by Enisa Haines
Please welcome Katrina Coll - an Aussie who fell in love with an Irishman and let her heart lead her to the Emerald Isle. With that in her history what else would she write but romance, or as she says "kissing books that leave you wanting"? Winner of the Contemporary Romance Writers Stiletto Award she is now celebrating the release of her first published romance novel, A Match Made for TV, and giving us a little insight into her life.
What is one 'must have' when you are writing?
My Macbook. I literally can't write without it so it goes everywhere I go. Always.
What are you reading at the moment?
I've just finished Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale. I have Playing it Safe by Amy Andrews pre-ordered and that'll be my next read.
Name one thing you're scared of.
Something bad happening to someone I love.
Like to share something that recently made you happy?
We visited a fairy garden last week that was pure magic.
Who is your favourite literary crush?
Weirdly, I can't say I've ever had one as a reader. As a writer, though, I love my heroes so hard it hurts to let them go.
What is the last photo you took with your phone?
A screenshot of a Duolingo question. I'm trying to learn some Irish and the spelling is mind melt. I'm slowly getting the hang of it but don't ask me to say anything: the only thing worse than my spelling is my pronunciation.
If you were a main character in your favourite book, who would you be?
If I had to be a character in any book, I'd have to say Lizzie Bennet in Pride and Prejudice because she's marvellous and nothing too awful happens to her. But my favourite book? I love too many to choose one.
What is the premise of your latest book?
A celeb with a secret. A doctor with a dilemma. Faking they're in love makes for good TV. But whose heart will break when reality bites?
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| Available as an e-book worldwide. Buy links: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/a-match-made-for-tv-by-katrina-coll/; https://books2read.com/A-Match-Made-for-TV |
Ria DeLorenzo is a damn good doctor. Or was. Burnt out before she's begun, a three-month paid vacation as the medical consultant to a reality TV show is just what she needs to recover her mojo.
Cancer survivor and headline grabber Griffin Stromberg is desperate to reboot his ultra-macho image. Typecast by years of fame, showcasing his softer side with a picture-perfect relationship should do the trick. Until Ria breaches show protocol and gets Griff fake girlfriend disqualified.
Now Ria's only hope of clocking out of reality is to check in to a fantasy by becoming his new partner. Griff, however, wants their relationship to be the real deal, not one of his infamous life-hacks.
Can a man renowned for taking shortcuts prove he's ready to commit to a forever relationship? Or will reality bit once filming is over?
Who would you cast as your main characters?
Chris Hemsworth and Gal Gadot if she had a Texan accent.
What unique challenges did the book pose?
Trying to immerse my characters in a reality TV show without making the filming mechanics too intrusive.
What are you working on at the moment?
A follow-up book with the same match-making producer but featuring a cook and a chef. It's a reunion romance during a bake-off.
Are you a plotter, pantser or somewhere in between?
I'm a puzzler. I have elements of the book (part of a plot, the characters, some scenes) and I figure out how they go together as I write.
Do you listen to music as you write?
I've tried but usually I can't. That said, I have a soundtrack for each novel to listen to when not writing to spark ideas/nail emotions I want to capture.
What do you love to love? Food. I love to love the whole process of cooking but I also love it when others cook, trying a new combination of flavours, sharing meals with friends, eating out. I'm a foodie from way back.
What do you love to laugh at? Comedians/ At a Billy Connolly gig once, I laughed so hard I fell off my chair. Here in Ireland, there's a trio of guys called Foil, Arms and Hog. As a family, we watch their weekly uploads to YouTube every Friday. We even have their t-shirts.
What do you love to learn about? Learning is my absolute favourite thing to do. I'll happily fall down a rabbit hole researching almost any subject. In fact, I used to get paid to research as part of my job as a business consultant. However, history and mythology would be lifetime loves.
Find out more about Katrina here:
Website: www.katrinacoll.com
Facebook: KatrinaCollAuthor
Pinterest: A Match Made for TV
#novel #contemporaryromance #arrangedmarriage #lovestory
Katrina, congratulations on your first book release, woo hoo! Always a magnificently wonderful time! It sounds truly fabulous, and the second one with the bake-off also sounds great. I do love a good bake-off, and usually start craving whatever it is they're cooking. Cake week is my absolute delight - and downfall! I'm not a foodie as such but I love watching it/reading it. Ditto reality TV, although I'm a teensy bit selective about that (!). My last indulgence was Beauty & the Geek, which I binge-watched and found really sweet and lovely. Anyway, welcome to Breathless in the Bush, and I hope A Match Made For TV goes gangbusters! I love the whole cancer survivor storyline too - yay for surviving!
ReplyDeleteAnd P.S. a wee bit jealous of your residence in Ireland. Such a gorgeous, wonderful place.
Thanks so much, Miranda! I have to admit that I've found finding recipe inspiration more fun than exercise inspiration. Although after signing onto Chris Hemsworth's "Centr" - for research purposes - I did actually do some workouts.
DeleteCongratulations Katrina. Love the sound of your book. I have been known to fall down rabbit holes for days - but it is so much fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cassandra. I've taken to adding tags such as or because they're easy to search for. Then I allow myself binge research sessions. Yesterday's covered Potato TikTok and digging through a reverse image search to locate a Cosmo article from 2003 with 'naked chefs.' Writing is so much fun!
DeleteKatrina, the premise of your book sounds fascinating. Congratulations on its release. I’m looking forward to adding it to my tbr pile.
ReplyDeleteThanks a million, Sharon. Hope you enjoy it!
DeleteCongratulations, Katrina. Love the sound of your first release. Have it on my Kindle waiting to be read. And you got me with the research. I can get looking up one thing, get caught up in another accidental find and just keep going. Looking forward to book no. 2
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Enisa. I can't wait to hear what you think!
DeleteHi Katrina! HUGE congrats on our first release. Love the premise. History and mythology are two of my great loves, too. Background research into both of those (for my writing) takes up way too much of my time (but it's so damn interesting :) ).
ReplyDeleteWhoops! My reply to you skipped down a level, Marilyn!
DeleteHi Marilyn, I'm glad you appreciate the premise since I know you've done your research on reality TV. (I loved your novel, The Farmer's Perfect Match - especially as it was on a pearl farm. I've seen those up in Broome.)
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky on the history front in that I work for an archaeology company. And also, Ireland. Down the road we have a medieval castle, the grave of St Brendan the Navigator, and a whole bunch of Napoleonic fortifications. I just hope some of the Irish gift for storytelling rubs off on me.