But I Smile Anyway…

Loving this series!

Today, I can barely contain myself as I have got my dear, dear friend and hugely prolific author, Amanda Prowse visiting for a cuppa!

Hello, and welcome to But I Smile Anyway, Mandy! I am so happy you have popped over for a chat! Before we start, tell me what you’d like to drink. Tea? Coffee? Herbal? Whatever you fancy, I am sure I can magic it up!

Lil Princess made a gorgeous Victoria sponge if you fancy a slice, too.

I’ll take a coffee – black no sugar and of course a slice of cake – have you met me? Do you even have to ask?

Thank you so much for coming to visit the blog, today, Mandy. Actually, this blog is what brought us together, isn’t it? I remember, all those years ago, receiving an email from you asking if I would be interested in reading a pair of books with intertwined stories to feature here. That was in 2018, I think. And five years later, here we are, good friends and virtual sisters! Can you remember how we met?

It feels like longer than five years ago! Yes, I stumbled across your blog and loved it and thought you’d be a perfect place for the love story of Anna and Theo to be reviewed. I don’t remember us not being friends, you are one of those people who connected with my soul and that was that really – you can’t shake me off!

And I wouldn’t want to!

I know about your story from writing and publication. Care to share it with the readers here?

Always an avid reader, I didn’t dare try to write myself until I hit my 40s. My first novel Poppy Day was self-published, after which I got picked up by an agent and it was traditionally published – in the last ten years, I’ve published over 34 books and sold millions of copies all over the world in about 22 countries – and I’m still learning my craft and feel as if I’m just getting started.

I am in awe of you! You have written soooo many books. In excess of 25, now, and each one has been progressively better than the next. (If that is possible since even your first ones were brilliant!) Is there a favourite of your stories?

I always love the book I’m about to write! I have the attention span of a gnat once a book is finished – I never look at charts or sales etc. I just want to beaver away on the next. I literally send off a final edited version to my editors (one in the UK and one in the US) and after a quick loo break and a cuppa, I start the next. Which is precisely what I am doing today!

I don’t know how you do it, Sis!

And over the last 11 years of your writing, has there ever been a time you felt writer’s block?

Nope. Never. I always know the next two or three books I’m going to write.

You are so lucky! I have ideas floating around in my head, but I focus so dee[ly on what I am writing at the time, I can’t think too much about others!

You have written two books that are biographical in nature, one, The Boy Between, with your son Josh, and Women Like Us, which is your memoir. Were they therapeutic to write or painful? I can only imagine what it felt like to relive some of the journey you and Josh went through.

Both of these were painful and cathartic. I find writing helps me make sense of otherwise complex situations, particularly when it came to my son’s mental health – Josh kind of unravelled in his late teens and as a family, we went through some pretty dark times. My memoir, I hope, serves as a reminder that no matter where you come from or your background, you can achieve your dreams. I never thought a woman like me would get a book published, let alone find the success I have. But if I can do it, you can do it!

I understand what you mean about being cathartic. Though I would never publish them, I find writing thoughts and events out helps me to process the feelings and emotions they evoke.

You’ve co-written a series of books where different authors contribute stories about a fictional small town in the USA called The Wishing Tree. I imagine writing something like that is quite complex as you each have your own styles, but you need your stories to link with each other, too. Do you think you could ever co-write a fiction book with someone? (If so, maybe one day we can try!)

I loved the collaboration as it was different authors with very different styles that created this whole world, and of course, the different styles and unique author voices make the characters entirely believable – it was a great experience and I love how the stories all knit together with lovely cross over, to create the place that feels real. I write in a unique way and so I don’t know how I’d collab with one person. I can’t imagine any other author wanting to put up with my speedy, three-in-the-morning idea sessions!

Ha ha, I see what you mean!

Switching the tone a bit now, can you share a little about where you like to write? I know you have quite a unique way of formulating your stories. I remember you said that they run like a movie in your mind, and you just write them! Does that mean you can write pretty much anywhere? And do your pups, Beau and Dotty, help or hinder the process?

I do indeed write anywhere – waiting rooms, buses, planes, on a beach but my favourite place to write is on a sofa curled up with the pups, who definitely help the process as they keep me calm and insist on regular breaks for snacks and wee’s in the garden – I do of course mean them, not me! My stories come into my head fully formed in about twenty seconds, as if they’re downloaded into my head like a film, and then all I have to do is write what I see – and all the detail is there, beginning, middle, end, twists, turns, characters – hence how I can write so quickly!

It’s the ability to fully form your story that is a gift, Sis!

Talking of writing, let’s get back to your new release! All Good Things is a bit of a departure from your usual stories, isn’t it, with the different points of view? How did it feel writing something so different to usual?

 I love this book! It takes place in twenty-four hours which is very different for me and the pace was thrilling to write! I also like the idea that each character reveals a little bit more of the story – until we have a full picture of how two families live, and I think it’s fair to say that the end picture is very different to what we first thought… as it often is when you get to know someone.

Daisy and her situation is exactly that of people thinking the grass must be greener on the other side, but pretty often, that isn’t the case, as you demonstrate in All Good Things. What inspired this story?

My husband and I went out to dinner a couple of years ago and I was, as ever, watching the families all around us (I am the nosiest person on the planet).

I think that goes for all writers!

There was a large family who were loud and treating the restaurant as their own personal performance space. I was fascinated and concentrated on the people who weren’t shouting, taking in their facial expressions, their micro gestures of discomfort etc and POW! All Good Things came into my head on the drive home.

What with there being so many characters we get to know through the book, which one was your favourite?

My favourite was probably Julie, who is married to Lawrence, daughter-in-law of Bernie and Winnie. I loved her as I related to her background and the way she describes trying desperately to fit in and not sure if she is accepted or not – it’s hard to talk about without giving away any spoilers, but let’s just say I really admire her courage and her personal growth. I LOVE this story and hope readers will too.

Oh, I know they will! I certainly did!

And think of it as a sneak preview, but what is in store for us readers after All Good Things? What has been playing in Amanda Prowse’s movie mind, ready to pour out on a page?

The next book is “Very Very Lucky”, which is out in January 2024 – a fabulous tale of human connection in the face of loss. Then comes “Swimming to Lundy”, which is out in summer 2024 – a story of love at first sight and reconciling how life doesn’t always turn out how we think it might. Then “A Pocket Full of Sunshine”, out in Jan 2025 – a story of a woman overcoming adversity to reach the highest heights, but not without paying a heavy emotional price. All very different but all fab!

Wow! I am so excited to know there are at least three coming out soon after!!!! (Hence the multiple exclamation marks!)

Thank you so much for popping over, Mandy, it has been a pleasure to have you here on But I Smile Anyway. 😊

Thanks for having me, Ritu!

The Blurb

“Gripping…I couldn’t put it down!” -bestselling author Katie Fforde

In this captivating story from the bestselling author of Picking up the Pieces , Daisy has always envied the perfect family next door. But will a weekend of unexpected drama prove that the grass isn’t always greener? Daisy Harrop has always felt like she exists in the background, and since her mother stopped getting out of bed, her life has come to a complete standstill. Daisy would give anything to leave the shabbiest house on the street and be more like the golden Kelleways next door, with their perfectly raked driveway and flourishing rose garden… Winnie Kelleway is proud of the beautiful family she’s built. They’ve had their ups and downs―hasn’t everyone? But this weekend, celebrating her golden wedding anniversary is truly proof of their happiness, a joyful gathering for all the neighbours to see. But as the festivities get underway, are the cracks in the ‘perfect’ Kelleway life beginning to show? As one bombshell revelation leads to another and events start to spiral out of control, Daisy and Winnie are about to discover that things aren’t always what they seem.

My Review

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a firm Amanda Prowse fan and have read all her books.
All Good Things was every bit as good as all her other ones, with a difference.
I feel it was a different way of storytelling from her usual.
This time, the whole story revolves around the happenings of one evening and the fallout the morning after.
Daisy lives in a neglected house with her depressed mother, hermit brother and a father she doesn’t see much as he is out working when she is home.
She’s embarrassed about how they live, considering the area. And she craves the life of the Kellaways: The neighbours who seem to have everything she craves.
They are a tight-knit family with a successful business funding a glittering lifestyle. Winnie and Bernie, the couple living there, are glossy and filled with the joys of having everything they want. Their children are settled happily, and the grandchildren are the perfect addition to a picture-perfect family. Especially Cassius, the grandson, who has a special place in Daisy’s mind and heart. However, he doesn’t know it.
A chance evening spent with them all, celebrating a key moment in their lives, makes her wish to be a part of their lives even more.
The thing is, there is nothing truer than this adage: The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
All Good Things demonstrates this perfectly.
We, as readers, get to experience the same situation from the eyes of all the characters. I won’t say one is the main, as they are all important in their way.
I loved peering into the minds of everyone, and I felt a mixture of sadness and relief for Daisy as she comes to terms with the fact that life really isn’t perfect for anyone.\
There are characters who I rooted for, applauding the backbones they displayed as the story unfolded and frustrated at the ones who were unable to change, despite everything that was happening.
It was a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it!

Buy links
https://bit.ly/_AllGoodThings

Author Bio

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty-eight novels, non-fiction title and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart topping No.1 titles ‘What Have I Done?’, ‘Perfect Daughter’, ‘My Husband’s Wife’, ‘The Girl in the Corner’ and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda has appeared on numerous shows where her views on family and social issues strike a chord with viewers. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national and independent Radio stations including LBC, Times Radio and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as ‘The queen of family drama’ Amanda’s novel, ‘A Mother’s Story’ won the coveted Sainsbury’s eBook of the year Award and she has had two books selected as World Book Night titles, ‘Perfect Daughter’ in 2016 and ‘The Boy Between’ in 2022.

Amanda is a huge supporter of libraries and having become a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency, works tirelessly to promote reading, especially in disadvantaged areas. Amanda’s ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can’t possibly read another book until the memory fades…

Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/AmandaProwseAuthor

https://www.youtube.com/user/AmandaProwseAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/mrsamandaprowse/

Loving this series!

Peeps, I am extremely excited to have another fabulous author and interweb friend come to visit and have a chat! Gillian Harvey is here to chat about all things writing, and her newest release, A Month In Provence!

Hello, and welcome to But I Smile Anyway, Gillian! Let’s get you set with a drink, first.

I have tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or masala chai, here. I must admit I am not the best coffee maker, so my trusty Tassimo will have to do!

Coffee, please!

And what would you like to nibble? I have all the usual, biscuits, carrot cake, and even samosas, but I did pop over to the supermarket to grab a few pastries, in case you preferred them!

Ooh, a bit of everything, thank you!

Gillian, I have read a few of your books now, and they have all been based in France. Tell me, did your writing journey start before you moved out there? What or who inspired you to start writing?

I always loved reading as a child, and can remember having the ambition to be an author when I was around five years old! I loved writing short stories and poems as a child – and still remember the thrill when a poem of mine was read out in assembly when I was about seven.

The Arctic

It’s big and cold,
With snow and ice,
I wouldn’t think
It’s very nice
Not much sun
Too much snow
I’m glad I’m not
An Eskimo

Despite having this ambition, I never really ‘believed’ I’d become a published author. It seemed to be the sort of thing that happened to other people. I finished my first book aged 24, but it was when I moved to France aged 31 that things really started to take off.

I had PND after having twins in 2012 (I have five children now, so busy times) and wanted to do something to engage my brain. I took a freelance writing course, not really expecting to get anything published.

A couple of years on, I had established a career as a freelance writer – and now regularly write for national publications. The course also helped me to understand more about my potential readers and shape my work accordingly.

I finally landed an agent in 2016, only for my first book to be published slap bang in the middle of the pandemic in May 2020. I released my second a year later.

But it was when I started to write for Boldwood last year that things really took off. ‘A Year at the French Farmhouse’ released in September 2022 has – to date – sold over 100,000 copies, and I’m so excited for what the future holds.

This is all so exciting, and inspirational!

I can tell that living in France has inspired your last few books, heavily. Do you go visiting all these place for research before you write?

I’ve lived in Limousin, France for over a decade now, and my first ‘French set’ book ‘A Year at the French Farmhouse’ was set in my local area. ‘One French Summer’ – my second read, was set close to Bordeaux – an area I’ve been on holiday a few times. So those ‘research’ journeys took place long before the books took shape!

Now I’m starting to explore areas of France to set my new novels, and I try to visit in person or set novels in places I’m familiar with from holidays or trips to give that authentic feel. Google Earth is also very helpful to refresh my memory!

God bless Google Earth!

I always ask this one, but do you have a special place where you write? An office, a writing nook? Or are you one of those writers who can grab their notebook or laptop and write pretty much anywhere?

I just need a bit of peace and quiet. Sadly, this can be a rarity! At the moment I write in my office in the eaves of our house. I used to have a lovely room downstairs set up, but as the children grew, I got shunted upstairs (my choice, but it doesn’t mean I don’t regret it sometimes!). I can sympathise, especially in the lats house we lived in!

Still, my little nook has become a haven for me to sit and think and write when I get the chance.

Do you have a favourite out of all your books written, so far? Do you have any finished manuscripts that you think would never see the light of day?

I find that each book I write I love more than the last. I never know whether that’s because my writing is improving and evolving all the time, or just because the latest one always seems exciting, shiny and new!

I have several manuscripts that almost made it but didn’t quite. I used to think I’d try again with them one day, but now I enjoy writing so much and feel my writing is better with each novel – I see them as part of the learning process. Although at the time, rejection was TOUGH!

Let’s get back to the book of the moment, A Month in Provence. Your main character, Nicky, has been through a lot, and sacrificed so much for the decade leading up to when we as readers, join her. What was your inspiration for her story?

I’m fascinated by the idea of second chances. When I first started writing for women’s magazines back in 2012, I was in my early 30s. At the time, like many people, I had rather fixed ideas of what women at ‘midlife’ were like. But interviewing so many people for real lives, I discovered so many women that changed my perceptions! Women seem to get a rebirth at this age – perhaps because kids have flown the nest, or there’s been a change in their lives.

It made me realise I had fixed ideas about this life stage.

When I started writing, it was all about women in their 30s, and I was even encouraged by one editor at a former publisher not to stray into the 40s. But I believe that the world needs to wake up to how brilliant these years can be. I don’t think I fully ‘knew’ myself until I was 40. Maybe the old adage that ‘life begins’ at this age is true. Being a woman of that certain age, too, and an avid reader, it makes my heart happy to have main characters I can relate to, so thank you!

Nicky is someone who’s ‘frozen’ in time after a trauma a decade before. Her world shrank as she focused solely on her children and making sure they had a good childhood. Now they’re independent adults, she hasn’t realised she’s still ‘stuck.’ It takes a chance offer from a friend to shake up her world and make her realise it’s time for a brand new life.

I loved the idea of her becoming a reality TV star! (I do love a bit of reality TV to help forget life, sometimes…) Is this something you have ever envisaged yourself getting involved in?

Like many people I’m fascinated by reality TV. I used to love it when it first became a ‘thing’ (Big Brother 2). But over the years I think some of it just plays for the ratings. And we all know now how much ‘reality’ TV is shaped and staged. There’s a bit of that in ‘A Year in Provence.’ Oh, gosh, yes. Loved the early Big Brother shows, but now I am being forced to watch Love Island with my daughter, and it is quite painful!

But I also love the fact that certain shows (Britain’s Got Talent, etc) can take someone from zero to hero – give someone a chance that maybe they’ve missed out on in life. ‘The Great B&B Rescue’ in ‘A Month in Provence’ is that kind of show – it forces Nicky out of her comfort zone and gets her to tap into her talents in a way she may not have done without the pressure of the cameras.

Robert was one of those slow-burn heroes who you begin to love more and more as you read the book, and peel away layers. He also needed that make over, along with his business. Did you enjoy writing his transformation?

I loved writing Robert. It was a challenge to make him a likeable character without giving too much away at the start. I used his dog, Buster, to give hints that he must be quite a nice guy. He’s always affectionate to the dog, and the dog is fiercely loyal. It’s just humans he struggles with at times.

His transformation in the book was great fun to write – and the makeover chapter is one of my favourites!

Another one of my standard questions… what is next on the horizon? Any tidbits you can share with my readers, about what is coming next, from you?

I’m just working on edits for my next novel – also set in France – about Mark and Emma, a couple who buy a chateau but bite off more than they can chew. They are also struggling with infertility (something I’ve been through myself). When Mark falls down the stairs and ends up in hospital all seems lost. Can Emma find the strength to save the chateau alone?

Another one I can’t wait to read when it’s ready! And, since the topic of my next book is infertility, I am extra interested!

Thank you so much for popping over for a visit, Gillian!

Thanks for having me, Ritu!

The Blurb

Interior designer Nicky always used to know how to make the best of things. Ever since she lost her husband though, things haven’t been easy. She’s had to raise her two daughters alone and she’s so proud to see them all grown up, and she knows that’s down to her. But she can’t help but feel like she doesn’t know what to do with her life now… But then her best friend begs her to help out. Jenny is a TV exec and her new renovation show is in peril. Only Nicky can help. The catch – Nicky needs to fly to Provence… tomorrow. To renovate a tumbledown B&B. Jenny doesn’t mention the fact that the grumpy B&B owner Robert seems to need a makeover too. Or that the budget is next to nothing… Will Nicky be able to turn the B&B’s fortunes around, save her friend’s job, and maybe even find some happiness for herself, under the blazing hot French sun this summer…? Totally gorgeous, escapist, uplifting fiction that lets you escape to sun-soaked Provence. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jennifer Bohnet and Debbie Macomber

My Review

A Month in Provence by Gillian Harvey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gillian Harvey is fast becoming one of my must-read authors, so I snapped up the chance to read her latest release, A Month In Provence.
I always love it when characters are of a certain age, where I feel I can relate to them all the more, and our MCs are exactly that in this book.
Nicky is a woman who has been grieving for ten years, always putting her daughters first and never allowing them to feel the gap created when they lost their father. Her best friend offers her the opportunity of a lifetime. A way to reclaim some of the dreams she dared to dream before her world was rocked to the core.
She finds herself in Provence for a month as a business advisor and interior designer and, most importantly, a TV presenter, as she heads a reality TV style project to do up a floundering B & B Business.
Robert is the owner of said business. In the beginning, he is a bit grumpy and stand-offish, but with layers to peel, giving us a glimpse of a much more sensitive soul with a story as tragic as Nicky’s.
I loved how they built a tentative friendship over the month that she resides in his ailing B & B, and all the misdemeanours as they attempt to get things ship shape for the TV crew that keeps surprising them,
The cast of side characters is also a joy to get to know, from the local business owners to Nicky’s two daughters, and not forgetting Buster the dog!
Honestly, I loved this story so much. It is filled with hope, and there are emotional moments as well as some giggles, too. I read this within a few hours and wished there was more to come!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Author Bio

Writer  Journalist  Author

Freelance writer and author Gillian Harvey lives in France with husband, Ray and their five children. She regularly pens articles and short stories for UK magazines including Woman’s Weekly and People’s Friend. She also writes opinion pieces and has been published in Independent, Guardian, Metro.

Gillian started her career in the teaching profession working at secondary school level. After moving to France in 2009, she started freelance writing for publications in the UK, France and the US.

Gillian has written a monthly column in Writing Magazine since 2020. She has previously been columnist for Prima Baby and Living France magazines.

Gillian’s first novel ‘Everything is Fine’ was published worldwide with Orion in May 2020. Her second, ‘Perfect on Paper’ was published in UK May 2021. She has since moved to Boldwood Books where she published the best-selling ‘A Year at the French Farmhouse’ and, most recently ‘One French Summer.’

And click below to find Gillian on Social Media!

Social Media Links

https://linktr.ee/gillianharveyauthor