21/11/2011

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ALI MACNAMARA - INTERVIEW AND DOUBLE GIVEAWAY

British author Ali Macnamara is my guest today. She kindly accepted to answer my questions about her books: her first successful "From Nottingh Hill with Love ... Actually" and her due to release "Breakfast at Darcy's". You'll have the chance to win one of her two books reading and commenting this interview. You'll find the details for the giveaway contest at the end of the post. Enjoy and good luck!

Welcome on FLY HIGH! Ali. It’s a great pleasure to have you as my guest and to introduce you and your work to my readers. Tell us Ali, have you always wanted to be a writer?


No I actually started writing stories by accident on an Internet message board. People were enjoying them so much that I decided to have a go at writing ‘real books.’


How has your life changed after the publication of your first novel, “From Notting Hill with Love … Actually”?


It hasn’t really. I still spend more time in front of a computer screen than I probably should, except now I get paid for it ;-)

Notting Hill and Love Actually are two of my favourite comedies. What did you especially like in them? Apart from Hugh Grant, of course! ;-)

I’m a great fan of the writer and director of those two movies – Richard Curtis. I love the way he writes and his humour.

       Does this mean you are an incurable romantic?
      
      Most definitely!

What do you like reading when you are not writing and what kind of reader are you? 

I’m quite an erratic reader, and I have very varied tastes! It depends on how busy I am and what I’m writing at the time. I would love to have loads more time to read lots more books!

Another of my passions is period drama and costume movies. Do you like them? Have you got a favourite one?

Yes I love them. Pride & Prejudice – the BBC TV production with Jennifer Ehle & of course Colin Firth ;-)

What inspired you to write “Breakfast at Darcy’s"  What kind of story is it? What can you tell us about it?


Breakfast at Darcy’s is about a girl called Darcy who finds out at a funeral she’s the sole beneficiary of her Aunt’s wealthy estate. But the terms of her Aunt’s will state before Darcy can inherit any of her money she must go and live on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland for a whole year, and set up a new community of people to live there with her.
Being a city girl, Darcy doesn’t find the switch from high-heeled boots to wellington boots an easy one, or for that matter any of the other many changes that the island of Tara has in store for her…

The idea came to me when I was on a touring holiday of Ireland and my husband and myself were parked up one day over looking the island of Great Blasket in County Kerry. My fictional island of Tara is based very heavily on Great Blasket and it’s history.


Thanks Ali for taking the time and answering my questions. You’ve been very kind!  Fingers crossed  for the launch of “Breakfast at Darcy’s”. We’ll wait for you back on FLY HIGH!

 GIVEAWAY 

Two books, two winners! Thanks to Ali Macnamara's publishers, Little Brown, UK, we've been granted a copy of "From Nottingh Hill with Love ... Actually"  and one of "Breakfast at Darcy's". Leave your comments and don't forget your e-mail address to enter this double giveaway. It is open internationally and it ends on 27th November when the winner is announced. Good luck!

Visit Ali Macnamara's lovely blog - The  Wonderful World of Ali Macnamara

28 comments:

cyn209 said...

both books sound like GREAT reads!!!

thank you for the giveaways!!!

cyn209(AT)juno(DOT)com

Patricia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Patricia said...

Interesting interview, Maria!!! I love your blog.
Thanks for the double giveaway.

patperezmiguel(at)yahoo(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Breakfast at Darcy's is promising from description! I think it is no longer inhabited, but it is very beautiful from the coast. Tara could be Inishmore?

Thank you for alert to another author, and new books!

fitzg

Anonymous said...

(I meant to say the - Great Blasket is not inhabited...)

fitzg

A Scattering said...

Ali, I love the fact that you started writing by accident - oh, how the internet has changed our world! Maria, you do such a great job of introducing us to exciting authors and new books - thanks. Please enter my name for the giveaway. elaine489 at gmail dot com

Mystica said...

Thankyou ever so much for opening it to all. Much appreciated.

mystica123athotmaildotcom

Phoebe's Sisters said...

The books sound extremely interesting! Thank you for the chance :-))

faridamestek@yahoo.com

LĂșthien84 said...

This books sounds interesting. At first I thought it has something to do with Mr Darcy of P&P fame but after reading the description, I know it isn't.

Great interview as usual, Maria.

evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com

va said...

i would like to read these books too and found this through a tumblr post .
tumblemumbo at gmail.com
intl.

Kelli H. said...

Great post! These two books sound wonderful! I am very eager to read them! Thanks for the giveaway!=)

kellik115@yahoo.com

Rebecca (RivkaBelle) said...

Great interview! Both books sound great, and especially LOVE the title "Breakfast at Darcy's"... ;o)

quarterback.girl[at]gmail[dot]com

Sophia Rose said...

I love romantic comedy stories and I think that is so great how you got into writing.

Thanks Maria for the interview and both for the giveaway opportunity.

sophiarose1816@gmail.com

Literary Chanteuse said...

Oh my gosh I have wanted both of these! thank you so much for this giveaway!

Margaret
singitm@hotmail.com

maribea said...

Thank you for this giveaway. I love writing myself and I wish I had more time for sharing my novels and stories with other people.
I'm a desperate romantic, too and I love Ireland.
So please enter me in this giveaway.
maribea at tiscali.it

BeckyC said...

Sounds very interesting! Thank you for the giveaway.
cherringtonmb(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Dee said...

These sound like fun books! I am marking these titles on my wishlist. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
inddee at gmail com

Vinci said...

Wow, what great books. would love to'snag a copy. thanks for this
amazing book giveaway.
follow your blog by gfc as dayleb.
dayleb at telus dot net

Unknown said...

These both sound great!! thanks for the chance to win

kissyjensen at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Love the covers!

Thanks for the giveaway! Happy holidays!

GFC: Jasmine Marie
thebookishmama at gmail dot com

Gaabi Costa said...

Both covers are amazing! Can't wait to read them.
Thanks for making this double giveaway international! :)
Great interview...

Xx
gaabii(dot)costa(at)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

freacking awesome giveaways

both books sound attractive and even if I do not win any I will buy them :D

anda15y@yahoo.co.uk

Linda Kish said...

These books sound great. Count me in, please.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Traxy said...

Ohh, I've actually got FNHwLA! Haven't read it yet, but this reminds me that I ought to. :)

Margay Leah Justice said...

These books sound great - love the titles! Notting Hill was one of my favorite movies.


Margay1122ATaolDOTcom

IdentitySeeker said...

Wow! I love the idea of a girl named Darcy. I love anything Irish and I especially love Pride and Prejudice- I only recently watched the movie with Colin Firth and Keira Knightley, however, but it was simply fantastic and helped me see the book in a whole new light. It's so inspiring and encouraging that you started writing on an internet message board and developed a a writer from there. It's a pleasure meeting you:)

Sarah

sarah.setar@gmail.com

Rachel said...

Oh my, this is really a wonderful giveaway! Love "Nothing Hill" movie and love everything that could be related with Jane Austen and her novels.What a lovely chance! Kisses, Rachel :D
rachelwishmade@gmail.com

Hannah said...

Ohh I hope I'm on time to enter!
Keep hearing fantastic things about Ali McNamara and would love to read her books! Would be happy with either :D Thanks for the giveaway.

I adore Richard Curtis movies. Nothing like a good British rom com to cheer you up when you're feeling a bit low. :)

GFC: Hannah
jaedia at live dot co dot uk