Nancy Jardine Author: Izzy's Cold Feet!

There's a Saturday Special interview with Sarah Louise Smith, a fellow Crooked Cat Publishing author for us today.

I'm sure Sarah is still feeling euphoric since her second Crooked Cat novel- Izzy's Cold Feet - was published yesterday.

Fantastic cover - isn't it?

If you don't yet know Sarah, here's what she has for us today:

Where are you from, and where do you live now?

I have lived in Milton Keynes my whole life (although I’ve moved around a lot within MK). If you’re going to live in a city, it ticks all the boxes but I’d prefer the countryside myself. I’d like to retire somewhere mountainous!

Ah! Would that be the fantastic views, the remoteness which might enforce you to become a recluse, or the fact that without the best satellite signal you don't need to answer a phone, or make a call? I've visited Milton Keynes, myself, and found it has lots of great places to visit that are close by!

Please tell us five more things about yourself.

1. I am a little bit obsessed with Pride & Prejudice.

2. My husband and I get up at 6am every day and go walking with our dog.

3. I love to cook, and try new recipes every week.

4. I’m a huge Take That fan, and have been since I was 11.

5. When I write, I often forget to eat or drink.

I'm a great fan of Jane Austen, too! So, apart from starving yourself what do you do in a typical day?

Walk the dog, go to work (marketing communications), come home, cook, write, read, watch TV if there’s time left.

I never seem to get around to that TV watching and have a pile of DVDs that sit awaiting me at the side of the DVD player, but I don't often cook now. I'm impressed with people like you who still want to try out new cooking after a day's work- I'm surprised you have the energy and the impetus for it! I know you’ve had Amy and Zach published which I recently read and enjoyed a lot. Have you had any other work published?

Thank you! Only A&Z and now Izzy’s Cold Feet.

What genre would you place Izzy’s Cold Feet into?

Chick-lit... it’s romance with a bit of depth and a touch of humour. Light, easy reading for summer holidays.

I found Amy &Zach was exactly like that. What do you feel is your comfortable word length for a novel?

I usually aim for about 80,000 words. With Amy & Zach, I could almost have gone over that but with Izzy’s Cold Feet I felt it was done at about 79,000.

Would you consider writing in other genres?

I don’t think so, although never say never. I think you should write about what you know, and write what you enjoy reading most. I read all sorts of genres but mostly similar to my own.

What gave you the prompt for the plot of Izzy’s Cold Feet?

I’d been thinking for quite some time about writing a story about a protagonist who had some trauma as a child, and how that might affect their decisions and relationships as an adult. I also wanted to write about someone who was unsure who her real “one true love” might be. The two seemed to fit together well, and the story begun to take shape.

I knwo it's so difficult to quantify but how long would you say it took to write Izzy’s cold Feet?

It’s hard to say, because I started, then stopped during the editing process for Amy & Zach, but probably about six months once I’d committed to it fully.

What has been the most difficult thing about writing Izzy’s cold Feet?

I had to change the ending from my original plan. I just got to a point where I realised I wasn’t happy with how things were going to turn out. Izzy kind of took over with a mind of her own!

Can you tell us a little bit more about the main characters, and how they interact with others in the novel?

Izzy takes the reader through a period of time and recounts previous relationships. There’s Ewan who is quite aloof and they have a fun but not particularly meaningful relationship. Then Jason who Izzy is much more communicative with but she’s not sure if he’s really the one she should be with long-term. Dexter and Izzy have very passionate, intense interactions but he hurts her. Then there’s her fiancé Greg, who she’s not sure about... There’s a whole bunch of other characters from Izzy’s circle of family and friends, including her sister who is missing.

Sounds like Izzy has a really difficult choice to make! How did you find your publisher?

I believe via a Google search, although I’d heard of Crooked Cat previously as I’d read one of their novels. I did plenty of research but they were the one for me!

Thank you, Sarah, for coming on the blog at such a busy time for you. Best wishes for great sales of both of your books. You can be sure Izzy will be added to my TBR list! (It's always huge since there are so many fantastic Crooked Cat Books out there to be read.)

Thanks for having me!

Izzy’s Cold Feet

One bride to be. Three ex-boyfriends.

Izzy is engaged to Greg, who is everything a girl could want.

The trouble is – all she can think about is the men she loved before she met him: sexy Ewan, the first love of her life; dependable Jason, who loved her more than she deserved; and irresistible Dexter, who broke her heart…

Then there’s the fact that her sister has been missing since Izzy was twelve. After such a traumatic childhood all Izzy wants is a normal, happy, settled life, but love is never simple.

In the week leading up to her wedding day, Izzy is forced to ask herself who she loves the most. And, given the choice, who would she want to spend her life with?

Links:

You can purchase the paperback or e-versions from all the usual online book sellers.

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Sarah’s first novel, Amy & Zach