It is hard to believe it was a month ago that I read Nicky Well's book Sophie's Turn. I still remember the story as clear as if it was yesterday! If you missed the review click HERE to read it. Nicky is now back with us this time to answer some questions for us to find out a little about the author behind the book.
Hello Nicky and welcome to Rea Book Review.....
Hi Rea! Thanks for hosting this interview on your blog as part of my virtual book tour for Sophie’s Turn. I’m very excited to be here.
The characters in your book felt very down to earth and easy to connect to, when writing do you base your characters on the personalities on people you know?
That’s such wonderful feedback, thank you! I was certainly trying very hard to make them down-to-earth, likeable and credible… especially Sophie, who walks on a knife’s edge of being unlikeable and flighty at times. She isn’t though; she’s actually finding the whole double engagement situation really difficult, emotionally! And it was my job to bring that across.
The obvious disclaimer here that Sophie’s Turn is a work of fiction and not based on any real persons, living or dead. (Sorry—I have to say that!). That said, the characters all have a lot of ‘me’ in them because I am obviously able to share ‘me’ without fearing libel! What do I mean by that? Well, Dan is my idea of the perfect man… and better than that, the perfect rock hero! So in coming up with Dan’s profile, I considered all the rock singers that I know of (oh how I wish I could delete the ‘of’ in this sentence!) and amalgamated all their best traits. Then I also included a few hypothetical ‘must have’ traits in a man—for example, to accurately assess a woman’s dress size visually and buy a perfectly fitting dress without her having to try it on! I’ve never yet met a man who can pull that off but wouldn’t it be great?
In creating Tim, I did the exact opposite. Sounds a bit stark, doesn’t it? And actually it’s not quite as bleak as that, because obviously Tim has to have quite a lot of good features too—otherwise why would Sophie be with him at all? But on the whole, I thought of all the things I dislike most in a person (not just a man) and assembled some of the more… extreme things. Like his obsession with protocol and his bizarre collection hobbies. (NB—I have absolutely nothing against people who collect things, really! Tim takes this to extremes though… which, as I know from personal experience, can be extremely tedious and boring. Not to mention expensive!)
And Sophie… well, there is a lot of ‘me’ in Sophie. This book is, after all, my attempt at creating my most perfect fairy tale ever, and part of me wanted to be the heroine. Somebody commented, after having read Sophie’s Turn, that she speaks an awful lot like me, uses a lot of the same turns of phrases and expression. There we go then!
Do you have plans for a sequel for Sophie's Turn and if so what can we expect for the new novel.
The sequel is very much a work in progress. I have a four-fold iterative planning process… goodness, doesn’t that sound boring? But it’s how I work, and I’m currently completing the last stage, from which I will come away with a one-page summary of each chapter. That means that I have planned the entire plot with every twist and turn in minute detail. Naturally there’ll be changes as I go along because my pesky characters always have a mind of their own… but the blueprint is there.
What can you expect… Let me see. Dan, Sophie and Rachel will continue to feature, and Tim will make a brief (and somewhat harrowing) guest appearance that will have Dan extremely annoyed. There will be further developments in Sophie’s love life that I can’t anticipate here because it will spoil the fun for folks who haven’t finished reading Sophie’s Turn yet. And Rachel will have a big role to play—much bigger than in the first book. But it won’t always be an easy or pleasant task! At the moment, expect at least one wedding and several trips. But who’s getting married to whom… and who’s travelling with whom… well, you’ll just have to wait and see. With a bit of luck (and if given the time) I should bring the sequel to market within a year.
What was the last book you read?
The last book I read was Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden. I found it quite hard to get into at first because while the opening intrigued me, I got a bit frustrated hopping between three narratives initially. When they started to connect, things got easier and then I got totally absorbed in the plot. The source of Rose’s scars TOTALLY freaked me out (gave me nightmares in fact) and the reason why Nell was alone on that ship made me cry. It was a really good read and I thoroughly recommend it.
If you were stuck on a desert Island what would be your two must have items?
A Kindle—with all the books on one could ever read! And a solar panel with some sort of battery contraption—so that I can charge my Kindle.
Quick fire questions now for you Nicky
Sweet or Savoury? Savoury
Paperback or Kindle? Oh must I choose? Kindle, then.
Hunk or Gentleman? Hunk
Cosy Night In or Night on the Tiles? Cosy Night In
Relaxing holiday or Action Packed Holiday? Relaxing holiday
Thanks again, Rea! I’ve really enjoyed your questions...
You can follow Nicky over on twitter @WellsNicky
or Facebook on the following link
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicky-Wells/240322162658246
Thats all folks.................
Oh No IT Isn't!! Nicky has kindly agreed to a giveaway a copy of her book so to enter comment below and tell us What would be the 2 items you would take with you on a desert Island?
Nicky will pick a winner based on your answers and the closing date is 7th October. Remember to leave your email address so we can contact you ! GOOD LUCK!!
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