Today I have a fantastic Interview with the lovely Nikki Moore, her short story Cocktails in Chelsea (Love London Series).
Released on 19 March 2015
What They Say:
Fun & flirty short story from the exciting new chick lit author Nikki Moore!
Made in Chelsea?
Nathan Black is on a mission to prove himself. His family may be upper class and his cousin Matt might be a famous music producer, but he's going to make it on his own. So as soon as he has enough money set aside, he's quitting his bar-tending job on the King's Road and opening up his own cocktail bar. He hasn't got time for love, and definitely not with the spoilt Chelsea Princesses who flirt with him shamelessly every night. But is there something a bit different about the pretty blonde who's just walked in?
Bournemouth girl Sofia Gold is reluctantly visiting old childhood friends in London for Easter weekend. Keenly aware she's not part of their glamorous world, she's more comfortable riding a surfboard than wearing designer dresses and towering heels… although she's always had a soft spot for cocktails.
It's never really bothered Sofia that she's 'one of the boys,' and that her romantic experiences have been amazingly unspectacular, so when she meets gorgeous Nathan, why does she find herself faking an accent and pretending to be a London socialite? It can't be anything to do with impressing him, can it? After all, she's only in the capital for a few days…
But one impulsive kiss later, they both find themselves wishing for things they didn't know they wanted.
Spring in Chelsea – will love blossom?
Interview
Hi Nikki
Welcome to Comet Babe’s Books.
Hi Jo, thanks for letting me pop in J
Can you tell us more about your Love London Series?
Sure. It’s no secret (mostly from my chatter on Twitter) that I was delighted when my lovely HarperImpulse editor Charlotte commissioned me to write a series of romantic short stories, all set in London. We decided there would be five, with the sixth story being a full-length novel Picnics in Hyde Park, which I had already pitched to her.
Although the first five are stand-alone stories, they are all linked to the novel, as one character in each short is related to or a friend of one of the main characters from Picnics, Zoe or Matt. Charlotte and I agreed the first story would be set at Christmas, with one every month afterwards, leading up to Picnics published as an eBook in May 2015 as a summer read (with print on demand paperback to follow in July).
Can you tell us your inspiration behind the series?
For me, what usually happens is the two main characters appear in my head first, then the plot slowly builds from them. But in the case of the #LoveLondon series, I had the settings and key dates / events first e.g Christmas/Somerset House, New Year’s/The Ritz, Valentine’s Day/Primrose Hill etc and then thought about what each one of those represented, and the conflicts that theme might present for the characters, and I built the hero and heroine from there. So, it was totally back to front but it still worked... (Valentine’s on Primrose Hill was the only exception; I’d had Leo and Georgiana’s story in my head for years and adjusted the plot to fit Valentine’s Day).
I am actually a Dorset girl so mentions of Bournemouth and Poole often sneak into the books too. Sofia from Cocktails in Chelsea is from Bournemouth, and loves surfing at the gorgeous beaches J
Did you do lots of research for the places each book is set?
Yes, and happily much of it was in person; I visited London for a few research trips, taking hundreds of photos each time. This included a very romantic weekend trip in November, when my lovely boyfriend took me to The Savoy (used in Picnics in Hyde Park). I also used blogs and websites to get a flavour of the capital, and Google Maps came in very handy when thinking about location and distances etc
Can you tell us more about Cocktails In Chelsea?
Of course; here’s the blurb...
Nathan Black is on a mission to prove himself. His family may be upper class and his cousin Matt might be a famous music producer, but he's going to make it on his own. So as soon as he has enough money set aside, he's quitting his bar-tending job on the King's Road and opening up his own cocktail bar. He hasn't got time for love, and definitely not with the spoilt Chelsea Princesses who flirt with him shamelessly every night. But is there something a bit different about the pretty blonde who's just walked in?
Bournemouth girl Sofia Gold is reluctantly visiting old childhood friends in London for Easter weekend. Keenly aware she's not part of their glamorous world, she's more comfortable riding a surfboard than wearing designer dresses and towering heels… although she's always had a soft spot for cocktails.
It's never really bothered Sofia that she's 'one of the boys,' and that her romantic experiences have been amazingly unspectacular, so when she meets gorgeous Nathan, why does she find herself faking an accent and pretending to be a London socialite? It can't be anything to do with impressing him, can it? After all, she's only in the capital for a few days…
But one impulsive kiss later, they both find themselves wishing for things they didn't know they wanted.
Spring in Chelsea – will love blossom?
I know from reading your books that your heroes are hot, do you plan them based on a picture like some other authors or just an idea in your head?
Thank you! I think they’re hot too – in fact if I don’t fancy my hero I know I’m doing something wrong J It tends to be a mixture. With some of the stories I start off with an actor or celebrity as inspiration, for instance, the hero in Strawberries at Wimbledon is loosely based on the actor Tom Hardy (his role in This Means War, not as Bane in Batman) and actor Dermot Mulroney was originally the template for Matt in Picnics, although that’s shifted a bit.
But with some of the other stories they’re just an image / person in my head and there is no real life inspiration.
I know you also work so how do you manage your writing time, with family and working?
God, I honestly don’t know! It’s a constant juggling act and there are basically some things I don’t do, like ironing (there’s a lot to be said for crease-free clothing) or watchingmuch TV. I tend to spend an hour or two on my laptop most evenings, an hour before work most mornings and then ad hoc at weekends where I can fit it in, given I do occasionally want to see my children, friends, family and boyfriend!
Are you a planner or a sit down and write kind of author?
Most of my planning is done in my head, and luckily I have an exceptionally good memory so I don’t have to write much down. When I start a story, I already know the characters back to front, the setting and premise of the book, and I also have a rough outline of how things are going to unfold, but not in much detail. That means that when I sit down to write it tends to unfold organically, and the characters often take me by surprise, meaning I still get excited writing it. In fact, outlines often change. I wouldn’t want to be too rigid, because if I knew it all down to the last detail I’d get bored halfway through writing it.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
I’m always delighted to share my views on this because I had such brilliant and encouraging advice when I was an aspiring author that it kept me going through all the rejections and disappointments. Okay, so...
1. No excuses, no justifications; WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Give up TV or housework or whatever you need to but make time for it. Get that bum on chair and fingers on keyboard. It’s no good if it’s all just in your head.
2. Learn your craft. Read a lot (including non-fiction books on writing), join a writers circle, take a class, get constructive feedback - whatever you need to do so that it all makes sense - but hone your writing skills and polish your manuscript until you can see your reflection. And PLEASE don’t be impatient and submit it prematurely; put it away then get it out a few weeks later for another revision before you send it out to the world.
3. Never give up; persistence pays. No matter what, if it’s your dream to be a published author, don’t stop writing or sending submissions to agents or publishers. You will get there one day, I promise.
Can you share a sneak peak of what you are working on at the moment or tell us a little bit about it?
I’m currently focusing on the promo for the #LoveLondon series but in terms of my next writing plans, I’m hoping to get back to a women’s commercial fiction book that I’ve been working on for a couple of years now. We’ll have to see what my publishers think...
Can you share a day in the life of Nikki Moore?
Blimey! Well, I usually get up between 6.00 and 6.30 a.m, spend an hour on email / promo while doing lunchboxes and getting my son ready for school, do the school run, get to the office and work from 9.00 a.m. – 5.30 p.m., do childcare pick up, go home and do housework and cook dinner. I help my son with his homework and see what my teenage daughter has been up to at school, and try to catch up on their day. At some point I sit down with my laptop before falling into bed. I try and read a few times a week, squeeze in some hot baths and see the lovely boyfriend too – all three help me relax J
Thanks for answering my questions.
Thanks for asking such great questions Jo, and having me here. If any aspiring authors or readers would like to get in touch I’d love to hear from them via twitter @NikkiMoore_Auth or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMooreWrites
Jo xx
About The Author
Be My Valentine, a collection of poignant short stories by Nikki and other HI authors was published on 13 February 2014 and has attracted 4 and 5* ratings on Amazon.
On 21 February 2014 her short story 'A Night to Remember' was published in digital and print editions of the Mills & Boon / Romantic Novelists Association anthology Truly, Madly, Deeply, edited by Sue Moorcroft. Best-selling authors including Carole Matthews, Katie Fforde and Adele Parks feature. The anthology has attracted 4 and 5* ratings and great reviews and Nikki's story was picked as one reviewer's favourite.
Her debut novel Crazy, Undercover, Love was released as an ebook in April 2014 with the paperback version following in September.
Nikki's been a finalist in several writing competitions since 2010, including Novelicious Undiscovered 2012. A member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, she has contributed to their magazine 'Romance Matters,' has far too much fun attending the annual conferences and has also chaired a panel and taken part in a workshop at the Festival of Romance.
She blogs about three of her favourite things - Writing, Work and Wine - at www.nikkimooreauthor.wordpress.com and believes in supporting other writers as part of a friendly, talented and diverse community.
You can follow her on Twitter @NikkiMoore_Auth or find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NikkiMooreWrites and she invites you to pop in for chats about love, life, reading or writing!
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