Saturday 17 September 2016

Back Catalogue Books - Q&A with Elle Field



Back Catalogue Books is my new regular Saturday feature, focusing on books that are not the latest releases. There is going to be a mix of Q&As and also reviews, depending on what I have the space for. 

If you are an author wanting to take part in Back Catalogue Books then please do email on gilbster at gmail dot com and I'll whizz the questions over to you. 

I hope everyone enjoys this weekly look back at some of the slightly older books that are about but still great, and that I eventually make a dent in my TBRs as a result of it!

Today I would like to welcome Elle Field to the sofa, to be questioned on her back catalogue.

Hi, my name’s Elle. I’m 31, and I live in central London with my boyfriend and our cat, Compy. I write chick lit/romantic comedy novels, and I enjoy travelling, reading, musicals and being a bit of a foodie.

1. Please tell me about your first book, and what started you writing in the first place

Kept is the first book that I wrote that has been published, though the first full book that I ever finished writing was a book called Torn. I’d like to think that one day I’ll revisit that manuscript and edit it up to scratch! I started writing it in the summer I was meant to be working on my dissertation. I’d had quite an intense semester (boy-wise) before I broke up for the holidays, and I found writing to be very cathartic. Though Torn isn’t published, readers of my published books would recognise two names in it – Tabitha and Lottie were actually my very first chick lit characters! A year later, once I’d graduated, I wrote Kept. I’ve always scribbled down stories, and becoming an author was a childhood dream.

2. How many books have you written and what are they?

I have five books that have been published. Four are in the Arielle Lockley series (Kept, Lost, B-Side and Found), and I’ve also written a stand-alone book called Geli Voyante’s Hot or Not. They are all chick lit/new adult books.

3. Which book are you most proud of writing?

I’m super proud of my third book, Lost, the second book in the Arielle series. I was quite apprehensive about writing it because, originally, the first book (Kept) was a stand-alone novel. Although Kept was published in 2013, I actually wrote it back in 2007 and never intended for there to be a sequel. After publishing Kept, however, readers wanted to know what happened next! Sitting down seven years later to write Lost I panicked that I wouldn’t be able to replicate Arielle’s voice well enough for the sequel. I’m super proud that I was able to.

4. Which book was your favourite to write?

Definitely Geli Voyante’s Hot or Not. I wrote the first draft by hand – a staggering 80,000 words – in an intense 20 days because I was that desperate to get the story down. I’ve never come close to that level of productivity since, and I no longer write first drafts by hand: I still have a slight indentation on my finger from writing it!

5. Who are your favourite characters from your books and why?

I adore Tiggy from Geli Voyante’s Hot or Not because she’s so mean! She does what she likes, she says what she likes, but she’s as fragile as any of us – her attitude hides who she really is, and that she just wants to be accepted and feel a part of something. From the Arielle series, I love ObĂ©lix. He’s Arielle’s best friend, and he absolutely has her back. He’s a little pervy, very funny, and a big softie, really – the perfect book bestie.  

6. If you could go back and change anything from any of your books, what would it be, and why?

I’d go back to Kept, my debut novel, and tweak a few things. My writing is a lot different now to how it was in 2007 when Kept was written. I’d make the plot a little stronger and the editing a little tighter, though readers, thankfully, do love it how it is. 

7. Which of your covers if your favourite and why?


The cover of my latest book Found is probably my favourite - I love the wedding cake and the pretty pink colour, and it sits perfectly with the rest of my covers.

8. Have you ever thought about changing genres, if so what else would you like to write?

I have a few opening chapters written of both a dystopian YA novel and a crime thriller set in 1920’s New York City. I have so many book ideas, and I wish I had time to write them all! I also have half of a children’s book that I started writing when I was fifteen years old. Maybe if I give up sleep I could finish my books in other genres!

9. Looking forward can you let us know what you are working on next?

I don’t have a title or the name of my main character yet, but I’m currently writing a book that is set in Brixton, London. My heroine is down-to-earth, but a little too trusting… and that’s why her calamities begin. She’s also an estate agent, but we mustn’t hold that against her!

10. I dare not ask for a favourite author, but is there any author’s back catalogue you admire and why?

Yes! I admire Adele Park’s back catalogue because all the books in it are amazing! (As are her more recent ones.)

11. Finally, is there anything else you would like to say about your back catalogue of books?

It’s definitely worth going back to the start and reading from the very first book in the Arielle Lockley series. Now the series is complete you can have a good binge read without having to wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you so much Elle, I really should read more of Adele Parks' books as like many they are building on my kindle and I also love the cover of your latest book Found.

Author bio:

Elle Field writes coming of age romantic comedies, and is the author of the Arielle Lockley series and Geli Voyante's Hot or Not. She grew up in Yorkshire, then moved to Scotland to study International Relations and Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews.

Elle now lives in London with her boyfriend and their cat. She's a massive fan of sunshine, giraffes, The Killers, Audrey Hepburn movies, playing Scrabble and tea. Oh, and reading, of course! 

You can buy Elle’s books here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00CHIC1GE 

Visit her website: http://www.ellefield.co.uk 

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellefie 

Like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellefieldauthor 

Follow her on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7060681.Elle_Field
Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellefieauthor
Follow on Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/ellefie  




Geli Voyante’s Hot or Not:

"I think I will always be known as the Hot or Not girl, defined by it for the rest of my career. Even my tombstone will read: Angelica "Geli" Voyante, beloved trendsetter. Death? Not Hot.

Yet, it doesn't sound right. Why won't anyone realise that there is more to me than this fickle persona I have inadvertently become?"

Geli Voyante is bored of being the Hot or Not girl, even if it has the perk of sitting next to Theo, the newspaper's very Hot political columnist. She's also getting a little lonely being single.

When her arch-nemesis Tiggy Boodles gets engaged, and other loved ones start to settle down, it's time for Geli to convince Theo that she's not as shallow as her column suggests and, more importantly, she's the one for him. Geli should remember though that there are always two sides to every story, and that applies to people too...


Buy here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geli-Voyantes-Hot-Not-ebook/dp/B00FY12QUM 

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for having me on Back Catalogue Books! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are very welcome, and always welcome to appear on my blog.

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...