necessary for me if I want to write any book. I need to think it is going to change the world!

This meglomania doesn’t last forever, of course. My feet soon settle back onto the ground during the process of rewriting and editing, of publishing and getting reviews… but I need to feel super excited and confident about any project at the beginning. So when this feedback came back I wasn’t sure what to do.

I had two options. Move onto my next project (which I’m very enthusiastic about) or tackle the major rewrite. And of course, sometimes there are genuinely valid reasons for moving on. My advice, here, is listen to your heart and talk it through with reliable and knowledgeable writerly confidantes. I shelved several projects before getting published because I could not re-ignite my motivation and I think, deep down, that was because I realised those stories were never going to work.

Indeed, my first reaction in this instance? With all my confidence gone and feeling despondent, I decided to start my next book and leave this one either to stay permanently under the bed or revisit at some point in the future. I decided fixing the problems would involve too much work and take too long.

However, something unexpected happened overnight. The characters began to talk to me. Ideas slowly formulated around which needed scrapping and how to improve the remaining ones. Then new plotlines twitched in my brain. I woke up feeling rather excited. Eventually, after a day or two, I realised that this book, this story still existed – I just had the  opportunity now to really make it shine, having already done a lot of the groundwork.

I mapped out all the chapters and almost enjoyed slashing some out and combining others together. As for the characters, it’s not proving to be as hard as I expected to ditch some even though, in my head, they’d become my friends.

Perhaps they’ll resurface one day in another story. And that is the essence of embracing the major rewrite – realising that what you have to lose is not a waste. Characters can be used again and all of that prose you wrote is practice – continually you are improving your craft.

I’ve now regained some confidence and cringe when I think about the initial version. I’m grateful for the knowledge I now have of where and why I went wrong. This should help with my next draft and future projects.

So here’s my own advice for embracing a major rewrite -and if you’ve any tips then please do share them!

Sure, throw a little pity party and lick your wounds when vigorous feedback comes back. Eat chocolate. Take a long bath. Grieve for the story you believe you have lost. But don’t let this stage last too long.

Sleep on it. Even take a break for a few days. Try to stand back. Put your ego to one side when asking yourself if the editorial suggestions are valid.

Don’t see it as having to start over again. See it as simply continuing with, and fully fleshing out, a plot and characters you have already well developed. Refuse to see slashed characters and chapters as wasted.

Realise that if someone takes the time to give you detailed feedback, be that a potential agent, signed agent, editor or critque partner, they believe in your writing. 

As a resident Mancunian, I’d say  make your mantra “You don’t get owt for nowt”. Yes, writing can be bloody hard work.

Remind yourself that a first draft is called that for a reason. It isn’t the last.

Compare starting another story from scratch, to *starting* one where you’ve already worked extensively on the nuts and bolts. No contest!

Good luck!

The story was inspired by my trip to Italy last year. Rome is so beautiful, as you can see from this photo…

…and as for the food! Is it any wonder the book is set in a family-run pizzeria?!

One memorable evening we ate a meal in Piazza Navona, where One Summer in Rome is set. The waiter was not impressed by how quickly we ate and wanted to order the following course. He said “Piano! Piano!”  – slowly!

I ordered a selection plate of puddings for dessert, expecting them to be three small slices. They were actually huge (bigger than they look in this photo) and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Below is the blurb. I’m very excited about sharing this story which will be out on 9th May 2018!

To Rome…with love?

Mary Smith is turning her very ordinary life upside-down! She’s bought herself a one-way ticket to Rome and is ready for a summer she’ll never forget.

Men might be off the cards for waitress Mary, but within hours of arriving at the utterly charming family-run La Dolce Vita pizzeria, she’s already fallen in love with the bustling capital!

Only Dante Rossi, the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) chef seems displeased with her arrival. And in the heat of the kitchen, it doesn’t take long for long-buried secrets to surface and sparks to fly…

A deliciously heartwarming romance to have you dreaming of summer. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Caroline Roberts.

PREORDER NOW!

1  They become starry-eyed. In awe. I blame JK Rowling for this People imagine red carpet events and sales in the millions. They start inserting complex words into their conversation (that I don’t understand) and talk of the high-falutin’ literary works they read, as if intimidated. So I thank them, but if pressed further, make it clear I’m nothing special. I’m not curing cancer nor have I discovered a new planet. I’m simply lucky enough to be getting paid for an activity I adore.

2  Almost without exception, they declare that they have always thought of writing a novel. This irritates some authors, but not me – as I’ve said above, I’m not exceptional. If I can do it, why not anyone else? I’m a grafter – had to keep my nose to the grindstone during my four years at university, unlike some friends who could socialise as much as they pleased and just cram at the last minute. It’s been the same with writing – I wrote novel after novel at home, for eight years filled with tears and rejection, before landing my publishing deal. So when people react like this I say go for it! You might surprise yourself. Or, you  might discover it is a lot harder than you imagined.

3  Quite often, when people discover my genre – romantic comedy – their awe turns to disdain. And I annoy myself by going on the defensive. I laud Mills & Boon authors who earn more than your average writer could dream of. I explain what a diverse, popular genre it is. I did this recently and received the sneery reply “I’m sure it is”. I imagine, in some circles, actors find this if they tell people they perform in a soap and not on the Shakespearean stage. I’m working on not letting these people press my buttons. Huge skill is required in making prose sound chatty and light. The same prejudice is sometimes shown towards children’s authors. I just have to accept that his is just one small downside to a career I thoroughly enjoy.

4  People say what a difficult job it must be – don’t I ever run out of ideas? I explain my belief that the brain, like any muscle, performs better the more you use it. Before you know it, you automatically take on board inspiration. I used to particularly find this when selling short stories. At the beginning I struggled to write even one. But before my novel deal, I sold 50 in one year. My brain just seemed to adapt to searching out suitable material. What’s more, there are a lot more challenging jobs out there, like nursing or serving burgers and fries all day. So yes, you do require determination and stamina but your passion makes it an easy career to follow.

5  The final reaction – it must be the only job in the world where people feel they have a perfect right to ask how much you earn! Not that this bothers me too much. In fact (just between us) I take a certain pleasure in telling them that most writers never earn enough for it to be their only source of income, and watching their jaws drop! Again, I blame JK Rowling (sorry!) for their misconception that being an author automatically means riches beyond your heart’s desire. If you are lucky, with a decent back catalogue out there, then yes, one day you might earn enough to support a mortgage and family. But don’t count on it. It’s not a profession you enter to become a millionaire.

How often have you walked down street and suddenly reached your destination, without having observed the route – because your  mind is full of everyday concerns? Mindfulness helps push those worry-some thoughts to one side, for a while, by encouraging you to really focus on your surroundings. Either the noises – traffic, aeroplanes, birds, pedestrians chatting… or the sights, such as the detailed shape and colour of buildings. This enables us to get off the spinning top for a few minutes and relax!

Yesterday I went on a mindfulness walk – I’m doing a course and this was a planned excursion. We studied the textures and colours of the woodland and river. We listened hard to the birds and ended with a super meditation. Below is a photo I took of a log’s perfect reflection.

Here is a tree’s trunk, with contrasting colours and peeling bark. Mindfulness is about observing and appreciating the detail.

So, how can this help my job as an author? Well, mindfulness requires you to connect with all your five senses on an intimate level – and the five senses are so important, in writing, for conveying settings, feelings – EVERYTHING –  to the reader. As a novelist, I do my best to write in the most sensory way possible, but mindfulness is training me how to really become aware of  the detail. That way the story becomes fuller and more relatable and realistic for the reader.

Eating a biscuit? Okay. Let’s be mindful about the five senses! Say with a fruit and oat cookie.

Sight – its surface is rough, with oat ridges and soft spots filled with succulent raisins and perhaps apple. The biscuit is baked to a warm, inviting brown colour. The round shape is not a perfect circle and it is too big to eat in one go. It is solid. Chunky. Thick. Looks filling and unbreakable.

Smell – a subtle sweetness, increased by the fruit but subdued by the oats. A similar aroma to apple crumble. It reminds you of baking sessions with your mother. A cosy kitchen with sweet treats in the oven. Buttery and comforting.

Hearing – as you bite in, there is a snapping noise as a bit breaks off. Then munching  sounds as you chew and break it into smaller parts. The whole process quietens down as saliva mixes with the biscuit and makes it almost liquid as it travels silently down your throat.

Touch – initially as solid as concrete when your teeth touch the outside. But after a little pressure, your teeth sink in and break off a part. Then that chunk moves to the side of your mouth and  becomes chewy as your molars go up and down on the raisin and apple bits. Eventually it crumbles across your tongue, spreading nicely to hit all those tastebuds. The whole experience is satisfying and makes you feel full. There is a sense of safety, well-being and happiness. You recall more memories of childhood baking and time spent with Mum or coffee and cake excursions with friends or a loved one.

Taste – solid oaty flavours dominate until you chew and then burst of sweetness dance on your tongue as the apple bits and raisins break apart. Apple crumble. Flapjack. Breakfast cereal. A satisfying taste that isn’t rich and sickly, and leaves you wanting more.

So, forgive me, if my novels become a little longer! A cup of tea and slice of cake could become a whole new adventure! But seriously, why not consider taking some time out to connect with the fundamentals? It will give you a whole new set of tools to deal with the complexities of modern life.

So I thought it appropriate to ask her some very summery questions! First of all here’s what the book is all about:

Fall in love with the gorgeous seaside town of White Cliff Bay this summer and enjoy long sunny days, beautiful beaches and… a little romance. 

Darcy Davenport is ready for a fresh start. Determined to leave a string of disastrous jobs and relationships behind her, she can’t wait to explore White Cliff Bay and meet the locals. 

When Darcy swims in the crystal clear waters of the bay, she discovers the charming Rose Island Lighthouse. But it’s not just the beautiful building that she finds so intriguing… 

Riley Eddison doesn’t want change. Desperate to escape the memories of his past, he lives a life of solitude in the lighthouse. Yet he can’t help but notice the gorgeous woman who swims out to his island one day. 

Darcy is drawn to the mysterious and sexy Riley, but when it seems the town is trying to demolish his home, she soon finds herself having to pick sides. 

She’s fallen in love with White Cliff Bay. But is that all Darcy’s fallen for? 

Pull up a deck chair, sink back with a bowl of strawberry ice cream and pick up the summer read you won’t be able to put down. 

You can get your copy of Summer at Rose Island here and its only £1.99 at the moment.

So, Holly, great to have you here – now to find out all your summer secrets!

1. What is your favourite, foreign summer holiday destination?

I don’t know if I have a favourite as I never go back to the same place I’ve visited before, but one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited was Zakynthos, everything felt so peaceful there, the sea was so blue and warm, the views were incredible, the people were so friendly and the food was amazing. I’d definitely like to return there one day.

2. What do you think a summer holiday in Britain offers, that you can’t get abroad?

The ease and convenience of getting to your destination without hours on a plane, or hours waiting around an airport, the familiarity of the food and the language, the quaint little seaside towns, the friendly locals, the cheap cost, the cute b&bs with the full english breakfasts.

3. Favourite summer holiday meal and drink?

Fish and chips whilst sitting on the pier or on the sea wall, probably with a can of coke. There’s something about the taste of fish and chips when you are on the seafront, it tastes infinitely better.

4. Touring or sunbathing holiday?

Oh that’s hard, I love a good relaxing, do nothing but read and sleep holiday but I think I prefer a holiday where I get to see the sights, either on day trips or by moving around to different locations.

5. Your summer holiday fantasy hot hero would be:

Sexy sailor – a girl in every port

Fit fisherman – up for romantic jaunts in his boat

Lush lifesaving guard – ready to pull you from the waves whenever necessary

English Benedict Cumberbatch bookish type – sits in the shade,  ready to woo you with reading poetry at any point.

or finally

Romantic restaurant owner hoping to win you with his award-winning garlic bread!

That’s hard too, I love food so someone who can cook or at least have someone who can cook for him would be a definite plus in my books, but there’s something very sexy, at least in my mind, about a rugged fisherman so I think I’ll have to go with that.

Well best of luck with the book, Holly, and thanks for dropping by!

Holly lives in sunny Bedfordshire in a house with round windows. She studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of her colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when she knew she had to escape. She quit her job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, she emerged wide eyed and terrified that she now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. She taught for four years and then escaped the classroom to teach history workshops, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next. But the long journeys around the UK and many hours sat on the M25 gave her a lot of time to plan out her stories and she now writes full time, doing what she loves.

Holly has been writing for 6 years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014.

Follow her on Twitter @hollymartin00

So, I thought it would be fun to ask Cathy Bramley some quick foodie questions about her scrumptious book and its tasty heroes.

Hello Cathy! So, first things first… what is your favourite comfort food?

Scones with blackcurrant jam and clotted cream.

Great answer! Or perhaps… plumberry jam? How did you think of the name Plumberry, I love it!

I wanted something which had a foodie ring to it but without actually being food. I thought I’d invented it but it appears in the Urban Dictionary and means awesome!

Appropriate as this books is pretty awesome! What is your fail-safe comfort food recipe?

My own cottage pie which includes red lentils and cinnamon for extra flavour.

Sounds yummy! So, your new book has two tasty leading men – would you prefer to go out to dinner with gorgeous young dad Gabe or dashing Irish chef Tom?

I agonised over this one! But I think I’d like to go with Gabe. He deserves a night out and diner with Tom might be stressful if he’s pedantic about food!

Finally, your main character, Verity, loves a fish finger sandwich – what is your go-to fast food?

If I’m making it myself I spread pesto, a little bit of grated cheese and a handful of spinach on a wrap, fold it in 4 and toast it in the panini grill – gorgeous!

Gosh, my mouth is watering now. I’d better go get some comfort food for myself! Thanks for popping in, Cathy.

So, if you fancy a comforting read, for fans of food and romance, go treat yourself to The Plumberry School of Comfort Food!

Here is the blurb:

Verity Bloom hasn’t been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago.

But an opportunity to help a friend is about to land her right back in the heart of the kitchen! The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks’ time and has rather gone off the boil. It needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up . . .

But as Verity tries to balance stirring up publicity, keeping their top chef sweet and soothing her aching heart, will her move to Plumberry prove to be a sheer delight . . . or a recipe for disaster?

During my life I have had a taste of many different occupations – translator, cleaner, tutor, shop assistant… I’ve worked in a German publishing house and spent a few months employed by Disneyland Paris. It took my until my late 30s to discover the career I really wanted to settle in – namely, being an author.

And now I have achieved that goal, what are the five best things about it?

Firstly, spending all day with impossibly romantic heroes. Take my latest book released last week, an e-novella How to Get Hitched in Ten Days. It stars two gorgeous men. Dave makes a disastrous proposal to his girlfriend, Jasmine, and Mikey tries to help him turn this around. Both men have different but equally appealing qualities. Dave is rugged, clumsy but does his best. Mikey is every girl’s best friend with his popcorn and DVD sleepovers. As one recent reviewer said:

“I fell for Dave big time, then Mikey, then Dave, then Mikey…”

And for several weeks, I got to spend my nine to five in their company!

Secondly… The romance community is one of the friendliest I know. I belong to the RNA, the Romantic Novelists Association, and they hold several Prosecco- and laughter-filled events during the year which always give me a huge buzz – and the opportunity to meet dear online romance friends in the flesh.

Thirdly… Being a romance author gives you the opportunity to connect with some of the most generous and friendly readers on the planet, many of whom share your love of a bit of escapism mixed up with a huge dollop of a happy ever after. Their support, feedback and kind words mean everything.

Fourthly, pink and red. Fluff. Fun. Girliness. Call it a midlife crisis if  you like but having been a tomboy all my life, since becoming a romance author, I have developed an interest in clothes, spa weekends and beauty treatments. I am loving every minute of this newfound chicklit lifestyle!

Finally, of course the romance genre is very diverse, from the frothy to deeper reads. It has given me enormous satisfaction to see my writing develop and whilst my writing is still light-hearted, I am now addressing more serious issues. In my #GetHitched book I consider the prejudice that people have shown against Mikey all his life and examine the effect it has had on Jasmine to have grown up with an alcoholic father. The diversity of the genre means that I can easily explore my own writing and take it into new directions, if that is the way it pulls me. So whilst “romance author” is a label, it is a very broad one.