Happy Friday you lovely people. Today I am joined by Samantha Tonge for a lovely Q&A session.
Samantha, Can you tell us a little about you?
I live in Cheshire, with my lovely family and a very diva-ish cat called Mitzie! I am lucky enough to write full-time and do so at a tiny desk. I have sold around 80 short stories to women’s magazines and in 2015 my summer bestseller, Game of Scones, won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. Oh and I hate housework and love cake!
Can you tell us about your new book?
Breakfast under a Cornish Sun. is for every woman looking for her very own Aidan Turner. It is the story of Kate who has just two weeks to find her own Poldark look-alike to act as her plus-one at the wedding of an old school friend – or rather, frenemy. She heads off to Cornwall and meets two very sexy book heroes, Lucas and Tremain, but neither is what they seem…
What is your favourite place to write?
I do like my little ‘office’ (as I call it) because it is in a quiet part of the house and very cosy. It is upstairs so that the children bob in and out whilst they are doing their homework. The only downfall is that diva Mitzie uses the room’s window as a door, even though it is on the first floor, and I constantly have to open it to let her in.
Where do you get your character inspiration from?
It depends. Movie stars. Real people. Friends. Lucas, in my summer book, is very much inspired by Aidan Turner. Luke in Mistletoe Mansion was inspired by Robert Pattinson (I was going through my Twilight phase). Mikey, out of How to Get Hitched in Ten Days was inspired by a couple of my friends who are gay. It just depends. People in newspaper stories are also inspiring and have contributed towards my creation of Tremain in my summer book.
What are your 3 desert island books?
Pride and Prejudice. The Fault in Our Stars. Enid Blyton’s The Wishing Chair.
What is your favourite place to read?
On the sofa, with a glass of wine, a packet of crisps and music on in the background.
What is your favourite book and why?
Out of my own? I think Game of Scones. It represents a change in direction for my writing – it became more romantic and moved away, very slightly, from farcical humour. I loved the Greek island setting and really enjoyed creating the characters that live in the little village of Taxos. Writing the book gave me a real buzz and I fell in love with its two book heroes, sexy fisherman Nico and debonair executive Henrik.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I like baking. And then eating what I’ve baked. And then because of this I enjoy (I forced myself to write that word) cycling. Above all else, I love spending time with my family.
Chocolate or sweets?
Chocolate every time!
Is there a book you wished you wrote?
The Fault in Our Stars. I thought the teenage voice was exquisite.
You have a free flight and accommodation to anywhere in the world where would you go?
Kyoto in Japan. I holidayed there in 2014 and didn’t want to come home. Beautiful. Clean. No crime. Cultural. Polite. Calm. Just wonderful. And no one spoke English which made me feel as if I’d dropped off the earth’s surface for a couple of weeks.
What is your favourite season?
I love the autumn. I am not a fan of really hot weather, and come September always look forward to darker nights and cosy evenings in. Plus I look forward to Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas.
Where can we find you?
Breakfast under a Cornish Sun by Samantha Tonge Also by this author: How to Get Hitched in Ten Days, Game of Scones, One Summer in Rome, Forgive Me Not
Published by Carina on July 28th 2016
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible
DREAMING OF THE PERFECT MAN?
Kate Golightly needs to move forward and what better way to do that then with a trip to the Cornish coast with best friend and boss, Izzy.
The sea wind is just what Kate needs to finally relax and begin to let go of her past. Except she’s suddenly got one big reason to panic! She RSVP’d ‘yes’ to the Queen Bee of her high school’s wedding saying she’s bringing her boyfriend (she doesn’t have one) who looks just like Ross Poldark!
With only two weeks to find the Poldark look-alike of her dreams Kate is under a lot of pressure for the Cornish coast to deliver…
A hilarious and moving romantic novel from bestselling author, Samantha Tonge. A must-read this summer!
About Samantha Tonge
Samantha lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and two cats who think they are dogs. Along with writing, her days are spent cycling, willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. A love of fiction developed as a child, when she was known for reading Enid Blyton books in the bath. A desire to write bubbled away in the background whilst she pursued other careers, including a fun stint working at Disneyland Paris. Formally trained as a linguist, Samantha now likes nothing more than holing herself up in the spare room, in front of the keyboard. Writing romantic comedy novels and short stories for women’s magazines is her passion. Her bestselling debut novel, “Doubting Abbey”, from CarinaUK Harlequin, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award in 2014. Its fun standalone sequel is From Paris with Love. Mistletoe Mansion is a fun Christmas novel. Her fourth romantic comedy, Game of Scones, won the Love Stories Awards 2015 Best Romantic Ebook category. Her festive novel, My Big Fat Christmas Wedding is out now!
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