Today I am excited to share a little Q&A with author T.A. Williams. He recently published a novel called What Happens in Cornwall… that I absolutely loved. Did you miss the excerpt I shared last week? Check it out here and come back Thursday to read my review. Scroll on to find out a bit more about the man behind the book and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
Author Interview with T.A. Williams
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
1. Would you like to start by introducing yourself?
Hi. My name’s Trevor Williams and I’m a man. Please don’t let that put you off. Under the androgynous name T A Williams I write books for women (although a good number of men are reading my stuff these days, too). I’m a 66 year old pensioner. I live in a little village in the south west of England with my wife of 40 years next month.
2. Can you give us a brief overview of your latest novel and the inspiration behind it?
My newest novel is “What Happens in Cornwall…”. It’s the story of Sam(antha). She’s an archaeologist and she’s stuck in a toxic relationship. When her team of archaeologists is invited to dig on a beautiful little island just off the Cornish coast, she meets and becomes friends with the island’s mysterious owner. She also finds herself caught between two handsome university professors; one whose attentions she would like and one she definitely wouldn’t. It’s a bit funny, a bit sad, a bit romantic and it’s set in a beautiful part of old England.
The inspiration for my books is always difficult to identify. With the modern day cult of celebrity, I find myself attracted to the notion that money doesn’t buy happiness and not all rich people are happy and I wanted to explore that. I love Cornwall and there are a couple of islands off the south Cornish coast that inspired me to invent this one; Rock Island.
3. What other novels have you published and what are you working on at the moment?
I’ve had four romcoms published by Carina.UK up till now. My last two have been the most successful. “When Alice Met Danny” tells the story of Alice. She loses her high-powered big city job and starts a new life in a little Devonshire village. There it feels like everybody she meets is called Danny. She falls in love with at least two of them, one of whom has four legs and a tail. “What Happens in Tuscany…” was the first of what is going to be a series of “What Happens in…” books. Here we find Victoria, a 25 year old girl who has been kept locked away from the real world by her crazy father. When he dies, she employs Katie to help her into the 21st century. Imagine life without a TV, mobile phone or computer. She is on a steep learning curve. They travel to a wonderful villa in the hills outside Florence and both of them soon find romance.
4. What’s your favorite quality about your heroine?
My heroines are always gutsy and resilient. My girls may cry, may feel grief or heartbreak, but they don’t cave in.
5. What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
I’ve been writing for almost 50 years and it’s only in the last couple of years that I finally found a publisher. My favorite thing is to know that other people (not just my long-suffering wife and daughter) are reading and enjoying my stuff.
6. Did you always want to be a writer and what would you be doing if you weren’t an author?
Yes, I always wanted to write. Ironically, way back in 1976(!) I got the closest to being published by Collins (before the days of Harper Collins), but the “precarious economic situation in the country” stopped them from going ahead. So what’s new?
My day job was Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I lived and worked in Italy for 8 years and then came back to the UK and worked in a big English language school back here.
7. Do you have any tips for emerging authors?
One tip only: Don’t give up. When you get a rejection from a publisher or agent, remember how many times JK Rowling got turned down. It doesn’t mean you are a bad writer. Keep going. Sooner or later it’ll happen. It finally happened for me, even if I had to wait 40 years!
8. Either or…
Dogs or cats? Dogs
Red wine or white? White
Coffee or tea? Always tea
Summer or Winter? Definitely summer
Sleep in or get up early? Up early
Apple or PC? PC
What Happens in Cornwall by T.A. Williams
Published: July 20, 2015
Publisher: Carina UK
Genre: Chick-Lit
For a very British summer holiday…
When archaeologist Sam realises her relationship is as dead as the skeletons she’s exhuming, she knows it’s time to make a change. But with bills to pay her options are limited…until a discovery on Rock Island in Cornwall gives her a reason to escape…
Head to the Cornish coast!
In Cornwall, questions are thrown up at every turn: who is the glamorous owner of Rock Island that the paparazzi are so interested in? How has the irresistible, but impossibly arrogant, history professor James Courtney managed to get so far under Sam’s skin? And will it ever stop raining so Sam can lose the cagoule and sip a cool drink in the sun? One thing’s for sure: there’s never been a holiday quite like this one!
Enjoy a summer of surprises and romance with What Happens in Cornwall…, the perfect retreat for fans of Fern Britton.
Book Links: Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Enter the giveaway here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
[…] for the past week: What Happens in Cornwall… by T. A. Williams! If you missed the excerpt or interview, don’t forget to check those out, enter the giveaway, and then go get yourself a copy of his […]