I had to go back in time to write Whatever Happened to Vicky Hope’s Back Up Man? – to the spots of fourteen, life opening up at twenty-one and the fear of what next at thirty.
Those three ages were formative for me – so that’s where I wanted my characters to be: because by revealing what happened to them in adolescence and their twenties, then I could tell their stories when they are thirty.
The book starts when Vicky, Mikey and Kat are living in the suburbs aged twenty-one. It’s when Vicky, who is wracked by insecurity, asks Mikey, her best mate, to be her back up man. If life doesn’t work out the way she wants it to, then can he be there for her when they’re thirty?
He agrees, just to humour her, because he knows she’s leaving him to travel the world with Kat and he’s wise enough to realise that life hasn’t even started for her yet – he’s a no-hoper who is trapped by a broken home.
Vicky, on the other hand, is ‘normal’, from a stable family, and she yearns to be interesting. Kat, meanwhile, is a high-flyer, destined for a big future, and there’s no question she won’t make it.
Fast-forward nearly nine years and they’ve all lost touch. Out of desperation when she finds herself dumped on her thirtieth birthday, Vicky, now Vee, tracks them down – and gets a shock when she finds out that Kat, now Kate, has failed at life while Mikey, now Murphy, has become hugely successful.
The book follows their reunion - and includes flashbacks from moments in their past which made them who they now are. A troubled Mikey and Vicky’s innocence at fourteen; back-packing in South America, Australia and Thailand which unravelled Kat but made Vicky; and the professional and personal choices they each made in their twenties.
Back in the present day, the three of them have to work out how to pick up their friendship - because they fell out for a reason - and if they want the past to be a part of their futures. Particularly as there’s a big secret involved…
I absolutely loved writing this book - it gave me the chance to experience again what I had felt at all three stages in my life before I had found my way. It was like reliving my youth: yet not in a rose-tinted way, more warts and all. And music – especially Jarvis Cocker – was absolutely vital on my journey. It was a real treat to weave in the tunes of the 90s, Noughties and now. So much so, I’ve created a playlist of the songs which reminded me of suburban teenage angst, insecurity and discovery - you can find Whatever Happened to Vicky Hope’s Back Up Man? on Spotify here http://tinyurl.com/zj4xc7b
Laura Kemp
Purchase Links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2hJG6Xh
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2gHRtkS
iBooks: http://apple.co/2gHVea5
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2htD0I8
Laura’s previous book, THE LATE BLOSSOMING OF FRANKIE GREEN is available now:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dLKV4N
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2eeITX0
iBooks: http://apple.co/29oe8jt
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2bi0r5o
About Laura Kemp
Laura lives in Penarth, Cardiff with her supportive husband, gorgeous son, playful dog and ancient cat. Writing is compulsive to Laura. With 15 years journalistic experience and several successful books to her name, writing is her escape and her love.
Follow Laura
Website: http://www.laura-kemp.com/
Facebook: @LauraKempBooks
Twitter: @laurajanekemp
Instagram: @laurajanekemp
Thank you so much Laura for talking to us. Please do keep following along with the rest of the blog tour.
Those three ages were formative for me – so that’s where I wanted my characters to be: because by revealing what happened to them in adolescence and their twenties, then I could tell their stories when they are thirty.
The book starts when Vicky, Mikey and Kat are living in the suburbs aged twenty-one. It’s when Vicky, who is wracked by insecurity, asks Mikey, her best mate, to be her back up man. If life doesn’t work out the way she wants it to, then can he be there for her when they’re thirty?
He agrees, just to humour her, because he knows she’s leaving him to travel the world with Kat and he’s wise enough to realise that life hasn’t even started for her yet – he’s a no-hoper who is trapped by a broken home.
Vicky, on the other hand, is ‘normal’, from a stable family, and she yearns to be interesting. Kat, meanwhile, is a high-flyer, destined for a big future, and there’s no question she won’t make it.
Fast-forward nearly nine years and they’ve all lost touch. Out of desperation when she finds herself dumped on her thirtieth birthday, Vicky, now Vee, tracks them down – and gets a shock when she finds out that Kat, now Kate, has failed at life while Mikey, now Murphy, has become hugely successful.
The book follows their reunion - and includes flashbacks from moments in their past which made them who they now are. A troubled Mikey and Vicky’s innocence at fourteen; back-packing in South America, Australia and Thailand which unravelled Kat but made Vicky; and the professional and personal choices they each made in their twenties.
Back in the present day, the three of them have to work out how to pick up their friendship - because they fell out for a reason - and if they want the past to be a part of their futures. Particularly as there’s a big secret involved…
I absolutely loved writing this book - it gave me the chance to experience again what I had felt at all three stages in my life before I had found my way. It was like reliving my youth: yet not in a rose-tinted way, more warts and all. And music – especially Jarvis Cocker – was absolutely vital on my journey. It was a real treat to weave in the tunes of the 90s, Noughties and now. So much so, I’ve created a playlist of the songs which reminded me of suburban teenage angst, insecurity and discovery - you can find Whatever Happened to Vicky Hope’s Back Up Man? on Spotify here http://tinyurl.com/zj4xc7b
Laura Kemp
A tender, funny and haunting coming-of-age novel which asks if the past can ever be part of your future.
Twenty-one and insecure, Vicky Hope comes up with a plan on the eve of travelling the world with her high flying friend, Kat Lloyd: if she isn't married by the time she's thirty, she'll marry her geeky best mate Mikey Murphy.
Fast-forward eight-and-a-bit years, Vicky, now Vee wakes up on her thirtieth birthday in Brighton, expecting a proposal of marriage from her arty boyfriend Jez. Instead he tells her their relationship is over and she has no choice but to return to her parents' home.
Devastated and alone in her childhood bedroom, she decides she has nothing to lose and tracks down her two old mates. With shock, she discovers Mikey, now Murphy, is a successful app designer driven by his tragic upbringing. Kat, or Kate, never made it – but she hides a devastating secret, which threatens the happiness of all three.
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2hJG6Xh
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2gHRtkS
iBooks: http://apple.co/2gHVea5
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2htD0I8
Laura’s previous book, THE LATE BLOSSOMING OF FRANKIE GREEN is available now:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dLKV4N
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2eeITX0
iBooks: http://apple.co/29oe8jt
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2bi0r5o
About Laura Kemp
Follow Laura
Website: http://www.laura-kemp.com/
Facebook: @LauraKempBooks
Twitter: @laurajanekemp
Instagram: @laurajanekemp
Thank you so much Laura for talking to us. Please do keep following along with the rest of the blog tour.
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