Kirsty Greenwood

Kirsty GreenwoodKirsty Greenwood is the creator and editor in chief of book reviewing website, Novelicious. ‘The Vintage Guide To Love And Romance’ is her second book.

  1. Can you describe what your new book, ‘The Vintage Guide To Love And Romance’ is about.
    I can! It’s about Jessica Beam, a impetuous, modern young woman who moves in with her refined vintage Grandma – a vintage ettiquette writer. There are themes of female friendships and relationships, feminism, fashion and growing up. Also lots of sexy, swoony bits and plenty of funny situations and twists.
  2. To the readers of the website, tell us about yourself and how you got into writing.
    I’ve always been an avid reader, since a young age. I read so much it seemed like a natural progression to write stories of my own. I got into writing seriously after reading romantic comedy novels by authors such as Fiona Walker and Alexandra Potter and thinking that that might be something I could do too!
  3. Who is your favourite literary hero/heroine?
    Ooh, that’s tough! I want to say Lizzy Bennet because, well, she is the best. But I bet everyone says her. She’s just so popular. So I will go for Beatrice from ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. What can I say, I like the gobby women.
  4. What’s your favourite book of all time?
    ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. I read it once a year and never get bored. It’s my favourite romantic comedy.
  5. If you weren’t a writer, what do you imagine yourself doing instead? 
    I think something with music. I studied music at college and worked as a singer in the past. I love writing songs and playing the guitar (badly!).
  6. If you were to start your own book club, what authors would you ask to join?
    Authors from Team Novelicious for sure. So Cressida McLaughlin (the first part of her Primrose Terrace series is out on April 30th!), Cesca Major, Debs Carr, Jenni Joyce, Anna Bell and Kay Brooks. I would also ask Novelicious Books authors Rosie Blake, Poppy Dolan and Holly Kingston because they are wonderful and hilarious writers. Ooh, I would ask Lindsey Kelk, Lucy Robinson and Victoria Fox too. They seem like they would be a lot of fun to hang out with.
  7. I find you such an inspiration, as you have created the most successful female fiction website and have now become an established author. What do you think is the secret to your success?
    Thank you! That is really kind of you to say. My secret is that I have a lot of people helping me! My agent and publishers do a lot of work behind the scenes to make what I do so much better. And Novelicious is very much a team effort. Our lovely editor Kerry and the whole team have so much to do with the on-going success of the site. We have very loyal readers and I think they recommend us to their friends and help the site to keep growing, which is always a lovely thing

  8. What piece of advice would you offer to aspiring writers?
    Finish. Finish your first draft. It will suck. That’s okay. But you will get why I’m telling you to finish it when you have finished it. It’s like getting a secret key. It’s magic. Every time someone finishes a first draft an angel gets her wings. Or a child gets a new book. Or something. Just do it. Trust me.
  9. What area do you suggest a budding writer should concentrate on to further their abilities?
    Read. It’s the best training for writing. The second best training for writing is to write. I think studying fiction is also helpful. Read with a critical eye and figure out how the author is taking you on a journey. When you figure that out it helps you to do it too.
  10. If you were stranded on a desert island, which 3 books would you bring with you to pass the time?
    I would bring Olivia Goldsmith’s ‘Wish Upon a Star’ because it is my ultimate comfort read. Is there a novelisation of the Tom Hanks film ‘Cast Away’? Because if there is, I would take that. It would be so meta. I would also bring ‘Les Miserables’ because it is so long and I could build a hut from all of the pages.
  11. When sitting down to write, what is the one item you need beside you?
    A brew. I often find starting to write quite difficult. A good cup of tea or coffee is a nice comfort. It helps warm my brain up and I can gently ease myself into back into the story I’m working on.

Follow Kirsty Greenwood on Twitter Kirsty Greenwood for updates or check out her website at Novelicious

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