I’m
delighted to welcome romantic comedy writer Lynn Forth to my blog.
Hello
Lynn, I was so pleased when you said you were able to fill a guest spot on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat this week,
and I was fascinated to read you write romantic comedy, and like to think of
your books as sunny, funny reads with some thoughtful undertones. What an interesting
and reflectively provoking description! But before we get to know a little bit
more about your latest release, The
Girl Who Used To Be Me, here
are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers an insight into some
of the things that matter to you.
Arabella: How did you manage to get
your first novel published and what did you learn from the experience?
Lynn:
I submitted Love in La La Land to the RNA New Writers’ Scheme and
received invaluable advice. The positive detailed report guided me as to how to
enliven it and get it ready for publishing. I then submitted it to lots of
publishers and was lucky that Crooked Cat liked it and offered me a contract. They
supported me through my first publishing journey and have done so ever since. I
particularly like the fact that they offer paperbacks as well as ebook formats
right from the beginning. There’s nothing like the thrill of holding your first
physical book in your hand. Very definitely, a dream come true.
Arabella: Who or what inspired you
to write your latest release, The Girl Who Used To Be Me?
Lynn:
I always like to throw my main character into somewhere new and sunny and see
how they cope with being somewhere strange eg Jane in Hollywood, Kate in the French Riviera and in my
latest book The Girl Who Used To Be Me , the Costa del Sol. This area holds
many memories for me as for many years we visited my parents there. It was
already the haunt of my character, Reen, so I decide to revisit all the places
I knew along that coast of Spain. It really fitted the subject matter of my
book about a girl emerging from the shadows of her past into the bright blingy
light.
Arabella: Where do you read? Sofa
or bed or ____?
Lynn:
Anywhere really. My kindle is always neatly tucked into my handbag just in case
I get stuck anywhere and can snatch a quick read. But my delight is to curl up
on the bed in the spare room which catches the afternoon sun and try to sneak the
odd half hour in there if I can.
Arabella: If you could choose,
which would it be: A walk in the woods, a walk along a beach front to dip your
toes in the sea, or a day shopping for clothes?
Lynn:
A walk along the beach front every time. In all my books my heroines share my
love of looking at the sea. Like me, Annie in Love, Lies and Café au Lait,
loves to promenade along The Bay of Angels in Nice and in The Girl Who Used To
Be Me, Kate is transfixed each evening watching the sun set over the Mediterranean from her terrace on the Costa del Sol. One of
my characters, the fabulous Reen, can never quite get over the fact that she
can see Gibraltar across the sea from her villa in Marbella.
Arabella: Some authors write at
first light, others need a mug of coffee or a glass of wine before putting pen
to paper. When writing, are there any “essentials” you need to help the words
flow?
Lynn:
A good question, Arabella. I would say, like a lot of writers, it’s essentially
just time to immerse myself. When I’m able to eventually sit down at my
computer, I have so many ideas spilling out, I just bash them in as quickly as
I can, surrounded by neglected cold cups of tea.
Arabella: You’re halfway through
the work-in-progress, you’re about to kill off the hero and there is going to
be no happy-ever-after. In other words, you’re stuck! If you had to contact an
“author/publisher/editor friend” for guidance, who would it be?
Lynn:
I’m lucky that I have a lovely little local group of authors who meet regularly
to talk books and plots. They are always there in our FB chatroom with helpful advice.
I owe them all a lot.
Arabella: The T.V. is on and you’re
in control of the remote. Which is it to be: A quiz programme…An afternoon of
sport…A family soap…A romantic film you always wanted to see but missed when it
was shown at the cinema?
Lynn:
Has to be the latter, a romantic film every time, even if I’ve seen it before
like When Harry Met Sally, or Dirty Dancing, or a really old
favourite like Gone With the Wind or West Side Story. They will
all have me sobbing into my hankie before they finish.
Arabella: Do you have any great
writing, publishing, or marketing tips you’d like to share to “want-to-be”
authors starting out on their writing journey?
Lynn:
As a new writer I was very naïve about the actual publishing and promoting
side
of the business. If writing in the romantic genre, I would advise joining the Romantic
Novelists Association and, if possible, going to their annual Conference. I can’t
tell you how much I learnt from all the lectures I attended …and still do.
Thank you for joining me on Arabella’s
Blog and Chit-Chat, Lynn. And your comment about the cold cups of tea sitting
beside your computer as you work sounds so familiar. Isn’t it strange how the
world and everyday life gets forgotten as you delve deeper into the plots and
conflicts of the romantic stories you’re creating?
Best wishes and happy writing…
Arabella Sheen
About
Lynn Forth
Lynn
Forth went to live in Accrington when she was 11 and still has the accent to
prove it.
She
now lives in Worcestershire (where it doesn’t rain as much) with her family and
a room with a view to write in.
With
a lifelong fascination with words and people, she studied English and
Psychology at University and, as a lecturer at the local College, she tried to
impart this love of words and teaching to students of all ages.
An
avid reader, she runs two book clubs and, as a bit of a movie buff, she loves participating
in the discussions at a local Film Club. Although not a big exercise fan, she
enjoys the fun and music at her Zumba sessions, singing along enthusiastically to
all the tunes. A great lover of colour, she tries to encourage a riotous array
of flowers in her garden.
She
now writes romantic comedies full of sparky dialogue, set in sunny foreign
climes, which, of course, she has to visit for the sake of research. She set her
debut novel, Love in La La Land, in Hollywood which combined this love
of films, humour and sunny places. Her second novel Love Lies and Cafe au Lait
was set in Nice, a city she loves. And her third novel The Girl Who Used
To Be Me follows one of her characters, the fabulous Reen, to her home
territory of the Costa Del Sol.
Website:
lynnforthauthor.wordpress.com.
Twitter:
@lynnforth
Facebook
Page: Lynn Forth
Author
Page: Lynn Forth Author
Lynn’s
books are available as both eBooks and paperbacks from Amazon
Blurb:
The Girl Who Used To Be Me
An uplifting
story about longing and belonging.
After a passionate fun-filled
affair, Kate is abandoned by Rob, her first love.
Six years later, she is stuck in a
dead-end job and trapped in a toxic relationship. She escapes to the Costa del Sol where she meets flamboyant Reen
with her bright clothes, her sparkling eyes and a penchant for pink
plastic flamingos.
Kate falls for Troy, Reen’s sexy son, and embarks upon a new phase of self-discovery. Is she finally becoming the girl she longs to be?
But when Rob comes back into her life unexpectedly, what will she do?
Full of wit and warmth, fun and flamingos.
Kate falls for Troy, Reen’s sexy son, and embarks upon a new phase of self-discovery. Is she finally becoming the girl she longs to be?
But when Rob comes back into her life unexpectedly, what will she do?
Full of wit and warmth, fun and flamingos.
Perfect for fans of Milly Johnson
and Jules Wake
Buy Link:
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