Helen and I were both very excited to read Julia Williams' book Strictly Love, but Helen won and I believe she's reading it right now! In the meantime, Julia's answered our author interview questions...
Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:
Strictly Love is about four friends who meet at dancing class and all have secrets ...
Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)?
I have a lovely office which my husband created for me. It looks out onto my garden, and is painted a lovely warm friendly yellow. It's a cosy room and I have a lovely picture of my dad laughing on one of the shelves. He died quite a while ago and I always feel he's with me when I write.
Your favourite chick-lit book?
Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes which is brilliant and set the bar very high! I read it when I was first writing. I also love Kate Harrison's Self Preservation Society which is fabulous and tender and funny and true.
Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?
It's got to be Jo from the Self Preservation Society because she is a total wuss and so am I.
What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?
Gain a tough skin. You will have to cope with a lot of criticism, not all of it kind. You have to be tough to survive it. Other then that, take time to learn your craft, be patient, work hard and listen to good advice.
What are you reading at the moment?
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It's fab.
What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)
It's a Christmassy story, with a shepherd and possibly an angel. It's going to be alot about mothers, daughters and cooking too.
Do you have a theme song?
What for my life or my books? All my stories have theme songs. The current book has songs by the Manic Street Preachers, Mumm-Raa, KT Tunstall and Coral. But the most important theme song is Pretty Amazing Grace by Neil Diamond which is kind of the theme of the book. In Strictly Love I had several too, but the most important was Robbie Williams' Feel.
My theme song in my life would have to be You Really Got Me by the Kinks. My husband and I dance to it at every available opportunity!
What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)
Q: Are any of your stories based on your own life?
A: Not really because I make up stories all the time, but as I write about domestic stuff, and with four children I have a fairly busy domestic life, some of those things do creep in from time to time. I have yet to find an opportunity to put in the story of the time one of my children stuck an umbrella in their mouth and had to go to casualty though!
Thanks, Julia!
