Hi all!

I have the pleasure of sharing a lovely interview with Bella Osborne today.

Happy Publication Day, Bella 🙂

Many thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources

Interview with Bella Osborne

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

Hi Kerry, thanks for having me on your blog today. I’m Bella and I live in the Midlands with my husband, daughter and a cat who thinks she’s a dog. I write romantic comedies, which are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. I’ve been shortlisted for the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year award twice and seen my first three novels all feature in the Amazon Kindle top 100 chart. My fourth novel Coming Home to Ottercombe Bay is out now.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Absolutely anything can spark an idea. It could be something someone says, or an article in a magazine or a news item or I’ve even had one that started as a dream. I have a file where I jot down all my ideas and that currently stands at 16,500 words, so I always have a pot I can dip into. I often find that something will trigger an idea but if it starts to build on it’s own then I know it’s going to be one I’ll have to write.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

I think some of my characters have certain traits that I’ve taken from real people but there’s nobody that is remotely identifiable as a whole person. Usually my main characters pitch up fully formed and I have to get to know them rather than building them.

How do you pick your characters names?

I love this part of the process. I need to get the right names for my main characters before I can really develop the story. The name needs to work with the character and feel like it fits their personality. Daisy Wickens is the heroine in my latest novel and she is a wild and free character, born to bohemian parents so the name Daisy felt like a perfect fit. I’m not as picky about minor characters, I have a list of names I like and sometimes I dip into this to get one that fits.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I work with an idea in my head for quite a while. When I feel that it’s one that has legs I start jotting down notes and keep them in a folder. When I know enough I’ll draft up a synopsis. Then I write character profiles, adding celebrity photos to help me visualise them. Next I plot out the story using the three act structure. I write the first draft fairly quickly, before moving onto editing and then it’s over to my publisher.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Jill Mansell, Katie Fforde, Milly Johnson, Agatha Christie and JK Rowling.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

JK Rowling. Assuming I could form a sentence, I’d ask her What’s your favourite biscuit? No, only joking. I’d ask her if there’s anything she’d do differently if she was about to start writing Harry Potter now, knowing what she knows. (Actually, I would probably ask her the biscuit question).

Were you a big reader as a child?,

Yes, at times I was and then at others I was outside climbing trees. It seemed to go in cycles.

When did you start to write?

I wrote at primary school where my stories got longer and longer and into secondary school where I could fill an exercise book with ease and it’s something I just continued to do. It wasn’t until 2013 when I decided that would be the year I set myself the challenge of writing a full length novel.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

Life of Pi. I loved that book but I didn’t like the end where everything is thrown into question as to whether it ever was the tiger on the boat. I would make it clear it was the tiger and I would also have the tiger look back at Pi before running into the forest earlier in the book because it’s so harsh that he doesn’t even give him a backward glance.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Lots! Harry Potter, although I would then have missed out on the joy of reading it. I adore An Inspector Calls by JB Priestly and think this is a work of genius so that would be another one. Also more recently Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, because it has a beautiful balance of wit and poignancy.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

Harry Potter and we’d go to Hogsmeade because it’s still all very real in my head.

What are you working on right now?

I am currently editing my fifth book which is partly an office based story and partly set around a private park in Birmingham. I’m also writing a Christmas story.

Do you have a new release due?

Yes. Coming Home to Ottercombe Bay is out on 28th June.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

The lovely people at Waterstones, Leamington Spa are letting me celebrate with them for the second time which is terrific. It’s so nice to share the evening with readers. I also treat myself to a charm for my Nomination bracelet and, who knows, maybe one day I’ll have written enough books to fill it up.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

There’s my website – http://www.bellaosborne.com. I’m often on Twitter find me @osborne_bella and I have a Facebook page here BellaOsborneAuthor

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I love hearing from readers and a short review really is the best way to let an author know you liked their book.

Many thanks for having me.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Bella 🙂

Coming Home to Ottercombe Bay

Daisy Wickens has returned to Ottercombe Bay, the picturesque Devon town where her mother died when she was a girl. She plans to leave as soon as her great uncle’s funeral is over, but Great Uncle Reg had other ideas. He’s left Daisy a significant inheritance – an old building in a state of disrepair, which could offer exciting possibilities, but to get it she must stay in Ottercombe Bay for twelve whole months.

With the help of a cast of quirky locals, a few gin cocktails and a black pug with plenty of attitude, Daisy might just turn this into something special. But can she ever hope to be happy among the ghosts of her past?

Purchase Links

Amazon – http://mybook.to/OttercombeBay

KOBO – https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/coming-home-to-ottercombe-bay

Author Bio –

Bella has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full length novel. She’s now written four romantic comedies and been shortlisted twice for the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year.

Bella’s stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you.

She lives in The Midlands, UK with her husband, daughter and a cat who thinks she’s dog. When not writing she’s usually eating custard creams and planning holidays.

For more about Bella, visit her website at http://www.bellaosborne.com or follow her on Twitter – @osborne_bella

Social Media Links –

Twitter – @osborne_bella

Facebook – https://en-gb.facebook.com/BellaOsborneAuthor/

Giveaway –

Win signed copies of It Started At Sunset Cottage and A Family Holiday (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter link below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!