Many thanks to Rachel at @rararesources for the opportunity to join in with Kiltie Jackson’s A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle blog blitz!
Interview with Kiltie Jackson…..
For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?
Hi, I’m Kiltie Jackson and I recently released my debut novel ‘A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle’. My leading lady is Sukie McClaren and, like me, she is a cat-lover, a Christmas lover and a massive fan of the film ‘The Sound of Music’. She is sent to Austria on a business trip in December and, whilst there, happens to meet – and befriend – Pete Wallace, the world’s number one rock star. The book explores how living in the public eye, or being a celebrity, is not all it’s cracked up to be. Behind the glamour and the pizazz it can be a very lonely life. There is also an element of suspense running through the story as the brother of a young lady, who was badly injured at a Pete Wallace concert a few years prior, is set on exacting some form of revenge.
Where did/do you get your ideas from?
They come from anywhere and everywhere. Day dreams, night dreams, a song on the radio… In one case, it was just a name. A DJ on the radio read out a dedication to a young lady and I liked her name. I thought “Hmmm… I wonder how I could use that…” By the time I was parking my car a few minutes later, I had the essence of a plot worked out. In the case of ‘A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle’, I can’t recall exactly where the idea came from – I started writing it over ten years ago – but I’d guess it would have started from seeing some celebrity being harassed by the press on television or in a newspaper piece.
Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?
I have one character in my novel that’s based on a lovely friend by the name of Jeff Rowland. He is named after Jeff but, where the real Jeff is a renowned artist, book Jeff is an art dealer. Earlier this year, we thought we were going to lose the real Jeff to cancer and I wanted to let him live on in my book. Fate, however, was on his side and I am delighted to say he is still with us and healthier now than he’s been for a while. He was so happy to be in my book that I kept him in. Plus, he has now become integral to the next two books I am writing!
All others characters are completely fictional – at this time!
How do you pick your characters names?
Sukie McClaren was named after my first cat and my, at the time, favourite F1 racing team. Pete Wallace just sort of came to me. I chose Wallace because it’s a good Scottish surname. Other characters tell me their names or I may use the name of a friend but perhaps jumble it up a bit. Sometimes I may use a friend’s actual name because they get a thrill from seeing themselves in a book, although their character will still be fictional.
Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?
When I have an idea, I make a note of it, and then let it marinade for a time in my head (usually as I am working on something else). By the time I am ready to put it on paper, I have worked out most of the story line or plot. I then bash the keys to create the first draft. Once that’s completed, I’ll begin to edit and fine tune, hopefully picking up typos, grammar and punctuation along the way.
Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
In absolutely no order:
Deric Longden
Susanna Gregory
Erica James
Jill Mansell
Karen Swan
If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?
It would be Deric Longden and I would ask him how did he always manage to find the funny in life? Even in the darkest of times, he could see light and humour in situations that would make other people cry. His books are always so upbeat and never fail to make me smile.
Were you a big reader as a child?
Oh yes, from a very early age. I could read before I was four years old and have always had a book ‘on the go’ since then. Enid Blyton was my goddess as a child and she pretty much carried me through my pre-teen years.
When did you start to write?
I’ve always written in one format or another. As a child I would create stories, in my twenties I dabbled in song lyrics and poetry and then, in my thirties, I began to write ‘A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle’. Unfortunately, I lacked belief and conviction at the time and didn’t return to it until earlier this year. I started to take writing seriously on the sixth of January, 2017.
If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?
I genuinely cannot think of any that I would want to change. If a book ending doesn’t thrill me, I forget about it very quickly. I’m sure there are some but I really can’t remember them.
Is there a book you wish you had written?
I think ‘Riders’ by Jilly Cooper. It was such a massive hit and spawned a number of fabulous follow-ups – that’s what most writers hope for.
If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?
‘Did I Really Do All That?’ – I’ve always thought I’ve lived a dull and ordinary life but, through writing a number of Guest Posts, and answering questions, for this Blog Tour, I’ve discovered that it has been more interesting than I have given it credit for.
If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?
Thomas Chaloner from Susanna Gregory’s Restoration novels / series. He constantly mentions that coffee tastes terrible in the 1700’s (which I’m sure it did!) so I’d take him to a little local café to show him how it has improved over the centuries.
What are you working on right now?
I’m about a third of the way through writing my second novel and the working title is ‘Of All The Unlikely Places’. It links up to my first book but is not a direct sequel. Characters from book one appear in book two but it could also be read as a standalone.
Do you have a new release due?
I’m aiming for the end of June 2018 but nothing is concrete on that just yet.
What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?
I’m currently still working full-time so publication day for my debut novel came and went with very little notice. Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to be in the position to throw a big launch party.
How can readers keep in touch with you?
I’m very active on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/kiltiejackson, and I also have a newsletter sign-up facility on my website where I will send out a monthly email letting people know what the latest developments are – http://www.kiltiejackson.com
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
I’m rubbish at roller skating. The first time I tried it I almost broke all four limbs and my neck so I have avoided it ever since. Strangely, however, I’m not too shoddy at ice-skating and, while I can’t do any fancy footwork, I can successfully traverse a few circuits of an ice-rink without falling over!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Kiltie 🙂
Thank you for asking and for taking part in my first blog tour. It’s been a pleasure. Kiltie xx
A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle
So who exactly is Sukie McClaren?
A Christmas-loving Cat lover? A Sound of Music Fanatic? A Fiercely Independent Woman?
She is all of the above. And when she is sent to Salzburg for a business trip a few weeks before Christmas, she thinks all her dreams have come true. As she packs her suitcase, the only things on her mind are Christmas markets, lots of snow and finally seeing the Doh-Ray-Me steps. Becoming the new best friend of the world’s hottest rock-star doesn’t even get a look in.
Pete Wallace is a reclusive, reluctant, rock-star and the world’s Number One, best-selling, male solo artist. It’s been three years since his last tour and he’s now preparing to go back on the road again. A week in Salzburg, schmoozing with the music press, is one of his worst nightmares.
He can’t wait for it to be over.
When Pete and Sukie meet, it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Lonely for too long, he begins to remember how it feels to be happy and, for the first time in six years, Christmas feels special again.
Eduardo di Santo however, whose kid sister suffered life-changing injuries at a Pete Wallace concert, is all set on getting revenge. When Pete’s new tour is announced, he begins to make his plans. Plans that will culminate in Pete’s demise.
Will Pete and Sukie’s new friendship die before it has a chance to flourish?
A Christmas tale full of love, laughter, friendship and revenge.
Purchase from Amazon UK:
About Kiltie Jackson
Kiltie grew up in Scotland, Glasgow to be precise. A very unique city with a very unique way of looking at life. When she was old enough to do so, she moved to London and then, after several years of obtaining interesting experiences -which are finding their way into her writing – she moved up to the Midlands.
She currently lives in Staffordshire with five cats and one husband. The cats kindly allow her and her husband to share their house on the condition they keep paying the mortgage!
Her little home is known as Moggy Towers, even though despite having plenty of moggies, there are no towers!
She loves reading, watching movies, and visiting old castles. She really dislikes going to the gym!
Her biggest desire is that one day she can give up the day job and write her stories for a living.
Kiltie first began writing ‘A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle’ over ten years ago. The project was shelved on Chapter Seventeen as she felt the story wasn’t flowing as she would like it to.
In her own words “The images in my head would not come out of my fingers!” Fast forward to November 2016 when, having finished reading Lizzie’s Christmas Escape by Christie Barlow, she read more about the author and was inspired with how Christie herself came to be a best-selling author.
In that thunderbolt moment, Kiltie knew – with a deep certainty- that she needed to reacquaint herself with ‘A Rock ‘n’ Roll Lovestyle’ and begin writing again. She did this in January 2017 and found the words flowed faster than she could type them. Finally, the time was right for her to write her novel.
Her determination to finish what she had started all those years ago was absolute and the first draft was completed on Sunday 16th April 2017.
Since beginning to write again, the ideas have not stopped flowing. She has begun typing up her second book, ‘Of All the Unlikely Places’, and book three (not yet titled) has been worked out and is waiting in the wings for its turn in the spotlight.
She currently has a further ten plots and ideas stored in her file (it’s costing a fortune in USB drives as each story has its own memory stick!) and the ideas still keep on coming.
She now lives her life around the following three quotes: “I love having weird dreams, they’re great fodder for book plots!” “Why wait for your ship to come in when you can swim out to meet it?” “Old enough to know better, young enough not to care!”
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Scottish-born Audrey studied journalism in Edinburgh more decades ago than she cares to admit. She cut her writing teeth on provincial newspapers (using a typewriter) and a London-based video magazine (another sign of her advanced years). Engagement to her now-husband Bill took them to Singapore, Australia and Buckinghamshire, England, before they settled in Switzerland in 2002. Along the way they had two boys, both all grown-up and living in the UK. Her journey to becoming a published author began with an online Writing Fiction course. It took well over a year but, in June 2017, Audrey published her debut romantic comedy novel, A Clean Sweep. It was quickly followed by a shorter and darker prequel, A Clean Break. The idea for The Haunting of Hattie Hastings came from nowhere, just a random title that popped into her head and from there grew into Part One of a trilogy. It comes under the same genre, but has some poignant scenes and – hopefully – lots of laughs! Audrey admits to being a worrier, and has always used humour as a defence mechanism, as her friends will attest. When Audrey isn’t writing, she loves shows like The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Strictly Come Dancing (a strange mix, she knows). Her interests include cooking (and eating pretty much anything apart from oysters), travelling and going to the gym. OK, the last one is mainly to compensate for her passion for food! Audrey would describe herself as a ‘pantser’ rather than a ‘planner’, preferring to run where a story takes her and scribble copious notes along the way. She’d love to write a page
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