RM: Hello,
My Name is Dhivya
Balaji and I am a book blogger and reviewer with Readers Muse. I am
participating in the tour organised by iRead book tours and am reviewing your
book ‘Lola’s Money’. Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions that I
have for you.
Hello, Dhivya.
I’m
really pleased that you enjoyed reading ‘Lola’s Money’. That’s the main thing
every author wants to hear from readers. I hope the following answers to your
questions are the kind of replies you’re looking for.
RM
Note: Special thanks to the author for patiently answering the questions. I
enjoyed reading these as much as reading the book!
Q. Usually people think winning the lottery is
the ultimate luck. What prompted you to write a story that mentions the
difficulties faced once the lottery is won? Is this based on some real events?
A. I had been sitting at my desk finishing my previous novel (April’s
Man) and wondering if I would soon get an idea for another one. Before I closed
my laptop for the night, I decided to check my Lottery ticket. That made me
think about what it would be like to win the jackpot and the changes it would
bring. The idea of starting a new story began to merge with thoughts of what it
would be like to win a great deal of money – and ‘Lola’s Money’ was conceived.
I have no personal experience of substantial monetary wins, unfortunately! I
simply projected my thoughts into the practical changes a big win would bring and
the attitudes other people would be likely to display, given the basic
instincts inherent in human nature.
Q. What do you think is the most exciting part
of actually winning a lottery?
A. All of a sudden you would have a great deal of freedom,
including freedom from financial worries, and you would have the power to do
anything you wanted to do, including helping others. It’s a ‘wish fulfilment’
dream come true. You would feel that Fate or Lady Luck had smiled on you, and
that would be very pleasant and exciting in itself. If it happened to me, I
think it would instantly make me feel enriched and empowered in every way. No
other financial event could touch every corner of your life quite so
overwhelmingly.
Q. Have you ever been on a cruise? If so,
could you share any memorable anecdotes? (I really wanted to go on a cruise
after reading this book!)
A. My husband and I went on a Mediterranean cruise a few years ago
to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary. We both enjoyed it very much. The
friendliness and attentiveness of the Filipino staff (which I mention in the
book) was something that stayed with us long after the cruise. When they served
a course at the evening meal, they would always say, “Enjoy your soup!” or
Enjoy your meal! ”. Alex and I still say that to each other now and again, when
sitting down to a meal or when being served in a restaurant. Also, as soon as
someone leaves their cabin on a cruise ship, the staff re-make the bed and tidy
anything else that needs tidied. We used to joke that, on coming out of the
ensuite bathroom, you almost expected to find the bed re-made!
Q. Which character is your favourite among all
those you have created?
A. My favourite character in ‘Lola’s Money’ is Betty French,
Lola’s mother. She is an honest, no-nonsense sort of person who puts herself
out for her daughter without being pushy or interfering. She talks to her as an
equal and tries to give her good advice when she feels it’s needed. I don’t
have a daughter myself – I have three lovely sons – but I hope I have achieved
the kind of good parenting balance that Betty achieved with Lola. In fact, I
think Betty is my favourite character out of all those I have created,
including those in my four previous novels.
Q. The title for the book is so direct that we
could immediately understand what it was about. Was this intentional? Is there
any specific reason behind choosing this title (and subsequently any
significance behind the cover page?)
A. I had a bad experience with my first novel, which I originally called
‘Living a Lie’. I presumed titles came under copyright laws, as they always
used to do, and that if my publisher accepted it, then no one had already used
it. But when I went online to view my book after publication I was dismayed to
discover that I had used the same title as one of Josephine Cox’s novels! Since
then, I keep my titles very specific. I wanted to use a picture of a cruise
ship sailing across open seas for the front cover of ‘Lola’s Money’, but liners
are all individually named and belong to shipping companies, so I would have
had to get permission from the company and also make sure that that particular
ship cruises the areas covered in my book. I didn’t want to do that, so I
browsed CreateSpace’s picture gallery and saw the champagne bottle picture. It
fitted the bill perfectly. In conjunction with the title, it conveys the book’s
theme very effectively.
Q. Do you have any literary inspiration? (A
particular author whose works interest and influence you?)
A. I was first inspired to become a writer after reading Charlotte
Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’. I liked everything about the book: the direct writing
style, the characters and the story itself. I felt that the things Jane was
passionate about were a reflection of what Charlotte herself was passionate
about. It all came from the heart. In my teens, I read Evelyn Anthony’s books
and enjoyed them very much, despite not being a politically-minded person
myself. There was so much awareness of the human condition in them and also strong
psychological profiles of wrongdoers and their motivations. My most recent
enjoyment within my own genre of romantic fiction has been reading several of the
novels of Nora Roberts, whom I admire very much.
Q. Could we expect any more books
from you?
A. I am currently writing my sixth book. It’s entitled ‘Hazel’s
Home’. It’s about a young Scottish woman who works for a large, international
advertising agency. When Blake Hennessey, the boss (and owner) of the company, requests
that she travel to New York to work on a project for an important new client,
she flies off to Manhattan. As soon as Blake and Hazel meet, they fall for each
other. Their relationship seems doomed, however, when they have a major
argument that causes them to separate. Hazel has a great deal to learn – and to
suffer – before she finally finds her true home. I am only about halfway
through the first draft, so I don’t expect to complete the new book until well
into next year.
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