Today fellow author Nikki Moore is my guest and she's here to talk about Valentine's Day and the third book in her Love London series - Valentine's on Primrose Hill.
Welcome, Nikki! Please tell us how you came up with the idea for this series and why London?
Thanks for having me 🙂 I can't really take the credit for the idea - that would have to go to my fab HarperImpulse editor Charlotte. My debut Crazy, Undercover, Love was partly set in London, and my next full length book Picnics in Hyde Park is wholly set in the city, because I've always loved London and get a real buzz every time I visit, but it was Charlotte who approached me with the idea of an eBook series of short stories linked to Picnics, that would all be romances set in London. We thought it would be nice if a character from each story could be linked to Picnics, so I did that too 🙂 As to why London, I find it endlessly fascinating because there's so much to see and do, and it's very diverse. I love the pace, architecture, nightlife, landmarks… I think I could live in London and still never come closing to experiencing all of it.
This is the third book in the series - which one has been the hardest to write so far? And did you have to make a conscious effort to come up with plots/themes that would go especially well with a London setting? | |
That's a tough one! I definitely found Cocktails in Chelsea and Strawberries at Wimbledon easiest to write, I'm not sure why, but they flowed better. Valentine's on Primrose Hill was quite difficult because I kept wanting to write a darker story, with a more damaged heroine that was probably better suited to a full length book. Luckily Charlotte is incredibly supportive and very good at giving feedback, so the finished product is one I'm happy with (until the readers tell me otherwise)! I suppose Skating at Somerset House caused me the most agonising because as the first story in the series I wanted it to be really strong. There was a balance between making sure I didn't disappoint existing readers and trying to entice new readers, and not put either group off the rest of the series. Thankfully, Skating at Somerset House has had over twenty Amazon reviews and all bar one are four and five stars 🙂
As for the plots, they really grew from the titles and covers, which Charlotte and I had agreed on in advance. The stories were also shaped by deciding which character in each story would be linked to Matt and Zoe, and how.
I love the idea of the heroine's mum buying her a puppy to get out of the house and as I have dogs myself (and have lived in London with them and had to walk them in Hyde Park) I know that it's a great way to get chatting to people. Is this something you've experienced yourself? Sadly I mostly met little old ladies, no handsome heroes!
I had a dog when I was little, a lovely Collie/Terrier cross who lived to a ripe old age, and loved our family dog, a mad Chocolate Labrador (some people might recognise Pudding from Skating at Somerset House here) who now lives with my ex-husband and his partner. I enjoyed taking them for walks and there is a great sense of community with dog owners, so I agree they're very social animals in every sense of the word. I felt that a puppy for Georgiana in Valentine's on Primrose Hill would be great for her in a few ways; as a companion; as someone to be responsible for and as a way to force her to go out into the world again after her accident.
What does Valentine's Day mean to you personally? Are you the kind of person who loves getting cards, balloons, flowers or whatever from the man in your life or are you a "bah humbug, it's all a commercial gimmick " type?
I think I'm a bit of both to be honest! On one hand I love romance, and the idea of celebrating it, and am certainly happy for my lovely boyfriend to get me flowers etc but on the other hand I resent the pressure of having to be super-romantic on one particular day of the year. Romance should be a part of every-day life!
Thank you!
No, thank you for asking me such brilliant questions 🙂 and having me on here as your guest.
Nikki's book Valentine's on Primrose Hill (#LoveLondon series; eBook 3) is released today and here is the blurb:-
For Georgiana Dunn, life changed forever in the devastating moment that the lorry hit her car.
Scarred and scared, she's not left the house properly in months. Then her mum buys her a puppy, forcing her to face the world again, walking on London's beautiful Primrose Hill. But that doesn't mean she's looking forward to Valentine's Day.
Leo devotes himself to working with children with special educational needs. In fact, he does very little else, and his friends are always telling him to get a (love) life. So when they challenge him to find a date for Valentine's Day, and he meets a lovely but lost girl who looks like she could use a friend, he thinks he's found the perfect solution.
But life has a way of being less than perfect… Will he be left standing on his own on the most romantic day of the year?
It's available from Amazon for only 99p! (here) See more news items in our blog. |
