Author Interview - Jill Steeples

 

I'm so delighted to welcome Jill Steeples , author of "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off", "Desperately Seeking Heaven" and "When James Bond Met Holly Golightly and Other Stories" on my blog today. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions Jill!

You can read my review of "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" here: bit.ly/1d3x8tN

Hello Jill, could you please tell my readers a bit about yourself?

Hi Isabell, thanks so much for inviting me to your blog. I’m a short story writer from the UK and this last year has seen the publication of my first two novels. I live with my husband and two children in a small market town about 40 minutes from London.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I suppose it was in my late teens/early twenties when I first started reading romances and romantic comedies and thinking I would love to write something similar. It took me many more years before I actually got round to doing anything about it though!


What inspired you to write “Let’s call the whole thing off?

I love the idea of temptation and where it might lead you. I wondered what might happen if you stumbled across your best friend’s diary. Would you really be able to resist taking a sneaky peek? And if you did take a little peek, what might happen if you discovered something you really didn’t want to know.

Is anything in your books based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

I’m pleased to say my books aren’t based on my real life experiences. I’m not sure I would want to go through some of the things my characters have suffered! I do get lots of inspiration from the people I meet though, things I read in the paper and the storylines from the soaps on TV, but that’s all it is, inspiration.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love reading, of course! And I love walking, baking, cooking for friends and musical theatre.

If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?

I’ve always loved the idea of running a tea and cake shop, ideally by the seaside. Part of the shop would be a café and the other part would be used to sell a wonderful array of crafts and brightly colourful pottery.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully I’ll be writing more stories and lots more people will be reading them too.

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

The diary of an over-anxious mother!

What process did you go through to get your book published?

I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme and I received some great feedback on my first novel Desperately Seeking Heaven. They put me in touch with some agents and whilst I got very close with a couple of them, the general opinion was that there wasn’t really a market for ghostly chick-lit. When I saw the call from Carina UK for submissions I was hopeful that my story might click with them – they were looking for stories that didn’t necessarily fit with mainstream guidelines. I had a good feeling about it and thought it had to be worth a try. I was thrilled when they offered me a contract and I’m so grateful that they took a chance on my book.

If you could cast your characters in the Hollywood adaptation of your book, who would play your characters?

This is always a difficult question for me. I think when you read a book you form a picture in your head as to how the characters will look. And everyone’s image of those characters will be different. For that reason, I’m going to cop out and say I would cast unknown actors and actresses in the roles!

What are you working on at the moment? Can you share some future project with us? 

I’m working on my third novel for Carina which has a working title of My Perfect Boyfriend. After a terrible accident, Ruby realises that her wonderful boyfriend isn’t quite as perfect as she once thought. Can their relationship survive the huge turn around in their relationship? It sounds a bit heavy, but it is actually a romantic comedy!