Author Interview: Julie Shackman

Hello Julie, thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell us about your debut novel, Rock My World and how did the idea originate? 

Ruby Cameron is an ambitious reporter for a local paper where she is fed scraps of news, and lives with a man whose “idea of living dangerously is to leave the heating on when we pop out to the shops”. But after catching her squeaky clean boyfriend in flagrante delicto she ups sticks and moves into her own small home, only to discover the ghostly presence of a cheeky rock star who becomes her confidant as the dynamics of her small town, and her feelings about her dashing new boss, begin to throw up more questions than she can answer. Will Ruby discover who she really is, and perhaps more importantly, who she wants to be? I love music, especially rock and have to have music playing whilst I’m writing and the idea for Rock My World just came about from that.

Do you cast your characters and if so, did you have someone specific in mind for Ruby? 

Yes, I tend to! I think my dream cast for Rock My World would be Santiago Cabrera for Stevie, my ghostly rock singer. He’s very attractive and has stage presence. For Ruby. someone lovely and passionate like Natalie Portman and for Matt, it would have to be the wolfish Bradley Cooper with those eyes of his!

What’s your writing process like – do you plan, edit as you go? 

I tend to make sketchy notes before I start and read over the previous day’s writing to polish it a bit before starting the next chapter. Then once I’ve finished my novel, I’ll go over it again a few times to see where I can improve it.

Do you have any writing rituals? 

I usually cannot write at home. There are too many distractions. I’ll normally get my two sons off to school and then head off to a local coffee shop to write there. Once I get home, I’ll type it up and knock it into shape on the PC.

Which fictional character would you like to meet? 

Oh definitely Jack Wolfe, from Hazel Osmond’s “Who’s Afraid Of Mr Wolfe?” What a man!

If you could swap places with someone for a day, who would you pick and why? 

I would choose the Prime Minister. It’s about time the British Government realised the struggles a lot of people face today and the wrong members of society are being targeted. As for closing libraries and health and education cuts…. (sorry, almost on a rant there!)

What three things would you need with you on a desert island? 

My kids, my Husband and a good book!

Which author do you admire and is there a book you’ve read that has stuck with you? 

Oh that’s a tough one! There are so many great writers but my favourites are Jenny Colgan, Sophie Kinsella and Wendy Holden. I really enjoyed “Twenties Girl” by Sophie Kinsella – that was a beautiful read and very touching.

What’s your best writing moment so far? 

Readers telling me how much they love Rock My World. The other day, I got an e-mail from a reader, saying she had a crush on Matt and another saying she was upset because she’d finished reading it. I almost cried!

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given? 

Read lots of books! It really does help focus your mind and help you to see how you can improve your own writing. I don’t think you can be a true writer if you don’t love reading.

Your five pieces of writing advice? 

As above! Read anything and everything you can get your hands on. It’s a great way to learn and improve.

Carry a notebook everywhere and jot down things which catch your eye. It’s a great habit to get into.

Don’t copy anyone else. Hone your own writing style.

Write a book that you would love to read! If it comes through on paper how much you enjoyed writing the book, then the reader will enjoy it too.

Do not give up! Persevere and keep going. All it takes is one person to say “Yes.”

About Rock My World (Not so Noble Books, 2014)

Ruby Cameron is an ambitious reporter for a local paper where she is fed scraps of news, and lives with a man whose “idea of living dangerously is to leave the heating on when we pop out to the shops”. But after catching her squeaky clean boyfriend in flagrante delicto she ups sticks and moves into her own small home, only to discover the ghostly presence of a cheeky rock star who becomes her confidant as the dynamics of her small town, and her feelings about her dashing new boss, begin to throw up more questions than she can answer. Will Ruby discover who she really is, and perhaps more importantly, who she wants to be? 

About Hero or Zero (Not so Noble Books, September 2014)

When single mum Chloe Jones wins a magazine competition to have TV heartthrob Ethan Blake live with her for a month, she thinks her dreams have come true. And the presence of the handsome star in her home and small Scottish town certainly causes a stir. But when Chloe begins to see his true colours, will she find the courage to face him, and admit where her heart truly lies? 

About Julie:  

Julie trained as a journalist but writing romance has always been a dream of hers. When she’s not got her head in a book or drafting one, she write verses and captions for greetings card companies. Writing at home seems to be incredibly difficult for her – she usually require coffee, music and noise. “Rock My World”  was her first contemporary romance novel . She released her second novel, Hero or Zero in September 2014. These are contemporary romances with a good dose of humour. She’s married, has two sons and lives in Scotland.

Click here to view her author page on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Follow Julie on Twitter: @G13Julie

You can also follow Julie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julie.shackman

Click here to view Julie’s blog: http://julieshackman.wordpress.com/

To visit her Publisher, Not So Noble Books click here.

by

Novel Kicks

About Novel Kicks/Laura...
Novel Kicks was founded in 2009 and is run by Laura who is currently living in Hampshire, and lives with husband, Chris and her cat, Buddy. She would love to be a writer. She’s trying to write the novel she thinks so much about. She’s loved reading and writing since ‘Creative Writing’ classes in primary school. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything she can get her hands on, she loves reading, dancing like a loon, and watching Project Runway and Ugly Betty (her two TV guilty pleasures.) She also has an obsession with chocolate and Jammie Dodgers.