Guest Post - Writing Cloudy by Fiona Collins

Amazon UK

It’s interesting writing a second book whilst you have a first out and doing quite well (‘interesting’ may be a euphemism here...!). My first book, A Year of Being Single has been more successful than I ever imagined. It was my third attempt at being published, after a lot of rejection, and I never expected it to do so well. It has reached the giddy heights of both number 7 in the Amazon kindle charts and number 1 in iBooks (although maybe it’s me who’s the giddy one...) I’ve really enjoyed seeing the Amazon ‘Bestseller’ orange flag, I may have screenshotted it’s chart position on more than one occasion, and I have pinched myself so many times I have bruises. 

I’m mindful of Tricky Second Book Syndrome, the close personal friend of Difficult Second Album Syndrome - you know, when a band have a successful debut album and then have to follow it, somehow. Us authors (I can call myself that now, right?) concentrate all our efforts on making sure our first book is as brilliant as can be, then we realise we have to keep on going, which is scary! The second book has to be as good as, if not better than the first. 

Publishing a book is like putting a message in a bottle and chucking it in the sea… you don’t know where it’s going to end up, you don’t know how it’s going to be received, but you hope for the best. You hope that a lovely person will decide to open it, read it, enjoy it and maybe even laugh out loud a couple of times. I’m about to throw my second book – Cloudy with a Chance of Love - out there and run up the beach, squealing my head off.  

Cloudy with a Chance of Love is a book I just got on with writing. I don’t get writers’ block, particularly; I just plough on, even if it’s complete gibberish until at least the third draft. I’ve felt a certain amount of pressure in the last few weeks, while editing it, but I’ve tried to ignore that pressure; you have to let former books go and concentrate on the one in hand. You also have to wave goodbye to all the characters you’ve known and loved and re-acquaint yourself with a whole new gang. Luckily, I love my new gang, and my new story. 

Cloudy with a Chance of Love is about a recently divorced, forty-something weather presenter who’s told, via a love forecast app on her friend’s phone, that she has a 99% chance of falling in love by this Friday. She’s not sure she wants love at all, but she is up for fun and dating, and encouraged by her friend, Sam, she embarks on a week of men and mayhem… There are men galore, laughs and dilemmas for Daryl as the week progresses. I hope readers can connect to Daryl, like they did to Imogen, Frankie and Grace in A Year of Being Single. I have everything crossed. 

So, as release date approaches, I’m about to enthusiastically wave goodbye to my second set of characters and send Cloudy with a Chance of Love on its way. Actually, I’m not going to run squealing up the beach. I’m going to stand still and watch my message in a bottle bob off on the waves. Then I’m going to head into a beach hut with a laptop, a flask of orange squash and some sweaty sandwiches, as I’ve got a third book to write and I do believe I can spy some bridesmaids on the horizon… 

Thank you Fiona for that great post about writing your latest book. Don't forget to check out my 5 Star review of Cloudy with a Chance of Love

About Fiona Collins

Fiona Collins lives in the Essex countryside with her husband and three children, but also finds time for a loving relationship with a Kindle. She likes to write feisty, funny novels about slightly (ahem) more mature heroines. Fiona studied Film & Literature at Warwick University and has had many former careers including TV presenting in Hong Kong; talking about roadworks on the M25 on the radio; and being a film and television extra. She has kissed Gerard Butler and once had her hand delightfully close to George Clooney’s bum. When not writing, Fiona enjoys watching old movies and embarrassing her children. You can follow Fiona on Twitter @FionaJaneBooks


www.facebook.com/fionacollinsauthor

Book Review - Cloudy with a Chance of Love by Fiona Collins

Amazon UK

Title: Cloudy with a Chance of Love

Author: Fiona Collins

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Carina

Publication Date:  21st July 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Every cloud has a silver lining when it comes to love…

Daryl Williams never minded the fact that she had a big bottom. It’s always been behind her. In fact, it was one of the things that her husband loved about her. Until he ran off with her best friend, Gabby.

Daryl knows that she needs to get back in the dating game, she just doesn’t know how. So when her friend suggests taking a fortune forecast, she reluctantly agrees. And it looks like Daryl’s luck is in, by Friday she has a 99% chance of falling in love!

Only, even when it’s written in the stars, finding the one after the one is never easy…

My first thoughts when I came across this book besides being very glad there was a new Fiona Collins, was that the title keeps reminding me of the animated film Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs. Well there is only one word difference, but what a difference it makes, however yet there are some similarities too, both a pretty funny, and both also feature a weather girl! 

In fact I was laughing from the opening pages, where Daryl was waxing lyrical about how pleased she is with her rather large behind, and how on trend it is now to be well endowed in that region. We then move onto her throwing her wedding ring into a fountain at Trafalgar Square and best friend Sam using a fortune telling app. 

The app states categorically that Daryl has a 99% of falling in love by Friday...it was Sunday when the book starts. So what proceeds is Sam getting Darryl to do speed dating amongst other things to try and get a date a day to increase her chances of falling in love. 

Darryl who is only just divorced, goes along with it, and the speed dating event they go to is one of the best I have read about in chick lit. It's hilarious, full of people who have dressed up, and an MC who is big on the cringe factor, and has sorted out 3 different rounds for the speed dating! 

Sam also persuades Darryl to a singles cooking event, where the quality of men they meet was arguably better, and again was a fun event to read about. 

I pretty much loved all the character descriptions in this book, I had a real feel for their personalities, even if I didn't like the character, the writing was done well. 

What I am quickly discovering is that Fiona Collins is a fresh new voice in romantic comedy writing, I really enjoyed her previous book and this one is even better. I found myself smiling my way through this book, and this is the first book I've read during the Olympics, where the sport hasn't been a bigger draw than the book! Anything that can keep my attention while I'm trying to multi task with top level sport, definitely is a winner in my eyes! 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Carina for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.