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| Carmen Reid |
 Like Wendy Holden, India Knight and Allison Pearson, Carmen Reid is another professional journalist turned novelist. She was born in Scotland but moved to London to go to university and has lived and worked in London for ten years. She is married with a son and a baby daughter. She is keen on yoga, politics, modern motherhood and organic food. Three in a Bed is her first novel. Carmen's Book: Three in A Bed  Bella Browning is a successful career woman who wants a baby but doesn't seem totally committed to the idea of being faithful. We watch her almost throw everything away for the sake of a quick fling, wrestle with new motherhood and chart her progression from woman who seemingly has it all, to woman who can't get it together to brush her hair in the morning. A must-read for anyone with children - or contemplating them!Readers' Comments: Bella is another one of those chicklit characters you don't wholly like and it's quite satisfying seeing her take a much needed fall. Still, she becomes like one of those friends that always have some titillating gossip - even though you don't always approve. 8/10  click here to buy Three in a Bed  Did the Earth Move?Eve is a cool mum to four kids. She shops at Top Shop, dies her hair pink and has boyfriends. The problem is her daughter wants her dad back - and maybe Eve does too. Readers' Comments: Eve is wonderful - very warm and lovely, and her family are colourful characters that make the book jog along. This is really enjoyable, very romantic, and, dare I say it, quiet sexy! 9/10 click here to buy Did the Earth Move?Chicklit talks to Carmen Reid So, where do you get your ideas? The ideas seem to spring from the place where reality takes off into fantasy. I try to write about characters who aren't so different from me or my friends but in situations which are (mainly!) invented. I spend a lot of time watching people in all kinds of different places and trying to guess what their story is or what it could be. Three In A Bed was, of course, inspired by my transition from busy newspaper reporter to stay at home mummy. How did you go about finding an agent/publisher? Right at the start, when I had three chapters and a synopsis I sent it off to several people who had been recommended by friends of friends. Darley Anderson was the first person to respond (within days) and in fact the only agent who liked the idea. His encouragement helped me to make the decision to take more time off work and write my first book. I'm not sure if I would have had the faith to do this on my own. Do you have a writing routine? Routine, ha! I laugh in the face of routine. I have a four year old, a new baby, a husband who works from home - all in need of constant attention! So I write whenever I get a chance, on the back of envelopes making supper, in front of Bob The Builder, hiding in the bathroom. When I'm really going for it, I write every day and let everything else go to pot. Then I have a few weeks off to re-think and try and come back to the work with fresh perspective. Three In A Bed was done in fits and starts over almost two years. But I'll never forget the feeling of achievement when I finished the first draft. My agent took me out to lunch to celebrate then (to my horror!) told me all the things I would have to go away and re-work. Any advice on going for the long haul and completing a novel when it feels like it's never going to end? I remember coming across the advice somewhere that the difference between meaning to write a book and actually writing one is 'bum on seat time'. If you are going to write a novel, you will have to spend A LOT of time with your bum on the seat writing, writing, writing some more... re-writing... Bags of toffees seem to help. But when things aren't working too well, I'm all in favour of constructive time off when I write other things: diaries, holiday journals, dreams, fantasy shopping lists. I also hang out in funky music shops listening to things I haven't heard before, sit on the underground watching people...anything to inspire some new thoughts. Every time I go on one of my 'writing recces' I come up with something interesting. Support from the nearest and dearest is invaluable. About two chapters from the end of my first book, I told my husband, that was it, I'd had enough, I was NEVER going to finish. I remember him just laughing at me and telling me people give up writing books at chapter two, not at chapter thirty. Who are your favourite authors? I love almost everything by John Irving, I'm a big Hemingway fan. Emma by Jane Austen - the original chick lit - makes me laugh out loud... as did India Knight's My Life on A Plate. The Shipping News by E Annie Proulx would be on my all time top ten as would the Winnie The Pooh books which I love reading to my son. I will confess to currently reading Beyond Toddlerdom by Dr Christopher Green to myself and everything by Lauren Child out loud. Any other advice - or warnings?! Don't get too hung up on your first book or your first attempt. For a few months it looked as if despite all my hard work, Three In A Bed was not going to find a publisher and my agent's very good advice was to stop worrying about it and get on with the next one. He stressed the importance of finding a good publisher, not of publishing that first book at all costs. You're attached to your first book in a way which is completely understandable but if it doesn't sell and you want to be a published writer, you have to let go, fire up the computer and move on. Reviews Recently we have been reviewing and changing our review process. It is now our policy to offer a review package of: * Independent review of book * Book cover * Author interview or biography * Photo of author * Links through to author's site and/or publisher's site. 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| Posted: 31/03/2005 23:16:57 Last Updated: 11/07/2008 16:48:58 |
Chick Lit > Chick Lit Authors :: Carmen Reid