Today, I am interviewing the lovely Sarra Manning, author of several chick lit and young adult books as well. Read on as we discuss about her latest book, It Felt Like A Kiss and our ideal men!
1. Could you tell us about your new book, It Felt Like A Kiss?It’s set in London and it’s about a woman called Ellie who’s got it all going on, girlfriend. Ace job in an art gallery, cool flat in Camden, which she shares with her best friends and a great relationship with her rock chick, mum, Ari. Not so good is Ellie’s endless parade of lame-duck boyfriends and the really, really, really famous rock star dad no one knows about until one of her lame duck boyfriends sells her out to the tabloids.
Enter stage left, David Gold, who’s snarky, sardonic but also really sexy. He’s meant to be all about strategic damage limitation but is he really on Ellie’s side?
2. What inspired you to write it? What struck the idea in your head to write about tabloids and secret love children?
It actually started life as a book about a girl who constantly gets dumped by her loser boyfriends after she turns them into useful members of society. Maybe based on someone I kind of know in real life – but let’s say no more about that! It was even going to be called The Lame Duck Club, but I usually spend a year or so thinking about the story before I start to write it and it just evolved from there. There was no grand plan to write about celebrity culture but it fit the story I wanted to tell.
3. Describe It Felt Like A Kiss in 5 words. Go!
Boy, girl, rock, hard place.
4. Could you tell us about your average writing day?
I don’t really start writing until mid afternoon. I am not a morning person. When I workedin an office, my colleagues pretty much knew that they wouldn’t get much out of me until after lunch. I walk the dog, usually go to the gym, run some errands, have lunch, walk the dog again and then I sit down to write. But I get more work done in my head when I’m not writing – I’m usually thinking about the chapter I’m currently on and playing out the scenes so it’s not like I’m being a total slacker. I usually write until about 10pm. Of course, if I’m on deadline, then this all changes!
5. What do you love most about being an author?That I actually get to earn a living doing something I live and I never take that for granted.
6. What’s the biggest challenge you face as a full-time writer?
The siren song of the internet.
7. What do you think of the term “chick lit”? Are you fine with readers classifying your books as “chick lit”?
It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, really. On one hand, having my books described, packaged and marketed as chick-lit puts them in the hands and Kindles of lots of readers who might not have picked them up otherwise. On the other hand, I feel that lots of people who would love my books too, are really sniffy and curled of lip because they think all chick-lit is fluffy, throwaway romance that writers churn out in an afternoon. I like to think that I go a little deeper with my books. A pox on their houses, I say!
8. OK, we have some debacles on hot men. I like Matt Bomer, Ryan Gosling and all the guys you dislike. Who is YOUR ideal men? I’m feeling generous today, so you can pick more than one.
Oh Kevin, you do love your beefcake! Though we would make excellent wingmen for each other as we have such different taste. So my current popsies are probably Mr Hiddleston and Mr Cumberbatch. I like those beautifully spoken posh boys with a twinkle in their eyes. My all-time ideal men would be Dirk Bogarde circa 1956-1963, Leslie Howard but NOT as Ashley Wilkes in Gone With the Wind and my absolute ideal is Jimmy Stewart. A gentlemen’s gentleman. See, Kevin? I really do have impeccable taste.
9. What’s your favourite spread? Nutella? Peanut butter (chunky or smooth)? Marmite? Why?
Crunchy peanut butter. I’m all about the salt with just a little bit of sweet. And texture.
10. So, Sarra. I understand that you’ll be releasing a new young adult novel, The Worst Girlfriend in the World. Could you tell us more about it?
I think it’s published on May 1st and it’s about two girls, Franny and Alice, who live in a small boring seaside town in the North of England where nothing much happens. They’re best friends but those sort of really gobby teenage girls that you dread getting on your bus. Alice is a playa, all the boys want to get with her, Franny is only interested in frocks and lusting after Louis Allen, lead singer of Thee Desperadoes, from afar. But then Louis comes between them and Alice is behaving like a total bitch and Franny has dark family stuff going on and I completely suck at trying to describe what my books are about.
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