Poppy Dolan

Poppy Dolan is a rom com afficiando. After watching ‘When Harry Met Sally’ at the impressionable age of 14, she’s never stopped dreaming of having the perfect ‘meet-cute’, that one-liner that steals your heart and the grand romantic gesture to end all grand romantic gestures. Since her real-life dating experiences were more often situated at Nando’s than the top of the Eiffel Tower, she turned to fiction and wrote romantic comedies of her own. She self-published her first novel,The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp, in May 2012 and made it into the Kindle top 100. Poppy lives with her other half in Buckinghamshire and her first novel ‘There’s More to Life than Cupcakes’ will be published by Novelicious Books in October 10th 2013.

1. Your latest book ‘There’s More to Life than Cupcakes’ is a clever and insightful romantic comedy about newly married Ellie Redford, an amateur baker who is both broody and also completely terrified of having a baby. What inspired you to write this type of story?
   Pretty much from the minute I got married a few years ago, I had people nudging me in the ribs and with a jolly chuckle asking, ‘When will we hear the pitter patter of tiny feet then?’ For starts, it hurt my ribs. But mostly, it felt surreal that some friends, family members and even first-time acquaintances felt so completely relaxed with asking what is basically a seriously intrusive question. Having a baby is a big step and just because you have a ring on your finger doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready. I wanted to explore some of the worries that can race through your mind when you think about starting a family – what happens to your body, your relationship, your career, your social life, your gin consumption – but in a way that hopefully isn’t too preachy or dull! I loved exploring Ellie’s way of thinking, a she’s pretty similar to me. Particularly the bit about eating too much cake.
2. To the readers of the blog, that may not be familiar with you or your writing, can tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into writing?
   I think reading Bridget Jones’ Diary at the blissful age of 14 had a bigger impact on me than I could ever have imagined! From then on, I knew I loved rom coms. Whether enjoying a story in movie or book form, I want to laugh, I want to feel my heart in my throat and I want a smoochily happy ending. So after reading my body weight in romantic comedy, I had an idea to write one of my own. And here we are! I self-published my first novel, ‘The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp’, last year and although it was nerve-wracking and lots of work I have totally caught the bug. You haven’t heard the last of me, mwhahaha!
3. When writing your own stories, would you read books of a similar genre or do you find yourself staying away from reading?
   I love to read all kinds of women’s fiction but when I’m writing I try to put my current read on hold, just so I can really focus on my own characters. There’s so much to juggle – the plot, the character’s backstories, their motivations, all the little details that make them fully formed, that it’s difficult to then dip into a completely different fictional world. I would get dizzy, I think.
4. What authors do you admire?
   Tonnes! Marian Keyes, for starters. She is a legend. I also love Jenny Colgan, Wendy Holden, Sophie Kinsella and also the great comedy writers from TV: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Those ladies kick butt.
5. I’ve heard through the grapevine that you enjoy cooking. Did you have a particular recipe that you enjoyed whilst writing ‘There’s More To Life Than Cupcakes’?
   I love baking, but my hips are not so keen. Anyway, I ignore them and whip up cookies as my go-to. Whether oatmeal or double chocolate or peanut butter, they are easy, quick and make you instant hoards of friends. There is a secret to cooking the perfect chewy cookie, across all recipes: do not overbake. They usually only need 12 minutes for big American-style cookies and they are supposed to look pretty gooey still when they come out of the oven. Fear not. Let them stand and cool and they will continue to cook a little and go solid but still chewy. Perfection! God, I need a cookie now. Yum.
6. Do you have strange writing habits or routines?
   I like to write in the shed. Mostly because there are few distractions (apart from the sound of squirrels running over the roof like it’s a 100 metres track), I’m far away from the fridge and all the badness therein, and I can tell myself sternly that I’m not allowed back into the house until I’ve written a whole lot of words. Luckily it even has a wall socket so I don’t have the flat battery excuse to head back in. Unluckily, I share the space with a few spiders but we’ve reached a silent truce: they don’t come near me and I don’t scream at them.
7. What is your favourite book of all time?
   I just cannot pick one. Nope. I love all sorts and have different favourites for different moods. But my favourite childhood book was ‘James and the Giant Peach’ and when I see a big flock of seagulls I still think, ‘Now if only I had some ropes we could fly those babies to New York!’
8. Who is your favourite literary hero or heroine?
   Eleanor from ‘Sense and Sensibility’ by Jane Austen. She’s calm and sensible and doesn’t flounce off in a huff, falling down hills. But she looks after her family, does the right thing and still (albeit after a heart-breaking few months) gets her perfect match. Yay for the nerdy heroines!
9. If you were stranded on a desert island, which three books would you bring with you to pass the time?
   ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’, naturally, as I’ve read it 23 times and it still makes me laugh. Also it might me feel better about being alone of the island, likely to be eaten by monkeys. ‘Lord of the Flies’, to remind myself not to go mad while stranded and that a big ship might just turn up and save me. And some sort of book about recognising edible plants as if I could cook up a nice mushroom I might be quite contented.
10. What area do you suggest a budding writer should concentrate on to further their abilities?
    Just. Keep. Writing. It’s great to read advice, tips and other people’s success stories but at the end of the day, you need to have a book if you want to publish a book. So don’t put it off, don’t procrastinate, don’t blame your hectic life – just type those words and hit those targets. Pretty much all of the writers I’ve come across have full time jobs or families to juggle. If writing is really your passion, you’ll MAKE it happen. Write, read, edit, redraft, rinse and repeat as necessary.
11. When sitting down to write, what is the one item you need beside you?
    A lot of Diet Coke and a comfy jumper. Also, it helps if I have my big A3 board with planning post its, so I can keep track of where I should be and whether someone has blue eyes or brown.
12. And finally Poppy, do you have any projects or releases on the horizon which you would like to share with the readers of the website?
    My first book The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp has just been re-released with a gorgeous new cover!

    And I’m working on a novella and dreaming up ideas for a brand new full-length novel too. No rest for the bookish…

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