I remember meeting Rebecca and thinking wow! That’s the kind of author I want to be! I was merrily sipping Pimm’s, on a roof top bar in King’s Cross, having been invited to a Blogger and Author’s event by my dear author friend Anne John-Ligali, when boom! Rebecca joined in our conversation which up until her arrival had been fun, giggly, conservative. And then it became what I would call outrageously laugh-out-loud entertaining. She has a fabulous bigger-than-life presence and her charisma shines brighter than any celebrity’s diamond ring. She had me on the edge of that roof-top waiting for what she was going to recount to us next. I instantly felt like I’d known her forever! We even talked about our very fond memories of The Bull and Bush Pub and the Coffee Cup in Hampstead; eating raisin toast and mugs of hot chocolate after a night out of clubbing! So it’s not grab a cuppa today…it’s fill your crystal glass with pink champagne, glam yourself up and join me as I chat with Rebecca Chance in this very special A Cup of Conversation.
1. When did you start writing creatively?
My first big project was a historical romance when I was around fourteen or fifteen, a sort of hybrid of Barbara Cartland and Georgette Heyer, with a heroine called Calinthia who met a British agent posing as a smuggler. I wrote it in absolutely tiny handwriting in a big lined notebook, counted the words in every line, and wrote the total at the end of each one in a narrow column. I so wish I still had that notebook!
2. Which author has most influenced your own writing style?
Georgette Heyer and PG Wodehouse. I do love my long, structured sentences. A friend who’s a professor at New York University actually showed her students one of my long sentences to teach them correct punctuation – not from a saucy scene, though that would have been hilarious! I was extremely flattered to hear this.
3. Are any of the characters in your novel/s based on yourself?
The heroine of my crime series, Sam Jones (written as Lauren Henderson), is very much me, if I’d been a sculptor rather than a writer. I always said that she was me with a better metabolism.
4. What are you working on at the moment/what’s next?
I’m doing final proof-edits on the latest book, which is called BAD TWINS and is a real riot. I loved writing it. And I’m halfway through a top-secret project I really have to finish!
5. Where do you write and do you have a writing routine?
I write at home, in front of Judge Judy on the TV. I find her very calming. I get up, drink the cappuccino my husband has made and left for me before leaving for work, potter on the internet and then get to writing. I’m so used to the ready-made cappuccino now that I get really pissy when I’m travelling and have to make my own coffee!
6. What’s your favourite go-to snack when writing?
That is a great question and the first time I’ve ever been asked it! Right now it’s slices of Monterey Jack cheese.
7. Is there any aspect of the writer’s life you least enjoy and why?
I’d love to collaborate more, and do envy playwright or screenwriter friends who get to workshop their stuff as they go along.
8. Sum up your most recent novel in 6 words.
Sexy, well-plotted, glamorous, thrilling, roller coaster fun!
9. How do your real life experiences feature in your books?
I’ve lived a life that’s been very rich in all sorts of fun and excitement, and have friends from all walks of life, so when I write about aristocrats, film stars, strippers and (in the most recent book, KILLER AFFAIR) ghostwriters, you can tell that I know what I’m talking about!
10. Where do you find your story ideas?
Real-life scandals which I then build on to create a plot. My first book, DIVAS, was inspired partly by an heir to the Agnelli fortune in Italy overdosing at the flat of a transgender woman in an Italian council block. KILLER AFFAIR was based on all the D-list celebrities who pretend to write their own books and grab the credit for them – I wondered how their ghostwriters felt about that, and it took off from there!
11. Are you a planner or a pantser?
With my mystery series and my chick-lits, written as Lauren Henderson, I was a pantser. But when I started writing the Rebecca Chance novels, with their multiple heroines and huge plot twists, they needed to be carefully planned out – I write outlines for each of them which are at least ten pages long.
12. What’s on your current to-do list?
Finish the current book! Outline the next book! Write the next book! All in around seven months, God help me!
Thank you so much Rebecca for taking the time to join me and my readers. I wish you every success with your new novel Killer Affair and I’m looking forward to seeing you at an event soon! My high heels are ready and my champagne glass is poised!
Links:
Twitter: @msrebeccachance
Instagram: @msrebeccachance
Facebook author page: Rebecca Chance Books
Website: http://www.rebeccachanceauthor.com/
Amazon link to books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rebecca-Chance/e/B007VXD0QA/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Facebook: Rebecca.Chance.Author, Lauren Milne Henderson
