Interview with Victoria Connelly

 Have you heard of Victoria Connelly? One of my favourite chick lit writers around she has recently turned her hand to writing the story of how she and her husband up and left London for the call of the country taking their dog and adopting some chickens along the way. I adore reading Victorias book quite frankly regardless of whether its her Darcy novels, general fiction or her non-fiction. Each story is told in such a sublime way you can completely dissolve into the plots and befriend the characters. I was incredibly lucky as well to be able to interview her the other day (she really is charming as you can tell by her answers!

Did you grow up wanting to be a writer?

• I did. I started my first novel when I was 14-years old and would pass my chapters to my friends to read – usually during maths lessons! I always had my head in a book whether reading one or trying to write one of my own.

Do you have a particular place to write at home? Or is it that inspiration follows you?

• Since moving to Suffolk, I now have my very own study where I write. It’s very quiet and I love the view from my window which looks out across fields full of horses. I write at an old Victorian pine table but I’m able to write anywhere, really, as long as I have peace and quiet.

How many hours a day do you spend working?

• My computer goes on at about 8 am and is often still on at 11 pm but I’m not writing for all that time. Rather, I aim for 1,000 words a day when I’m writing a first draft and that’s spread out over the day. I write best in the mornings and late afternoon and my day is punctuated with dog walks, gardening and baking.

How do you get your ideas?

• Ideas come from all sorts of places. Junk mail inspired ‘Molly’s Millions’, my husband being sent to a war zone inspired ‘Flights of Angels’ and my own obsession with Jane Austen inspired ‘A Weekend with Mr Darcy’ and the other books in the Austen Addicts series. I’m often inspired by beautiful places too. ‘Three Graces’ came about because I love visiting historic houses and ‘Unmasking Elena Montella’ was written after we visited Venice.

I adore reading your books to relax and drift away. What books do you read to relax?

• My favourite authors are Miss Read and H E Bates and I turn to their books time and time again but I also love romatic comedies by writers like Sophie Kinsella, Deborah Wright and Ruth Saberton and, when I’m in the mood for something darker, I love Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope thrillers and those of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Your major theme of work is based on Jane Austen conferences (the ones I read) Have you been to one?

• I’ve been on a wonderful weekend run by ‘Pride and Prejudice Tours’ where we stayed at the house used in the 1995 adaptation of ‘Sense and Sensibility’. I’ve also attended the Jane Austen Festival in Bath which is amazing. There are talks, walks, readings and dances. But I don’t believe we have Jane Austen conferences here in the UK although I think they’d be very popular.

I’ve started reading ‘Escape to Mulberry Cottage’ and I heard it was the first of a few instalments.  When will the next ones be released and are they sequels? 

• I’ve just finished the first draft of the second instalment – ‘A Year at Mulberry Cottage’ – which should be ready for publication in the autumn. I hope to write more in the series. They will all follow on from each other but will work well as standalones so you don’t have to read them in sequence.

Are you planning on writing more Darcy books in the mean time?

• My second novella sequel will be published as an ebook in September. It’s called ‘Happy Birthday, Mr Darcy’ and features a wedding at Purley Hall. I have already started making notes for another novella - ‘Summer with Mr Darcy’ - where the Austen addicts go on a trip to Chatsworth in Derbyshire. I can’t seem to stop writing about these characters!

I love ‘Molly’s Millions’ so I guess I’d love to know what would you do if you won the lottery?

• Well, like Molly, I’d love to give a lot of it away – to friends, family and good causes. But I’d keep a bit for me and my husband and probably buy us a cute cottage in Dorset or Devon where we could run away to every now and then and paint and write in solitude. Oh, and I’d more than likely end up with a few more animals! And it would be wonderful to indulge my love of antiques – I’d adore a really beautiful chiming clock! I love clocks.

Pop over to her site now to check out her other books and see what other authors have answered her top ten!

Victoria Connelly’s Top Ten

Book – The Darling Buds of May by HE Bates

Film – Truly, Madly, Deeply

TV programme – Supernatural

Actor – James Stewart

Song – I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing by The New Seekers

Quote – ‘If you dream – dream big.’ The Bad and the Beautiful

Holiday destination – Dorset or Italy

Animal – Dog

Dessert – Chocolate ice-cream

Pastime – Walking in the countryside