Welcome, Alice Ross!!
1. For those who might not be familiar with you, would you be a dear and tell the readers a little about yourself? How did you get your start in the writing business?
(Alice) Unlike the majority of authors, I’d never had a burning desire to write a book. I used to work in the financial services industry, writing all kinds of scintillating (?) material about pensions and the like. Fortunately, one day when nobody was looking, I managed to escape, and to make sure they didn’t drag me back, I moved to Spain. We looked after a holiday rental property there and people kept leaving all kinds of books which I subsequently read. Then it occurred to me one day that perhaps I could write a book too. So I did. I locked myself away for about six weeks and rattled off a 100,000 word Regency romance novel. Not having a clue what I was doing, you had to pick me up off the floor when the first publisher I sent it to, replied saying they’d like to publish it in hardback. That was nine years ago and I’ve since re-edited the book, removing (ah-hem) about twenty-thousand adverbs. (But don’t tell anybody!)
2. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, please share how you handle it.
(Alice) In the early days I used to try and push myself through it, which was completely unproductive, made me very frustrated, and occasionally reduced me to tears (I KNOW!). Now I’m much more relaxed about it and while I try and write every day, I accept that some days will be more productive than others. I’ve also realized with experience that I’m much better writing first thing in the morning, and that if I try to do anything of a creative nature after lunch, I’m wasting my time. So I just have a snooze instead J
3. Contrary to what some people envision about a romance writer’s life, it’s not all glitz and glam. Well not for the majority of us. With that bubble sadly busted, when you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?
(Alice) It’s FAR from glitz and glamour. It’s a very lonely and isolating profession, which is why I try to balance it by working in the “real world” for two days a week. My job in the tourism industry basically involves chatting all day (tough work but someone has to do it), but it
provides a healthy contrast from writing. I’m also a complete exercise junkie so I work out for at least an hour a day. I also play the violin in an amateur orchestra – badly! But I try and practice regularly as – for some unfathomable reason – I have a burning desire to be good at it.
4. I know many writers, such as myself, keep their pastime/career a secret. Do those close to you know you write? If so, what are their thoughts?
(Alice) I’ve had eight books published now and, apart from the first one, I haven’t really told many people about the others. People are usually surprised – and, I have a say, a tad impressed – when you do tell them. This year, though, I’ve decided to raise my profile by launching myself
into the world of social media. It’s been a complete revelation! But the really good thing is that I’m now in touch with other authors which makes me feel part of something and is making the whole writing experience so much more enjoyable.
5. Will you share with us your all-time favorite authors? If you’re like me, it’s a long list so give us your top ten.
(Alice) I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I don’t actually read a lot of fiction. As a child I devoured all of Enid Blyton’s books – over and over again. And then progressed into the world of Catherine Cookson. But I then developed a passion for history and now love nothing more than getting stuck into a good book about some dead monarch, or some fifth-cousin-thrice-removed of some dead monarch. I love David Starkey’s books and keep The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England by Antonia Fraser my bed at all time so I can dip in for a quick fix when required. (But don’t tell anyone that either.)
6. If you could choose one book to go to the big screen, yours or otherwise, which book would you choose and whom would you love to see cast in the parts?
(Alice) I’d love to see A Summer of Secrets on the screen. It’s my favourite of all my books so
far. I can just see Tom Hiddleston as Rich, Caroline Quentin as Jenny, and Maggie Smith as Phyllis.
Book 2 in the Countryside Dreams series
One long hot summer. Secrets never stay buried for long…
Portia is determined to restore Buttersley Manor, her family’s crumbling ancestral home, to its former glory. Yet she has a feeling that there are a few forgotten skeletons in the dust-covered cupboards.
Jenny has put her life on hold for far too long. It’s time to finally start living and to dig up those hopes and dreams she’s kept hidden all these years – but is she brave enough?
Rich is happily married with a beautiful wife and lovely daughter. In fact, his world is perfect until a very unexpected consequence of his past walks through the door…
Joe would like nothing more than to travel back in time to when he and Gina were happy. But is it too late to rescue what they once had?
One thing’s for sure, nothing’s ever quite what it seems when it comes to life in the country!
A perfect, feel-good summer read about love, life and family.
7. Would you care to tell us what you’re working on now? That is if it’s not top-secret information. If so, just whisper it in my ear. I swear it’ll go no further.
(Alice) Carina launched my Countryside Dreams series in April – Book One – An Autumn Affair, and Book Two – A Summer of Secrets – have already been published, so I’m now working on Book Three. It’s set in the run-up to Christmas, which is something new for me as all of my other books have a summery feel to them.
Book 1 in the Countryside Dreams series
Autumn is coming. Anything could happen…
Julia is contemplating an affair with ex-boyfriend Max after a chance meeting in the cereal aisle of the supermarket…and finding that he’s just as gorgeous as ever.
Miranda has got it all: expensive clothes, a huge house and her enormously wealthy husband, Doug. So why does she feel as if something is missing?
Faye is fed up of being treated like a child – she’s a teenager, and knows what she wants! She’s determined to escape her sleepy life at Primrose Cottage…
Three women, each with two options, needing to make one choice. When it comes to affairs of the heart, nothing is ever simple!
A perfect, feel-good read about love, life and family.
Please note this book was previously published as A Country Affair in April 2015.
8. Where can we find your stories, and is there a particular reading order?
(Alice) Forty Things To Do Before You’re Forty is an introduction to the village of Buttersley, where my Countryside Dreams series is set. An Autumn Affair is the first book in the series, and A Summer of Secrets the second. The books can easily be read independently of each other though.
The truth is that Annie Richards is just too busy to fall in love!
Running a successful cake-making business, acting as caretaker to grand country house, Buttersley, and not to mention single-handedly raising her five-year-old daughter is more than enough to keep Annie’s (flour-dusted) hands full! So can someone please remind her why she agreed to train for a marathon as a ‘40 things to do before you’re 40’ pact with her same so-called best friend?!
With every hour of day already taken up, the arrival of crime writer Jake O’Donnell at Buttersley shouldn’t really have any impact on Annie’s day-to-day life at all. There’s definitely no time in her carefully scheduled day for daydreaming about drop-dead gorgeous authors. Is there?
But between whipping up batches of her signature limoncello cupcakes, Annie realises that Jake, and his twinkling dark eyes, can’t just be ticked off her mental to-do list as easily as she though. Especially when it seems that no. 40 on her list could be creating a truly decadent wedding cake – for her very own wedding…
9. Would you please share how your present and future fans can contact you?
(Alice) Via Twitter Aliceross22, or my website alicerossauthor.co.uk
Closing remarks
Fellow bookworms, I hope you enjoyed my interview with ALICE ROSS because I had a grand time learning more about her and her creations.
Speaking of which, we hope the book covers and blurbs enticed you to check out one or all the books discussed above. Oh, be sure to leave her a review on Amazon. It’s how readers show their appreciation to an author, understanding the hard work and time spent to create their masterpieces.
On a final note, if you have any questions
or comments for ALICE please leave her a message below.
Thank you in advance for your visit!
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Like her heroine, Lida Sideris worked as an entertainment attorney for a film studio. Unlike her heroine, she was not blackmailed into investigating the suspicious death of a co-worker. Lida resides in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, their rescue shepherds, and a flock of uppity chickens. She was the recipient of the Helen McCloy/Mystery Writers of America scholarship for her first novel, Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters. To learn more, please visit www.LidaSideris.com.
