I’m delighted to be featuring an interview with Rosa Temple today whose latest novel Natalie’s Getting Married is available to buy on Amazon US and Amazon UK. If you’re quick and head over to Rosa’s blog you have until 25th March 2016 to enter to win a copy of Natalie’s Getting Married.

An Interview With Rosa Temple

Hello Rosa. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing.

Firstly, please could you tell readers a little about yourself?

I’m a Londoner from a big, loud family. I could never get a word in, which is probably why I like to sit quietly and write. I’m married to a musician and I have two sons. I’m a ghost writer of romance novellas and the occasional magazine article (again in a ghost writing capacity, so I have no published articles to my name). I’m a lover of music who secretly puts on the player and does unchoreographed dance routines in front of the mirror when I’m finding it hard to write the next sentence. I have a very dry sense of humour which sometimes gets me in trouble.

When did you first realise you were going to be a writer?

It was probably right after I discovered that there is no such job as an official biscuit taster and failed in my attempts to have it recognised as a real career. But seriously … I mentioned my husband is a musician, well I’m also a singer-songwriter and all my songs are tiny stories. I began writing short stories that lasted for more than three verses and a chorus and, after taking a 10 week Creative Writing course to see if I was any good, I continued to write because of the encouraging feedback.

If you hadn’t become an author, what would you have done instead as a creative outlet as I know you are interested in music and it’s a big part of your life?

Yes, I love music. As a singer I’ve been in several bands before I started penning my own songs. Although the writing is taking up most of my time these days, I still perform, though it’s been a while since I wrote a song. Something I plan to remedy by starting a new album project very soon. I teach vocals, which is really satisfying and I also co-produce music for other singer-songwriters. Had the writing not taken hold, then I would have continued to immerse myself in music. But it’s good to know that I can still be involved in both.

How much did doing an MA (and congratulations on the distinction by the way) in Creative Writing affect your style?

Tremendously. I became a more positive and less nervous writer. On the course we were constantly writing under the guidance of some well known authors, poets and screenwriters which was an amazing experience and a real confidence booster. The most important thing I took from the course was developing my writer’s voice, discovering the themes I love to cover and gaining more experience in my preferred genre. All things that will improve your style, too. But I think I’m still learning.

What draws you to writing women’s fiction?

Naturally I feel close to the subjects usually found in this genre, be that from a romantic comedy or a more literary point of view. I feel I have something to say. The wonderful thing about women’s fiction is that as a genre it covers so much; the moods, themes, storylines, plots etc one can create are vast. If you have developed your own voice you can always find a fresh approach to writing about  things that are important to us as women.

What did you find most challenging about writing the comic elements of Natalie’s Getting Married?

I think trying to find the right balance between the comedic moments and the serious bits was hard. Because Natalie’s journey had its ups and downs and because she’d find herself in many serious situations, I wanted those to be felt by the reader. Having the reader laugh or cry along with Natalie, in the right places was my greatest challenge.

How did you create Natalie? Did she emerge naturally, did you have a name first, did you plan her back story and life or is there another means by which you create character?

What I had was a name and an idea of what kind of heroine I wanted to create, before I even had a story to put her in. I just started to write without a story outline and very little to go on apart from wanting my heroine to have a bumpy ride over several years before she eventually finds herself – and it had to be funny. Not an easy way to embark on a novel but it’s what happened. I started jotting down opening lines, whatever popped into my head. I’d never worked that way before but very soon I found a setting – university. This gave my heroine an age and a group of people for her to interact with. Looking at my original scribbles, a wedding never came into it once. It’s amazing where your mind will take you when you don’t give yourself too many guidelines.

If Natalie’s Getting Married became a film, which would you choose to play Natalie and why? 

Interestingly I did write a post on this on my blog which you can read here, but if you can’t nip over there then I’ve got Natalie down as a cross between Jess (Zooey Deschanel) from New Girl and Zelda (Cristin Milioti) from A to Z.

I know you’re happy to link with readers on social media (Twitter). How important do you think social media is to authors in today’s society?

I came to the Twitter and Facebook sign up forms kicking and screaming. Years ago I thought it was a really bad idea to try to communicate ‘virtually’ and it would only lead to trouble. Plus – I’m pretty hopeless at technology; sending an attachment with an email was like climbing Everest in high heels for me once upon a time. But now I see the error of my ways and I can’t believe how effective a way it is to reaching out to people and to potential readers. Everyone is on line so why would an author not use that to her advantage?

If you had 15 words to persuade a reader that Natalie’s Getting Married should be their next read, what would you say?

I’m totally excited about how it’s been received and don’t want you to miss out!

When ARE you going to run  the London Marathon?

Haha. You had to bring that up! I’d like to say soon but … um …  I can’t find my trainers, I’ve got an ankle injury, long journeys on foot make me dizzy, the doctor has advised against it – did I mention the dizzy spells? What was the question again?

Thank you so much for your time in answering my questions Rosa. I’ve really enjoyed having you on Linda’s Book Bag.

It was an absolute pleasure I loved the questions and I appreciate you having me here!.

Rosa’s Books

It’s Lori’s wedding night and husband, Sam, makes a startling revelation just hours after arriving at their dream honeymoon location. A devastated Lori returns to London believing revenge will help her recover from the shocking blow. But Lori does something she will live to regret.

Sam’s best friend, Matt, is there to offer Lori a shoulder to cry on because Lori’s best friend, Julia, disappeared just days before the wedding.

This flaky foursome are about to have their relationships stretched to the limits, when honesty is in short supply and bed hopping seems to be the order of the day.

Career minded, Natalie Spencer, had never been in love. She could never understand what all the fuss was about. But when she met Jackson Humphries during Fresher’s Week at University, that all changed.

Utterly infatuated, Natalie quickly discovers the meaning of love and, before she knows it, she’s heading up the aisle – for the first time, that is.

This is a tale about four wedding dresses, a runaway groom and a girl who got so carried away, she couldn’t see true love staring her right in the face.

To find out more about Rosa and to catch up on all her musings please join her here on Rosa Temple Writes…

You can find Rosa on Facebook, Goodreads, and Google+. You can also follow Rosa on Twitter.