But I Smile Anyway…

I always love a return visitor!

Today, I am so happy to have a returning writer friend, Nina Kaye, visit my blog, to talk about writing and her newest release, Lucky Number.

Hello, and welcome to But I Smile Anyway again, Nina! Let’s get you set with a drink, first. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or maybe a masala chai? I know there was planty of champagne in the book, so have some bubbles chilling in case you wanted to indulge!

If we’re going masala tea, I can offer you some homemade pakoras as I have recently mastered the art of frying the softest, yet crispiest ones, or a slice of Victoria sponge.

Hi Ritu, thanks so much for having me on your blog again. As it’s on offer, I’d love a glass of
fizz. And maybe some freshly made pakoras too. I think that will make a delicious
combination!

Savoury is definitely a good bet!

We spoke about how you became a published author the last time you visited, and that was very much all about your traditionally published route. This book, Lucky Number, and the sequel are being self-published. What made you go this route instead of submitting to other publishers? (I went in the opposite direction, going from self-published to a small, women-run indie press!)

Great question! It might seem like an odd move but it’s actually been a very deliberate one
and I am by no means walking away from the traditionally published route. I guess if I were
to put label on my situation, I’ve gone ‘hybrid’.
Lucky Number was the first book I ever wrote. It’s also what I call ‘my rehab book’ because I
started writing it as a way of rebuilding my cognitive capabilities after a significant health
event in my life (it was basically ‘physio’ for my brain). So, it has great personal meaning to
me and I always wanted it out in the world. I actually self-published it back in 2016 (or
thereabouts) and then took it down from Amazon six weeks later because I was offered
representation by a literary agent (I was also querying at the time). However, despite it
being the book that got me an agent, it was never bought by a publisher because it didn’t sit
cleanly within any genre. I did get great feedback on it though, and that spurred me on to
write more books and eventually become successful in getting traditionally published.
Anyway, what started out as one book – originally called As Luck Would Have it – has turned
into a two-book series (Lucky Number and Another Lucky Number), and as these stories still
don’t sit cleanly within a genre, I decided that I wanted to put them out there myself and
have a proper stab at the indie publishing route this time. Though I love being traditionally
published author and all the opportunities and learning that comes with that, I’m someone
who enjoys being creative without boundaries and this independent approach allows me
more of that. I’m also a doer and being in control of my own destiny quite suits me. I’ve
enjoyed taking these stories in the direction I wanted them to go, managing the design of
my covers and creating my promotional posts such as the one for my cover reveal. In fact,

I’m currently doing the same with a children’s book I’ve written, the main characters of
which are based on a couple of clay models I also made during my ‘rehab’ period. I will self-
publish that too, hopefully this spring. Ooh, that sounds interesting! I’ve got a couple of texts that I have written which Id love to be picture books, but am floundering with, as I am so not an illustrator!

Reading the acknowledgements and seeing when you wrote this book made me pause to think. Writing is so healing, and you call this your rehab book. Did you feel the positive effects on your mental health as you wrote? (Again, I have recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is nothing compared to what you went through, but I really get the cathartic feeling you get from writing.)

I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis, Ritu. Living with chronic illness is tough and it can be
quite isolating. I hope you are getting enough support.
I’ll answer your question more generally rather than just honing in on that period in my life.
Writing definitely helps with my mental wellbeing. I’m a pretty content person actually,
despite my health challenges, and I think part of the reason for that is because I’ve found
that creative outlet. I’ve spent a lot of time on understanding myself and what matters to
me and I think it really helps that I’m living my life in alignment with that. Also, writing
works as a distraction from the constant pain and unpleasant sensations in my body.
Being totally honest – and I know I don’t just speak for myself when I say this – some
aspects of being an author are actually detrimental to mental wellbeing, and I know there
are a lot of writers out there who struggle. I think it’s important to acknowledge this. I found
myself struggling at a point as well and wondering whether it was worth continuing. With
my health situation, I need to be very careful about how much stress and other negative
feelings/experiences I subject my already challenged body to. But I’ve managed to get on
top of that (for now anyway) so at the moment,t ‘authoring’ is very much a positive and
therapeutic process that I can lean into and gain the therapeutic benefits from. It’s about
making sure the positive outweighs the negative.

And how is your health now?

It’s an ongoing battle, I won’t lie. Day to day, I live with chronic pain and fatigue, brain fog,
digestive issues, an overreactive central nervous system… and lots more symptoms! There
are still too many days when I have difficulty walking, I fall down or where I lose control of
my body entirely and my muscles spasm so badly that I’m wailing in agony. But I’m in a
much better place than I was ten years ago and I appreciate that every single day. I know it
could be a lot worse because I’ve been there.

Right now, we need to talk about Lucky Number! Where did you come up with this idea of an unexpected win?

Gosh, I can’t remember now! It’s so long ago. I think it was just an idea that came to me and
I ran with it. It’s not based on a personal experience sadly. Sorry to disappoint you. I think we all wish that could be something we were able to experience personally, lol!

Emma really had a run of bad luck at the beginning, and there were several mishaps throughout the book. Do you think your life’s ups and downs were reflected in that part of the story?

That’s an interesting question. No, I don’t think so. There wasn’t any clear inspiration from
my own life in the way that there was with my chronic illness-themed book, Take A
Moment. I was really just working with the age-old question of ‘can money buy happiness?’
and trying to portray that it obviously helps, but it doesn’t solve the difficult stuff. Basically,
the things that you can’t use a bank card to fix. Emma, my main character, had to go through
some lows initially for her win to be seen as the answer to her problems and then again
later for that age-old question to be properly explored and answered with my interpretation
of it.

Emma has a wonderful group of friends around her, from the calm and careful Cat to the firebrand Amber. Every girl needs friends like them! But my favourite had to be Lottie. I love the idea of having an older friend, and I have had several myself, whose wisdom was invaluable. Was Lottie based on anyone you know?

Oh, that’s a surprise! I adore Lottie, but I hadn’t expected her to be your favourite character.
It’s a really nice surprise. What’s particularly interesting about it too is that Lottie wasn’t in
the first iteration of the book. I introduced her during a structural edit after it was suggested
to me that I could add some emotional depth to the story. She’s not based on anyone I
know but I liked the idea of bringing in an elderly character because older people can too
easily be overlooked and dismissed when they have so much to offer the world, in particular
their wisdom. I wanted to show how a relationship like that – between an older and
younger person – can be mutually beneficial. I think those people from the older generations have so much to give, and it’s up to us to spend time with them, chatting, and to encourage the younger generations to realise the value of their older relatives. 🙂

Even though romance wasn’t the only premise in the book, it was a thread that ran through in the form of James. I LOVED the little twist revealed at the end, regarding her lottery numbers! Who is the inspiration for James?

Ah, James. Yes, he’s quite the catch. I have my own James (my husband) and in the
Acknowledgements I’ve made it clear that he’s not the inspiration for the love interest in
Lucky Number who shares his name (not entirely anyway!). I got lucky in love not long
before I became unwell and I’m grateful every day that the universe brought my James to
me before all that happened. Otherwise, we might never have had the chance to meet and
my life might be very different now (in a bad way).
I think some of my husband’s positive qualities have come through in the character of
James, but he’s definitely not a carbon copy. The reason they share a name is because my
James was there for me through the most difficult time of my life. He was basically my hero.
So I named my male main character in Lucky Number after him. I did wonder about changing
the name at one point, especially as the male main character in One Night in Edinburgh is
called Jamie, but the book has so much meaning for me that I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

And, I have to say that I am so looking forward to the second installment! You’ve left me truly wanting more! Can you let us know when to expect the next book, Another Lucky Number?

That I am so pleased to hear! And the good news is you don’t have long to wait. Another
Lucky Number will be out in the summer, though I’m still to nail down the exact date.

I am ridiculously excited to read it, so I’ll try not to wish the time away too quickly, lol! But, Peeps it is a fantastic read, and I hope you do get clicking on the buy link down below!

Thank you so much for coming to visit, again, Nina!

Thanks, Ritu, I enjoyed answering these questions!

And so to the Blurb!

Her numbers have come up, but can money really buy her happiness?

Emma is stuck in a rut. Her boss is a bully, she’s missed out on a promotion at work and her partner is a sanctimonious git – not that she knows it until he heartlessly dumps her, leaving her homeless. In an unexpected twist of fate, Emma finds herself with a winning lottery ticket. She thinks a bulging bank balance will make all her problems disappear, and the first thing she’s going to do is have some fun by living like a millionaire for a week.

With romance off the agenda for the foreseeable future, a newly carefree Emma embarks on the experience of a lifetime. But between a series of run ins with a handsome yet irritating stranger and finding herself involved in one disaster after another, her life is soon unravelling again.

Will Emma realise that money doesn’t solve everything? And can she untangle herself enough from the mess she’s in to take a chance at real love?

Buy links – https://mybook.to/6yXlZW2

About the Author

Nina Kaye writes warm, witty and uplifting reads with a deeper edge. She has previously published Stand Up Guy, Just Like That, One Night in Edinburgh, Take A Moment and The Gin Lover’s Guide to Dating. Nina lives in Edinburgh with her husband and much adored side-kick, James. In addition to writing, she enjoys swimming, gin and karaoke (preferably all together in a sunny, seaside destination).

Where to find Nina:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ninakayeauthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ninakayeauthor

Website – https://www.ninakaye.co.uk/