Novelicious Chats to...Carole Matthews

I met this author a few months ago at a book reading and she was so lovely. Bringing out two books a year, Carole Matthews is possibly the world's most disciplined novelist. She very kindly agreed to answer some questions for Novelicious' readers, so enjoy.

Oooh and love the celebrity in the shoe box idea!!

1 -  What is your average writing day like?

I start the day by answering my emails and logging onto networking sites like Facebook and Myspace to catch up with my readers.  Then I write from

10 o’clock

until about 6.  I take an hour for lunch during which I read the newspaper.  That’s pretty much it – day in, day out.  Then two or three evenings a week when I have a book out I do talks at libraries or book shops.

2  - Can you tell us a bit about your writing process –i.e., are you a planner or do you just dive into the story?

I plan quite meticulously, spending about two weeks creating my characters.  My plot tends only to run to a couple of pages, but I know where I’m going and what I want to do.  Invariably it changes towards the end as characters take on their own lives and tell you what they want to do! 

3 – You have a book out in September, ‘That Loving Feeling’. Can you tell us about it?

This is set in my local area in a lovely market town of

Stony Stratford

and is about a marriage in crisis.  Having reached the milestone of twenty five years Juliet Joyce wonders is their relationship has lost its spark.  She’s pretty much resigned to the fact that the only romance she’s going to get is from the pages of her library books, so nothing quite prepares her for the unexpected return of Steven Aubrey – last seen when he jilted Juliet on their wedding day.  The question is will Steven sweep her off her feet again or can her husband remind her of the loving feelings that they’ve lost. 

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4 – When you’re writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as visual inspiration for the characters? If so, have you got any examples?!

I’m very sad.  I have two huge shoeboxes full of celebrity pictures and I marry them to my characters at the start of a book as if I’m casting a film.  It just helps to get me going.

5 -  What is your favourite women’s fiction book of all time and why?

I think The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  It’s beautifully written, unique and very moving.

                                 

6 -  And your favourite character?

Have to say it’s Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones’s Diary.  I do like a cad. 

7 -  You produce two books a year, where the heck do you find the time?!

A combination of supreme discipline combined with not having a life…

8 -  How was your journey to getting published?

Ridiculously quick.  I won a short story competition, used the prize money to fund a writing course and, when the course came around, I started my first novel – Let’s Meet on Platform 8.  On the course the tutor loved what I’d written and recommended that I send it to an agent.  He took me on and sold my book within a week.  I caught the whole chicklit or romantic comedy wave right at the start. 

 

Thankyou so much, Carole.

 

Look out for Carole's Top Five Writing Tips coming soon. In the meantime you can buy her books here and pop by and visit her website here