Today I’m sharing a cup of mint tea with Irish author Sharon Black about her debut romance, a romantic comedy, Going against type.
But first, let’s see how she answers my questions 🙂
A. Quickies”
- Tea or wine?
Mint tea!
- Read or jog?
Read.
- Cats or dogs?
Dogs.
- Heels or flats?
Flats.
- Boxers or briefs?
Boxers.
- Milk, dark or white chocolate?
Dark.
- Sweet or savoury?
Savoury.
- Sea or mountains?
Sea.
B. Five likes and dislikes:
Likes:
Italian coffee.
Real fires.
Sunshine.
Lie-ins.
Kobo e-reader.
Dislikes:
People talking on their phone in public.
Speeding drivers.
Fast food.
Snow.
Losing stuff.
C. Three things on you bucket list?
Spend a month seeing southern Italy and Sicily.
Walk a marathon.
Write a bestseller.
D. What triggered this specific story?
I used to watch the old Hollywood movies on TV when I was growing up. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey were absolute favourites; they sizzled together on screen.
One of the films they made together was Woman of the Year, where Hepburn played a high-brow newspaper pundit, and Tracey plays a sports columnist. She rubbishes sport and he leaps to its defence.
I thought, what if my heroine were the sports journalist? She writes a sports column. Then I made my hero a fashion writer and gossip columnist. But I was determined to turn the stereotypes on their heads. I also keep the up suspense. Neither have any idea that they’ve fallen for their bitter rival, as both columns are written under pen names. But Woman of the Year was my light-bulb moment.
Blurb:
Some would say Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Regan has it all. Beautiful, smart, athletic and a great job working as a journalist – in the almost exclusively male sports department. But Charlotte is not quite as sure as she seems. Recently split from her overbearing boyfriend, she escapes for weekends, surfing in the Atlantic, and spends her free nights watching sports, roaring at the TV.
Derry Cullinane is a fashion writer, gossip columnist and sophisticated man-about-town. The go-to guy for any woman seeking expert advice on what fabulous outfit to wear for any given occasion. He’s also tall, dark, good looking – and straight! So what’s the snag? He has a track record of dating glamorous, vain and shallow women.
Charlie gets an opportunity to write a new column under the pen name Side Swipe, but is soon drawn into a war of words and wit with a rival paper’s columnist The Squire – and their verbal fireworks get readers and editors talking. Yet neither Charlie nor Derry knows just whom the opponent is…
When Charlotte and Derry meet at the Races, the attraction is instant. As their relationship develops, so much more proves at stake, than protecting their alter egos. But a blunder puts Charlotte’s job in jeopardy just as Derry’s past makes front page, and Charlotte begins to doubt her feelings.
When Side Swipe and The Squire are finally forced to reveal themselves, will they revert to type – or confound everyone’s expectations?
Social Media links:
Facebook: Sharon Black Author Page
Twitter: @Authorsharonb
Website: http://sharonblackauthor.blogspot.com
Buy Link:
Thanks for stopping by, Sharon!
Good morning, Elsa.
I hope it’s a brighter morning in your part of the world: here in Dublin, it’s grey and rainy! Anyway, I’ll be here all day, in case anyone wants to stop by and have a chat. I’d love to talk with you.
To check out an excerpt from Going Against Type, or a free peek inside, just click the buy link.
x Sharon.
Hi Sharon – it’s summer her in Betty’s Bay so the sun is shining but the Southwestern wind is in full force!
Congratulations on your debut – here’s to many sales!
And thank you for having tea with me!