FUNKY FRIDAY - with author Nicky Wells

Here we are again!  Another lovely weekend and another lovely chicklit writer for me to chat to.  Please put your hands together for Nicky Wells ...

So Nicky, as a writer of affairs of the heart, what do you do to motivate yourself on a day you're just not ‘feeling’ it?

Great question. That doesn't happen very often, but there's nothing that a nice cappuccino and a lovely chunk of chocolate wouldn't cure. Once I'm sufficiently sugared-up, I re-read a few chapters of my current WiP and launch myself straight in.

If you weren't a writer, what would your dream job be?

Well. My dream job would be to be the front woman in a high-profile rock band! As I'm not the world's most confident singer (I'd never make it through an X-factor audition, that's for sure), I'll set my sights to something more realistic, and my dream job would have to be ... a lighthouse keeper.

OK!  A lighthouse keeper?!  I'll save that for another blog!  What are the best and worst things about writing for you?

The best thing about writing is getting that 'zzzzzingy' feeling when you know you're onto a good thing, the plot flows well, the characters come alive, and you get so embroiled in your work that you forget the time of day. Oh, and let's not forget the absolute chart topper: hearing from readers who enjoyed my book. Recently a reviewer told me that she got so carried away by my novel that she had to hide in the photocopy room at work to finish it. That made my day!

The most difficult thing about writing is letting go. That's letting go at a micro level (leaving the manuscript to collect the children from school, for example; this can be particularly tricky on the heels of a hot sex scene!), but also a macro level , when you've proofed and edited and proofed again, and it's finally time to say 'goodbye' to your work and send it to the printer. SCARY moment!

SO scary! OK, you're asked to become the new face of Loose Women - do you accept?

Heck, yes. I'm a writer. I'll give anything a go. Well, almost anything.

It's your dream week as a writer - anything is possible!  Tell us about it.

Really? Anything? Okay, here goes:

Monday: I finish off a manuscript and send it to the publisher for review. I get a call back within THREE hours informing me that this is, without the shadow of a doubt, the best thing I've ever written.

Tuesday: I take a day off to go to the seaside for a bit of chillaxation. When I come back, there's an email in my inbox from Graham Norton inviting me onto his show in two weeks' time. That's in addition to several dozen emails from happy readers! (Evidently, the answer to Graham is 'Yes!')

Wednesday: I start work on my new manuscript and manage to squeeze out 10,000 words before it's time to collect the kids from school.

Thursday: I get a phone call informing me that I've won "Best Romantic Novel of the Decade, Ever", and could I please attend a reception in London next month to collect my award and prize cheque. I'm so psyched that I write another 10,000 words of my manuscript.

Friday: My publicist rings me to tell that he's heard from Universal studios and that the deal for turning the Rock Star Romance Trilogy into a movie is finally in the bag. I try to keep it real by re-reading my week's work, then adding another 5,000 words (What, only 5,000 words, you ask? Well, c'mon, half the morning was consumed by dancing around the house like a mad woman and having a little pre-lunch bubbly with my OH, who rushed back from work at hearing the Film News!).

There. Now wouldn't that be a cool week?

Cool?!  Awesome!  And so similar to my dreams!  So, if you were offered a squillion pounds to never write again, would you take it?

No. That would be like asking me to give up my kids and family, or cutting off my right arm.

QUICK FIRE ROUND

Planner or Winger?

Planner (OCD planner, actually)

Night or Morning?

Both. Morning, because the kids are at school. Night, because I'm a chronic insomniac.

Doer or procrastinator?

Doer.

Writing/first draft or editing?

Writing. Although I guess that 'editing' is where it's really happening. Hmm .... *scratches head*. Nah, writing. Feverish, frenzied, ecstatic writing.

Tea or coffee?

Both. Tea in the morning, coffee in the afternoon.

You can find Nicky's books on Amazon UK or .com for Kindle/paperback and also in paperback at Barnes & Noble.

Or find out more about her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Thank you so much for joining me, Nicky - and let's hope we get our 'dream week' one day!