This week I’m chatting to author Pauline Barclay, whose contemporary women’s fiction novel Sometimes It Happens had me intrigued not only by the fantastic cover and title - but the tag line: “Winning the lottery was just the beginning. Nothing prepared Doreen Wilkinson for her holiday at Villas Bonitas and nothing prepared Villas Bonitas for Doreen Wilkinson.”
Sometimes It Happens…is about secrets, deception, lies, love and laughter. An Amazon reviewer describes the novel as a "a delightful beach read full of equally delightful characters."
Pauline, tell us more about your fantastic new novel!
Sometimes It Happens… is a book you can curl up with in the garden or on a sun bed on the beach on a summer’s day and feel like you are at the fabulous Villas Bonitas. It’s a good feel book and should make the reader giggle, a lot!
Please tell us how you got the idea for it?
I was with a friend one day who talked about what she would do if she won the lottery and it got me thinking about how an ordinary person would cope with such a large amount of money. As I started to write the story it just grew and grew and I found I wanted my main character to see the difference between seriously rich and posh!
To plot or not to plot? How much of a planner are you?
I’m not a planner in the sense that I write lots of notes, but when I begin a new story, I always know the beginning and the end, also the main character. It’s the middle bit that has me having sleepless nights!
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
When I sit down to write and nothing comes. I panic and the more I panic the worse it gets. I know it will pass, eventually, but I’m terrible at beating myself up!
How do you develop your characters?
Once I decide on the character, I let them percolate in my head and in time they become so real they develop themselves. I know this sounds crazy, but my characters begin to be real people and I think about how they would react to a variety of situations.
How have you promoted/launched your book?
In the main I have used social media and have been invited to several Blogs, including yours – thank you! I have also written to local newspapers and internet sites where I have had an interest in the area. These have all be wonderfully supportive. I also offer to write articles for other Blogs particularly on Indie publishing. My web site is kept updated daily and I have my book out with reviewers too.
What is a typical writing day - how do you manage your time - and where do you write? I prefer to write in the afternoon, this gives me a good chunk of the day to get my other commitments dealt with: Though nothing is carved in stone so I fit my writing around everything else. My favourite place to write is outside, our climate allows this and of course I am away from the internet and twitter etc such scary distractions!
What are your interests other than writing?
I love cooking. I love reading, cycling, rollerblading and walking our doggies.
What can you tell us about a Work In Progress?
My latest WIP is my fourth book, though as much as the scenes are playing in my head they are not yet in my laptop! Being an Indie publisher means that marketing takes a great deal of my time and at the moment, getting my latest book, Sometimes It Happens… to as wide an audience as possible is priority. But I am itching to get back to more hours of writing.
Pauline Barclay lives with her husband and two doggies on the lovely island of Lanzarote in the Canary Isles, Sometimes It Happens… is her third book and she is currently working on her fourth.
Find Pauline at: Twitter: @paulinembarclay