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Sunday, 4 April 2021

๐Ÿด Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo ~ Helen Buckley



On this quiet Sunday morning why don't you put the kettle on, make your favourite breakfast and settle down for Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo









๐ŸดI am so pleased to welcome Helen Buckley to Sunday Brunch






๐Ÿด Good morning, Helen. What favourite food are you bringing to Sunday brunch?

Warm croissants with real butter and jam, plus scrambled eggs and crisp smoky bacon.

 

๐Ÿด Would you like a pot of English breakfast tea, a strong Americano, or a glass of Bucks Fizz?

A pot of tea with bottomless refills please!

 

๐Ÿด Where shall we eat brunch – around the kitchen table, in the formal dining room, or outside on the patio?

Around the kitchen table, in the warm, where the insects can’t get to us and the kettle is close at hand

 

๐Ÿด Shall we have music playing in the background?  And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you happy?

I love having music playing while I eat. I force my boys to listen to classical music in a vain attempt to calm them down, so let’s have some Bach in the background.

 

๐Ÿด Which of your literary heroes (dead or alive) are joining us for Sunday Brunch today?

I’ve invited Catherine Cookson and I hope I can absorb some of her story-telling brilliance!

 

๐Ÿด Which favourite book will you bring to Sunday Brunch?

Let’s talk about Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch. We can pore over the sumptuous writing and delight in the magnificent descriptions.

 

Little Brown
2013

๐ŸดWhen you are writing do you still find time to read for pleasure? And is there a book you would like to read but haven’t had time for …yet!

I try to read whenever I can, as it can only help me improve as a writer. There are so many books on my TBR list and I fear I’ll never read them all!

 

๐Ÿด What’s the oldest book on your book shelf?

Selected poems by Rudyard Kipling, printed in 1931


๐Ÿด Where do you find the inspiration for your novels?

Popular culture, my own life, random ideas when I’m washing my hair, flashes of inspiration in the dark of night when I’m feeding the baby.


๐Ÿด Have you a favourite place to settle down to write and do you find it easier to write in winter or summer?

I write where and when I can as I have two small children. I even write sitting on the floor in the pitch black to avoid waking the baby! I prefer summer, the lighter mornings make it easier to get up early and squeeze in some extra writing time.


๐Ÿด When writing to a deadline are you easily distracted and if so how do you bring back focus on your writing?

I work well when there’s a deadline. I’ll leave the housework, forget to eat, and focus on the task at hand.


๐Ÿด Give us four essential items that a writer absolutely needs?   


Tea or other caffeinated beverage

Under eye concealer to cover up those dark circles when your writing is causing you to lose sleep

Copious pretty notebooks which are full of unintelligible scribbles but at least look nice on Instagram

A laptop that doesn’t spend every waking moment updating

 

๐Ÿด What can you tell us about your latest novel or your current work in progress?

Strictly on Ice is a Dancing on Ice inspired story with lots of drama and a slow burn romance. It’s about sporting stars and second chances, and is published by ChocLit.


Choc Lit
9 March 2021


When falling in love comes with the risk of falling flat on your face ...

Former Olympic skating champion Katie Saunders is well known for her ‘ice queen’ persona in the press. On the face of it, perhaps Katie should have forgiven her former skating partner and ex-boyfriend, Alex Michaelson, for the accident that shattered both her ankle and their Olympic dreams – but she just can’t seem to let it go.

When Katie reluctantly agrees to take part in a new TV skating show, it’s only because she’s desperate for cash. What she didn’t count on is the drama – not only is she partnered up with infamous love rat rugby player Jamie Welsh, but one of the judges is none other than Alex Michaelson himself.

As the show progresses, will Katie be shown the hard way, once again, that romance on the ice should remain strictly off-limits?


Helen, where can we follow you on social media?


        Twitter @HelenCBuckley

 Facebook 

Instagram

 Website 


More about Helen

Helen Buckley lives in Bedfordshire with her husband and two sons. After working in the charity sector in the UK and abroad, she turned her hand to writing and her first novel, Star in the Shadows, was published in 2019.

She writes any moment that she can, enthralled by stories of fame, romance, and happy ever afters. Apart from being addicted to writing and enjoying soft play with her sons, she’s an avid reader, action-movie fan, and chocolate addict.

 

 ๐ŸดHelen, thank you for taking part in Sunday Brunch with Jaffareadstoo๐Ÿด



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