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Interviewing Talli Roland and Talking to Kelley

 (Today, Kelley at Writtled is hosting my interview about writing process and A to Z Stories of Life and Death. My thanks to Kelley, and hope some of you will come chat with me there!)

 Talli Roland needs no introduction to most writer-blogger audiences. Her first novel, The Hating Game, was an Amazon UK best-seller, remaining in the top 100 for almost three months. Her second novel,  is available now as an ebook (paperback coming in November). 

I’ve started  reading Watching Willow Watts, and in its 4th chapter I have this to say to my girlfriends: if you need a book to take your mind off things, curl up with this one. It will help, I promise.  I speak from experience.
Talli Roland  has graciously contributed a copy of Watching Willow Watts as prize for the Rule of Three Writer’s Challenge winners,  so if you haven’t signed up yet, winning Talli’s book is another reason you should!
So without further ado, the interview:
1.    Tell us about the book you are contributing to the Rule of Three.
Watching Willow Watts is about a small-town girl whose life changes overnight when her one-off (and very bad) Marilyn Monroe impression is uploaded to YouTube, and she becomes an internet sensation.
2.    Can you think of a genre, which is currently out of your comfort zone, but intrigues you enough to take up the challenge of writing in it?
Er…no. Right now, my primary focus in on developing my readership and I’m not sure what they’d think if I went from writing chick lit to horrors!
3.    Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I drink coffee. I write. And then I have wine. That about sums it up! Seriously, though, I’m a Canadian living in London, UK, with an Egyptian husband. It’s quite a multi-cultural existence, and I love it.
4.    What are your views on Self-publishing vs Traditional publishing?
I’m very excited about all the changes in publishing these days, because it means authors have direct access to their readers. It’s a great time to be a writer.     
5. Your readers would be very keen to know about your next project. Would you like to tell us something about it?
My next novel is called Build a Man, and it’s due out as an ebook on 7th December. Here’s a bit about it:
Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she’s a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients’ liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie — the hang-dog man determined to be Britain’s Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between — giving Serenity a story no editor could resist.
With London’s biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy’s progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success, even going undercover to gain intimate access to Jeremy’s life. But when Jeremy’s surgery goes drastically wrong and Serenity is ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, she must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.
6. Any words of wisdom for a newbie writer in your genre?
As in any genre, persistence is key. Keep going; keep writing. Remember why you’re writing – because you enjoy it. It’s so easy to let the pressure and frustration overtake you, but if you keep the fun in it, you can’t go wrong.

 

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Talli Roland has three loves in her life: chick lit, coffee and wine. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and wine). Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories – complete with happy endings. Talli blogs here and can be found on Twitter here.
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Today, Kelley at Writtled is hosting my interview about writing process and A to Z Stories of Life and Death. My thanks to Kelley, and hope some of you will come chat with me there!

Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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