One of my oldest blogging friends!
Today, I am thrilled to welcome back my dear friend and romance author, Lucy Mitchell, to my blog for a cuppa and a bit of a chat and update about all things writerly, especially her newest release, The Car Share.
Hello, and welcome back to But I Smile Anyway, Lucy!
Let’s get you set with a drink first. Tea, hot chocolate, or maybe a masala chai? I’m hesitating with the coffee, as I have seen the recent Insta storis with your daughter’s fantastic barista-style art and alas, I cannot offer that, however, the Tassimo does a mean Cappuccino or Latte if you want. 😊
I’ll have a cappuccino, thank you. ☕️
I’ve got all sorts of nibbles here. I know you’ve sampled the cakes before, but I also have some fresh pakoras here. A recently perfected recipe, if you fancy 😉
Maybe some pakoras, then cake? 🧁
I think we should start with a little update. The last time you were here with me, you were celebrating the release of I’ll Miss You This Christmas, your first book with your publisher, Bloodhound Books. I know your second with them, Instructions For Falling In Love, was also rereleased a few months ago. How’s it all been going?
It’s been a busy time. I am getting ready to launch The Car Share (23 April 2024), editing Book 4 – Second Chances at the Little Love Café (August 2024), and finishing writing a Christmas romance (possibly book 5). I also have new book ideas queuing in my mind. I love being an author, so I am very happy. Lots of lovely Lucy Mitchell books to look forward to!
And I must mention that great podcast you, Lucy K and Bettina had recorded. I listened to each of those episodes and loved them! When are the plans for the second series to come out?
We are starting to record a second podcast series of Love at First Write in May so watch this space. I’m already watching!
I know you have become a bit of a TikToker, too. I try my hand, but I can’t get in the swing of the regular posts! I love your little videos. What do you think gets the most attention – the review posts or the writer situation/advice type ones?
Notebook obsessions are my top-performing posts. I have tried all sorts but for some reason everyone likes a notebook addict type of TikTok. Well, are you even a writer if you don’t have a notebook obsession?
Any recommendations from your recent reads?
I have loved Bettina Hunt’s ‘Sing For Me’, Kim Nash’s ‘Finding Family at the Cornish Cove’ and ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ by Jeevani Charika. Oh, I have read them all, and they are definitely worth a read. I just finished an arc of Jeevani’s The Winner Bakes it all which is also brilliant!
And how many stories have you got on the go, right now? I know you, it’s hard for you to concentrate on just one project!
I have multiple projects on the go, plus a secret project. Everyone should have a secret project on the go 😀 I find it hard to write more than one at a time, but a secret project? That sounds intriguing… 🤫🤔😉
I think we need to come round to the book of the moment. The Car Share. Lucy, I loved it! I feel honoured to have been an early reader, before lots of editing, and I was enamoured of the story from the off. Reading the polished version was fantastic. Where did you come up with the idea of romance during a car share? A bit of close proximity, there…
I have spent years commuting to and from work. I have done buses, trains, and cars in my time. Commuter friendships and conversations have always stuck in my mind. I love how much is overshared in a car on the way to and from work.
I have also spent the last two years taking my youngest teenager and her mates to college. Those car-share journeys have given me so much novel fodder. Teenagers keep things real; their love lives are chaotic, and their feedback on my music tastes and driving skills was brutal – haha! I’m at the beginning of this experience, as I often ferry my 16-year-old daughter and her friends around. The conversations can be enlightening, and yes, definitely plenty of fodder!
And football? I’m not a footy fan, but I think you weaved women’s enjoyment of the sport into the story well. Were you a wannabe Lioness growing up?
I was a tomboy growing up in the 80’s. I used to play football in the street with the boys, and I would have loved to play for a team. The lads would let me play as I looked like a boy, and I was fast up the wing. I was 11/12, and up until this point in my life, I had never heard of ‘deodorant.’ All I will say is that after I came in from a street football match, my mother took me aside and said, ‘I think it’s time for me to buy you some deodorant’ – lol! He he!
Sadly, I was encouraged to get into cross-country running instead in the 80’s. Bleurgh!
It did not have the same appeal, as back in the 80s, we had to do it in tiny gym knickers (not shorts), we wore spikes (weird-looking running shoes with screw-in spikes) and not nice-looking football boots, and there was not a ball or a net in sight.
The only similarities were the weather and mud! I remember those days… hiding in bushes so we could skip a lap or two. My gym knickers were a fetching maroon with a pink Airtex top – thanks, St M’s for the wonderful uniform! – and running and I did not gel well, at all!
I love women’s football and I love the Lionesses – so inspiring!
One element I related to, was the fact that both your characters, Leah, and Mateo, had parents in a residential home. It can be a tireless, sometimes thankless, task ensuring your loved one is always visited, looked after, and happy, even though they may not always remember you. We have been through this with my grandma-in-law. Have you experienced this situation, yourself?
My husband’s grandparents were in residential homes, and we spent many years with our kids going to visit them. They were lovely places. Sad at times but nice residential homes with angel-like staff. I agree. It would be bittersweet visiting Grandma-in-law. The other residents loved when we took my kids, as it was a dementia and Alzhimers ward. Some thought they were their childhood friends were coming to play. I often remember my son getting the foam football out and there was a footy match in the lounge with half the players using Zimmer frames! Then, there were those lonely souls who were upset or crying. It tugged at my heartstrings.
And I’m sure my readers would love to know… is there an update on the cafe story, or is there something else you are working on?
Book 4 – Second Chances at the Little Love Café – August 2024. Oh, my goodness – you and your readers are going to love it! I have packed a lot of emotions and feelings into one tiny seaside café. I CANNOT wait!
The cups have run dry, time for more writing… Thanks for the chat and nibbles, Ritu 😊
You’re welcome, Lucy. It was a pleasure having you visit! And, I can’t wait for the other books, now, too! 😊
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of The Car Share, as well as an unedited version, so I have seen how this story has blossomed. Please find my review below, as well as the buy links and some more information about my fabulous guest, Lucy!
The Blurb
Embark on a heart warming romantic journey in this delightful comedy that proves it doesn’t matter where you’re going — it’s who you have beside you on the way…
After Lia’s old car breathes its last, the single mum must reluctantly take the bus to work… and face unwarranted attention from a troublesome teenager.
It’s all too much to take — she’s been depressed since her fiancé’s death and even quit her beloved women’s football team. But it’s Happy Car Sharers to the rescue after her friends get her set up on the app. Mateo, meanwhile, has recently moved to town, and his long walk to the train station is a literal pain due to an ankle injury.
Soon he and Lia are riding each morning with a charmingly bossy driver and a rotation of colorful fellow passengers. It’s not love at first sight. Technically it’s not even first they’ve seen each other before at the nursing home where both their fathers live and Mateo plays piano for the residents. But with each trip they get to know each other better . . . and the more they know, the more they find to like.
With both of them consumed by personal losses and pressing family responsibilities — and another man getting in the way — can romance lie on the road ahead for these commuting companions?
The Car Share is a humorous exploration of love, loss, and the unexpected detours that lead us to where we truly belong.
My Review
The Car Share by Lucy Mitchell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am a massive fan of Lucy Mitchell’s writing and was thrilled to be asked to read an ARC of this beautiful story, essentially about two broken souls who have lost the meaning of their lives after traumatic events.
An extremely random meeting, forcing them together as co-passengers in a car share scheme, creates tension and misunderstanding, but ultimately, it results in a level of understanding, compassion, and support for both of them.
Lia is a character I had a lot of time for. She’s a single mum who tragically loses the love of her life. She loses track of her past passions, choosing to live her life through her memories and for her little daughter, Daisy. Having to say goodbye to one of her most precious possessions and links to her boyfriend, Lia joins a car-sharing app and finds herself sharing the vehicle with someone she already knows, kind of.
I loved Mateo, too. He’s a sensitive soul who has been taken advantage of. Battling with his own upset, alongside seeing his father deteriorate in front of his eyes, makes for a sad man who has forgotten all the unique talents he had that made him stand out.
This car share, driven by the unforgettable Stella, catalyses much change.
Stella is brilliant! Her interactions with her troublesome teens bring much-needed laughter into the car, as those in the passenger seats need something to draw them out of their funks.
Both main characters have passions that have been forgotten, but somehow, they are what brings them together.
Lucy has dealt with the sensitive issues of ageing and loss extremely sensitively and cultivated a beautiful romance that stems from forced proximity. Still, ultimately, that closeness is needed for them to understand one another and themselves truly.
Beautiful!!!
These are the buy links for #TheCarShare
And here’s a little about Lucy.
I live in a house with two teenagers, an over-excited Labrador, a gang of unruly cats and a rugby-mad Welsh husband. On the morning of my 40th birthday, I decided to follow my dream of writing books. I’ve always enjoyed writing funny stuff and my mum still has the letters I used to write to her when I was at university and turned aspects of my student life into a comedy. When I am not writing, I am eating scampi & chips at my local pub, reading romance books or co-hosting the podcast – Love At First Write.
But I Smile Anyway... 