AUTHOR INTERVIEWS



Hi Katey and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Alba! I'm an author who writes novels about relationships - friendships, families and romance. Joe and Clara's Christmas Countdown is my third full-length novel. I wouldn't say Clara is based on me, but I definitely do love Christmas so maybe there are parts of her that are! Joe has previously been a fan of Christmas, but since the loss of a loved one over the festive period he's found December a struggle. Throughout the book Clara is keen to remind Joe exactly why the season is so special. Continue reading



Hi Bella and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Alba, Thank you for having me on your blog today, it’s lovely to be here. I live in Warwickshire, England with my husband, daughter and a cat who thinks she’s a dog and I write romantic comedy novels that have a bit of a gritty side too. Continue reading





Hi Sarah and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! Firstly, let me thank you so much for inviting me to feature on your blog, I very much appreciate it. I’m a military spouse, writing full time from home. Home is wherever the RAF send us, currently Buckinghamshire, but we are hoping to find our forever home in 2018 so we have somewhere to finally put down some roots. Continue reading




Hi Rachel and welcome. Your debut, The Many Colours of Us, is about Julia Simmonds who embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she finds out who her father is. Tell us a bit more about her and what sparked this idea.
The idea actually came when I was re-reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I was playing with the thought of writing a modern day version of the book and, in particular, the story of Esther - an orphan who finds out her parents are alive after all and her mother is very wealthy (well sort of, being Dickens it's a lot more tragic than that!). I wondered how such a story would play out in modern day London and so the first threads of the Many Colours of Us were woven together! Throw in a gorgeous solicitor and some mysterious letters and..... Continue reading



Hi Heidi and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello Alba! Thank you so much for inviting me along to chat about all things festive and bookish! My name is Heidi Swain and I am an author of ‘feel good fiction’ signed to Simon and Schuster. I live in the lovely county of Norfolk and I’m a huge fan of the festive season. Continue reading





Hi Anna and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thanks for having me Alba! I’m Anna - I’m a British writer of romantic comedies who lives on the edge of the French Pyrenees with my lovely husband, two energetic toddlers, a lively labrador and five chickens. Continue reading






Hi A.F. and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello! A little bit about me: I’m a 35-year-old New Yorker, and I work as a psychotherapist in my own private practice. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brown University and two master’s degrees from Teachers College at Columbia University in psychological counseling. The Blind is my first novel, and I am hard at work on my second. I live in New York with my husband, our son and our dog. Continue reading



Hi Penny, congratulations on winning the Romantic Comedy of the Year category of the RNA Awards. What did winning this award mean to you?
Thank you so much for having me, Alba – the RoNAs was a fabulous evening and it was a wonderful surprise to actually win! It was also particularly special to be honoured by the RNA, as I have been lucky enough to meet so many inspirational writers through their events, amongst them now some true friends – holding my hand both literally and metaphorically at times on my path to publication! Continue reading


EILEEN RAMSAY

Hi Eileen and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Eileen here, nice to be with you. I was born and brought up in South-west Scotland I liked school, especially English, history and music. At that time, music education was a thirty minute radio programme once a week but my father’s family were all singers and my mother loved to listen to opera on the radio. After school I went to a teachers’ training college in Edinburgh – the education was first rate and the music sublime. Continue reading


VIRGINIA MACGREGOR

Hi Virginia and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I was born in Germany to a German mother and English father and lived there until I was nearly three, then I moved to Corsica, a small island off France, until I was nearly five and after that moved to Oxford in England. Although I feel very English I also have an international outlook and can speak three languages, which I think deepens my understanding of people and makes me appreciate the richness of wordsContinue reading


ALICE FEENEY

Hi Alice and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a writer and journalist. After 16 years working for the BBC, I’m very lucky to be able to write full time now. I live in a tiny Victorian house full of books in the Surrey countryside with my husband and dog. My debut thriller, Sometimes I Lie, is being published around the world this year and I’m thrilled to bits about that – it really is a dream come true! Continue reading


PENNY PARKES

Hi Penny and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Fabulous to be here in “Bookland” – sounds like somewhere I would like to live! Having said that, living in The Cotswolds is rather wonderful – you may have heard me mention that I’m happiest when writing, reading a book, or messing around with my dog, The Ginger Ninja, but I also adore browsing around the beautiful towns near where I live. Cirencester and Bath are particular favourites, not least because of their bookshops; I have persuaded the kids that books-and-cake are a winning combo, so that’s become a regular family outing! Continue reading



Hi and welcome to Alba in Bookland. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Alba; I was born in London and brought up in suburbia, which was ideal as I loved sport and there was plenty of opportunity. I read History of Art at Cambridge University, having initially persuaded my tutor to allow me to switch to English – only to reverse the request when I realised the first year was mediaeval literature (Beowulf, Song of Roland), which wasn’t my bag! After university, I worked in the City. I liked the people and the ideas but not the mechanics and left to become a novelist. Whilst failing to be published I wrote obituaries and for several magazines, an art dealer, corporate spooks and finally Redburn, for whom I produced a quarterly review and now work as an editor and writer. Continue reading


KATEY LOVELL


Hi Katey and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, could you tell us a bit yourself?
Hi Alba, and thank you so much for inviting me to chat to you today. I live in Sheffield (hence using it as the setting for The Singalong Society for Singletons) with my husband David and son Zachary. During the day I'm deputy manager at a pre-school, but by night I'm usually found writing romantic stories which I hope make people both laugh and cry. I love reading, musicals and scented candles, and spend far too much time on Twitter (come and talk to me! @katey5678). Continue reading


C.J. SKUSE


Hi CJ and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Yep, I’m the author of five YA books - Pretty Bad Things, Rockoholic, Dead Romantic, Monster and The Deviants. I was born in 1980 in Weston-super-Mare. I have First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Young People and, aside from writing novels, I work as a freelance children’s fiction consultant for publishers and scouts while also lecturing on the Postgraduate course in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. My sixth novel Sweetpea is a contemporary adult black comedy and will be published in April 2017 by HQ/HarperCollins. Continue reading


ANNA SNOEKSTRA

Hi Anna and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me. 
I’m an Australian writer living in Melbourne with my husband, two housemates and tabby cat. I was born in Canberra, and moved here about ten years ago. I studied Screenwriting originally and spent years making short films, music videos and writing feature-length scripts. It was a great experience to be able to write something and then see it come to life! A few years ago I decided to try my hand at novel writing and have since fallen in love with it. Continue reading


SUE WATSON

Hi Sue and welcome to Alba in Bookland. Could you tell us a bit about yourself? 
Hi Alba! I’m a writer and mother and wife, a serial procrastinator and consumer of doughnuts. I was once a journalist, then a TV producer with the BBC until I decided I wanted to stay at home each day and make stuff up – and I did. I’m now a full time writer and my latest (7th) novel is ‘We’ll Always have Paris.’ Continue reading




WENDY WALKER

Hi Wendy and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Wendy Walker and I live in Connecticut, which is just northeast of New York City. I went to college at Brown University and law school at Georgetown University. I spent one year at the London School of Economics and I got to travel all around Europe. I have had many jobs from waitressing to investment banking at Goldman Sachs, to commercial litigation and now family law. I have three teenage sons and a large extended family. Continue reading




CHARLOTTE BETTS

Hi Charlotte and welcome. First, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a daydreamer who loves the magical world of reading. I came to writing late and it has developed into a passion. Writing is such an integral part of my life now that I can’t imagine why I didn’t start to write earlier. Starting late isn’t necessarily a problem as no experience is ever wasted for a writer: the sad and happy times, travel, work opportunities and family life, especially family life! I’ve always been creative and worked in the design and property spheres but it’s difficult to write a book a year when you have a demanding day job. After five books I’m so excited to be able to write full time now. Continue reading



LUCY RIBCHESTER

Hello Lucy and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Alba, thanks for having me! Where do I start? I live in Edinburgh and I write novels and short stories set in the past with a mix of history and fiction. I love researching hidden or lost stories of women and also letting my imagination run riot among bygone ages. I studied Shakespeare for my masters and it was then that I discovered rather than taking an academic approach to literature and history I preferred to respond creatively to things that I was discovering. Continue reading


NATALIE MEG EVANS

Hello Natalie and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Alba, thanks for hosting me and asking juicy questions!
I’m a writer with three passions; history, clothes and being nosy about people. I stir it into the books I write which are emotional journeys, full of intrigue and with a bone-meltingly attractive man or two. 
Actually, I have to confess to a fourth passion, a love of dogs and horses and these creatures often find their way into my books as minor characters. Continue reading



LENORA BELL

Hello Lenora and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Alba! Thanks for having me here at Alba in Bookland (love that name). I’m an avid reader and a longtime historical romance fangirl. My favorite authors include Eloisa James, Lisa Kleypas, Lorraine Heath, Sarah MacLean and Tessa Dare (among many, many others). I have an MFA in creative writing and I’ve taught English around the world. I’m currently living in Switzerland with Mr. Bell and two very naughty adopted kitties. Continue reading



HAZEL GAYNOR

Hello Hazel and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thank you for inviting me to your fabulous blog and to Historical Fiction Week! I was born in England (Yorkshire) but moved to Ireland in 2001 where I have lived ever since with my husband, two children and cat. I started writing in 2009 after leaving a very different, very corporate career in finance and law. I write in the attic while my children are at school. They are very impressed that my publisher also publishes David Walliams, whose books they love! Continue reading




Hello Rebecca and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello Alba! Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog. I have been writing for many years but my first novel,The Poet’s Wife, was published by Bookouture in 2014. I am from London but for the last three years have been living in Nairobi with my husband and three children, aged 10,8 and 5. My husband’s job in international development working as a water and sanitation engineer brought us here. When I’m not working on my own current writing projects, I run creative writing sessions for school-aged children and also volunteer at a vocational training centre for girls doing motivational and life writing activities. Continue reading



Hello Sharon and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Writing has always been my “thing”. I was an extremely shy child who avoided speaking whenever I could... but I loved reading, curling up in a corner with a magical story of adventure, losing myself tot that fictional world. A chronic introvert. I stared writing my own little stories when I was about 8, but never dreamed I could one day write something that other people might like to read. I grew up awkward, self-conscious, insecure, tongue- tied, and sometimes miserable about my lack of social success, yet with a sense of adventure which helped me to take the lid off of that poor self-image. But it wasn't until my late 40 s that I actually believed, no, knew, that I could pull stories out of myself and write them down and get them published and loved by others. Continue reading


DEBBIE RIX

Hello Debbie and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am married to a writer and journalist, and we have a daughter and a son. We live in the countryside with four cats and six chickens. When I’m not working I love to spend time in my garden – it’s something of a passion. I started my professional life at the BBC and was the first newsreader on Breakfast TV. I worked as a presenter/reporter for many years until I had my children. Whilst they were small I moved into production, working mostly for charities helping them to raise money and profile through events. But a common thread throughout was writing. Continue reading



Hello Dinah and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself? 
Thank you so much for inviting me. Well I live in Gloucestershire now with my husband and Norfolk terrier, and close to family, but I do love popping down to London to see my publishers. I was born in the East and only moved to England when I was nine, and my early experience influences the books I now write. I enjoy travel and have really loved going to Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India to research my books. Continue reading



1) Hi Lisa and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Alba! Total flippin’ pleasure to be here with you again; it’s like coming home! A bit about me… well, I live in Devon – currently house hunting so I can move out of rented and Husband Phil and I can get some big dogs – and I like Beyoncé, holidays, funny ladies and peanut butter. I dislike moany people, and mayonnaise. Continue reading





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. Continue reading 



1) Hello Andrea and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thank you! Delighted to be here. My name is Andrea Carter. I grew up in Co. Laois in the Irish midlands and studied law at Trinity College, Dublin. I qualified as a solicitor and practised for ten years on the Inishowen Peninsula in Co. Donegal before transferring to the Bar and moving to Dublin to practise as a barrister. Continue reading






1) Hi Jennifer and welcome in Alba in Bookland. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi Alba and thank you for having me on your lovely blog! I’m a writer of romantic comedies who lives in Manchester with my husband and our two daughters, who are 13 and 7. We also have a gorgeous Jack Russell, Luna and two rabbits, Cinnamon and Leah. Continue reading



1) Hi Rachel and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi and thank you! I am a qualified adult education teacher, and I live in Wakefield, West Yorkshire with my husband Peter, our boys Jayden and Nathan, our dog Max and our cat Tilly. Continue reading





1) Hi, Isabelle and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello! Thanks so much for having me – it’s such a pleasure to be here. Who am I? Well, on top of being a very excited debut author, I’m also the Book Reviews Editor at heat magazine, huge lover of holidays, adventures, my dog Max, wine, nice chats with lovely friends and, most importantly of all, laughter. I’ve been working at heat for over ten years now, and before that I did a media degree and lots of travelling. I’ve been a book fan since I could hold one up, and have been writing since the age of five. Only took me thirty years to get published, then. Ha! Continue reading




1) Hi Sara and welcome to Alba in Bookland. Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your latest work?

I’ve been writing for ages - about 20 years or so! I started with contemporary commercial fiction but it wasn’t long before I got fascinated by history and I started to write adventure/epic novels set in the early 1800s and this series of 1950s murder mysteries. I’m hooked now! Continue reading




ROSIE NIXON

Hi Rosie and welcome to Alba in Bookland. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thanks for having me Alba! I’m a born and bred Londoner, grew up in North London, now live south of the river (don’t ask my parents about this migration). I’m married and have two boys under the age of two, we live in South West London with our crazy cat, Archie. Currently I’m on maternity leave from my job as joint Editor of HELLO! magazine. I adore my job and have held this position for the past six years. Before HELLO! I held senior roles at glossy women’s mags including Glamour, Grazia and Red. Continue reading


REBECCA PUGH

Fun and Festive Q&A:
Hi Becca and welcome to Alba in Bookland. Here's your first question: Best Christmas present from your childhood?
Oooh, great question! There were so many presents that I loved, but I think, if I remember rightly, my toy kitchen was my favourite. You know the ones! You’ve got your oven, your cupboards, your sink and your fridge. Not forgetting the food that kept me entertained for hours upon hours. I served chips and eggs, and tea in a teacup poured from my teapot, all handed over to Mum of course, then I’d wait eagerly for her to eat up and sip imaginary tea. Continue reading

JENNIFER JOYCE

Fun and Festive Q&A:
Hi Jennifer and welcome to Alba in Bookland's festive feature! Let's start, tell me your best Christmas present from your adulthood:
This has to be pyjamas. I’m not into expensive gifts and you can’t beat a new pair of PJs! Continue reading





EMMA HAMILTON

Fun and Festive Q&A:
Hi Emma and welcome to Alba in Bookland. Now, let's start with an easy one. Tell us your best Christmas memory from your childhood. 

Ooooh, there are so many to choose from. because I've always loved Christmas. But probably one that happened every year and so I remember it clearly is our Christmas ritual with my brothers and parents. We used to go and see Father Christmas every year at Selfridge's when we were kids. Continue reading


SASKIA SARGINSON

Hi Saskia and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself: 
Thanks for inviting me! I live in London with my partner and my four (grown-up) children, plus a menagerie of animals: 3 dogs, 2 cats and a leopard gecko. I used to work as a Health & Beauty editor on women’s magazines; I’ve also been a ghostwriter and script reader. I’ve always loved writing, and wanted to make it my career, so I feel very lucky to be doing this. I also love dancing, tango in particular, and looking after creatures, hence the number of animals and children in my life… Continue reading



NIKKI MOORE

Hi Nikki and welcome. First of all, tell us a bit about yourself: 
Well, I’m a Dorset girl and love living by the beach. I have a day job in Human Resources working in Employee Relations, two energetic kids and a lovely boyfriend (not to mention wonderful friends and family!) I was on the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers Scheme for four years before being offered a publishing contract and becoming a full member. Continue reading


JESSICA REDLAND

Hi Jessica and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself:
Hello and thank you so much for having me as a guest. Very happy to be here. I would normally start by saying I’m a Learning & Development Advisor for a manufacturing company, but I was unexpectedly made redundant last week so I’m currently on gardening leave whilst job seeking! Continue reading


GILL HORNBY

Hi Gill and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all could you tell us a bit about yourself:
Hello, Alba. Thank you for having me. I’m a writer and journalist, I started out in TV Current Affairs, then after I had my first child I went over to print journalism: reviewing books, writing features and columns. My first novel The Hive, came out two years ago and here comes my second. I’m married to another writer, Robert Harris, and we live in the country and have four children. Continue reading



LISA DICKENSON

An interview a little different but a lot fun with Lisa Dickenson.
I am super excited to welcome the lovely author Lisa Dickenson on the blog. We have such a treat for you today. We have interviewed each other to know all our secrets on the most important matters of the world, like what we would wear to the Cannes Film Festival or we if are fans of Brangelina or not. As I said, life or death matters. Enjoy! Continue reading



J.B. MORRISON

Welcome to Alba in Bookland! First, could you tell us a bit about yourself? Actually, would you define yourself as a musician or an author?
Thank you. I'm currently J.B. Morrison but I'm also known as Jim Bob and even Jim Bob from Carter. The funny thing is, my middle name is actually Neil. It can be very confusing. At the moment I'd probably say I was an author but I do feel a little uncomfortable saying that. It still feels like a big headed claim to make. Since 'retiring' my band last year though I'm doing nothing else but write or more often, think about writing. Continue reading


KERRY FISHER

Hi Kerry and welcome to Alba in Bookland. First of all, tell us a bit about yourself: 
Alba, thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog. It’s lovely to be here. I live in Surrey with two work-in-progress teenagers, a husband who never reads anything I write (but is quite lovely in other ways) and a naughty Lab/Giant Schnauzer called Poppy. I love cooking and seem to have developed a middle-aged obsession with gardening of late. I find a disproportionate amount of joy in seeing my seeds turn into flowers. Continue reading



ROMY SOMMER

Hi Romy and wecolme to Alba in Bookland. First, let's stars with some bookish questions:
The book that has made you cry the most:
I have to admit, I don’t really remember crying while reading a book for a very long time. Perhaps because I read too many romances which are generally quite happy books! One very clear memory I have of crying because of a book, though, was when I was reading The Hunger Games. By page 29 I was sniveling aloud. The reason I remember this: I was sitting in the queue at the motor licensing department at the time. I got a lot of very strange looks from the people around me! Continue reading


WENDY LOU JONES

Hi Wendy and welcome! First, let's start with some bookish questions:
The book that has made you cry the most: Oh, I’m a bit of a cry baby. I love a good blub. I cry at films all the time, even adverts sometimes. (I seriously do NOT believe I admitted that!) Let me think… Weepiest book? The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks is a killer, but there is a collection of stories I have loved since childhood. They’re by Oscar Wilde. I had them on a story tape as a child and they still make me cry today – see, I blame my parents - The Happy Prince and The Selfish Giant. My youngest likes these too. Continue reading


SOPHIE CHILDS

Hi Sophie and welcome! Tell us a bit about yourself: 
I’m a home educating mother of five children aged from 11 down to 4. My younger three were born in New Zealand, where I lived for five years, but I’m now based in South Wales and I absolutely love it here. The scenery is stunning and the people amazing – what more could you want? Most of my time is taken up with the children, but I also enjoy belly dancing and recently performed a solo with two swords, which was on my bucket list, so I’m proud of myself for achieving that. Continue reading


JENNIFER JOYCE

Hi Jennifer and welcome! First of all, Tell us a bit about yourself: 
I live in Manchester with my husband, our two daughters, two rabbits (Cinnamon and Leah) and mad puppy, Luna. I’m a writer of romantic comedies as well as a book blogger. I also likes crafts, Twitter and tea.
Continue reading



LIESEL SCHMIDT

Hi Liesel and welcome! Tell me, did you always want to be a writer?
No, actually. Writing always scared me in school because I was afraid that I was horrible at it, and book reports absolutely paralyzed me! The only thing I actually enjoyed writing were creative pieces that generally were few and far between when it came to school assignments, so I didn’t do much of that until my very late teens and early twenties. Continue reading


KAREN ALDOUS

First of all, tell us a bit about yourself:
My home is in a village in Kent, just over twenty miles from London. I’m very lucky to have a wonderful husband and family with three gorgeous little grandchildren who I look after two days a week and, naturally, spoil. I also have a web design business. As a family, we get to do lots of things together such as walking, cycling and skiing. Continue reading

GERALYN CORCILLO

Tell us a bit about yourself: 
To quote amazing writer John Waters, “I'm big, blonde, and beautiful!” Seriously! I am blonde, and I do heft more weight than the average chick, especially more than the average Los Angeles chick. And I like the way I look when I am just being me- comfy clothes, cozy socks, messy hair, no make-up. I want all women everywhere to love themselves and the way they look, no matter what TV, or magazines, or family and friends try to tell us. Continue reading