Author Interview: Carole Matthews
February 10th, 2010 by Leah
When I started doing author interviews there were a few authors I really wanted to interview – months later and I’ve interviewed loads of fab authors but one I never expected to be interviewing was Carole Matthews. I adore her books and I always assumed she’s the kind of writer far too busy for a book blog like us so imagine my delight when we were offered the chance to interview Carole just as her latest book is released. Here it is, along with the most fantastic author photo I’ve ever seen!
1. Tell us about your latest book It’s Now Or Never.
This is my ‘life begins at forty novel! I think everyone I know has experienced some kind of ‘mid-life crisis’, so I thought it was time to write about it.
The story is about twins, Annie and Lauren who attend their older sister’s fortieth birthday party at the Dorchester Hotel and they wonder why their lives are so different. Why is Chelsea’s devoted husband twirling her round the dance floor while Annie’s husband has gone fishing and Lauren’s lover is at home with his wife and children? There and then, they decide it’s time to turn things around and go all out for what they want, to start living again. The big question is, have they left it too late?
2. Your next book is due out in September titled The Only Way Is Up (fab title), can you tell us what it’s about?
This was influenced by all the stories of people who have lost everything in the global credit crunch and I wondered just what it must feel like – with a little romance and comedy along the way!
Lily and Laurence Lamont-Jones have it all: lavish holidays in exotic locations, a top private school for their children, Hettie and Hugo, and a beautiful Buckinghamshire home with horses and stables. But their perfect world is about to be turned upside down. Laurence has lost his job and, on their return from holiday, they find their house and all their belongings have been repossessed. Forced to live in a council house on one of Milton Keynes’s roughest estates, the Lamont-Joneses are about to discover how the other half live. And with the help of true friends, a little luck and a lot of determination they learn that when you’ve reached rock bottom the only way is up…
3. Since 2007 you’ve put out two books a year, do you write constantly or do you manage to take a little break between books?
There’s not much time for slacking on a schedule of two books a year! I generally finish a book on a Friday and then start the next one on the following Monday. The problem really is doing all your research in time, so I have to work well ahead of myself. I like to write very quickly and I think that with comedy if you over-polish your work then you knock all the life out of it. I only do two drafts and try not to tinker about too much!
4. Your first book Let’s Meet On Platform 8 didn’t have a very happy ending, what made you end the book that way?
Well, unfortunately, life is a bit like that, isn’t it? Not everyone gets what they want at the end of the day. Although it may not have had a completely happy ending, I do think that it had a satisfactory one and a lot of my readers seem to agree. Having said that, they’d also like to see a sequel too! Perhaps second time round, Teri and Jamie could have their happy ever after.
5. The only sequels you’ve done to your books were The Chocolate Lovers’ Club and The Chocolate Lovers’ Diet, would you ever bring back any of your previous characters for a second time? Would you do a third Chocolate Lovers’ book?
I am desperate to do a third in The Chocolate Lovers’ series and, judging by the amount of emails I get every day asking for one, I’m sure that my readers would be very happy if I gave those girls another outing! I haven’t finished with their story yet. I’d also like to continue with the trials and tribulations of Rick and Juliet from That Loving Feeling. That book even made me laugh – and I realise how sad that sounds!
6. It’s A Kind Of Magic was a little bit different to your other books – primarily because there was a little bit of magic – what made you take on a fantasy kind of plot?
It was a book I just had to write because it was so much fun. I have another couple of slightly magical ones up my sleeve that I’d like to do one day and I hope that with doing two a year, I can have a little change sometimes. I love books that have a slightly supernatural element and have always wanted to write one.
7. How easy/hard is it to think up all of your story lines?
The lovely thing about writing romantic comedy is that there are story lines all around. Love is the stuff of life! I only have to spend an evening with my girlfriends and a bottle of wine to top up my quota of tales and anecdotes. I’m never short of a plot – I just don’t have enough time to write them all.
8. What’s your normal writing day like?
I spend about an hour answering emails from about 8 o’clock, then have my brekky. I work in earnest from 10 a.m. through to about 6 p.m. Throughout the day I chat on Facebook, which I love. It’s a great way for me to get direct feedback from my readers and it keeps me sane – which is worrying in itself. I have an hour for lunch and I read the newspaper then which also gives me some great ideas for plots. I try not to work at weekends but, sometimes, if I can’t sleep, I will work through the night. Again, doing two books a year, I have to spend a lot of time sitting in front of my computer!
9. Are any of your books your favourite?
I have a soft spot for a few of them – Let’s Meet on Platform 8 because it was my very first book. With or Without You, which is set in Nepal because the research was so stunning. I think Welcome To The Real World is one of my most romantic. But, out of all of them, I think The Chocolate Lovers’ Club and The Chocolate Lovers’ Diet are my favourites – who wouldn’t like to spend two years writing about chocolate?
10. You’ve been with Headline since book one, what’s it been like to work with the same publisher for so many years? How did your publishing deal come around?
It’s very nice – and quite unusual – to have been with the same publisher for so long. It means that my editor and I are very much in tune when we work together so that makes for an easy relationship. My publishing deal came about when I entered a short story competition in Writing Magazine and won £1000! Very sensibly, I didn’t blow the money on shoes and handbags, but instead booked on a writing course. By the time the course came around, I’d started a novel and the tutor loved it. She recommended an agent and he sold it within a week – that book became Let’s Meet on Platform 8.
11. What kind of books/authors do you like to read?
I read a wide range of books and have always been an avid reader. I love Philippa Gregory for historicals. Harlen Coben is my favourite thriller writer. I like John Connelly’s books for something with a supernatural twist. My favourite chick-lit author is Marian Keyes and my favourite book of all-time is The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
12. What’s the best thing about being a published author?
Creating my own worlds is a definite buzz! I still very much love the writing part – even after 17 books! It’s also very nice to work from home and set your own hours too – particularly in the winter when I hear all my neighbours scraping ice from their cars and all I have to do is walk up some stairs. I also like to get out and about and meet readers, but that’s getting more difficult now on a tight schedule.
13. Finally, what advice would you give to those wanting to write their own book?
Whenever people ask me about writing a book, they always seem to be looking for a shortcut, but at some time you have to find the time to sit and write. I’d advise people to put in at least an hour a day, so that you get some kind of flow going. If you can’t do it any other way, pay someone to do your ironing or to mow your lawn or to babysit the kids to buy the time to devote to your writing! Sheer dedication is just as important as talent in this game.
Thanks so much Carole!
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