We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.

An exclusive Q&A with Anita Faulkner, author of A Colourful Country Escape

Related Categories: Interview
Related Tags: , ,

We sat down with author Anita Faulkner to find out more about being a writer and the inspiration behind her debut novel A Colourful Country Escape . . .


What inspires you to sit down and write?

I try not to wait until inspiration comes … otherwise I’d never get my bum on that seat!

I’m the sort of oddbod who likes to get up at 5am to write. (I know, I know. But it’s the ultimate time for peace and quiet with a 4-year-old in the house – trust me!) And it’s actually a golden time for creativity to flow – probably because I’m still half-dreaming. Sometimes that’s when the best magic happens.

If I’m struggling for motivation later in the day, I bribe myself with chocolate HobNobs (other biscuits are available!) I then light a candle (because surely that will shed some light on something or other?), settle in with strong black coffee (extra brown sugar) … and tell myself to just get on with it! Some days it takes a lot of discipline to be your own boss.


What appeals most to you about the countryside as a setting for your books?

I loved the idea of setting my books in the Cotswolds, as that’s where I’m from. There are so many gorgeous towns and postcard-perfect villages, with countless quirks (anyone for duck racing?!) and heaps of history. It really is a hive of inspiration.

Also, as a reader, I love to escape to somewhere where I feel I have the space to breathe, with stunning scenery and where nature can be part of the show.

In A Colourful Country Escape Lexie finds herself on a sprawling country estate (like a mini Downton Abbey). I had lots of fun playing with her backdrop, from the vibrant beauty of Tom’s secret garden to the iridescent army of peacocks that she finds more than a little scary!

There’s a whole lot of colour and fun in the country.


Where do you write?

I bounce from place to place, depending on my mood!

I have an upcycled writer’s bureau that I absolutely love. From there I can look out onto the garden and daydream. It also has cute little drawers for pretty paperclips and coloured post-its. My eight-year-old self is in stationery heaven.

The kitchen table is another great place – although dangerously too close to all those snacks! Plus, there’s always the risk that I wander off and start washing up. Even dirty dishes become suddenly fascinating when you’ve got work you should be getting on with. (Just me?!)

So, if I need to crack on without gawping at the birds or eating biscuits, I use my desk upstairs. (Full disclosure – there’s always chocolate in my desk drawer. But writers need sugar!)

 

What is/are your favourite book(s) to read again and again?

Am I allowed to admit that I’ve never read a book more than once? (Other than in my school days when there were essays to be written!)

I feel like there’s a whole ocean of fantastic books, and even if I lived multiple lifetimes, I would never get through them. (The stacks in my house and on my Kindle are huge enough. Send help!) So, if I read something more than once I’d risk missing out on a whole new adventure.

It’s especially tricky when you have so many talented author friends, as you want to read ALL of their brilliant books and shake your pompoms for them. (But that’s a wonderful problem to have!)

I do have favourite authors who I adore returning to. Those writers who feel as cosy as your best slippers and who you absolutely know will always entertain you. I’m a huge fan of Lindsey Kelk, Marian Keyes, Jaimie Admans, Katie Ginger, Abi Yardimci, Leonie Mack … and so many more!


What do you enjoy about writing romance?

Writing romance is such a joy. (In fact, even when I’m reading another genre, I get fidgety if someone’s not falling in love along the way.)

My books always contain a storyline outside of the romantic bit. My heroines are fighting for something – in life or work – that will challenge them and shape their growth. But I absolutely love weaving in the love story too. As my characters blossom as people and push through their struggles they become ready to accept love – because they can finally accept themselves.

The love/hate relationship between Lexie and Ben in A Colourful Country Escape was so much fun to write. They started out as such opposites, which lent itself to heaps of cheeky banter and some beautiful moments of romantic tension. (I especially loved the scene on the kissing seat! Their escapes to London and the souks of Marrakech hold special places in my heart too.)

It was such a delight to help Lexie and Ben move through their journeys until they realised that sometimes, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, opposites just fit. Helping two lost souls find each other and fall in love really is the greatest reward.