Romance | Q&A Camilla Isley | A Christmas Date

I’m delighted to be hosting Camilla Isley in my hot seat today chatting to us about romantic comedy novel, A Christmas Date.

Find out which authors have influenced Camilla, her thoughts on movie adaptations and more.

Hi Camilla,

Welcome to Jera’s Jamboree.

Please summarise A Christmas Date in 20 words or less.

Single sister hires fake boyfriend to survive holidays family reunion at Christmas when her younger sibling announces she’s engaged.

What was the idea/inspiration for your novel?

I know how hard it can be to be single during the holidays. Plus, I knew I wanted to write a Christmas story, and I love romances with fake-boyfriends/marriages so I guess the two just came together naturally.

What are your thoughts on movie adaptations Camilla?  Do they do books justice?  Do you have a favourite?

Depends, sometimes yes, other times no. Sometimes—please don’t recoil in horror— I even prefer the TV Show (Like with True Blood and The Vampire Diaries). Sometimes I hate a movie adaptation, especially with long books that’s hard to summarize well in 2/3 hours of screen time. And sometimes I think the show and book are equally good, like with Game of Thrones. I know most readers are angry the book hasn’t come out yet and that the TV show has gone in its own direction with the story, but I’m actually excited to have to different versions of the same story and will enjoy them both.

Who would you cast in the role of your characters if your book were optioned for a movie?

Panster or a plotter?

Definitely a panster… All my stories go directly from brain to page. As soon as I start on a new book I begin wherever I imagine the first scene and move ahead from that, I don’t outline chapters or anything else.

Which authors have influenced your writing Camilla?

My biggest inspiration is Sophie Kinsella, she’s the Queen of Romantic Comedy and my muse. I love her books so much she made me want to write stories of my own…

Have you done any creative writing courses that you would recommend to others?

I’m a mechanical engineer by training, so creative writing—or any writing—wasn’t a big part of my education in college. Before I sat down to write my first novel I took several online courses to freshen up my knowledge. They were more focused on the craft itself rather than on story structure or character creation, but I found them very useful.

I used these two websites https://www.coursera.org and https://www.edx.org where top-notch universities offer courses that you can follow online. Most courses are free to take as “auditor” meaning you can follow the lectures and access all the material for free but also have a paid option if you want to earn a verified certificate at the end.

Finally, If your book is part of a series, what is in the future?

It is part of a series, book 3, but also reads as a standalone. In every new book, one minor character from previous books becomes the main love interest. In the next book, the protagonist will be Christian—Hollywood’s most wanted bachelor—who I introduced in book 2. While my heroine will be a new entry unknown to readers so far. However, Diego and Nikki will make small appearances in the book so the readers will get a small peek into their lives after “Happily Ever After.” I love when series progress this way, as the romance is fresh with a brand-new couple, but there’s also the comfort of re-encountering old characters.

Thank you for being my guest today.

Wishing you success with all your writing projects.

A Christmas Date is available to purchase from:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBXB5PK

Apple Books: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-christmas-date/id1424973663

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-christmas-date-camilla-isley/1129274291?ean=2940155770961

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9788887269253

Google Play:  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Camilla_Isley_A_Christmas_Date?id=p4ZoDwAAQBAJ

Snuggle up with a book.

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Camilla Isley is an engineer turned writer after she quit her job to follow her husband on an adventure abroad.

She’s a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.

Connect with Camilla Isley

Website www.camillaisley.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/camillaisley

Facebook: www.facebook.com/camillaisley

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camillaisley/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14135080.Camilla_Isley

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/camillaisley

Read all posts in the romance genre on Jera’s Jamboree.

Shaz Goodwin

Family comes first! I'm married with two son's in their 20's and have a little more time now to follow my passions. I love my role as an Inclusion Lead in KS2 and I'm passionate about early help. I'm a member of Bournemouth's Early Help Operational Board working alongside others to instigate change and growth. I'm also passionate about my love of reading, being out in nature and creating with crochet. I've been blogging for eight years at Jera's Jamboree.