Joanna Lambert

Joanna Lambert is the author of the Behind Blue Eyes trilogy. Her fourth book, Between Today and Yesterday has just been released.

You’ve just completed work on the fourth book in the Behind Blue Eyes series. Can you sum up the plot in a few sentences?

As with all my other novels there’s a strong central plot with sub-plots woven around it, so it’s not always easy to describe.  However, I did an interview last year while I was in the middle of writing Between Today and Yesterday and one of the questions I was asked then was to sum the plot up in around thirty words.   This was my response – The birth of a band; the death of a matriarch; a family in crisis; the search for a lost love child and someone from the past is back looking for revenge.  I think that covers everything quite well and believe it or not, although they appear to be totally unrelated, they all blend quite seamlessly to become one story.

Has your writing routine/editing routine changed since writing your first book?

Yes, I’ve been lucky enough to reduce my hours from full to half time since last August.  I therefore no longer have to rely on just weekends and evenings.  It has made such a difference as I now have a guaranteed run of uninterrupted time and I can get so much more done.

Are you a planner or do you write and see where it leads?

A bit of both really.  My books are plotted, but when I start to write invariably not everything I’ve planned turns out the way I expect it to.  This means I have to take time out and make changes.  So yes I do have a definite plan but go with an open mind when I actually start writing and prepare myself for surprises!

Which one of your characters is your favourite and why?

From the books so far?  It has to be Ella.  She’s a very strong, confident woman who tackles all her problems without any fear – very much a product of her upbringing.  She’s also very calm in the way she goes about things although understandably in the current book there are moments when her patience is really stretched and we see a completely different side of her.

There’s also a character in the new book called Flynn.  I really enjoyed creating him.  He comes into Ella’s life as a knight in shining armour to support her during her troubles with Matt in Spain.  He’s wealthy, good-looking, well-travelled and has a bit of a reputation – a likeable rogue with an eye for a pretty face.

Which books are currently on your bedside table?

Currently coming to the end of The Cornish House by Liz Fenwick 

The Lady of the Rivers, Phillipa Gregory

Is there a fictional character you’d like to meet?

Mr Darcy as long as he looked like Colin Firth did in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.  I have the video and that lake scene is something that will never leave me (even though it wasn’t in the original novel). I seem to remember it had a dramatic effect on most of the female population of the time!

Behind Blue Eyes was originally a trilogy. What inspired you to add another book?

I wrote a post script at the end of the last book The Ghost of You and Me as I had left a lot of the sub plots open and knew there was the potential for a fourth book.  However when I first committed my thoughts to paper, I realised I didn’t have very much to work with and began to wonder how a full length novel would ever emerge.   Eventually I decided to give Matt a new career as a record producer, introduce a band and bring in a fresh layer of family through Ella and Jenny’s children, who were now young adults.  And I’m pleased to say it all worked really well. 

Where do you do most of your writing? Do you work better in silence or with noise?

I write in our small bedroom which serves as an office.  I can tuck myself away and hopefully avoid any disturbance – apart from when my two year old cat Max feels I should be organising his food!  He actually sits in front of the monitor when he’s hungry so I don’t have a lot of choice!  I also have a laptop in case I feel like writing in the garden- although there’s not been much opportunity to do that this year given the all wet weather we’ve been having! 

As for silence or noise, definitely noise.  I absolutely cannot write without music.  I have a huge library on the PC which I create playlists from.  It’s as essential to me for writing as the PC is.

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

Yes, the fifth and final book in the series.  The working title is The Other Side of Morning and this time I’ve moved everyone on another seven years so we’ve nearly reached the Millennium.    Matt and Ella’s journey really is over and although they will feature, it is the young adults of Between Today and Yesterday who now become the main characters.  This presents a great opportunity to develop fresh challenges and conflicts.   I should begin writing on my return from holiday in mid-September. 

Which three things would you have with you if stranded on an island?

A good supply of wine

Chocolate

One of my good looking male characters for company

Any tips for new writers?

Believe in yourself

Be professional in all you do

Keep focussed – don’t let one bad day throw you off course

And – get yourself a good editor, they make all the difference.

For more information on Joanna, visit her website.

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.