Rosie Dean brings you another quintessential romance to warm your cockles as the winter draws in! Stay tuned to catch the romantic comedy author visiting blogs-a-plenty over the coming weeks, with reviews, guest posts and a giveaway!
What they say:
'What if you found yourself stranded at the altar, knee-deep in your absent fiancé’s gambling debts?
Vicki Marchant, humble art teacher and jilted bride, seizes her freedom by leaving teaching to paint – in France. It’s her time. Nobody is going to get in the way of her ambition – definitely not a man.
Vicki learns two things: some men are difficult to resist, and choosing the right one is not always easy.'
The role of animals in Vicki’s Work of Heart
Guest Post by Rosie Dean
My heroine, Vicki Marchant, is a vegetarian. Now why is that? Well, I have a huge respect for vegetarians. I’m almost one myself but sadly, like an alcoholic, I need help. It’s not easy living, as I do, with a red-blooded, dipped-in-the-gravy, omnivore, whose face drops in disbelief when I present any kind of meal that doesn’t have animal protein in it. I tense myself in anticipation of the question, ‘Where’s the meat?’ each time I dare to inflict veggieness upon him. I know cooking two different meals is an option, and sometimes I do, but I can be a bit lazy. And then there’s bacon…
Like I said – I need help.
I once heard the lovely and slightly eccentric Radio DJ, Tony Blackburn, on the topic of his vegetarianism. He explained it very simply: ‘Animals are your friends, and you don’t eat your friends.’ That struck a chord with me, so I borrowed his sentiment and used it for Vicki’s motivation not to eat meat.
I’d find it hard to write a story without including some significant friend of the non-human variety. Animals enrich my life and I reckon they can also enrich my characters’ lives. I’m in good company, as animals have been used in literature for centuries – not that I set them up with any great allegorical significance, though. And they can be fabulous instruments for introducing humour too.
When Vicki moves to France, her best friend sets her up with accommodation in the home of Christophe Dubois – a veterinarian. I have a bit of a thing about vets. I find them very romantic. They’re heroes. They care for animals and save lives. What’s not to love about a vet?
Christophe has two dogs – Hercules and Boz. Both are based on dogs I met in France, who quickly found places in my heart. Sadly they are no longer with us but will live on in my memory and this book. Their real names are Gus and Bibi.
I’ve yet to use my first dog in one of my books – a headstrong little beagle called Molly – because she’d steal the show.
Author Bio: I’ve been writing stories since I was a little girl, when I was especially industrious and produced dolly-dressing books, complete with a typed story, a dolly to cut out on the back cover, and paper clothing with tabs on. I even sold a couple.
After growing up, I studied ceramic design – gaining a ‘degree in crockery’ as the man-in-my-life likes to call it, which I once put to good use as an Art & Pottery teacher.
Deciding I didn’t want to spend my entire life in the classroom, covered in clay and paint, I escaped to the world of corporate communication, where I wrote training courses and marketing copy.
Now I’ve given it all up to write, full-time. When not writing, I love to cook and to read, I even read in the car (talking books) and have notched up countless unnecessary miles as a result.
Not one to spend hours in the gym or pounding the pavement, I prefer Yoga and Pilates, which means I can tone and tighten whilst watching TV.
Author Links
Win a paperback copy of the fantastic Vicki's Work of Heart
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