Ladies & Gentlemen - Nicky Wells

I'm delighted to be joined by the amazing, lively, very talented and gorgeous Nicky Wells on my blog today.  I was delighted to meet Nicky earlier this year at a www.loveahappyending.com event in Tetbury.  It was SO fab to meet all the people I've been corresponding with via email and social media for so long and when Nicky and I met I think we just squealed very loud and high pitched, pointed at each other, squealed some more and hugged!  We were VERY excited!

Here's my interview with her, and at the end of that, you'll find my review of the fantastic Sophie's Turn and some background info about Nicky and how to keep up with her work and how to buy her book. 

Hope you enjoy our chat - we did!


Welcome back to my blog Nicky, thanks so much for joining me today.

Hey, Kim! It’s so wonderful to be back on your amazing blog today. Haven’t we both come a long way since the first time you invited me here? Thanks so much for all your support along the way and for being part of the journey in every respect. Ooooh, I’m coming over all lyrical here, best crack on with your questions.

Tell us about you and your life?

Wow, that’s a big question! I’ll have a go at ‘my life in 300 words or less.’

I was born in Germany (am still German, as it happens) and moved to the UK in 1993 to study for a degree in European Studies at Royal Holloway College.  I loved it here from the very first day and have never looked back.  When I finished studying, I found myself a job as a professional researcher in London.  I spent six years living in Tooting and had a blast—mostly.  When I met my husband, I instantly knew that he was the one; he must have felt the same way because we got engaged within the year, and married within another year.  That was eight years ago!  We moved to Bristol, I quit my job, wrote a book, and popped out two children.  (Did I really just say, ‘popped out’?). I wrote book two, signed my work with Sapphire Star Publishing and then my husband took a new job, so most recently we’ve moved the family up to Lincoln. To say that we’ve had a bit of an exciting year so far would be an understatement!

I love, love, love chick lit but I read almost anything.  I love, love, love rock music (as you may have guessed) and even now can be seen flouncing off to the odd gig here or there.  Thankfully my husband likes coming along!  I adore seafood (prawns, scallops, lobster: I’m a cheap date, huh?).  When I write, I alternate between chocolate binges and crisp binges.

There: my life in 243 words!

What makes you want to write?

I love making up stories.  When I was little, I used to make up stories in my head to get myself to sleep.  When I was at primary school, I used to have a little notebook by my bed, and after lights out, I would sit on the window sill and write my stories (in green ink: I can see my scrawly handwriting now…).  I don’t know exactly what makes me want to write, except for an urge to express ideas and play with words, and then not to forget it all.  That’s the basic answer.  The more complex, adult answer is that I also want to make people smile, laugh and feel happy.  And one way I can do that is through writing and sharing my stories.

 

Like me, you have a young family, how do you fit writing around being a Mom?

Oh God, how do I?  Not very well, at the moment. Sophie’s Turn was written before my first child was born.  In the intervening years, I just about managed to go through some editing and re-writing rounds here or there.  I guess I didn’t pick up writing the sequel to Sophie’s Turn in earnest until after my younger son had started primary school last year. Now, I work fast and furiously during the school hours, and sometimes before the family gets up or after everyone goes to bed. That’s a lot of working hours but I am just totally driven by the ‘writing thing’ and when I have a book wanting ‘out’… well, I just got to get it on paper. Or on screen, more precisely.

What advice would you give to a budding writer who would like to publish their own book?

My advice would be build a social networking platform early on, preferably in advance of pursuing publishing options, whether independent publishing or submitting to agents or publishers directly.  I definitely did everything backwards and found it very hard work to catch up.  So, aspiring authors out there: if you haven’t already done so, set yourself up on Twitter and Facebook (as an author, not an individual), create that blog, and get networking.  Have a strategy for publicising your book.  Identify some book bloggers and ask them to review your work.  Plan a book tour, virtual or otherwise.  Know your own work!  That sounds incredibly obvious, but actually coming up with the one-sentence blow-your-mind-and-get-you-hooked description of your work is fantastically difficult.  And lastly, don’t be shy.  If you don’t ask, you don’t get, if you don’t shout, you don’t get heard!

 

What's next for you, are you writing more and if so, can you tell us a little about your next novel?

I am writing more—just try and stop me!  Book two, 'Sophie’s Run', is completely written and coming your way from Sapphire Star Publishing on 7 February 2013!! Sophie will return… and she’ll bring Dan and Rachel with her again.  Rachel will have a much bigger role to play, and one that is not always easy or pleasant.  There will be two weddings (I think) and at least one disastrous break up.  Sophie will continue her travels: there will be a number of trips to a variety of places in quite different moods.  And there will be some stunningly funny moments, I promise!

So that’s the sequel to Sophie’s Turn. Book three, the concluding part of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy, is titled 'Sophie's Encore' and is due for release by Sapphire star Publishing in September 2013.  It's all planned and yes, I know how it ends but I won’t tell!  Get ready for a stunning finale though!

 

Can't wait for both of them! Where do you find your most inspiring place to write?

I’m both a creature of habit and a nomadic writer. I like writing in my new office (I’m in love with having a dedicated writing space again!) but I also do roam around the house when the walls are threatening to close in on me. I quite often write in the lounge, or sometimes in the sunroom, which has a lovely airy feel to it and great views of the garden.

 

What book are you reading right now?

At the moment, I’m reading something quite different from my own genre, David Baldacci’s Zero Day! It’s gritty and gripping and just a touch on the gory side in places, but I do like a good thriller.

 

What types of book do you like to read and who are your favourite authors?
 
I read almost anything, although chick lit is a firm favourite.  I like a bit of a lift, a bit of laughter, a bit of escapism!  The first chick lit novel I ever read was Catherine Alliott’s The Old-Girl Network.  That still sits on my shelf today although the copy is almost falling apart now, having been read so many times.  I also read literary fiction and David Mitchell, Margaret Atwood and Stephen Fry have written some of my favourite books there.  My husband introduced me to Terry Pratchett of late and The Unseen Academicals is one of my top reads of all times!

 

Thank you, again, Kim, for these fantastic and interesting questions and for the opportunity of featuring in an interview on your blog, again.  I really do appreciate all your support and we must have that glass of wine sometime soon…. X

It's been a pleasure Nicky, please do come back as often as you like xxx  

 

My review of Sophies Turn

A laugh out loud, extremely easy to read, fabulous book that whisks you off and transports you a whole other exciting world! Sophie, a budding journalist on a London paper used to be a massive fan of rock band TUSCQ back in the 80s and travelled the country in her youth to follow TUSCQ and blagged her way into their dressing room and onto their tour coach with the lead singer Dan who was the man of her dreams!

She is now with Tim, an Accountant and he is a nice, average man, but there's not much excitement and romance in her life, much to the disappointment of her best mate Rachel . When at the airport, waiting to check-in for a flight, she spots a familiar face in the queue who turns out to be Darren, one of the old members of TUSCQ. He amazingly recognises her too and they meet up and have a chat before she flies off to New York. He tells her that the band have reformed and are doing a few intimate gigs and she decides to go and watch one of them. 

This puts her back in touch with the band and particularly back in touch with the man of her old dreams Dan, who sweeps her off her feet and after inviting them to cover their new tour proposes to her!

Find out whether the grass really is greener on the other side and who Sophie decides to be with in this fabulously well written, romance which is guaranteed to make you smile and has a quite unexpected ending. Sophie is an outstanding and believable character who'd you love to be friends with.

Can't believe that this is Nicky's first book. She writes in such a fabulously colourful and descriptive way which makes you believe you are the main character of the book, and feel the deep emotions of the characters. I was on that tour bus! I was singing and dancing at the concerts! I love TUSCQ! I for one, and I'm sure anyone else who reads this excellent debut novel from Nicky, will be awaiting the next one with baited breath. I love her style of writing, and this book was an absolute pleasure to read.

Sophie’s Turn is available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and many other Amazon sites. The paperback edition is also available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. In addition, you can obtain Sophie’s Turn from Barnes & Noble.
About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

Rock On! Nicky Wells writes fun and glamorous contemporary romance featuring a rock star and the girl next door.  She recently signed her work with U.S. publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing.  Nicky loves rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters.  When she’s not writing, Nicky is a wife, mother, and occasional teaching assistant.

Originally born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993, and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys.  In a previous professional life, Nicky worked as a researcher and project manager for an international Human Resources research firm based in London and Washington, D.C.

Visit Nicky on her blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on her work in progress, the second and third parts of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy.  You can also follow Nicky on Twitter and find her on Facebook. 

 

Nicky is a featured author on the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com and has joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Nicky also has author pages at Sapphire Star Publishing and, of course, Goodreads.