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
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| The beautiful cover of There's More to Life than Cupcakes |
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
