Lucy Beresford: Hungry for Love

Ellie Holmes interviews today's blog guest, Lucy Beresford. Welcome ladies!

Hungry for Love has been described as “an amusing, fun read” but it deals with some serious issues such as self respect. How difficult was it to get across a serious message in a lightheartedbook?

I thought it was going to be quite tricky, as I’d long wanted this to be the corner-stone of this novel,

as I believe that it’s crucial for how we live in the world. But I also wanted to write about food and romance and have a lot of fun with that, so in the end the writing of this novel flowed really easily.

You are a trained psychotherapist. As a result of your experience in this area do you create your characters from the inside out and then develop a plot?

I think they go hand in hand – the type of characters they are always drives the plot in certain way, so I’m a great believer in creating strong, believable characters and then seeing where they want to go.

Cooking features a lot in Hungry for Love. Who would be your fantasy dinner guests and what would you cook?

I’d invite Shakespeare (because I have so many questions to ask him), Daniel Craig, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and Nigella Lawson. She and I would share the cooking and rustle up a world feast of guacamole, risottos, curries and pavlova.

You wear a lot of hats – writer, broadcaster and psychotherapist. How difficult is it to carve out writing time for your fiction and stick to a writing schedule?

I’m pretty disciplined. My show is at a set time and I prep for that, and I see patients on the same morning each week. Apart from that, I’m writing!

 One of your earlier books, Invisible Threads, was set in India and dealt with some dark themes.  I was reading on your website about the charity work you now do in India – can you tell us a little bit about that?

I worked as a therapist at a clinic in India and saw at first hand the difficulties women in India face. When I dug deeper I found out about women who have been kidnapped for sex. So I contacted a charity that rescues women from brothels and that runs rehab programmes

One of your previous roles was as an Agony Aunt.  Have you ever failed to follow your own good advice?

Lots of times. As an outsider you can often see someone else’s situation more clearly but when it’s your own issues, it feels impossible to untangle them – but at least that helps me empathise with the struggles other people have: things might look easy on the outside but inside the emotions are complex.

How do relax when not writing?

I’m an enthusiastic amateur cook, which means I spend lots of time reading recipe books in bed! 

What’s next for author, Lucy Beresford?

I’m sketching out a new novel and a new non-fiction idea – but it’s early days so I’m reluctant to say more.

Biog: As a writer, broadcaster and psychotherapist, Lucy’s passionate about helping people tell their stories, with love being a central theme. Her debut novel Something I’m Not features misplaced love in many forms; her second novel Invisible Threads explores forbidden love in India, was shortlisted for the Rubery International Prize and is in film development. Her third novel Hungry for Love explores food and multiple heroes. Feel free to get in touch with her on Twitter @lucyberesford

Book Blurb: Jax cancels her wedding on the day, by text and unleashes culinary mayhem. A scrumptious celebration of survival for anyone who’s longed for love or felt unworthy of it, this is a heart-warming book to show you the importance of self-respect, and that love can be found where you least expect it.

Links:

Twitter: @lucyberesford

Website: www.lucyberesford.co.uk

Thank you, Ellie for asking such interesting questions and Lucy for taking part. Good luck with your book.

If you would like to be interviewed about your soon to be published book please contact the RNA blog team on elaineeverest@aol.com