Bloomsbury Spring YA Tour: Author Interview with Jenny McLachlan

Hello everybody!

Today, I’m really excited to have an author interview with Jenny McLachlan, to celebrate the release of her latest YA book Truly Wildly Deeply (which shall be in my March Reviews post this Saturday!). Onto the post!

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1.First of all, can you please describe Truly, Wildly, Deeply in 5 words?

College, friends, first love, road-trip. Strictly speaking this is six. Sorry!

2. The book is absolutely hilarious. Do you have any favourite moments, scenes or quotes from it?

A lot of Annie’s sixth form moments were inspired by my own experiences at college: the 18th birthday party at a seaside hotel, feeding the ducks at the park (I was wild), house parties that involved fancy dress. I’m pretty fond of any scene involving Fab; I like his 100% dedication to various schemes like cycling eight miles to Aldi to buy cheap passion fruit for his cheesecake. My favourite scene has got to be when Annie and Fab go blackberry picking and Annie tries to fight the atmosphere of romance that is building. The tension! ! I love it…Am I allowed to admit that??

3. Annie is a wonderful heroine too. Who are your top 3 favourite females in fiction?

Lizzie Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) the fiery heroine; Anne Elliot (Persuasion), the quiet, overlooked heroine; Lucy Snowe (Villette), the socially awkward heroine. 19th century female writers created the best heroines!

4. My other favourite thing about the book was the romance, especially Annie’s big romantic gesture towards the end. What would be your dream romantic gesture you’d want for you?

I’d like to be whisked off to the Isle of Skye. One day I’ll get there!

5. Did you always plan to weave Wuthering Heights into the book? When did you first read it, and is it special to you in some way?

I read Wuthering Heights as a teenager and absolutely loved it. I think there is something quite appealing to teenagers about the book: it’s raw and passionate and it’s theme of being confined within the home is something teenagers can relate to (not that the average teenager lives in a home as cold and brutal as Wuthering Heights!) I thought that Annie might particularly relate to the experiences of 19th century women who had to fight against the restrictions others placed on them.

6. What is your writing routine like? Do you have any unusual habits or quirks?

I can pretty much write anywhere, but I do find that I have about a three hour limit in one location. Sometimes I’m writing at home and when I get to a point where I can’t concentrate anymore I go to a café and, like magic, I start writing again.

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QUICKFIRE

Hogwarts house? Hufflepuff

In honour of the Broken Biscuit Club, your favourite biscuit? Chocolate digestive (milk)

Top 3 favourite books of 2018 so far? My favourite books of 2018 are ‘The Children of Castle Rock’ by Natasha Farrant, ‘Running on Empty’ by SE Durrant and Abie Longstaff’s ‘A Sticky Situation’ (the first book in The Trapdoor Mysteries series).

Favourite film? I’d love to say it was Citizen Kane, but it’s not. It’s probably National Lampoon’s Summer Vacation.

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Summary: Annie is starting college. She can’t wait. No more school, no more uniform, and no one telling her what to do. It’s the start of a new adventure and Annie’s not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that. Freedom matters to Annie. She has cerebral palsy and she’s had to fight hard to get the world to see her for who she truly is.

Then she meets Fab. He’s six foot two, Polish and a passionate believer in…well, just about everything, but most of all Annie and good old fashioned romance. The moment Fab sees Annie, he’s wildly drawn to her and declares she must be his girl. Annie’s horrified. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s anything, especially if it means losing her independence.

But then Annie finds herself falling for Fab. As things go deeply wrong, Annie realises that love can make you do wild, crazy things, and so she sets out to win his heart with a romantic gesture of truly epic proportions!

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Thank you so much for reading! Have you read any of Jenny’s books? What did you think? What’s YOUR favourite biscuit? Personally, I’m partial to a Bourbon or four…

Amy xxx