I'm a 31 year old writer and editor from Lowestoft, England. I've written and self-published a couple of books, and I plan to write a lot more. When I'm not sitting at my computer, you can find me in various places; curled up on the sofa with a book in hand, in the kitchen mixing up some cake batter, at the gym trying not to dislocate my limbs in Pilates class, in the pool improving my solo synchronised swimming skills, or down at the beach walking my dog.
Why did you start writing?
I
don't think there's one definitive answer to that. I always used to
make up bedtime stories with my dad, and really enjoyed story writing at
school, and then when I hit puberty I wrote the teen-angst poetry that I
think all creative writers write (even though few probably want to
admit it). I realised that I enjoyed writing, and after studying
creative writing at university I realised that I was good at it and that
other people, outside of my family, enjoyed my work. I'd studied the
craft and learnt a lot, and from then on I wanted to show the world what
I could do.
What do you think makes your genre special?
I don't think that one genres is more special than another. Everyone
enjoys different things, and it's important that there's literature out
there to cater for these varied tastes. All I can say is that I really
enjoy the chic lit/romcom genre because it's easily accessible and can
easily reach a wide audience. Romance can be incorporated into other
genres, as well as standing alone. And we all love a little bit of love
in our lives, surely?
What do you think makes a great story?
Well
written characters make the story. It doesn't matter if they're
likeable or not, they just need to be interesting. If each character
doesn't stand out on his/her own merit then the story can disappear.
I'm not one for explosions and car chases and special effects. I just
like something I can relate to, and characters I can fall in love with
(or want to stab!).
What is your latest book called and could you explain to us in 20 words what it is about?
My full length novel is called Lexa Wrights Dating Sights and
I'm not sure I can explain it in 20 words, but I'll give it a go. Ok.
'Do people fall in love like they do in films? Lexa wants to, but does she? Romcom with a twist!'
'Do people fall in love like they do in films? Lexa wants to, but does she? Romcom with a twist!'
Which kind of reader do you think will enjoy your book?
I would like to say that all readers will
enjoy my book, but I think it will appeal mainly to female readers who
enjoy romance. It's a fairly typical chic lit romcom, with a bit of a
twist, so it's not just slushy romance. There is a bit of a serious
side to the story as well.
Is it a Standalone, or part of the series? If it the latter, how long do you think will it go on?
I
am currently writing a sequel to my novel. I'm not sure if I will
write another one after that, but I tend to leave my stories open at the
end so there could be scope for more books.
What influenced or inspired you writing it?
I wasn't really inspired to write this. I'd been saying for a few years
that I wanted to write a book, but I kept putting it off. The one day I
forced myself to sit in front of my computer and write. I just let the
words flow, and at points the story and the characters wrote
themselves. I pretty much stayed glued to my desk chair until the
manuscript was finished. It only took me 37 days to write 120,000
words, so at the end of all that I realised that I could write a book. The scary editing phase took a few more weeks, but the whole process
was worth it.
Why did you choose especially this title? Was it your first choice?
There
are two things that I find difficult when writing; thinking of names of
characters, and thinking of titles. I tend to spend a lot of time
browsing fake name generators on the internet or looking through baby
name lists to find my characters, but there's no such thing for coming
up with titles. The title is the last thing I do when writing, and even
then I'm not always pleased with it. I guess I titled my book Lexa Wright's Dating Sights because I wanted the title to include my main character's name (like Bridget Jones's Diary),
and I like things that rhyme! I'm still not sure if I'm completely
happy with this title, but it'll do for now. If anyone has any better
suggestions, I'm all ears!
What was the hardest part for you working on your book?
I think the hardest bit was when I
finished writing it. I had to edit and rewrite and chop bits out and
add new bits. This process was repeated a good handful of times. And
then I had to think about the synopsis and back of the book 'blurb'.
Writing the book was the easy part; everything else that came after was
tough.
Do you already know what to do next?
I
am writing a sequel. It's proving to be a bit more difficult than I
had initially expected, but it's still going well. I'm not sure how I
want it to end, but I'm definitely enjoying the challenge.
Where can we find more about you and your books?
If
you really wanted to know more, you could come up and talk to me when
I'm at the gym. I don't need much of an excuse to stop me from working
out. Or you could do some internet stalking, and find me at the
following places:
twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccahGiltrow
amazon author page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rebeccah-Giltrow/e/B00A9Q3BY2/
Any last words?
Thank you for giving me the chance to talk
about my book, and if anyone has read any of my work, or just wants to
have a chat, get in contact with me. It's always nice to hear from
readers. You're the reason writers write.
Alexana (Lexa) Wright is 30 years old,
unemployed, single, and lives in her deceased, paternal grandmother’s bungalow,
with her shi-tzu, Beryl. She is a
self-confessed procrastinator and that isn’t a particularly positive trait to
possess, especially when she is trying to write her first novel, which she
intends to be a semi-fictional account of her own life.
Unhappily single, Lexa hopes to eventually
meet the man of her dreams by chance, like people do in films. Because of this, she has ignored her best
friend Louise’s suggestions to join the online dating site, MatesDates. One day, Lexa turns on her computer to start
writing her novel, but procrastination takes over and she spring cleans her
e-mail inbox instead. She opens an
e-mail from Louise, inviting her to try the dating site. Curious, Lexa joins and starts to fill in her
profile.
After a bad date, Louise visits Lexa and
stays the night. Unable to sleep, Louise
finishes Lexa’s MatesDates profile, unbeknownst to her friend, and sends out
messages to men on her behalf. Lexa
chats to one of these men online, Gregory, and arranges to meet him for a
date. With her parents, Karen and Tom,
dogsitting Beryl, Lexa meets Gregory at a local pub, with Louise and her
colleague, Safa, sitting nearby for moral support. Cutting the date short to help his sister out
of trouble, Gregory arranges another date with Lexa. The next day, Lexa collects Beryl from her
parents’ house and takes her for a walk through the park on the way home. Beryl runs off, pulling her extending lead to
its full length and tangles it around a man’s legs. Lexa offers to buy the man a coffee as an
apology. The man introduces himself as
William and asks her out on a date, and Lexa accepts.
Lexa, not used to dating one man, has no idea
what to do with two, but as everything seems casual, she continues to date both
of them. Unable to choose between the
two, she carries on seeing them both.
She knows she has to choose one of them, but she can't make her mind up
between them.
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