Author Interview - Mandy Baggot

In the Room for Reading this week, we welcome author Mandy Baggot to chat to us to celebrate the launch of her new novel - Security!

A huge welcome to the lovely author, Mandy Baggot who is joining me for the first time in my Room for Reading!

Mandy, get comfy then firstly could you tell us a little bit about you?

Ooo what would you like to know? Well, I’m a full-time author of contemporary romance, I’m married to Mr Big and we have two daughters and two cats called Springsteen and Kravitz. I was born, bred and live in Wiltshire and I’m very proud of my county! When I’m not writing (which isn’t often!) I love to read (most genres but especially romance), sing, watch crime drama on TV and travel.

Mandy, you're a busy Mum like me! Glad you have your cats to keep you sane!

I find that being at home writing can be a lonely business and I can rely hugely on Twitter an Facebook some days to have a chat and a giggle with friends! Do you find social networking a blessing?

Absolutely! I probably wouldn’t speak to anyone for six hours in the day if there wasn’t such a beautiful thing as Twitter! I’m addicted to Twitter and everyone knows it! I do use Hootsuite now to schedule some of my tweets but there’s nothing better than popping on to chat about the hunky delivery guy who turned up at my door or what weird concoction I’ve made for lunch. I seem to talk a lot about mashed potato and bacon too!

Yes! Many of my Tweets seem to be food based...more about cake and chocolate though!

We'd all love to hear about your new novel...Can you sum up your new book, Security, in one sentence?

I’m going to have to give you the tag line! Lies hurt, but the truth can get you killed!

Thanks, Mandy - you have me hooked now, and I know it's as good as the tag line says!

Mandy, I know music features heavily in your life, do you find any of your books inspired this way?

I’m completely fascinated by the music industry. I think it’s an intriguing business and I think my love of music definitely drives me to write books with musicians at the centre. Both Strings Attached and Security, have pop stars at their core, and I like to explore the effects of living that life on show and what goes on when the door closes behind them at night. I’m actually plotting a future book with a songwriter hero at the moment!

I like the sound of that! I'm sure he's a hunky one too as you always have incredibly sexy heroes, do you ever have a specific person in mind to write these characters.

Mr Big, obviously! LOL! Sometimes I draw inspiration from someone in the spotlight. For Cole Ryan in Taking Charge, he was very much a younger Freddie Prinze Jr. in my mind. Nathan Regan in Security has an air of Richard Armitage about him – Northern accent, stubble, hot body...

This is where I can take a moment to fan myself and you all can start Googling images...

Diet Coke break...all cooled off!

If you weren't a writer, what would you like to be doing right now?

I suspect if I wasn’t writing full-time now I would probably have stayed in my job as a Probate paralegal at a solicitors. Not that I enjoyed it at the end, but it was quite well paid! Writing is the only job I’ve had that I’m completely passionate about. I work every hour I can because I love it so much. It’s hard work sometimes, when you have deadlines and a mountain of emails to answer, but there’s never a day I wish I wasn’t doing it.

My very first job after leaving school was in a solicitors, I was the office junior though and things were very hectic and not quite my cup of tea! I am happier now I came to the decision to delve into the literary world! What/who do you think has been your biggest inspiration as a writer?

I’m one of those annoying people who never gives up so I’m pretty much fully self-driven! When I started out as a writer I looked at all the ways other people were doing things and tried to find my own path. I’m a little bit controversial in my choices sometimes, but that’s me!

I think that finding your own path is the very best way to be!

Now, I know this is a difficult question - but...
Amongst the books that you have written, do you have one that holds a more special place in your heart?

I got asked this question when I was talking to a book club last week. I looked at the novels on the table and felt guilty for even daring to choose.

I will have to say Strings Attached (buy HERE!). That was the first book I got out into the marketplace when I’d turned into a full-time author. It had a blog tour, it was the first book to have the Mandy Baggot branding and it was short-listed for the Best Author Published Read at the Festival of Romance. And it’s hero, Quinn Blake, is super-hot!

I'm sure you're first much have a pretty special place in your heart!

When you actually find time to down tools, which TV shows do you watch?

I LOVE US drama! My favourites at the moment are The Following (although the plot’s got a bit far-fetched with that!), Blue Bloods, Dallas, Nashville, Beauty and the Beast and Chicago Fire! My guilty pleasure at the moment is Mr Selfridge. I’m not usually into period stuff but I’m really enjoying that.

Do you know, I'm appalled at myself but I could not get into Mr. Selfridge - and period dramas are TOTALLY my thing! I do love Blue Bloods though!

You work so hard! What is your favourite me time indulgence?

Me time? What’s that? I do work pretty much all the time *plays violin* but that’s the way I like it. When I do take time out, Mr Big and I like to get away and see some bands. We saw Train recently and they were fantastic!

Holidays are my biggest indulgence –I love going to Corfu whenever I can. We were lucky enough to go twice last year and are going again in May this year.

Other than that just give me me-time with Chinese food, mashed potato and white wine!

That sounds good! Grate some cheese on the mashed potato and I'm there! It's been years since I've seen a live band, the last was Def Leppard in 1996(!) and Mr. T and I have never been to one together! I think we should remedy this!

Well, I think I've exhausted you now...but we need to know - what's next for Lady B?

Well, I’ve almost finished my latest WIP which will hopefully be released in October 2013. It’s called Do You Remember? and it’s about Emma and Guy, childhood sweethearts, meeting eight years later in very different circumstances. What’s happened in that time apart? And what really happened on 5 September 2005?

That sound brilliant, Mandy - can't wait, I'm intrigued now!

I like to thank you sooo much for joining us and giving us such a great inisight into the world of Lady B, and I wish you all good things with Security! X

Mandy is offering an ecopy of Security as part of the launch! To have a chance of winning just comment below!

Mandy is also doing an extra giveaway. Anyone who posts a review on Amazon up until the end of May can enter into the Rafflecopter draw to win a £25/$40 Amazon gift certificate.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e42d6b8/