Jon meets...Poppy Dolan (again)

Hello,

I'm quite excited about today's blog because I have my very first returning author. Today it's my interview with the lovely Poppy Dolan, author of The Bad Boyfriend's Bootcamp and her latest There's More To Life Than Cupcakes. Since Poppy's last appearance on here she's gone from strength to strength and her new book is being published by those brilliant girls at Novelicious. So here talking about writing, love and, of course, cupcakes is Poppy.

A big welcome back to Poppy Dolan, the first person to appear twice on my website. Hello Poppy, welcome back, how are you?

I’m great, thanks Jon! I had an absolute blast recently around my publication day in October (which I shared with Happy Endings, in fact!). I had so many lovely messages, even some flowers, and it was the perfect antidote to the ‘Oh my God, everyone’s going to HATE it’ wobbles. I am so chuffed to be your first repeater on the site – we should try and get me into Guinness Book of Records with that. Then I could legitimately say I helped create a Sunday Times bestselling book… Sneaky but technically true.

The last blog you did for me, you were talking about your first book, The Bad Boyfriend’s Bootcamp, what have you been up to since then?

I’ve written another book since then, one that is less conventionally plot driven than The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp, but comes more from personal experiences and a ‘what does it all mean?’ time of life. I’ve also been baking a lot…

Tell us about your new book, There’s More To Life Than Cupcakes.

There’s More to Life than Cupcakes is about the time in your life when the whole world seems confident you should have a baby but you’re really not actually all that sure. As I’m in my 30s and married, I get a lot of well-meant hints and even some out-right prompts about getting pregnant ‘before it’s too late’. It’s such a personal, important decision but it seems some people don’t have any compunction at bringing it up at dinner, at a wedding, in a business meeting even. Not to name names but I’ve experienced probing questions at all these kinds of events!

So my character Ellie goes through a big dilemma in this book – is she ready for motherhood or is just giving in to pressure from her husband, mum, family and friends? And can she risk taking a year off work when the foody magazine she works for is in such trouble? The one thing Ellie is definitely ready for is burying her head in cake. So she starts a baking class and meets new friends: Hannah, a super cool teacher, and Joe, who just happens to be distractingly hot…

What makes your books different from other chick-lit books?

I’m not sure they are, and I’m not sure I want them to be! I love women’s fiction, all kinds, and I love that it gives you an instant emotional experience – you can laugh, you can weep, you can clutch your heart while it aches for the characters. I try my Billy best to write books that make people think and feel good things. If I can make you giggle then I have done my job. I suppose you could say that this book is unique because it features possibly more foodstuffs than people. Oh, and Paul Hollywood makes a little cameo.

You've signed with those lovely ladies at Novelicious. How is it working with them as opposed to being self-published?

Being with Novelicious is a dream come true! They took care of all the editing, cover design, proofing, promotions and social media planning for me and came up with so many great ideas that I wouldn’t have dreamt up in a month of Sundays. It’s also great to have someone there – when you’re in the grip of the aforementioned writerly wobbles – to reassure you that you’re not writing pages of dull nonsense and, no, it’s not a god idea to throw your laptop out the window. I heart Novelicious big time. Those ladies (and Edd) know their stuff.

Do you consider yourself a bit of a rom-com aficionado?

I think that would have to go on my tombstone, yes. I can pretty much recite When Harry Met Sally verbatim and even have a collection of favourite rom coms that went straight to DVD but are actually pretty great (Love and Sex, starring Famke Jannsen – give it a try! It’s not actually filthy but lovely and romantic!). I have to say that I think the 80s and 90s were a heyday for rom coms but I go with a hopeful heart every time a new Katherine Hiegel movie hit the cinemas.

            I love rom coms on the silver screen or in book form – who doesn’t want to laugh and feel smushy?

What’s the key to a great romantic comedy?

I think the right mix of the predictable and the unpredictable is essential. In any rom com, you have a good feeling of how it will end: the meek, plain girl will come out of her shell or the good guy will win in the end or the two people that just loathe each other are Meant To Be. So there’s always a degree that we can see what’s coming, but when it comes to jokes and twists the audience should be completely taken by surprise. Maybe where we’re going is clear but how we get there should be a rollercoaster!

Your top five rom-com films?

When Harry Met Sally (number one with a bullet), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Sleepless in Seattle, The Princess Bride and The Runaway Bride

What book or writer has most inspired you?

I read Bridget Jones’s Diary at what I now realise was an early and inappropriate age – 15. But I’ll never forget how I hooted at every page, nodded with perfect understanding at Bridget’s broken heart and thigh issues, and let out an almighty sigh when I reached the awesome, longed-for ending. From then on, I wanted to be able to write something that could entertain a reader from all angles like that. Maybe in another 5 or 6 books I’ll get within a mile or so of it.  

Tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?

I am dreaming up a new idea for a novel and all I’ll say is that I’m pretty sure it will feature two PE teachers as my lead characters.

And lastly the most important question for any writer. What biscuits do you prefer with your tea?

Whoah. This is a biggie. I think on an average day it’s Cadbury’s Chocolate Fingers – easily munchable, very moreish, a nice little crunch going on. But if it’s a special day then a Wagon Wheel. I don’t care that they have been likened to cardboard covered in loft insulation, I love them

The beautiful cover of There's More to Life than Cupcakes

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

Hello,

Welcome. It's Monday and time for another guest blogger. Today it's the turn of Michael J Holley, a fellow Sotonian (from Southampton) and also a very funny writer of comedy books. So before I bore you with my waffle, here is Michael talking about his latest novel PLASTER SCENE.

Michael J Holley looking very dapper

 

First of all, I’d like to thank Jon for letting me on to his blog. I met Jon via Twitter, which is almost a modern cliché now given that every guest post seems to originate in the same way. I’d love to say that we met on the side of a mountain in Tibet while we were both finding ourselves… but we didn’t.

Instead, I read his first novel (This Thirtysomething Life) and was blown away by the observational comedy, which rang uncannily true with my own experiences. I went on the interweb and discovered that he was from Southampton too. After a brief panic where I thought he might actually be my alter ego, I tweeted him to say hello and the rest is beautiful online history. 

I’ve been writing seriously for a couple of years now and in that time I’ve managed to self-publish a collection of short stories (TheChristmas Number one) and a novel (The Great Corporate Escape), but today I’d like to talk about my second novel, Plaster Scene.

Plaster Scene is a comedy which is set in the UK, both in the sixties and in the modern day. A mystery begins to unravel when an aging hippie dies suddenly and leaves an unexpected inheritance behind. The problem is that she’s buried it somewhere and her snobbish nephew, who’s the sole heir, and his domineering wife then have to cook up a plan to retrieve it. Once they do, an adventure begins which changes the lives of everybody involved, forever.

I’ve loved writing this story, which was inspired by the comedy of PG Wodehouse and Tom Sharpe, and I hope you enjoy reading it. It’s jam-packed with an array of colourful characters who are buffeted by the endless twists and turns. I’ve had positive feedback so far and I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

Thanks once again to Jon for allowing me to gate crash his blog. Plaster Scene is now available in both eBook and Paperback.

You can find out more about me via my blog; michaeljholley.com

Or my Amazon profile page.

PLASTER SCENE - GET IT NOW!

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

This Family Life

Hello.


I hope you're all doing well. Good, good. So it's done. The sequel to my first novel This Thirtysomething Life is complete. I have to say that writing a sequel was much harder than I originally thought. The first book sort of wrote itself in many ways and I didn't write it with a sequel in mind. However, writing This Family Life I had to get 'back into voice' remember the characters, their stories and above all, make sure this didn't let the first book down. I've read too many sequels and watched too many second films that weren't anywhere as good as the original. Maybe this explains how difficult it is to write a sequel. I so desperately wanted this to be as good if not better than the first book. And I think I've succeeded.

I only say 'think' because at the end of the day, until you lot - the 'readers', get your mitts on it and start reviewing it then it's only my opinion. BUT. I think since I wrote Thirtysomething way back in 2010, I've become a better writer, a better planner and also because my agent helped me a lot and pushed me to write a better book.

So what's it about? For a start it covers a whole year from New Year's Day to New Year's Eve. The first book only covered nine months. We find Harry and Emily, now parents of four and half month old William, still struggling to adapt to life with a baby. Emily wants to get fit, correction, she wants them both to get fit, which causes Harry great swathes of pain - both physically and emotionally. They get two new sets of neighbours, one of whom we already know from the first book (I won't say who) and the other who causes lots of problem for Harry. There's a pub quiz battle, Harry gets an unexpected surprise at school, which actually means he will have to do some work and there's nakedness - I won't say who, but it shocks Harry to his core! There's a trip to a caravan park which almost ends in disaster, a fight about Ben Fogle's house, Harry has a near-death experience and the Spencer family go to Australia where Harry ends up dancing in his underwear and gets called bastard A LOT! 

The reason it's called This Family Life is that the first book was about going through pregnancy and dealing with growing up, but this book really is about family. Both sets of parents figure more heavily and especially Harry's mum and dad. They also feature in the probably the most heart-felt and heart-warming scenes in the book. I won't divulge the details, but their story is as important as Harry and Emily's and it will probably shed a few tears.

I think this book is definitely as funny as the first, if not funnier and it's definitely a bit more emotional. It's a real roller coaster ride with lots of tears, laughter and poo. Oh yes, where there's a baby, there's poo. Harry is still eating far too much bad food and drinking in the shed, he's still worried about dying from some mysterious illness, he still makes some terrible mistakes and is worried William has a 'funny-shaped' head and will grow up listening to terrible music - Gangnam style anyone?

This Family Life is another life-affirming, hilarious, heart-warming story of family life. I hope it doesn't let anyone down. I've worked really hard on it and I love the characters so much and I know the readers do to - hence why I was so worried about this being great. At the moment it's being sent off to my publishers, so hopefully they will love it too and before long I'll be able to write a blog with some great news!

Until then.

Hugs,
Jon X

Hello,

It's here! Seriously, I'm not kidding. The paperback edition of HAPPY ENDINGS is out today! It's hard to believe. It doesn't feel like five minutes ago that it was just an idea in my head, a mere bean knocking about in my brain. Then, of course, it grew up a bit, started to talk to me, it got bigger, we had arguments, it took over my life and then before I knew it, it was all grown up and now it's off out into the big wide world by itself. All I can do now is wish it well.

I'm very proud of HAPPY ENDINGS and I must say it feels brilliant to finally have two books out. I feel a bit more like a proper writer. So without further ado and anymore waffling because trust me, I can waffle, I give you HAPPY ENDINGS (the real version for all those people who need something big and hard in their hands- I know I'm sorry, I couldn't resist). 

 

I hope you love it and if you do, please don't hesitate to let me know. Of course, if you hate it, you can keep your opinions to yourself. Much appreciated. I'll be blogging again soon with news of what's coming up next and so until then, be safe out there. 



Hugs,
Jon X

Hello,

Sorry it's been a while, but I've been rather busy finishing my next novel, THIS FAMILY LIFE. I usually take about eight months to a year for a first draft and this I did in half that time. I hope it's a sign that I'm improving as a writer and working more efficiently. I certainly worked harder than I ever have to get it done. So now I get a bit of a break. Well, sort of.

In six short days the paperback version of HAPPY ENDINGS comes out. That's right, on October 10th (the same day as the new Bridget Jones book - coincidence?), you'll be able to get your hands on the real book, with pages and everything, of my second novel. So far it's had some brilliant reviews and people seem to genuinely love it. So in case you haven't heard about it yet, here's a brief synopsis and some of those lovely reviews. 

Kate wants to go travelling before she reaches the big Three-O, while her long-term boyfriend Ed just wants to settle down. Jack is desperate to be a published writer for many reasons, but mainly to save his relationship with fiancée Emma. Emma wants to be an actress more than anything in the world, or at least that's what she thought. Told uniquely from all of their perspectives, this is a story about love, growing up and, of course, the search for a happy ending.

 
'You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love it.'

'At times I had to pinch myself because parts were so true and so close to home. I had to put it down and reflect on the pure emotion.'

'Happy Endings is a fantastic and incredibly funny portrayal of what it takes to make a relationship work. A diary-esque entry a'la Mike Gaye, it tells the story of four normal people which takes you on a  journey into their past, their futures, their hopes and desires.'

'If you were a fan of Cold Feet then you will love this book as the characters are equally as interesting, funny and captivating. As each life changing incident occurs you find yourself itching to know what the end outcome will be!'

'Jon rance manages to write eloquently from both a male and female perspective.'


I hope this has got you in the mood to pop to the shops or along to Amazon and pick up a copy. I'm currently on a short reading break and then I'll crack on with novel number four. I spoke to my agent on Monday and when I asked what I should do next, she said something completely original and fresh. So all I have to do is think of a brand new, original idea that hasn't been done before (in two thousand years of literary history). It shouldn't be a problem.

CLICK TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X