The Interviews

Conducted by Louise Cannon (Lou), featuring various guests, whom I am eternally grateful for giving the opportunity to interview them.

Ever wanted to know more about what inspires authors to write? What’s behind the written page? Behind the scenes of an actor’s life as they take to the stage? Plus much more? Here, I have 22 interviews I have created and conducted with authors, actors, a presenter from both sides of the Atlantic. Also included are a couple with blog tour organisers, where you’ll learn more about what this entails and an extraordinary secretary.
Get comfy and cosy with a cuppa, sit back and see what people have divulged for you. All interview answers are exactly as people have told me. So many genres, you may be inspired for what to read or who to look out for on a stage or TV.
Check out the links. They’ll open in a new tab, making it easy for you to navigate back to this page.

Actors/Presenter/Authors

Fern Britton on The Daughter’s of Cornwall, part of her family’s life, letters and more. The review also weaves through and more… Interview Here

Robert McNamara on the play – Report to An Academy By Franz Kafka, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and more… Interview Here

Vanessa Heron on being The Secretary of the Oscar Wilde Society, how the society came into existence, her favourite play, how to join and more… Interview Here

Ronald Rand – Solo Transformation On Stage on getting into character, his acting, his book and his charitable works, and more… Interview Here

Laura Loane – The first interview I conducted. She talks about books, acting, disability and more…. Interview Here

Authors

Cecelia Ahern on PS. I Love You, Postscript, Freckles, themes around health and more… Interview Here

Matson Taylor on the Evie Epworth books. Discover more about what inspired him, his job out-with being an author and more… Interview Here

Lotte R. James on The Gentleman of Holly Street, the strong themes and advice for historical fiction authors… Interview Here

Anna Willett on The Newlywed where she talks of special crime squads, keeping writing fresh, getting into the psyche of the setting and more…. Interview Here

Val Penny on Hunter’s Chase, setting the book in Edinburgh, combining dark themes with humour and more… Interview Here

Isabella Muir on A Notable Omission, writing crime fiction, the fun of research, the 1970’s and more. Interview Here

Miriam McGuirk on Second Chances, the importance of finding new opportunities after seismic life changes occur, the importance of communities and their hubs and more… Interview Here

Jeanine Englert on Conveniently Married to A Laird, writing historical romance, the class system, marrying out of convenience and more… Interview Here

Viv Fogel on Imperfect Beginnings, writing poetry, an art installation, her birth mother, the noise and the silence within her writing and more… Interview Here

Candi Miller on Salt & Honey, Africa, Culture, Charities and more… Interview Here

Lela May Wight on Bound By A Sicilian Secret, the importance of relatable, gritty themes being included in romance, the inspiration behind the main character being Sicilian and more… Interview Here

Bobby Twidale on De-Ja-Vu, being a former teacher, engaging boys in the education system, writing complex relationships and more… Interview Here

Sarah Rodi on Claimed by the Viking Chief, writing about the Viking period, devouring books in the library, servitude and marriage and more… Interview Here

Tani Hanes on Puppily Ever After, writing a ‘coming of age’ story, values in the book relating to real life, pets and more… Interview Here

R.L Baxter on Blue Lunar and the Apex Grail, writing fantasy, building fantastical worlds, his varied career and more… Interview Here

Paul De Blassie III on Goddess of Everything, the mother/son relationship, the supernatural and his other job of Depth Psychology, the healing of the human mind Interview Here

Simon Van-Der-Velde on Backstories, his “office kimono”, the inspiration for short-stories, his ‘desert island’ books and music and more… Interview Here

Thank you for taking the time to read the interviews.

If you work in the world of stage and theatre or in the world of books and would like to be interviewed, then please do get in touch via my Contact Form

Bound By A Sicilian Secret
By Lela May Wight

Interview By Lou

Welcome Lela May Wight to my blog. Recently we did a Q&A to share with you all. I can, rather excitedly contains some exclusive content within one of the answers.
Find out about what inspires her, the gritty themes and the protagonist of her book, how she celebrates publication day, her next book and more…

First of all, a bit about Lela: She grew up with seven brothers and sisters. She lives in the UK with her sons and her very own hero, who never complains about her book addiction – he buys her more books! She also gets to write books, with her latest – Bound By A Sicilian Secret. Find out about the book and then let’s begin the interview.

The proof of their passion: she’s carrying the Sicilian’s child! Read this thrilling secret baby romance from Lela May Wight.

When their worlds collided…

They became tied forever!

Flora Bick once strayed from her carefully scripted life and lost herself in the uninhibited kisses of a stranger. Overwhelmed, she fled his bed and returned to her risk-free existence. Now, he’s found her and together they discover the unimaginable—she’s pregnant!

Demanding Flora accompany him to Sicily, Raffaele Russo finally reveals his vast wealth—and his determination to give their child the stable upbringing he never had. But for the time being, their secret remains theirs alone, and it will bind them even closer than their ever-present desire…

From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

The book sounds mysterious. Without further ado, let’s begin the interview.

Who or what inspired you to write, an in particular, romance?

I blame my primary school teacher. I’d written a very long-winded story, and he said, “I can see you’re going to become a novelist!” The dream was born. No, not really. (Well, maybe a little…)

I’ve always read romance novels. Gobbled them up throughout my teens, like so many romance readers. I always wanted to write, but as life does, it got in the way for a long time. But during late-night feeds after my first was born, I rediscovered romance books and the powerful ability they have to transport the reader.

The urge to write was born again, because I wanted to do that! I wanted to write full-throttle escapism about complicated and emotionally messy people who got their chance at love and earned their happily ever after.

Your book has some gritty themes, such as: grief, abandonment, suicide, adoption, unplanned pregnancy. What inspired you to deal with these themes within your book and did you need to do research?

Life is gritty, hard, and complicated for most of us. I love that the romance genre doesn’t shy away from human life, or how difficult it can be to navigate those very real emotions, but gives the reader the promise, and the safety, to explore the dark parts of life knowing it will all end with a happily ever after.

(Okay, sometimes monster life. Love me some monster romance, but all still very human… I digress!)

The themes chosen to explore in, ‘Bound by a Sicilian Secret,’ were chosen, I hope with care, and treated with the same, as my characters navigate the impact of these difficult themes as individuals, and together.

Research is always important, for facts, for sensitivity, and I do all my research with those two things in mind. I hope I’ve achieved that in this love story whilst also bringing my life experiences to the book. *Crosses fingers! *

How important do you feel that themes, such as yours, that are gritty and relatable to be included in romantic fiction?

Very important. We all have our own experiences, difficult and some very difficult ones. It’s why, I as a reader, always go for a romance when I want to escape. I know I can relate, not always to the themes, but to the emotion. The difficulty of navigating them. But I know I’m safe to let myself feel all the feelings, because in the end, that’s what romance promises, a safe return to the world embraced by a happily ever after. Life isn’t always this way, but romance is about reminding us all to find hope. To embrace it for better tomorrows.

I, as a writer, won’t shy away from the difficulty or the beauty of living, because the hope of a happily ever after is powerful! As I believe, the entire romance genre is. A powerful tool of escape, but for so much more, too.

What inspired you to focus on your male protagonist being Sicilian?

Raffaele came to me, Sicilian, with a deep accent and strong roots. I didn’t think to ask him why he was Sicilian, he just was, and told me so. *winks*

But if I was to think about it more deeply (and I am) I love Carol Marinelli’s Sicilian heroes. So many of Carol’s books are on my keeper shelf and I have re-read them many times. So at heart, maybe I wanted my very own Sicilian on my shelf that I had given life to.

Fingers crossed, I’ve written Raffaele with a smidge of Carol’s talent. I highly recommend Carol’s books. All of them.

Do you do anything to celebrate on publication day or anything to wind down once books are completed?

Publication day (so far) has been a strange and surreal kind of day… For the release of my debut, ‘His Desert Bride by Demand,’ I bought a princess dress like the one my heroine wears on the front cover and had grand plans of walking into WHSmith, in said dress, and buying a copy of my book.

But alas, the introvert in me stayed at home in my dress, with my beautiful family, and ate cake.

Publication day can be a little overwhelming, exciting (and scary) so for this one, I’ve decided to be kind to myself and stay in my PJs! But I think the tradition will become cake. Lots of cake!

The wind down for books (or the last two in my case) has been surreal. Part of me doesn’t believe I did it. The first time, or the second… But I think that’s called imposter syndrome?

So I try to not let myself sit with those feelings for too long and push myself to settle in for the next adventure. And hopefully, the characters of my next story let themselves appear!

What do you like to read and do you have a book you’re reading right now?

Harlequin Presents! I’m a hard-core fan. Always have been, but now I can call it research for my job. (Job? *Pinches self*) I love the fantastical settings and plots, but mostly I love the raw internal conflict and the visceral journey to their happily ever after. Finding love together, but also learning to love themselves too…

But the romance genre, as a whole, is my go-to, and where I find the perfect escape. I’ve just finished reading Kennedy Ryan’s, ‘Before I let Go,’ and wow, the talent—the love story. It broke me apart and put me back together in only the ways (I think) romance can.

I’m very privileged to be currently reading an early advanced copy of Bella Mason’s new book, her second for Presents, out in May, ‘Secretly Pregnant by the Tycoon.’ And it is everything Presents fans will love! Emotional, sensual and delicious! *Bites fist*

Do you have another book you are writing?

I’m currently working on my third book for Harlequin, Mills and Boon, and although many things might change in revisions, the title won’t and it’s *just* been confirmed. *drum–roll please…*

The title of my next love story will be… THE KING SHE SHOULDN’T CRAVE. (Exclusive info for Bookmarks and Stages. Eeek!)

I adore this title! It captures the core essence of Angelo and Natalia’s royal romance. It hints at the yearning threaded throughout their story… Both characters think they know what they crave—what they want—but—oops—they’ve got it all wrong. And the last thing they thought they wanted—needed—they find together. Love for each other, but also acceptance for the people they are beneath their crowns.

Or, that’s the plan! I’m about halfway through their story and they keep surprising me!

*Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to the blog tour.