Author interview! Elle Field!

I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of Kept by this fabulous author so I got in touch with her and asked if she would be kind enough to pop over the the blog for an interview. I try and keep my interview questions for authors pretty much the same, so here are her answers, a fabulous interview I'm sure you'll agree....

First question-bit of a cliché-how did you get into writing?

I've always scribbled down stories ever since I was a child but I first started writing chick lit the summer after I turned twenty-one. I'd had a bit of a rough time in the months leading up to that summer and it was cathartic making things turn out well in fiction! (It was much more fun than working on my dissertation which I also had to write that summer.)

My first book was called Torn and it was utterly dreadful - I might rewrite it one day as it did have some good bits in it; in fact, that's where Tabitha came from. She was the cousin of that book's protagonist, Lottie, who was also mentioned in passing in Kept. This spurred me on the next summer when I graduated to sit down and write Kept.

Do you write full time & if so, have you always done this?

Not at the moment, but I did take a few months off at the end of last year to edit Kept and get it ready for publication. One day I would love to be able to write full time but for now I'll just have to snatch writing time when I can.

Do you have a particular writing style or genre that you prefer?
I love to write chick lit in first-person narrative. I do have a few chapters here and there of other genres that I would like to explore further one day.

What was the inspiration behind your first novel?Like Arielle I’ve known what career I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a child. Writing Kept made my dream happen; I won’t spoil it by telling you how things work out for Arielle!

What is your writing process-do you map it out first? Write a bit at a time?

I've never planned a book yet, though that might change. I write the first draft by hand, type it up - I hate that part - then edit the book on screen until I'm happy with it.

How much of you is reflected in your novels?

Arielle does share a few traits with me; I think it is inevitable as a writer that a few of your own experiences or quirks might make their way into your books!

What kind of research did you do before/during writing Kept?Some of it is drawn from my own experiences but my fashion knowledge isn't as extensive as Arielle’s! Reading glossy magazines and wandering down Sloane Avenue helped me to make the fashion side of the book as authentic as possible!

Do you have any plans to develop your novel further, write sequels, turn it into a series?

There will definitely be a sequel to Kept, but I'm not sure if it will be part of a series. Ask me again when I sit down to edit the first draft next year - I'll know then if there's anywhere else the characters can go or whether that's it.

I did toy though with the idea of releasing a short story at Christmas time that follows the life of Obélix... we'll see!  

How much attention do you pay to the reviews that you get?

Probably more than is healthy at the moment! I've been quite lucky in that I've only had 4* or 5* reviews so far - I'm sure when I get my first bad reviews that I won't pay as much attention to them... maybe!

Are friends and family supportive of your writing?

They are very supportive, even though I suspect I have turned into a bit of a book bore of late. (Sorry!)

How did you feel leading up to your publication day?The run up to my Kindle publication day was very surreal and it still felt very surreal until my paperback was released. Seeing my book in my hand suddenly made it exciting and real!

Which other authors inspire you or are there any you particularly enjoy reading?I'm a big fan of Maggie Alderson, Dorothy Koomson, Sebastian Faulks, Kate Morton, Diane Chamberlin, Nancy Mitford,  Bill Bryson, Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Mel Sherratt, Shalini Boland, Sara Shepard and Lulu Taylor.

Finally...what are you working on right now?

I'm having a few weeks off whilst I move house , but then I'll be finishing off editing Geli Voyante's Hot or Not which will be out this Autumn. It’s about newspaper columnist Geli who has the bonus of working next to the newspaper’s hot political columnist, Theo – she’s had a crush on him ever since she started working at the paper but never done anything about it... When her arch-nemesis Tiggy Boodles gets engaged, Geli finally sets about to try and convince Theo that she’s not as shallow as her light-hearted column suggests and, more importantly, she’s the one for him. But, the path of crushes or, indeed, true love never runs smoothly.

Thanks again to Elle Field for answering my questions. If you haven't downloaded your own copy of kept, then I suggest you make that a priority. Don't forget you can follow her on Twitter or like her on Goodreads as well!