Today I have the pleasure of welcoming the lovely Astrid Arditi to my blog. Astrid's debut novel, A Cunning Plan, is published by Crooked Cat this coming Friday.
Welcome, Astrid! What prompted you to first start writing? What was the
first thing you wrote?
There never was a time when I didn’t write. Even as
a kid. Books have always been my friends and making up stories is just a
derivative of my love of reading. Before writing full length novels, I wrote a
story for kids called Tom and the Sock Nibbler where I explore the strange
disappearance of socks in my hous
Can you summarise your latest work in just a few words?
A Cunning Plan is the story of Sloane Harper,
freshly divorced housewife, who decides to put her family back together
for her daughters’ sake. Then she meets Ethan Cunning, a handsome IRS agent, and that
sends her life spinning out of control.
What was the inspiration for this book?
Most women in my life and their incapacity to see
how wonderful and deserving of happiness they truly are.
Did you do any research for the book?
Not
really. I’m too lazy to actually do research which is why I love fiction. I
just make it up as I go.
What does a typical writing day involve for you?
I try to write a couple hours every day, in the
morning, sitting in my favorite café while my daughter is in nursery. I don’t
need more time because my brain fries after three hours of writing top anyway.
How do you decide on the names for your characters?
Some names I choose according to their function in
the story or a quality that defines them – Ethan Cunning for instance. I browse
baby names sites a lot as well.
Do you plot your novels in advance, or allow them to
develop as you write?
I do a lot of free writing at the beginning to let
the story come to life. When I feel confident enough that my characters have
substance, I let them run wild and follow closely on their heels, jotting down
what they do or say.
Which writers have influenced your own writing?
Janet
Evanovich is a big source of inspiration for me. Just love her Stephanie Plum
series. I love Helen Fielding as well. My tastes in books are pretty eclectic
so my writing is a mix of many different genres and influence.
What has been the best part of the writing process…and
the worst?
I love making friends with my characters, seeing
them come alive and surprise me. It never ceases to amaze me.
I hate it when the story seems stuck or stilted.
Those days I just step away, forget about writing altogether and wait for a way
out of the hole I’ve dug for my story.
Now the
book is published and ‘out there’ how do you feel?
I still
can’t believe it’s real! The publishing process is an ongoing one so I never
stopped to celebrate properly. Need to open a nice bottle of champagne and
relax for a night.
Is there a
message in your book?
I thought
of my daughter a lot while writing this book. I wish I could save her the
heartache insecurities bring. So I guess the message would be: Believe in
yourself and don’t let anyone take you down.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Keep
writing, trust that you have something unique to say, believe in yourself.
What can
we expect from you in the future?
Book 2 in the Sloane Harper series, hopefully.
That sounds like a plan! Good luck, and thank you for visiting. Please come again!
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Determined to put her family back together, Sloane Harper stalks her ex husband and his annoyingly stunning mistress, Kate. But she’s not the only one. Handsome IRS agent Ethan Cunning is surveying them too, but not for the same reasons. He is attempting to nail Kate’s playboy boss.
Ethan and Sloane decide to help each other, which sends Sloane’s wobbly life spinning out of control. She’ll have to face danger, humiliation, and scariest of all, the dating scene, to lure her daughters’ father home.
Losing control was the best thing to happen to Sloane… until it turned lethal.
BUY LINKS:
MORE ABOUT ASTRID
Astrid Arditi was born to a French father and a Swedish mother. She lived in Paris and Rome before moving to London with her husband and daughter back in 2013. After dabbling in journalism, interning at Glamour magazine, and teaching kindergarten, Arditi returned to her first love: writing. She now splits her time between raising her kids (a brand new baby boy just joined the family) and making up stories. A Cunning Plan is Arditi's first published work.
Astrid's Blog: www.astridarditi.com
Facebook Astrid Arditi author https://www.facebook.
Twitter @astrid_arditi https://twitter.com/astrid_
Lovely interview and the book sounds great, Astrid! Good luck with it - see you at the launch party!
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