The Perrys at The Berries is a fictionalised account of a family of four, Sophie and James, mum and dad, and their children Izzy, 5, and Seb, 4, who decide to change their lives by moving from London to rural Shropshire. To be fair, I'm not sure of the title yet, it was born out of the blog The Archers at The Larches which is, as you know, factual not fictional.
What genre does your book fall under?
It is a romantic comedy though some of it is rather black.
Wow, really hard question. Rosamund Pike would be perfect for Sophie. Her characterisation of Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice was so endearing.
In my mind James looks like the actor Scott Speedman. James, thirty-something, needs to be vulnerable yet manly.... Let me know if you have any other suggestions.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Moving house from London to Shropshire may have been just 150 miles by car, but to the Perry family, it was a whole new rural world.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I will be represented by an agency for this book though my children's ebook Nancy, Peggy and Susan - First Freedom was self published under the pseudonym Pandora Butterfield and is sold through Amazon, Barnes and Nobel's Nook and Lulu in various formats.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The first draft only took 1 month. I enrolled on the NaNoWriMo challenge (National Novel Writing Month) in November 2010 and sat in my kitchen, close to the log burner, writing the 50,000 words required to complete the challenge. I loved it and would repeat it tomorrow if allowed! My family did not love it: There was scant housework done, pre-cooked dinners were the norm and it would be fair to say I was a little distracted.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I was approached by an New York agent to write this book, she had read my blog and thought a twist to a real life memoir could be a fictional account of the situation. I loved the idea and eagerly began to write.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Hopefully it will be a fun read with a good amount of self help information on how to start a smallholding; manage land, grow fruit, veg and flowers and keep sheep, chickens and the like. If the readership of my blog is anything to go by there are an awful lot of city-folk and Londoners in particular, who would love to do exactly what Sophie and James attempt to do.
Look out for The Perrys at The Berries and live vicariously through my book.
Now it's my turn to pass on a Next Best Thing recommendation: I met the most marvelous woman at a New Year party. I am in awe of her life, it's not often someone tells you that they are off to spend a stint in the Amazon as a photographer. Sue Flood has taken stunning wildlife photographs all over the world. She has worked in cold climes taking pictures of penguins, polar bears and more. She has worked for the BBC, The Discovery Channel and has supported David Attenborough in his wildlife programmes. She has swum with humpback whales and told me that once, a baby whale, (sill the size of a school bus,) managed to thwack her with his tail, knocking the camera from her grasp!
She is awesome and I envy her adventures. He wonderful book Cold Places is available through her website here. Check out her blog when she continues this meme.
