Happy Black Friday!  You’ll never find me out there – I do 90% of my shopping online.  Much lower stress levels.  I probably won’t be able to answer comments today – it will be a miracle if this post goes through with the spotty wi-fi reception we’ve having.

I’d like to sit down and eat double chocolate chip cookies and binge watch the second season of Stranger Things (again) with today’s author.  Letters to Eloise have received some glowing reviews on Amazon.  Welcome Emily Williams!

When post-graduate student Flora falls unexpectedly pregnant during her final year studies she hits a huge predicament; continue a recent affair with her handsome but mysterious lecturer who dazzles her with love letters taken from the ancient tale of ‘Abelard and Heloise’, or chase after the past with her estranged first love?

But will either man be there to support her during the turmoil ahead?

What’s the most constructive criticism you’ve been given in your writing career?

Learn how to use commas! I am awful at adding extra commas! I have got better but luckily have the eyes of a professional proof reader to spot any errors I miss. Mainly my criticism with my debut was to do with editing and I have learnt that it’s really hard to edit your own work so having professional eyes to look over the manuscript is essential.

What do you wish you’d known before you were published?

Before I was published I hadn’t embraced social media. I had shied away from using my social media accounts around the time my son was born and found that deleting them was a bad idea as I had no social media presence. I embraced it again quickly but wished I’d started this long before I was published to build up readers and support in the social media world.

What are your favorite books in your genre?

I struggle to fit into one writing genre. Letters to Eloise, my debut, was more literary fiction with a romance element and Rafferty Lincoln Loves… is a YA sort of romance. I have enjoyed reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and any romance or fiction by Cecelia Ahern I enjoy.

How did publishing your first book change your writing process?

I realised I could do it! Finishing a novel is always the hardest accomplishment but once one is done, then the other novels are so much easier to finish as you know you can do it!

What is something memorable you’ve heard from your readers/fans?

I have been lucky to have some lovely reviews and there are several that stick out in my mind. One reader said my book Letters to Eloise was their favourite book of 2017, that certainly made my day/year/forever!

What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?

I think in ‘Letters to Eloise’ Brooke would annoy me immensely! She’s the complete opposite of Flora (and myself) in the novel and I think that’s why she was so fun to write. In ‘Rafferty Lincoln Loves…’ Liberty would be very hard to get along with and I’m not sure I’d have the patience to put up with her.

What do you love most about the writing process?

I love bringing the story to life. When the chapters begin to fit together and the characters take over, that gives me the most enjoyment in writing.

How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

I used to be told that I overwrite and was too concerned with the individual words and trying to sound ‘creative’. Now I just let the story unfold and tell itself and the writing process has been a lot easier and more fun.

What do you do to get book reviews?

I have been lucky to find some amazing book bloggers and readers to read my novel and these have written some lovely reviews. It is always hard to get reviews but reading each one makes my day as an author.

What’s your favorite kind of cookie and why?

Anything with chocolate. The more double, choc chip the better! Just because it’s delicious!

Any unusual talents or hobbies?

I wouldn’t say I have anything too unusual but I hand rear baby cockatiels. I love birds. I also have two horses, though I haven’t ridden for a couple of years now due to an arm injury.

What’s the last thing you watched on TV/Netflix?

We’ve just watched a series called ‘The End of The F*cking World’. Highly amusing, I’d recommend. Apparently was a comic first. I really enjoyed this. Now we are waiting for Stranger Things to start. I loved the first series and can’t wait to be scared again!

Who would win a fight between Spiderman and Batman?

I’m not really a superhero fan. I hoped they wouldn’t fight as surely they are both meant to fight evil? But if I had to choose (based purely on the recent film) I’d choose Spiderman as he seems a nice young boy.

Author Bio

Emily Williams lives by the seaside in West Sussex with her family and a large menagerie of small pets. After graduating from Sussex University with a BA in Psychology, Emily trained as a primary school teacher and teaches in a local school. Letters to Eloise is her debut novel and has topped the bestseller chart. Her second novel, a psychological thriller, will be released later this year.

Buy Link

Amazon