Western Daily Press (Saturday)
‘Researching stories is often my
Sue Smith talks with Cotswolds author Katie Fforde about her latest book, which last week topped the Sunday Times Hardback Fiction chart
SHE describes herself as a romantic novelist and bad flamenco dancer and lists her hobbies as ironing and housework, but she has little time for either as she feels it is her duty to keep a close eye on afternoon TV chat shows.
The extremely entertaining Stroud author Katie Fforde was doing some daytime chatting herself over a pot of tea in one of the town’s bustling cafés. It was just one of many cups she had already consumed that morning having had to get up at some unearthly hour to have her hair done.
“My hairdresser is my neighbour so I can often find myself round there as soon as the sun comes up,” says Katie, whose primping and preening was in advance of a big party being thrown for her in London by her publishers, Penguin Random House.
Katie is one of their bestselling authors and has just delivered her 25th book, A Rose Petal Summer. It’s the story of Caro Swanson who answers a job ad in The Lady magazine to be a companion to an elderly gentleman.
However, it soon becomes clear that the stunning country house she is living in is in financial difficulties and Caro goes in search of a classic lost perfume that just might save the day.
“I wanted to write a book about perfume and I am quite obsessed with the jobs in The Lady,” says Katie.
“I always want to apply for every job I see, except of course, accountancy.”
Rodborough-based Katie admits to living her life vicariously through the professions she gives people in her books. Her favourite character is still Polly Cameron from her first book, Living Dangerously, who like Katie, worked in a wholefood café, went to the same jumble sales that she did and even had Katie’s own possessive cat.
Katie is meticulous about research for her stories which gives her ample opportunity to get a good insight into some of the jobs she yearns after.
“It started when I wanted to write about a potter. I went along to a pottery session in Stroud and thought I would just sit and observe,” she says.
“But they made me roll up my sleeves and get stuck in. Ever since then I have taken the view you have to get your hands into something to really understand it.”
A new Katie Fforde release is widely anticipated by her fans and she doesn’t let them down, consistently delivering a book a year.
She was signing copies of A Rose Petal Summer for a delighted crowd at Stroud Bookshop on Saturday, February 23.
“I seem to be very well known in Stroud and New Zealand – when I went over there, I got a huge welcome – but I am not sure if anyone has heard of me anywhere else,” she laughs.
But it is false modesty from the writer who topped the Sunday Times Top Ten Best Seller List in 2007 with Going Dutch and has sold well in excess of three million books.
As a mum of three small children, time was in short supply for Katie in the early days and she became obsessed with Mills & Boon as they were easy to read at the end of a long day of childcare.
It was only after her third child that she began writing when her mother bought her a writing kit, having got fed up of hearing her daughter talking about wanting to write.
With three tiny youngsters to look after, Katie thought the criticism was a bit harsh but she did put pen to paper.
And she struck lucky on her first attempt when she sent it to the Romantic Novelists Association which was being organised that year by a literary scout who passed it on to an agent.
Her own good fortune has seen