Today Avril Tremayne joins me to introduce you to her new book, Wanting Mr Wrong.
Welcome Avril!
1. Give us the details – title, publisher, illustrator, release date.
Wanting Mr Wrong by Avril Tremayne; Random House Australia; February 2015
Blurb: Evie Parker has never been one to swoon after celebrities – give her a neuroscientist over an actor any day! So when she develops her first movie-star crush, she’s determined to date her way out of it, starting with the next good-looking doctor she sees. Yet hovering on the fringes of her life is her gay best friend’s determined brother, Jackson J Stevens, a famous actor who comes with trailing paparazzi. The one thing worse than a celebrity in Evie’s eyes is a media circus, so Jack isn’t an option no matter how hard he flirts with her. Evie knows what she doesn’t want; Jack knows what he does. And somewhere in the middle, pheromones are making things go haywire every time they’re together.
2. Why did you write the book?
I got the idea for this book after watching British actor Matthew Macfadyen play Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. He was my first ever movie star crush and I was a little bit shocked at how obsessed I became. My work colleagues at the time were shameless enablers, so a period of YouTube watching and fan site scouring ensued – and it was a very funny and wonderful period in my life, to be honest. I have a habit of using stray events like that and twisting them into story ideas, and this one was irresistible. What would happen if I put a heroine in the same ‘crush’ predicament…? Wanting Mr Wrong is the result.
3. How long from idea to publication?
The idea part happened years ago, but all that YouTube watching aside, my job at the time was very a demanding 24/7 one, with unpredictable hours and travel patterns, which made it almost impossible to write a book – although I did a lot of thinking about how it would progress and the types of scenes I would include. It wasn’t until two years ago, when I decided to opt out of corporate life, that I got the chance to put it together properly.
4. What was the hardest thing about writing it?
Finding the best way to tell it. I initially wrote the book in the third person, from the points of view of both the heroine and hero. But something about it didn’t quite feel right. I’m not sure what made me rewrite it solely from the heroine’s point of view, but once I started doing that, it seemed to click. It was, nevertheless, a massive adjustment.
5. Coolest thing about your book?
The coolest thing is the character of Drew – the heroine’s best friend, who is also the hero’s brother. He is funny and irreverent and tells it like it is, but has a wonderful heart.
6. Something you learnt through writing the book?
The rewriting I mentioned taught me a lot about paring back, because I had to kill a lot of darlings in the process. I also learnt a lot about using dialogue to the best advantage, because that was the only way I had of letting readers into the hero’s head.
7. What did you do celebrate the release?
I celebrate, always, with a Negroni.
8. And how will you promote the book?
I’m fairly active on social media, as well as a columnist on a couple of romance writers’ blog sites. I’m still a relatively new writer, but I believe in taking advantage of every opportunity.
9. What are you working on next?
When I finished Wanting Mr Wrong, I knew I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Evie’s friends, Chloe and Drew, so I am actually working on books for those characters. I’m in the process of finishing Chloe’s story right now. Chloe is a television reporter with a reputation for being cool, calm and collected – but she has a fiery core that only one man seems to see.
10. Where we can find out more about you and your book?
I love interacting with readers, and will be sharing snippets and other information about the book – and my life – on:
my web site – http://www.avriltremayne.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/avril.tremayne
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AvrilTremayne
Wattpad – http://www.wattpad.com/AvrilTremayne
Thanks for popping in, Avril, and good luck with the book!
If you want to learn more about Avril and Wanting Mr Wrong, you can follow the rest of her blog tour. Tomorrow she is at My Written Romance.