Sunday 11 January 2015

Inspiration: Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

Why Do Fools Fall in Love wasn't the first book I wrote, that was A Girl's Best Friend. Nor was it the first one to be published, that was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, but it's the one which has sold the most copies - something over 40,000. Sometimes I try to work out why it has been so popular - but that's probably the Virgo in me, I'm always trying to analyse things!

I had great fun writing the story! At the time I was unpublished and, as an unpublished writer, you have the luxury of being able to write whatever you like without worrying about sales or marketing or hooking into the Next Big Thing.


I was living in Bath and, at the time, it seemed there was a never-ending stream of production companies filming costume dramas. This was the tail end of the 90s and you couldn't even switch on the TV without seeing another Jane Austen adaptation. So when my agent at the time asked me to come up with a book idea over a weekend, I decided I would write a romantic comedy set in Bath about the making of a movie. Being me, I had to have a subplot about a stalker and, also being me, I decided the idea of the female movie star and the hunky male bodyguard was way too predictable and boring. So I switched the sexes around. In Why Do Fools Fall in Love, it's the heroine who is the bodyguard.


Even now I can remember wandering around Bath with a camera and notebook, taking photos and writing down all my ideas. I was even able to watch the filming of A Respectable Trade - a BBC adaptation of the Philippa Gregory bestseller.

Of course as every writer knows, getting the book published was a different matter! There were times when the title came back to haunt me: Why do fools write books! But in the end only two publishers turned it down before it was picked up. I still have a soft spot for this book; It's the only one I've ever considered writing a sequel to!

So I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!






Why Do Fools Fall in Love?

She was supposed to keep him out of trouble...

When Shelby Roberts is forced to resign from the police, the only work she can get is as a ‘minder’ to movie star Luke McFadden. Still, spending three weeks on location in the historic city of Bath doesn’t sound too bad.

After all, how much trouble can one actor get into?

To read an extract, click here

Why Do Fools Fall in Love: Behind the Scenes


Related Posts:

The Story Behind the Book: Why Do Fools Fall in Love: (Novelistas Ink)

Why Do Fools Fall in Love on Pinterest

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