Lindsey Kelk

Lindsey Kelk is the author of the popular I Heart Series, the most recent, I Heart Paris, has just been released in the UK. Novel Kicks had a chat with Lindsey to ask her what her route to publication was, her top five tips for writers and who her ideal dinner guests would be….

What was your route to publication?

I wrote I Heart New York about three years ago, sent it out to every agent under the sun and then sat twiddling my thumbs while the rejections came in. Eventually, a super awesome amazing agent agreed to meet with me and discuss how we might work together. But when we met, it transpired that she hates I Heart New York and wanted me to work on something else. Since I was a) stubborn and b) a little bit in love with the book, I walked away from the agent (shatting myself that I would never find another) and asked a friend at HarperCollins if she knew any agents I could talk to. Amazingly, she passed the manuscript on to the publisher of the commercial women’s fiction team who read it, loved it and offered me a three book deal. It goes without saying that I was incredibly, incredibly lucky and am super grateful every day for that agent telling me I Heart New York was shit. And that I would have to use a pseudonym because my name sounded like a cat being sick. She was a delight.

Describe your typical writing day:

Sadly, there’s no such thing! I’m currently still working full time as an editor in children’s books so all of my writing happens at night. That suits me anyway because, for some reason, I just can’t seem to be personally creative in the day. It’s weird. I can work wonders on the books I’m editing but as for writing my own stuff, it just won’t come out. I’m a night owl, so it suits.

Where do you find inspiration?

Everywhere. Seriously, every day something ridiculous happens to me that could go in a book. Or actually, it couldn’t go in a book because no one would believe it. My friends are amazing too, they’re all so clever and funny (I hate them) and we’re forever coming out with lines that I save up and stick in a book somewhere. I also cheat at life by playing out fantasies in my books. I Heart New York was totally my ‘anywhere but here’ book. I wanted a new relationship, a new job and to move to New York, so I wrote it rather than doing it. Writing books is a much safer/cheaper way of experimenting with your life…

You’re the author of the ‘I Heart’ books. Tell us a little about the series.

I am! The I Heart books are about the trials and tribulations of Angela Clark (no ‘e’) after she discovers her fiancé cheating on her in the backseat of their car at her best friend’s wedding. Distraught and confused, she ups and leaves London for New York to find new friends, new love and a new life. Obviously the books have a strong romantic theme but really, I think they’re about Angela finding out who she is and what she wants out of life rather than just centering around her relationship. Also, they’re funny. Or at least they’re supposed to be.

Do you have a planning process before starting a book?

I do. I try to flesh out a synopsis which usually starts out fairly broad and becomes more involved and detailed as I get towards the end of the story. The I Heart books are fun to write now because I know the characters so well but I’m working on something different at the moment which is really hard! The synopsis for this is way more involved than anything I had for New York or Paris.

How do you approach editing? Does being a children’s book editor help or hinder your process?

Hmm. I think having worked as a writer, I have a clearer idea of what my authors needs from me as an editor so it probably helps. The whole thing is about communication and once you’ve worked out how that’s going to work for you, the rest is easy. It’s really like any other relationship – you need to know you’re on the same page, you want the same things and that you’re going to talk to each other about how best to get there.

Is there an author(s) that you admire?

Oh lord, anyone who EVER wrote a book. Authors are total rock stars to me. I once met Donna Tartt, author of my favourite book ever, The Secret History, and I went completely mute. I love that book, I love everything about it. I also love Bret Easton Ellis, especially the way he’s created this world for his characters to inhabit. Imperial Bedrooms was amazing. And on a more romantic comedy front, I love Meg Cabot. Her work rate is insane and I love that she straddles YA and commercial women’s fiction. That’s where I want to be eventually.

Who would your ideal dinner guests be?

Drew Barrymore, Alexander Skarsgard, Corin Tucker, Bret Easton Ellis and Christopher Biggins.
Loved Biggins on Come Dine with Me. Really, I’d just like to have my friends but that’s not a very interesting answer, is it?

Best/Hardest thing about being a writer?

The best thing is being able to do something I’ve always dreamed of and loved to do for a living, the hardest thing is the unreliability of it all. I’m a lists/plans/be-on-time type person so that’s tricky for me.

Top five tips for new writers….

These are really lame but they’re the best tips I was given and they seem to be working!

1. Read. Everything, anything, all the time.
2. Write every day. There’s no point sitting there worrying that what you’re going to write will be no good if you’re not even gong to try. Just start writing and don’t stop until you’re finished then you can review it.
3. Don’t be afraid of edits. Once your first draft is done, be brutal. How much dead wood is there in the manuscript? Even if you LOVE a scene, if it’s not helping the story, it’s slowing it down. Kill it, come back to it, use it later.
4. Show it to someone you trust. I was really lucky when I wrote I Heart New York because my best friend is a massive chick lit fan, so I knew she would read for me and be honest but not brutal. It was amazing to get someone else’s perspective early on and really helped convince me to see it through to the end.
5. Use Twitter, Facebook and other online communities. I love talking to people online – it really helps you get a sense of what’s going on out there and who likes what and why. But I totally waste too much time on there – you have to be strict with yourself!

To find out more about Lindsey, check out her website http://www.lindseykelk.com and you can also follow Lindsey on twitter: @lindseykelk

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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.