Looking for a fun read? Give this one a try!
Becky Wicks and Sarah Alderson talk about the strangest spots where inspiration struck, and how NOT to write a book, to mark the launch of their very British comedy romance, The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft (not Croft).
What inspired you to write The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft (not Croft)?
Becky: Actually meeting Sarah inspired me to write Lara – we were just talking about 50 Shades a couple of years ago and how it seemed anyone could try their hand at an erotica. Lara was originally an erotica but we kept laughing too much at all of Lara’s silliness in the end, so it came out as a comedy romance… with the focus on comedy if we’re honest.
Believe it or not, the strangest place we’ve ever gotten inspiration for a book/ series/ character/ plot point was…
Becky: CP, who is probably our wildest character in this book is real. He’s the Crown Prince in our book, sliding down watersides in Dubai, but when I lived in Dubai I actually heard about a gay royal who was banished to his own house – a mansion in the desert – and who actually had a waterside built from his bedroom window down into the pool! I always knew it would wind up in a book someday! I think Sarah could tell you something about the ‘special eggs’ in Bali too…
Sarah: I get so much inspiration every day just by asking questions of people. I also live in Ubud, Bali which attracts plenty of crazy people so all you need to do is just sit in a cafe and take notes (yes, those eggs are REAL!). There are so many characters. The section in the book set in Bali is basically based on people we’ve met here. The crazier characters in the book are all very real.
Reading for inspiration: authors I admire
Becky: I love so many authors but I guess I’m most inspired by Neil Gaiman, as not only are his books fantastic but he as an author always has such words of wisdom for readers and fellow writers. I love Anne Brashares too, just adore the way she writes. ‘My Name is Memory’ still haunts me. I really admire Colleen Hoover too, her books are great but she’s just so brilliant with her readers too. There’s how to be an inspirational author!
What not to do to write that book
Becky: Funnily enough I wrote a blog post about this called How Not To Write a Book in 30 Days, which you can find on our Honest Author site. Yeah, it’s pretty honest.
Sarah: For me it’s always been about ignoring any negative voices – whether they’re in your own head or from people around you. Just speak your truth, find your own voice, tell the story you want to tell, don’t be scared. And also don’t give up. Writing a book takes monumental amounts of effort. Keep going!
The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft (not Croft) is out now on Amazon Kindle!
by Lola Salt
(Lara Craft Saga #1)
Publication date: October 7th 2014
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance
From bestselling authors Becky Wicks (Before He Was Famous, Before He Was Gone) and Sarah Alderson (Hunting Lila, Fated, Come Back to Me) comes a new romance with a difference…
After losing her job and her boyfriend on the same day, Lara’s beginning to wonder if her life can possibly get any worse. Then along comes Jamie, a childhood friend, offering her a job delivering mysterious packages to random destinations around the world and suddenly things are looking up.
Lara packs her bags and sets off on an epic adventure, meeting billionaire Arabic Princes, rugged cowboys, a sparkling wannabe vampire, a love guru with sex on the brain and Angelina Jolie’s bodyguards along the way. But though trouble always seems to find Lara, it seems love is rather more elusive.
Pack your bags. The adventure’s about to begin!
Lol I love the sense of humor that these authors have and they make this book sound like so much fun! Great post, ladies! 🙂
They do! I’m looking forward to reading it 🙂
Thank you so much for being part of our tour!! Becky (one half of Lola Salt)
You’re welcome! It sounds like a really fun read 🙂