Thank you for joining me on the blog tour for The Truth About Gemma Grey by Sophie Ranald. Today Sophie is talking about her writing life and there is also fab giveaway to enter too!
First of all let's take a look at the description for the book...
First of all let's take a look at the description for the book...
THE TRUTH ABOUT GEMMA GREY
BY SOPHIE RANALD
Genre: Chick lit/romantic comedy
Release Date: 19 June 2017
Life isn’t working out quite as Gemma had planned. Her breakthrough job
turns out to involve writing clickbait articles about cats. Her boyfriend Jack
is off travelling the world with his glamorous BFF and her mum’s social life
puts Gemma’s own to shame.
Then, after a late-night online rant, Gemma’s YouTube channel goes viral
and everything changes.
Suddenly, she’s living the dream – only it’s not turning out entirely as
she imagined.
Gemma realises she’ll have to choose between fame, real love and being
true to herself – because she can’t have it all. Or can she?
BUY LINKS
A sit-down with Sophie Ranald
Sophie’s fifth novel, The Truth About Gemma Grey, is
released this week. I chatted to her about her writing life.
Describe The Truth About Gemma Grey in five words?
Hipsters, heartbreak, cats and coffee.
Tell us a bit about your journey as a writer.
As a journalist and editor, writing has always been my day
job, but I longed to have a go at writing a novel. When I was made redundant in
2011, it seemed like my opportunity to see whether I could make it work. I had
a novel that I’d started a while before, so I set about finishing that, and I
did – but I realised that it would never be publishable. The idea for It
Would Be Wrong to Steal My Sister’s Boyfriend (Wouldn’t It?) had been
building up in my head, so I started work on that and finished it very quickly.
Then followed a year or so of submitting to agents, editing and the like,
before it was released in August 2013. In October it made the Amazon UK top 10,
and I thought, “I can do this!” I suppose the rest is history!
Describe your writing technique?
When I start writing a novel, I have a pretty good idea of
what’s going to happen. I produce a rough plot outline, then build on it as I
go along. I work in Scrivener, which is a really brilliant tool and allows you
to build scenes and move them around. I don’t plot everything in minute detail
though – that would take the fun out of it!
What’s the hardest thing about writing?
Everything! I wish I was one of those authors who say they
are compelled to write and would write even if no one ever read their books.
It’s not like that for me – I find writing quite hard, although there are
moments when it goes right and feels amazing. I comfort myself with the words
of the brilliant Dorothy Parker, who said: “I hate writing, I love having
written.”
Who is your favourite character in your novels?
That’s a tough one. I get close to all the characters in my
books and they’re all special to me in their own way. But if I had to pick one
to meet in real life, it would probably be Felix from You Can’t Fall in Love
with Your Ex (Can you?). I have to admit I fell a bit in love with him
while writing the novel, which sounds really weird, doesn’t it?
What can we expect from you next?
I’m working on a sixth novel, which I hope will be released
before Christmas. It’s a romantic comedy set in the world of high finance. I
could tell you more but then I’d have to kill you.
And the quick-fire round…
Tea or coffee?
I am passionately loyal to coffee and start every day with a
double espresso. But I have to admit to a recent dalliance with Taylors Sour
Cherry tea – it’s delicious, like Bakewell tart in drink form.
Cats or dogs?
Cats all the way. My darling Purrs has been at my side and
often on my lap for the whole of my journey as a writer.
High heels or trainers?
My head says trainers but my heart says heels! My feet don’t
get to decide.
Dairy Milk or Galaxy?
Neither. I love really intense dark chocolate, but wine gums
are my trashy confectionery of choice.
A nice glass of cold Sauvignon, please.
Thank you Sophie.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sophie
Ranald is the youngest of five sisters. She was born in Zimbabwe and lived in
South Africa until an acute case of itchy feet brought her to London in her
mid-20s. As an editor for a customer publishing agency, Sophie developed her
fiction-writing skills describing holidays to places she'd never visited. In
2011, she decided to disregard all the good advice given to aspiring novelists
and attempt to write full-time. After one false start, It Would Be Wrong to
Steal My Sister's Boyfriend (Wouldn't It?) seemed to write itself. Her second,
third and fourth novels followed, and a fifth is due for release in Spring
2017. Sophie also writes for magazines and online about food, fashion and
running. She lives in south-east London with her amazing partner Hopi and
Purrs, their adorable little cat.
Twitter: @sophieranald
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