NK Chats To… Jessie Wells

Hi Jessie, thank you so much for joining me today with the blog tour for your novel, Saving The Good News Gazette. What’s your typical writing day like? From idea to finished book, what’s your writing process like and how long does it typically take you?

As I have a full-time job and two children, it typically takes me about a year from start to finish and involves me initially researching and jotting down plot points and characters, and ends with a triumphant email to my editor with a manuscript attached! In between, there’s plenty of hours at the computer, a few head in hands moments, and a lot of support from my lovely husband and children.

In terms of a typical day, it usually starts with a 5am alarm and a huge cup of coffee, and then I sit down and write for an hour or so until the children come downstairs and start asking for breakfast. I then spend a day at work and in the evening, after the kids have gone to bed, I’ll often sit back down at my computer again. As I say, I have a very supportive husband!

What are the challenges you found when writing your novel especially
when it’s a part of a series?

Keeping the whole thing feeling familiar yet fresh for readers. I want people to feel like they’re reading something new, while enjoying the comfort that comes from hanging out with old friends.

What songs would make up a playlist for your book?

Most of The Shires’ playlist! Ours is a busy household, so if I need to write at the weekend when everyone is around, I’ll often stick my ear pods in to drown out all the noise. The Shires has probably been the most played soundtrack to The Good News Gazette series so far.

Which fictional character would you like to meet and why?

Eleanor Oliphant. Her character was painted so beautifully, with so many quirks and imperfections, that I’d love to meet her in person.

Which authors do you admire?

Most of them, purely on the basis that they’ve managed to finish a book to the point of publication, which is no easy feat! But there are some that really stand out for me, including Marian Keyes, Victoria Hislop, Sally Thorne and Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

What’s your favourite word and why?

‘Excellent’! Because it usually tends to indicate that something positive has either just happened or is about to.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered since you’ve started
writing?

That I can actually do it. I remember, when I was writing the first book in The Good News Gazette series, being hit by a wave of fear that I’d taken on way more than I could chew and that I just didn’t have the capability to complete a novel. I’ve written two now and it’s changed the way I look at myself and made me realise that I – like most other people – really can do anything I set my mind to.

Are you able to tell us what you’re currently working on?

Book three of The Good News Gazette, in which a dramatic turn of events provides a whole new set of challenges for the residents of Westholme.

Which book have you read that you wish you could forget, just so you
could discover it again?

The Hating Game. I absolutely loved that book. It was witty, sexy and romantic, all in one go.

If you could tell your younger writing self one thing, what would it be?

Believe you can do it and you will!

Any other advice for new writers?

Just write. As in, stop procrastinating about writing, stop making plans to write, stop thinking about writing … these are all things I spent a huge amount of time doing while not actually writing. In the end, I realised that it was only by putting words on the page that I could achieve my goal of writing a book. Setting weekly word counts really helps here.

Would you rather –

Have an endless summer or winter?

Definitely an endless summer.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee.

Movie or book?

Book.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning person – as long as there’s plenty of coffee involved.

Paperback or eBook?

It doesn’t matter – as long as the story transports me, I can enjoy it in any format.

About Jessie Wells –

Jessie Wells lives with her husband and two children in Merseyside. She has always written in some form, and previously worked as a journalist on the Liverpool Echo and Sunday Mirror and as a freelancer for various national women’s magazines and newspapers before moving into finance.

She loves nothing more than getting lost in her imaginary worlds, which are largely filled with romance, communities bursting with character and a large dose of positivity.

Say hello to Jessie on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Saving the Good News Gazette – 

Zoe has a special talent for saving lost causes…but she’ll need a miracle to save herself from this mess!

When her biggest advertising account cancels their contract, single mum Zoe Taylor’s Good News Gazette – Westholme’s pre-eminent feel-good news source – faces an uncertain future.

Determined to save her paper, Zoe strikes a bargain with millionaire developer Daniel Lewis – he’ll help her find advertisers and in exchange she’ll spearhead his campaign to save the Art Deco cinema from destruction.

But with her boyfriend Sam no fan of her new business partner, an unexpected job offer from her old boss, and an unshakeable feeling that there’s something more between her and Daniel than there should be, Zoe’s future soon feels as uncertain as her paper’s…and she’ll be forced to make a decision that changes everything for her and her son Charlie.

Saving the Good News Gazette was released by One More Chapter on 4th August 2023. Click to buy at Amazon UK, Waterstones and Amazon US. 

by

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.