Welcome to Lynne Shelby, another of the talented contenders
for this year's Joan Hessayon Award and graduate of the RNA New Writers'
Scheme. Thank you for answering our questions, Lynne.
I can’t remember a time
when I wasn’t writing fiction. As a child, I wrote short stories, and as a
teenager, I began to write longer pieces. I first submitted a manuscript, an
adventure story, to a publisher when I was fourteen – they didn’t publish it,
but an editor sent me a very kind letter advising me to keep on with my writing,
as they thought I had talent. I continued writing in various genres over the
years, but my stories always had a romance between the hero and heroine. About
six years ago, I realized that what I really wanted to write was romantic
fiction. ‘French Kissing,’ which is a contemporary romance, is my first
published piece. I’m so glad I followed that editor’s long ago advice.
How
many years were you a member of the NWS and did you submit a manuscript each
year?
I was a member of the
NWS for three years, joining in 2013, and submitting a manuscript each year. I
submitted the manuscript of ‘French Kissing’ once, and the manuscript of
another contemporary romance twice. The other story, I completely re-wrote after
receiving its first reader’s report, so that it had a different structure and fewer
characters.
What
came first, agent or publisher?
It was the publisher.
‘French Kissing’ is published by Accent Press. I don’t have an agent.
How
did you find your publisher?
Not long after ‘French
Kissing’ had been through the NWS, I spotted that Accent Press and Woman
magazine were running a writing competition for unpublished authors of women’s
contemporary fiction, with a prize of a publishing contract with Accent Press.
My reader’s report had been very encouraging, so I sent off ‘French Kissing’ as
my entry – and told myself not to think about it. A few months later, I
received a call from Accent Press to tell me that I’d won the competition – and
my novel was going to be published. I’ll never forget that amazing moment.
Do
you have a contract for one book or more?
For ‘French Kissing’ I
had a contract for the one book. I’m delighted to have just recently signed a
contract for three more books, a series of contemporary romances.
When
was your book published?
‘French Kissing’ was
published on 20th August 2015. To celebrate, I went with a group of
family and friends to Paris, where the book is partly set. At midnight, as the
19th became the 20th of August, we were standing in one
of the locations from the book, in sight of the Eiffel Tower, which was
wonderful.
Tell
us something about your book
Anna, and her French
penfriend, Alexandre, have been exchanging letters for fifteen years, but met
only once as children. When Paris-based Alex, now a photographer, comes to work
in London, Anna fails to recognise him. The geeky boy she remembers has become
an extremely attractive man. Anna’s female friends are soon swooning over
Alex’s Gallic charm, and .Anna’s boyfriend Nick is increasingly jealous of
their friendship. Then Alex has to return to Paris to oversee
the hanging of his photographs in an exhibition, and invites Anna to accompany
him so that he can show her the city he adores …
What
are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on
the second book in the series I’m writing, which is set in the world of showbusiness,
West End theatre, and film. I’m very much enjoying writing about an actress
heroine.
What
piece of advice would you give current members of the NWS?
Keep writing – every day
if you can – and never give up your dream.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynneShelbyWriter
Twitter: @LynneB1
Thank
you, Lynne, we hope you have a fabulous evening at the RNA Summer Party and
good luck with your writing career.
The RNA
blog is brought to you by
Elaine Everest & Natalie
Kleinman
If you would like to write for
the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com
3 comments:
Thank you for inviting me to the blog. I'm very much looking forward to meeting everyone :)
Great to see you on the blog and amongst the nominees (despite being a competitor!). Wishing you luck and look forward to seeing you on the night. Best wishes, Richard
Lovely to see French Kissing as a worthy contender, Lynne. Congratulations again and good luck. :-)
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