Author Spotlight: Juliet Madison

Today it’s the host’s turn on Author Spotlight!  Juliet Madison is the wonderful volunteer who normally puts our guests in the Spotlight.  But she is also an author with her very first book just launched into the world, so we thought this would be a perfect time to ask her a bit about her life as an author.  So, without further ado, I give you… Juliet!

Can you tell us a little about your book?

FAST FORWARD is a romantic comedy with a twist. Here’s the blurb:

Aspiring supermodel, Kelli Crawford seems destined to marry her hotshot boyfriend, but on her twenty-fifth birthday she wakes in the future as a fifty-year-old suburban housewife married to the now middle-aged high school nerd.

Trapped in the opposite life of the one she wanted, Kelli is forced to re-evaluate her life and discover what is really important to her. Will she overcome the hilarious and heartbreaking challenges presented to her and get back to the body of her younger self? Or will she be stuck in the nightmare of hot flushes, demanding children, raunchy advances from her husband and hideous support underwear forever?

What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you first started writing?

That getting outside feedback on your work is vital before submitting it to publishers. Find a critique partner, recruit a few beta readers, enter competitions, or pay for an editor to go through your manuscript and point out any mistakes or areas to be improved. Also, know your character’s goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing. Getting the groundwork in place will make it easier for the words to flow and the story to make sense.

Describe yourself in three words:

Determined. Creative. Passionate.

Complete this sentence: When I’m not writing, I’m…

editing, plotting, thinking, daydreaming, tweeting, facebooking, or chatting to my critique partner.

Do you have a favourite craft book for writers?

Not a favourite as such, I tend to take on board helpful bits and pieces from different books. The first craft book I read when I took up writing was ‘Will Write For Shoes’ by Cathy Yardley, which was a big help to me when starting out.

Can you name three essential ingredients you believe every book in your genre should have?

Humour, heart, and fast pacing.

How long does it usually take you to write the first draft of a novel?

I’m getting quicker! My first book took me twelve months part time, my second book took me nine months, and my third (Fast Forward) took me four months. I’m hoping I’ll keep reducing the time and the next will only take me a week – what do you reckon? 😉 (Good luck with that Juliet! And if you manage it, can you bottle it?)

Are you a full-time writer and if not, is that the plan?

Nope. I help my son on weekdays with his distance education high schooling which can be pretty full on. I also spend a bit of time each week on my internet business, so I work my writing around these things. I would love to write full time one day!

What are you working on now? What’s next for you?

At the time of writing this interview I’m halfway through a romantic comedy novella called I Dream of Johnny, about a woman whose wish on a magic lamp goes hilariously wrong. I’m also doing round fifty-seven-thousand of revisions on my first ever manuscript (well, it feels like it), and am a couple of chapters into my next full length romantic comedy, Haunted Housewives. When that’s all finished I’ll be working on the second book in my romantic women’s fiction ‘Tarrin’s Bay’ series, February or Forever. (So, just twiddling your thumbs, then? 😉 )

Can you give us a sneak peek from your book, maybe a brief excerpt from a favourite scene, or the first sentence?

I’ll give you both 🙂

First sentence:

I can’t help that I’m beautiful.

Excerpt (when Kelli wakes up and discovers she’s aged twenty five years overnight):

My hands cautiously touched the face that was me but wasn’t. I took a step back and then another, edging away from the nightmarish vision in the mirror. Until the cold edge of the bathtub collided with my legs. I fell backwards, knocking over some bottles. A glass vase fell to the floor with a high-pitched, splintering smash. Glass shards launched themselves up into the air like rockets, puncturing the skin on my left arm and dark red blobs of blood bulged out. “Ouch!” I winced, grasping my arm.

And then I saw something even scarier. In terror, I struggled to lift myself from the bath, flailing around naked like a fish out of water, falling back in twice—until I finally stood again at the mirror, my mouth gaping. I lowered my hands to my abdomen, lifting and prodding clumps of loose skin that felt like a bag of jelly.

What in the name of Dior happened to my flat stomach? Not only did I have a freaking jelly belly, my breasts drooped so far south they were practically residents of Antarctica!

There is no God.

…Thanks for swapping roles with me, Imelda, and having me on the Author Spotlight today!

You’re welcome Juliet! Fast Forward is a hoot!

You can connect with Juliet online at her website, blog, facebook, and twitter.

Buy FAST FORWARD via Escape Publishing.

GIVEAWAY: To go in the draw for a $25 Amazon gift card, forward your purchase receipt to fastforwardbook (at) gmail (dot) com – replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .

To go in the draw for a $50 Amazon gift card or the runner up prize of a $25 gift card, leave a comment on this post telling me what year in the future you’d like to travel to if you could. Winners drawn 1st March at the conclusion of Juliet’s blog tour.

Posted by Imelda Evans on February 4, 2013

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