For the past couple of weeks I’ve been introducing some of my fellow graduates from the excellent New Writers’ Scheme, which is run by the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association. Today it’s the turn of the lovely Teresa Morgan.
Normally I give my guests some tea and cake, and I happen to have an abundance of choice at the moment because my daughter’s home on holiday from New Zealand, and I’ve bought all the good things that are available here, but not in NZ – and specifically, Wensleydale cheese. There’s a veritable cheese fest going on in my fridge, and in the time-honoured Yorkshire tradition there’s also some fruit cake to go with it.
Welcome to a new dress size, Teresa!
Where do you live, Teresa? Sunny Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset.
Oh, that usually is sunny! I hope there wasn’t any flooding there over this terrible winter.
Where is your favourite place in the world? I haven’t travelled many places unfortunately, but I would have to say New Zealand. I would love to go back and see more, plus revisit some favourite towns again like Rotorua.
What a coincidence that my daughter’s here! She remembers Rotorua, the Thermal Wonderland and the warm mud baths very well!
Being a writer is a great job. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I think my worst job was working for a sort of call centre, where the phone never stopped ringing, and being customer service, all the calls were complaints. I did it for about a month!
What a soul destroying time it must have been :(
What book do you wish you’d written? The Harry Potter series, of course! J K Rowling is a genius for creating such a fantastic magical world.
What’s your favourite song? I have lots of favourites really as music generally lifts me up, especially when my spirits are low. But I love Stand By Me by Ben E King. I have it on vinyl. Now I’m showing my age.
That’s a great choice, especially at times when you’re feeling down.
If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you say to them? Henry Cavill – Will you marry me?
:)
What’s your happiest childhood memory? One of my earliest memories is sitting watching Mary Poppins in the cinema. (They must have been re-showing it because this would have been in the late 1970s or early 1980s.) My brother had to sit in front of me – I can only assume we had to be split up because we were late in. What sticks in my memory is my younger brother laughing so much, he was wriggling in his chair watching the penguin scene – when they go to the fairground etc. He found it hilarious when Dick Van Dyke pulled his trousers down to give him legs like the penguins to dance with them. My brother was giggling so much, I found that more funny (and obviously very memorable to this day) than the actual scene, but it is the reason I love Mary Poppins so much.
I went to see that film at the pictures with my brother, too! And also Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They both really stuck in my mind.
If you had to marry a fictional character, from film, television, or books, who would it be? Superman! (Nothing to do with Henry Cavill… oh, okay, he helped. But I was a big Christopher Reeve fan too).
What’s the most important lesson life has taught you? Time is a good healer.
That’s very true, although sometimes it’s hard to believe time will ever make a difference.
And finally, please tell us about your latest book, where we can find it, and where we can find your blog/website
My debut romantic comedy novel, Plus One is a Lucky Number, was published by Harper Impulse on the 29th August 2013 and can be bought through all good ebook sellers.
Plus One is a Lucky Number blurb:
Sophie’s going to a wedding where the invite is strictly plus one… but with her single girl status not exactly fitting in with the bridesmaid dress code, and the best man being none other than the ex she would rather forget, Sophie needs a favour and she needs it fast!
Luckily for Sophie, her dreamy but distant co-worker Adam Reid owes their mutual friend James big time…and his gorgeousness more than fills the role of the ‘Perfect Boyfriend’!
As they take off to the sunny shores of Cornwall for the wedding weekend, it’s not long before pretence leads to passion and Sophie and Adam must decide; is their relationship real or is it all for show?
Buy Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Harper Impulse – for all buy links.
Add on Goodreads
Kobo
My links:
Blog / Website / Twitter / Facebook
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A wedding in Cornwall – so romantic! Thanks so much for coming all the way from Somerset, Teresa. Do help yourself to more cheese and crackers :)
I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing from Teresa. If you have any questions for her, or any comments at all, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!
Helena Fairfax 
Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Helena! More exciting news is my book will be available in paperback too from 8th May :)
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That is exciting news, Teresa! Congrats! And thanks for being such a lovely guest. Hope all’s well with you in Somerset :)
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Enjoyed this interview, Teresa and Helena. When I was a little girl “Mary Poppins” came out and for my birthday I received all the Mary Poppins 45 records. It wasn’t before long and I knew all the words to the songs. I still have those records.
I love watching wedding movies. I’ve never read a wedding romance. Your story blurb, Teresa sounds great! Best wishes to you!
Curl up with a killer – Cozy Mysteries
The Ginseng Conspiracy by Susan Bernhardt
http://www.susanbernhardt.com
P.S. I wish I had written the Harry Potter series as well. I loved all of those books.
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How exciting to get all the Mary Poppins 45s – and to still have them! That’s really cool! I just re-read this interview and realised I wrote “pictures” instead of “cinema” :) That’s because I was thinking of being taken to the cinema as a child, and my dad used to call it “the pictures” (short for “the picture-house”). I love that expression! I think I might reintroduce it :) Thanks very much for coming, Susan, and I’m glad it’s brought back good memories for you!
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Thanks, Susan! Well, it’s sort of a wedding romance… only they’re not the ones getting married, they’re just pretending to be a couple. And I love that type of storyline, two people pretending to be in love, and wondering if the emotions are real or just an act. I love films and books with that storyline.
I think I have a Disney LP tucked away somewhere… and it does have a couple of the Mary Poppins’ songs on there. I’m showing my age too as I know what 45s are :)
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Waving at you from Kent, Teresa and Helena. Yes, when I was young we went to the pictures, not the cinema. :-)
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Let’s start a campaign to call it the pictures again, Marion! It sounds so much more romantic :) Thanks for joining us from Kent!
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Yes, the pictures. I think us Brits are getting a bit Americanised too, as we’re starting to call them ‘movies’ and not ‘films’ any more lol!
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*waves to Marion in Kent* Well I remember in the early days, you could turn up in the middle of the film, and then stay in there to watch it again. We did that with ‘Dumbo’. That was a long time ago too, around the time of watching Mary Poppins :) Yes, I think I vaguely remember it being called the pictures, rather than cinema.
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Nice to meet you, Teresa! Your book sounds fantastic – I can already picture it as a movie. I’m assuming it would star Henry Cavill. :)
And, coincidentally, I’m currently about halfway through watching my new Mary Poppins dvd with the “commentary” track. The commentary is by Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Dick Sherman, and the girl who played Jane Banks (terrible that I can’t remember the actress’s name!). There are also some recorded bits by the late Bob Sherman and Walt Disney. It’s fascinating, and I highly recommend it to Mary Poppins fans.
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Actually, Adam (my hero in Plus One) is blond, and I didn’t really have a ‘face’ for him. Possibly a young Dirk Benedict was my inspiration for him, or Josh Holloway with short hair (looking a bit smarter the Sawyer from Lost). But I have books in mind with Henry Cavill as my hero lookalike :) Bradley Cooper is my inspiration for Book 2 (which I should be working on right now! lol!)
Oh, I bet that commentary is fun :) I must encourage my boys to watch it again.
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I’ve never heard of that “commentary” track, Heather. That sounds fascinating. I’ve never heard Dick van Dyke’s real accent, either. His Cockney accent is very strange in the film! Here’s some real Cockneys, from Eastenders (one of the most popular soaps in the UK) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm8IDndvJIU They don’t sound anything like Dick van Dyke. I’d love to hear his real voice. Will have to check out the DVD!
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What a delightful interview. Mary Poppins always brings a smile. For some reason my first year of teaching, the old music books had all the Mary Poppins music in it.The third graders loved the songs and so did I. There’s nothing like singing “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” with a bunch of kids. (Here’s a you tube video of it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3zAbQ0aMK8&feature=kp if you want a smile.) Theresa, your story sounds very entertaining and fun. Great premise. Best wishes. (BTW, we called the movies, the picture show or just show.)
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All the songs are just fab in Mary Poppins. I’ve really started a whole new topic haven’t I? I really am going to get the DVD out and make my sons watch it. I also have Chitty Chitty Bang Bang somewhere too :)
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Thanks for the Youtube clip, JQ! I’d forgotten how brilliant that song is. I can’t imagine anyone else except Julie Andrews playing that role. It’s a great film for kids, and lots of the incidents in it still stick in my mind. One of the first films I ever saw. I loved it.
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I’ve been to Rotorua too but I didn’t like the smell. As for Mary Poppins, I recently had my boys watch it (13 and 11). At first, the older one said he didn’t want to watch it, but after a few minutes, said it was really good. It’s such a classic and I don’t think kids will ever grow tired of it. Have you seen Saving Mr. Banks? If you not, you simply must.
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I loved Rotorua. I just can’t put my finger on it – I think it was because steam was coming out of the drains in the road and the hot springs, but the smell didn’t bother me. I will add Saving Mr Banks to my to-watch list :) Thanks for reading and commenting x
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Hi Suzanne, my daughter mentioned the smell in Rotorua, too. (For those who haven’t been, the smell is sulphur, from the sulphurous waters and the hot springs.) She said it immersing herself in the real mud baths was a great experience, though!
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Your book sounds great Teresa, just the kind of contemporary romance I like. I look forward to reading it. I must really be the odd one out here because I always found Mary Poppins a scary, and even slightly sinister character…then again, I am French and we can be a little odd, as the pupils in my school keep reminding me!
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She was a proper nanny, with no messing I think ;-) The children were afraid to be naughty, but knew she was fun, and firm but fair. Whether her nannying skills would be allowed today is another thing lol!
I hope you do enjoy the book if you get around to reading it. And please let me know if you do ;-)
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How strange that you found her sinister, Marie! But I think I can understand how a child might not like her. She’s quite strict, and quite mysterious. Children can respond in ways we wouldn’t expect to the most harmless things. My brother used to burst into tears at the sight of Sooty and Sweep! (Here’s a photo from their TV show, for those who aren’t familiar! http://borninthe90s.tumblr.com/post/275968330/sooty-sweep)
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My boys LOVE Sooty and Sweep. It’s filmed near us in Brean too.
Yes, I agree Mary Poppins could be a little scary, because she was strict. But they soon learnt she was fun too :)
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Lovely interview, ladies. You book sounds great fun, Teresa! I loved Mary Poppins.
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Thanks, Ros! Teresa’s book does sound fun!
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Thanks, Ros! Sorry for such a late reply. I could have done with Mary Poppins tonight. My youngest was sick :(
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So glad I popped in. What a delightful interview and everyone’s comments, too. I second Suzanne’s suggestion to see Saving Mr. Banks. Quite wonderful. Now, I have to tell you, I’ve enjoyed Mary Poppins more as an–dare I say “older adult” gasp! than whenever I saw it the first time. I was expecting a romance and it wasn’t. Sadly disappointed.
I grew up saying “picture shows” shortened to “pictures.”
Now, Theresa, congrats on your debut! So exciting. Intriguing premise. Do you get the story worked out throughout just the long wedding weekend? I planned my second book to happen over the two weeks of Christmas holiday. Could not squeeze it in and lopped over a couple of months into spring. Just curious. Good luck with sales.
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Hi Marsha, I haven’t seen Saving Mr Banks yet. It does look fab! That’s a great idea to fit the action of your novel into one holiday period. I’ve read a few shorter category romances that do this.
I think we should bring back the expression “pictures”. I’m always going to say it instead of cinema, from now on! Thanks for coming by, and for your comment!
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No the book doesn’t just end at the wedding… it goes on for a bit afterwards but I don’t want to leave spoilers so I’ll say no more.
We really have had a great discussion on Mary Poppins :) And yes, I’ve had a couple of people suggest Saving Mr Banks, so it’s on my to-watch pile, which mounts as high as my to-read pile lol!
Thanks for popping by. T x
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I just had to “pop” in to tell you all this–Yesterday I went to help shelve books in the library located in our community center. On stage, the musical/comedy club was rehearsing for their spring program this weekend. The group on stage was singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.. I kid you not! I believe the show’s theme is songs from Broadway. Isn’t that a coincidence? Or what do you call it? I stood and listened to the song. The members probably wondered why I was there. LOL…
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Love it! :)
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Wow, what a coincidence! And guess what? Literally five minutes before I read your comment I saw a trailer on TV for Saving Mr Banks! I think Mary Poppins is trying to tell us something! Thanks for popping back to tell us, JQ! :)
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I really want to see Saving Mr Banks now. I also have this urge to make my kids watch Mary Poppins over Easter :) Thanks again for having me on your blog, Helena. It’s been fun :)
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