A Chat With… Author Rachel Dove

I have the very great pleasure of welcoming contemporary romance author Rachel Dove to Chicks, Rogues and Scandals. Sit back and Lets get to know a bit about Rachel…

“I am a wife, mother of two boys, perpetual student, avid reader and writer of words. I sometimes sleep, always have eye bags and dream of retiring to a big white house in Cornwall, with 2 shaggy dogs, drinking wine on my seafront balcony whilst creating works of romantic fiction. All done with immaculate make up and floaty dresses. In the meantime I nearly always remember to brush my hair, seldom have time to look in a mirror and write many, many to-do lists. 

My first solo novel, Crossing Life Lines is out now in Kindle and paperback format. Look out for my horror shorts, published through Bayou Brew Publishing: The House of Sugar Blood, August 2013 and Uni Assassin, out now, and my short story, Mallow Girl, out now.  In July 2015, I won the Prima magazine and Mills & Boon Flirty Fiction Competition, with my entry, The Chic Boutique on Baker Street, out now in ebook and paperback. 

I am the winner of the Writers Bureau Writer of the Year Award in 2016. 
My next book, The Long Walk Back, is out in January 2018 and I am currently writing the last book in the Westfield series. I am also a post 16 teacher and am undertaking an MA in Creative Writing at Teesside University. ”

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon / Goodreads

Hi Rachel, Welcome to Chicks, Rogues and Scandals! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today, Firstly what five word’s would you use to describe yourself?

Driven, loyal, happy, passionate, fretful

If you could live in any era and place, When and where would it be? And Why?

I love the sweeping old days, the Gaskell North and South days, but I would not fare well there, as I am a big mouthed feminist! I don’t fit the role of woman as it was in those days, so I would have been in big trouble, but I love reading about all the women who ruffled feathers in books set in those days.

Who was your childhood hero?

Roald Dahl. He still is, really.

What is your favourite time of the year?

Summer. I love the sun, laying out in it reading a book and drinking wine, no central heating, bad weather. Everyone is happier. Plus I love the beach – I wish I lived by the coast. One day.

 Out of all your work, who is your favourite character and why?

My favourite character has to be Rory, from my newest book Nice Guys Finish Lonely. He is just so vulnerable, and was great fun to write. He felt very real to me.

Where does your inspiration for your books come from?

All kinds of places. I get inspiration from reading about people and their lives in newspapers, magazines etc, from overhearing people in coffee shops. Sometimes locations or objects inspire me, and then I research things. Often the characters are formed first in my head.

 What three tips would you pass on to an aspiring author?

First of all, learn about writing – join a group, get the Writers and Artists Yearbook, study the bookshelves in your local bookstores.
Secondly – write and read. Loads. Keep writing and reading, keep working on what you want to write. Read for pleasure and read every genre you fancy. Challenge yourself, and don’t worry if it’s not Booker material. 50 Shades or Tolstoy, it’s all reading.
Thirdly – enter competitions! Enter anything you can that speaks to what you want to write. Don’t be afraid – enter it and then enter some more. Make sure you follow the instructions and do the best entry you can. Competitions are excellent practice if nothing else.

 Those are fabulous tips, Thank you. If you were hosting a dinner party what three people would you invite? (They can be real/fictional, from any era)

Roald Dahl, Emily Bronte and Tom Hanks.

 Definetly my kind of dinner guests, Thank you, Rachel, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with me today, I have just one more cheeky question, just for fun . . . What is your all-time favourite naughty but nice food?

Rachel coconut mushrooms. My favourite.

Oh, I love those! 😍 Thank you so much.

💜💜💜

Rachel’s next book; The Long Walk Back is released on 11th January.

Does everyone deserve a second chance?

As an army trauma surgeon Kate knows how to keep her cool in the most high pressure of situations. Although back at home in England her marriage is falling apart, out in the desert she’s happy knowing that she’s saving lives.

Until she meets Cooper. It’s up to Kate to make a split-second decision to save Cooper’s life. Yet Cooper doesn’t want to be saved. Can Kate convince him to give his life a second chance even though its turning out dramatically different from how he planned?

The Long Walk Back can be pre-ordered at Amazon.

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