Today The Blonde Plotters met up with Victoria Connelly, author of, One Last Summer.

Thanks for popping by to visit us.

Please can you tell us a bit about your One Last Summer.

One Last Summer is a story about three friends, Harrie, Audrey and Lisa, who met at university and have been the best of friends ever since. But, as we know, it’s all too easy to lose touch with people and Harrie is determined to put that right because she’s been keeping a devastating secret which she knows she must share now.

And the inspiration behind it.

– My novels usually feature a central romance, but I really wanted to write about friendship in this one, and that special bond between women. I wanted to explore how true friendships stand the test of time, and that your best friends are there for you no matter what.

– The book also explores at the theme of loss. I lost a very dear friend last year and I guess the way writers process these things is to write about them. So this truly is a story from the heart.

Can you tell us a little about your route to publication?

– It was rather unusual! My first published novel, Flights of Angels, was universally rejected by heaps of agents and tonnes of publishers. I finally got an agent who sold it to Germany in a bidding war and it was then made into a film! I’m so glad I never gave up on that book! Cut to 2011 when Amazon’s KDP made it possible for authors to independently publish. By then, I’d had quite a few novels traditionally published but still had many – including Flights of Angels – that weren’t published by the UK. So I popped them up on KDP. I am now a very happy hybrid author with over thirty titles published – fourteen traditionally published and the others indie published. It truly is the best of both worlds.

What have you learnt that you wished you’d known when you started writing?

– Well, I really wouldn’t have wanted to know how long it would take me to get published! It would have been nice to hear a little voice saying, ‘You’ll make it – just keep writing your stories.’ It would also have been good to know that writing a story that’s a little bit different is a good thing. Dare to be original. Yes, not everyone is going to like it. I’ve been told off so many times for doing what I do. But my books always find a home and a readership, even if it takes a little while.

What would be your biggest tip for a new writer?

– The main thing is to love what you do because that really shines through your writing. Read lots, write lots and never give up. Getting published and staying published can be hard but, if you have stories to tell, keep on telling them. And strive to be original – don’t follow the herd. Remember that the word ‘novel’ means new!

One Last Summer is my twentieth published novel and I feel so lucky to be doing a job I love so much.

Many thanks to Victoria for taking the time to chat to us. You can buy One Last Summer HERE.

Bio

Victoria Connelly studied English literature at Worcester University, got married in a medieval castle in the Yorkshire Dales and now lives in rural Suffolk with her artist husband, a young springer spaniel and a flock of ex-battery hens.

She is the author of two bestselling series, Austen Addicts and The Book Lovers, as well as many other novels and novellas. Her first published novel, Flights of Angels, was made into a film in 2008 by Ziegler Films in Germany. The Runaway Actress was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Comedy Novel award.

Ms Connelly loves books, films, walking, historic buildings and animals. If she isn’t at her keyboard writing, she can usually be found in her garden, with either a trowel in her hand or a hen on her lap.

Book Blurb

Harriet Greenleaf dreams of spending the summer in a beautiful ancient priory on the Somerset coast with her two best friends—but her dream is bittersweet. On the one hand, it’s a chance to reconnect three lives that have drifted apart; on the other, she has a devastating secret to share that will change everything between them forever.

First to arrive is Audrey—the workaholic who’s heading for a heart attack unless she slows down and makes time for herself. Then Lisa, the happy-go-lucky flirt who’s always struggled to commit to anyone—or anything. Ever the optimist, can Harriet remind them of the joy in their lives and the importance of celebrating good friendship before it’s gone?

Through the highs and lows of a long, glorious summer, these three women will rediscover what it means to be there for each other—before they face the hardest of goodbyes.

5th February 2019 – Lake Union

Links

Website: www.victoriaconnelly.com – sign up to Victoria’s newsletter to keep in touch and receive a free ebook.

Facebook: Victoria Connelly Readers

Twitter: @VictoriaDarcy

Instagram: @VictoriaConnellyAuthor