Friday In Focus with Katy Colins

Posted 5th August 2016 by Emma in FIF, Q&A / 0 Comments

It’s Friday and today I am joined by Katy Colins for a Q&A!

Katy, can you tell us a little about you?

My name is Katy Colins but some might know me as the Backpacking Bridget Jones! I am a travel blogger and author of the Lonely Hearts Travel Club series with a serious addiction to cake, romantic stories and seeing the world.

Can you tell us about your new book?

2016 has been a crazy busy year for me as three novels in my Lonely Hearts Travel Club series have been/are being published! My debut, Destination Thailand, follows the adventures of jilted bride Georgia Green as she goes backpacking to see if travel can heal a broken heart. The second in the series is Destination India which came out in June and the third will be Destination Chile due out 22^nd September 2016. All the novels follow the same set of characters with new exotic locations and lots of hilarious adventures.

Where is your favourite place to write?

I write wherever I can! My first two books I wrote when I was travelling, from France to Argentina I carried a small netbook and tried to put down words whilst on the road. With Destination Chile and the fourth book in the series, Destination Australia (due out June 2017) I have been able to sit at a proper desk and stay in one place.

Where do you get your character inspiration from?

I see similarities in the main character, Georgia Green, with myself but there are also a lot of differences! She is much more gullible than I am for one. The press said that Destination Thailand was based on my own adventures of travelling after being jilted but it is not a memoir and definitely a work of fiction!

What are your 3 desert island books?

I’d choose Lindsey Kelk for humour, her Single Girls To-Do List, was one of the first books I read when I found myself newly single and it cheered me up so much. I love Khaled Hosseini as I think the way he writes is so enchanting and then I’d chuck in something witty and modern like Emma Gannon’s latest, Ctrl, Alt, Delete.

Where is your favourite place to read?

I don’t get to read as much as I’d like as whenever I have a quiet moment I feel like I should be ticking things off my ever growing to-do list. But my ideal place to get lost in a book would be on a deliciously warm sandy beach.

What is your favourite book and why?

Argh, such a tough question! Growing up I loved the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as I thought it was magical how words could transport you to another land. As an adult, there are just too many incredible books that I’d be here all day listing them!

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love packing up my backpack and travelling, there is so much beauty in the world and I want to see as much of it as I can. I also share my adventures on my blog where I try and show that being dumped doesn’t have to be the end of your world.

Chocolate or sweets?

Can I say cake? One day Mr Kipling will be my husband.

Is there a book you wished you wrote?

I thought Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You was just such a special book and I dare anyone to read it without needing tissues to hand.

You have a free flight and accommodation to anywhere in the world where would you go?

Ooh, I’d say Iceland. It seems to be the place everyone is going to and I’m desperate to head there too! The blue lagoons, stunning scenery and fresh food looks so tempting.

What is your favourite season?

I love Spring as it’s when everything is waking up after a long winter plus it’s when my birthday is!

Where can we find you?

Twitter – @notwedordead

Facebook: www.facebook.com/notwedordead

Blog/Website: www.notwedordead.com

Instagram – @notwedordead Snapchat – TheNotwedordead

Destination Thailand is currently in the Amazon Kindle August monthly deal at just 99p until 31^st August!

Destination Thailand by Katy Colins
Published by Carina on 21st January 2016
Pages: 384
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible

What if you had a second chance… to find yourself?
Instead of slipping on her something borrowed and tripping up the aisle to wedded bliss, Georgia spends her big day crying into a warm Sex-on-the-Beach, wondering where it all went wrong.
Forced to make a bucket list of her new life goals by best friend Marie, it’s not long before travel-virgin Georgia’s packing her bags for a long-haul adventure to Thailand.
Yet, Georgia’s big adventure doesn’t seem to be going to plan. From strange sights, smells and falling for every rookie traveller scam in the book Georgia has never felt more alone.
But the good thing about falling apart is that you can put yourself back together any way you please. And new Georgia might just be someone she can finally be proud of…

About Katy Colins

Katy Colins completed her first novel ‘A Dogs Tale’ at the age of 11 which received rave reviews … from her Grandad and English teacher. This was just the encouragement she needed to carry on writing.

As a qualified journalist with articles published in Company Magazine and The Daily Star she crossed sides to work in Public Relations before selling all she owned to backpack solo around South East Asia and finally put her thoughts into words, writing as she travelled.

Katy currently lives by the sea in France where she is on a one woman mission to educate the French about the necessity and technicalities of making a good cup of tea. When she is not writing about romance, travel and adventure, she loves travelling, catching up with family and friends and convincing herself that her croissant addiction isn’t out of control – just yet.

You can find out more about Katy, her writing and her travels on her blog www.notwedordead.com or via twitter @notwedordead