Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Author Interview - Jill Mansell and a Giveaway!




I am so excited to welcome Jill Mansell to Books and Needlepoint for my very first author interview! Jill is the International Bestselling Author of An Offer You Can't Refuse which is being released in the U.S. this week!

1. Jill, where is your favorite place to write?

I make myself very comfortable, either on the sofa in our living room or upstairs in bed, and I always have the TV on while I’m working. It amazes me that successful authors go and work in little sheds in their gardens! Where’s the fun in that!


2. Besides crisps, fruit gums (gum drops) and coffee (and of course, your Harley Davidson pen) is there anything else that you need close by while you write?

That’ll be the TV remote control. I love daytime TV. I’ve just discovered the Ellen Degeneres show on cable. Brilliant.


3. I love it when Ellen dances at the beginning of her show! TV would probably distract me from writing. What is the biggest distraction to your writing?

For the next three weeks my kids are home from school. When they’re fighting and yelling at each other, that’s pretty distracting. Yesterday they managed to break our laptop. Lucky I write my books by hand!


4. I just celebrated my birthday - what is your birthday month and do you do anything special?

Happy birthday! Mine’s in June, which is nice because the weather is usually good. Our favourite thing is to go out to a really good restaurant. Being a writer is like endlessly having to revise for school exams – you feel incredibly naughty whenever you take a day off, but it means you enjoy it all the more!


5. Thanks for the birthday wishes! Do you have any hobbies?

Food! Shopping! Jewelry! Reading books! Jumping on our trampoline! Reading more books!


6. When I was younger I used to jump on our trampoline alot - not so much these days! In the book, An Offer You Can't Refuse, Lola is the manager of a bookstore - do you have a favorite bookstore that you like to go?

I find it physically impossible not to go into any bookstore I happen to pass. I always hope I’ll find a book I haven’t seen anywhere else. I can’t have a favourite – I just love all of them.


7. I know what you mean about bookstores - I even have to go into the used bookstore at our library whenever I am there! You mention the TV show Friends in An Offer You Can't Refuse - do you have a favorite American TV show? British TV show?

Ooh, now you’re asking! I do love Friends. And one of my all-time favourite sit-coms is Veronica’s Closet. I adore The Apprentice but they’ve stopped showing the U.S. version over here now. I’m also a fan of reality TV – I’m just fascinated by people’s characters. And I love The Office.


8. I love Friends also - I miss those types of sitcoms! I usually listen to The Apprentice while I am blogging! Where do you come up with the names for your characters?

I go through my books of names for babies, then my telephone books for surnames. If I happen across a great name I’ll add it to the list I keep in one of my jewelled notebooks.


9. My maiden name was Kendall - hmmm, that would make a great first name too. I'll give you a minute to write that down! Just kidding! I read that your daughter doesn't read your books because she is afraid she will read something that she said - Do you remember ever writing anything she has said and can you share it with us?

Ooh, can’t think of any off-hand, but she finds my books hard to read because they sound so much like me. She’s now typing my manuscripts for me (for money, not for love!) and keeps finding things I say myself, like when a character complains about a banana skin being thrown in a waste paper bin which now smells of bananas. I spend my life moaning about the smell of bananas. And cucumbers. They’re disgusting and should never have been invented. Basically, though, when my daughter was young I dreamed about her reading my books when she was older. And now she’s older, she doesn’t want to read them! Luckily all her friends do. I’m very popular with them!


10. Now there is a job I could get into - typing manuscripts! That is neat that her friends read them! Do you have a favorite book out of the ones that you have written?

Can’t answer that! Cruelty to books!


11. After Miranda's Big Mistake - are there plans for more of your books to be published in the U.S? (keeping fingers crossed)

Yes, there are three being published this year, then another three next year, and hopefully lots more after that. I’m so excited to finally be published in the U.S. – it’s a dream come true. And thank you so much for your lovely review of An Offer You Can’t Refuse – I’m thrilled you liked it!



There you have it! Two more books this year and another three next year! I can't wait to start reading Miranda's Big Mistake!



Now for the giveaway! Sourcebooks is offering one book to a lucky commenter - so to enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below pertaining to this post or to my review which is here. Also leave an email address so I know how to reach you! This contest will run until May 1! (Sorry - only available to U.S. and Canada - no P.O. boxes)

51 comments:

donnas said...

Congrats on the release. Its great to hear that more of your books will be published in the US.

bacchus76 at myself dot com

Unknown said...

I'd love to read this:)

bjhopper(at)me(dot)com

Kat Bryan said...

Very nice interview. I find it amazing that Ms. Mansell writes her books in longhand while watching TV.

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Congratulations on your first interview, Kristi! I love it; it reads like a conversation you and Ms. Mansell had.

No need to enter me; I'm just dropping in to say thanks for the e-mail. I've got this posted at Win a Book for you.

Luanne said...

No need to enter me Kristi. What a great, fun interview. I really enjoyed it!

Marie said...

Great interview! I would love to read this!

vmlay@artsci.wustl.edu

Unknown said...

Great interview, I loved her hobbie "jumping on a trampoline" how fun! Sounds like a good book and I love the cover! Thanks for the chance to read it.
unforgetable_dreamer_always (AT) hotmail (DOT) com

bermudaonion said...

Don't enter me - I just wanted to say great interview. Jill Mansell sounds like so much fun!

tetewa said...

Enjoyed the interview, good luck on the release! tWarner419@aol.com

nfmgirl said...

You know, I honestly don't think I've ever read a "chick-lit" book. I think maybe it's time I gave it a whirl. I mean, I am a chick after all!

Love Friends. Trampolines make me nervous. I think I'd kill myself on one, or make myself horribly ill!

nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

Vanessa said...

Great interview.. I would love to read this book.

Vanessa
gypsyrover21(at)yahoo(dot)ca

Melissa said...

Great interview and thanks for the giveaway!

My b-day is in June too, and I agree about the weather being nice. I love to do outdoor things for my b-day.

Kara said...

What a great giveaway. Congrats on being published in the US. I loved the interview and the review of the book has definitely got me putting this on my TBR list.

Kara said...

Forgot my email addy....


ktulanko AT aol DOT com

KR said...

I loved the interview. If I tried to write with the TV on, I'd never make any progress!!!

mj.coward{at}gmail.com

scottsgal said...

Enjoyed the interview - would love to read the book! Sounds like a good one

msboatgal at aol.com

Jake L said...

nice interview, the book sounds like a good read.

jakewoodworth(AT)gmail.com

windycindy said...

What a lovely water coloring looking cover on your book! Best wishes on the release of your book. The book sounds very enjoyable to read. Please enter my name in your book drawing. Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

katayoun said...

great interview. i love mansell books and now that i know she jumps on trampoline i can't help but like her more!! :)

jill mansell said...

Many thanks for the great interview, Kristi. You're a natural interviewer! Also, the heroine of the book I'm currently working on is called Ellie Kendall...
Hello to all the lovely people who like the sound of my books - I'm so excited to be published in America!
Love
Jill Mansell x

Unknown said...

This was a great interview. Congrats on snagging this one. I think you asked some pretty good questions, not the basic generic kind that I would have been inclined to ask...

I would also like to win a copy of this.

Jennmarie68(at)gmail(dot)com

VioletReads said...

This sounds like so much fun! Great interview, too. I'd love to be entered to win this.

violetreads at gmail

teabird said...

The book sounds wonderful (and how could you not love a Harley pen?)
Please enter me -

teabird 17 **at** yahoo dot com

kalea_kane said...

Great interview. Very nice flow. I imagine children arguing would be a tad distracting when trying to write. I don't think I could ever write, because I get distracted by everything. My husband is a doll and I am crazy about him, but boy, he ALWAYS wants attention when I am simply blogging. But he is awfully cute about it. :) Please enter me in the giveaway.

Thanks

kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

This looks like a good book. Congrats on the U.S. release (and the planned future releases). That's a really huge step forward.

Please enter me in the giveaway. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Oops. I forgot to add my email.

tiffanyak1986(at)hotmail(dot)com

Sorry.

LuAnn said...

Sounds like a great book. Super interview!

sharon54220 said...

Great interview. I am definitely going to add this author to my list of authors to read.
Please enter me the drawing.

sharon54220@gmail.com

Brittanie said...

I would love to read this book. Please enter me.
treewaterduchess (at) yahoo (dot)com

Bingo said...

I'd love to be included in the giveaway...and better yet to win!
Enjoyed the interview.
kdhaney [at] gmail [DOT] com

Alexia said...

Jill sounds like someone I could be best friends with! She likes alot of the stuff I do LOL This sounds like a great book - I'd love to win!

Unknown said...

Sounds like a good book, please enter me in the giveaway. Ha, ha, I love how you come up with the character names.
hlbsurfin(at)gmail(dot)com

Sunnymay said...

Always enjoy learning more about authors and what they do to get the writing done and the treats and comforts that keep them refueled. This Chick-Lit book has a lot going for it. Buying someone off to keep romance away is bittersweet. I want to flip through the pages and see where they lead.

Ashley said...

I am such a huge fan of Jill Mansell!
I'd love to read this! I have a friend ship me some of her novels from the UK, so I'm excited that she's being published stateside.
Great interview.

Ashley
BellasNovella at gmail

Anonymous said...

I want to win!

jaam121388 at yahoo dot com

Shirley said...

It sounds like an interesting book about love gone wrong. I'd love to read it.

scrappylouisa(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

I can't resist a bookstore either. In fact, I'm doing research to see if there will be any interesting ones when I go on vacation this summer! Please enter me!

jgbeads AT gmail DOT com

Lisa (Southern Girl Reads) said...

Congrats on your first author interview!! Good Job! What I found amazing is that she writes her books in longhand and not with a computer!! Wow - I' impressed!

lisamos64@gmail.com

missourigirl62 said...

Great Interview. I am so glad there was a readathon on twitter. Had no idea about such fantastic book blogs like yours!
gulfwavet@aol.com

Unknown said...

Count me in!

nhertel85ATyahooDOTcom

bloggytreasures said...

I love your review and I love chick lit. It sounds like a great story of young love with some twists and turns and meddling parents!
quelleheure4[at]gmail{dot}com

Anonymous said...

I loved the interview. And I would love to win a copy of the book.

Karin said...

Lovely interview--

karin56381 (at) gmail.com

Luvdaylilies said...

I enjoyed the interview. It always amazes me that anyone can watch television while reading or writing. I like a quiet space to snuggle into when I read=)

Please enter me in the giveaway and good luck everyone!

Bingo said...

Looks like a great read! Thanks!
mr12step(at)yahoo(dot)com

clenna said...

I enjoyed the interview. I haven't read anything by her before. I'd love to read this one.
I always have my TV on - it's great background noise and distracts me when I need to clean house (I clean faster so I can watch certain shows!)

Anna said...

What a fun interview! No need to enter me, as I've already read and loved the book.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Ashley said...

Very nice interview! I would love to read this book, please count me in!

booksobsession(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks!

jcamp2020 said...

I really liked your interview. Made me look twice at the book. Good job.

Cackleberry Homestead said...

Great interview - I really want to read this book!

Liyana said...

Great interview and giveaway! I'd lvoe to win this. (:

loony_balooga_91@hotmail.com

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