Author Spotlight - Liz Fielding

Today the Minxes are pleased and super excited to feature RITA winning Romance author, Liz Fielding.

1. Where were you in your writing career 5 years ago?

Five years? I had just written my second Rita® winning book, THE MARRIAGE MIRACLE, so I was on a bit of a career high.

2. Where did you get the idea from for this particular book?

It’s always difficult to pinpoint the moment when an idea gels in the mind. At some point I got caught up in the whole idea of a Santa’s Grotto story, with my heroine hiding out – and in my head it will always be Santa’s Secret Elf. MISTLETOE & THE LOST STILETTO is, as the shoe connection suggests, pure Cinderella!

3. Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?

Well, another Rita® would be great but I hope I’ll still be writing the kind of books that readers want to buy. And who knows, maybe I’ll have finished one of the longer books tucked up in the dustier corners of my computer’s memory.

4. Which was the last book you read that you wish you'd written?

Well, pretty much anything that Barbara O’Neal has written in the last year or two. Julie Cohen’s “Girl From Mars”, Susanna Kearsley’s “Sophia’s Secret” – not that I’ll ever write an historical.

5. Was there any particular author or book that made you want to be a writer?

Not unless you’re prepared to go back as far as Enid Blyton, Noel Streatfield and Pamela Brown. Although I think Noel and Pamela were more responsible for firing my desire to be an actress. I always loved to read and I always wanted to write. It took me a while, but I finally got there. (The acting career was strictly amateur!)

6. What's the most romantic moment of your life so far?

Oh, golly gosh. It was over forty years ago when the best beloved took me to Victoria Falls for our first date. It would seem pathetic if nothing more romantic than that had happened to me since. Takes some beating though. :)

7. What do you wish you'd known about being an author before you were pubbed?

That it’s hard work. That it doesn’t get any easier. How much fun it was being with other authors – romance novelists know how to party! I really wished I’d joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association while I was still trying to get published, for the support and help they give new writers. I wish I’d never bought that size larger skirt when sitting at the keyboard began to take its toll on my waistline and had gone on a diet instead.

8. What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

Make a scene of it. I’d underplayed a scene where jealousy flared up in my poor heroine’s heart and my editor told me to always make a scene of it. Use the feelings. Dig deep for the emotion.

9. What does the new Riva imprint mean for you?

It’s always exciting to be involved in a new venture. The Romance/Cherish series has always be filled with great writers, great stories with a very wide appeal, but that sweet/pink image tends to suggest the books your grandmother might have read. This is very far from the case, but the Riva series will present these books to the younger audience who loved Bridget Jones and the Shopaholic books.

10. Tell us about your Riva launch release.

My first RIVA book is TEMPTED BY TROUBLE. My heroine, Elle, is struggling to hold hearth and home together for her sisters and her grandmother and the last thing she needs is to be lumbered with a superannuated ice cream van. The lumberer – the very fit, Sean – is another matter altogether. She’s tempted. And he’s trouble.

11. What’s next for you?

I’m in the middle of writing a book set in Rome at the moment, somewhat hampered by the fact that my research trip was cancelled due to volcanic ash earlier in the year. I’ll just have to rely on my memory! After that, I might just write a book about Elle’s sister – the one who plans to be a millionaire by the time she’s twenty-five.

Thanks so much for being with us at such a busy time of the year, Liz! We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to blog with us. We're sure all our readers will agree that the RIVA imprint looks fabulous, the Minxes can't wait to get their hands on copies of January's releases :-)

Buy Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto here:-

Mills & Boon
Amazon UK
Amazon US