Blog Tour: Love & Other Man-made Disasters - Author Interview with Nicola Doherty



Today I am delighted to welcome Nicola Doherty to my blog. Nicola is the author of women's fiction novels, Girls on Tour or If I Could Turn Back Time, and has just published her first YA novel, Love and Other Man-Made Disasters. Read all about her latest adventure here: 


1) Hi Nicola and welcome to Alba in Bookland. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi Alba, thank you for having me! I am a writer – before that I worked in book publishing, so I've seen the process from both side of the fence. My fourth (what?!) book is about to be published by Orion. When I'm not writing, I am generally reading, drinking coffee … or looking at pictures of kittens online. My big ambition in life is to own a cat but as I live in a flat in London with no garden we might have to move first.

2) Your new book Love and Other Man-Made Disasters is about a teenage girl who's scared of everything. Did you have fun writing it?

I really did. It's about a girl who worries about everything from getting cancer to the Zombie apocalypse. It sounds awful but it is actually quite funny to write about and made me feel better about my fears, because it made me laugh at them. She meets a boy who doesn't seem scared of anything… but she turns out to be braver than him in many ways. It was so much fun to write and very romantic. They meet on holiday, so it's a really happy, outdoorsy, escapist read but also (I hope) has a serious and positive message about facing your fears.

3) It was your first teenage book. How did that affect your writing process? Is it very different from an adult book?

It was different – in that the characters are younger! Honestly, it sounds so obvious but that's the main thing, and also there was a lot more about family in it than in my adult books, which I found really interesting to write about. But aside from that, it's actually very similar to my adult romances, in that it's about two people who meet and don't realise how perfect they are for each other. The boy she meets (who's called Boy) is someone I would totally have fallen in love with if I was his age ...

4) The book is set in a ski resort. How did you research that?

I've only been skiing twice, but I loved it and I know people who are keen skiers so I spoke to them. I also spoke to people who worked in ski resorts – they're like any tiny community in that you get to know each other very well (maybe too well) and lots of crazy things happen. But the setting isn't as important really as the fact that it's a holiday. I referred to it when I first pitched it as 'Dirty Dancing in the snow' which I hope sort of sums up what it's like!

5) What are you working on right now? When can we expect your next book?

My next book is another teenage read. It's called Girl Offline and it's about a girl who does something bad on the internet, so she changes her name and moves to Paris to go to an international school. It should be out in 2017 … Watch this space!

And now the important question ;)

Secret guilty pleasure:

So many! 80s music, Crunchies, watching old episodes of Sex and the City, and watching make-up videos on YouTube when I should be writing.

Ultimate book boyfriend:

Etienne in Anna and the French Kiss is very cute. He is short but that's OK because I'm short too. Film boyfriend would be Keanu Reeves in Point Break – he could teach me surfing.

If you could escape to any where in the world right now, where would you go?

I just saw a picture of a Greek island that took my breath away. I went years ago but I'd love to go back. And I hear they have cats there.

Which books would you take with you?

I read the most random things. I have lately been reading detective novels by Robert B. Parker. And I hear great things about Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard. But whatever I bring I will need a lot of books, so it's Kindle all the way these days.

Best plan for a Saturday night:

Pizza, sofa, my husband Alex, and something funny to watch like Parks and Recreation or Freaks and Geeks. Best TV series ever.

Thank you so much Nicola for stopping by and answering all my questions. Love & Other Man-made Disasters sounds like lots of fun! 

You can find out more about Nicola and her books on:

About the book: 

Title: Love & Other Man-made Disasters
Author: Nicola Doherty
Published: June 2nd 2016 by Hachette Children's Group

Blurb: A contemporary teen romance by Irish author, Nicola Doherty, about facing your fears and falling in love. A story with humour and heart, this book is perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Holly Smale and Stephanie Perkins.

Juno is scared of a lot of things. Climate change, urban foxes, zombies - the usual. So when she goes on a skiing holiday with her mum's adrenaline-mad new husband and his tearaway twins, she doesn't hold much hope of surviving. Then she meets Boy. Gruff, hairy and thrill-seeking, he's everything Juno doesn't like. Or is he? Juno's about to discover there's nothing more scary than falling in love.

Did you miss any stops on the Blog Tour? Check them out for extra content! 


                                 

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5 comentaris

  1. Ah, that sounds like a lovely book! Really enjoyed this interview. #talkofthetown

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  2. Great questions Alba - fab interview. Hope the tour goes well.

    Thanks for linking #TalkoftheTown

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Shaz! It was lovely to have Nicola on the blog! Alba x

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  3. Great interview. Looks an interesting book.

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