All Over The Place
I have to say that the best part about publishing a book with Crimson Romance has been getting to know all the other Crimson authors and reading all their fantastic work. I grabbed the chance to take a look at the first few chapters from All Over The Place, by today’s guest Serena Clark, and it looks like a total hoot! Keep reading to learn more about Serena and her book, and then follow one of the buy links at the end. Seriously. It’s a fun read.
Thanks for having me to visit, Liv – your website is so gorgeous!
Thanks Serena 
LR: All Over The Place looks like a whole lotta fun. What do you like best about it? Is there a particular aspect that you think works really well?
SC: Thanks – I had a lot of fun writing it! One thing I really enjoyed was weaving the plot threads through the book, keeping Livi on the move (literally and emotionally) and keeping the reader in suspense about which guy she would end up with. I also really loved the secondary characters who turned up. I don’t know where some of them came from, it was like they just walked in! And most of all, I love the happy ending. Oh, I LOVE a happy ending!
LR: How much research did you have to do for All Over The Place , or did you just pull from your own (amazingly varied!) life experiences?
SC: Lol well all those experiences definitely contributed! I had a lot to draw on, but I also had a great time doing research. It helps that I chose things that I found really interesting – like the Notting Hill Carnival in London, the stories surrounding a whole bunch of rock stars, and of course magical Paris! Thank goodness for the internet!
LR: Your character Livi lived through a reality TV disaster. Do you like reality TV? What’s your fave program?
SC: I do like reality TV – but not all of it. I think we’re kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel now! I did go through a Kardashians phase – it’s really like a cartoon I think! But my all-time favourite reality TV show was My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé, from 2003/04. It was absolute genius, with a wicked twist at the end. The fiancé was played incredibly well by Steven W. Bailey, who was also on Grey’s Anatomy. Oh, and anyone who knows me will confirm that my very favourite shows, of any kind, are American Idol and X Factor. I can’t watch them without a box of tissues handy!
LR: All writers are readers, right? Who’s on your nightstand right now, and which author has influenced your work the most?
SC: It’s really hard to pick just one writer, but high on my list are Anne Tyler and Nora Ephron. I like Anne Tyler’s earlier books the most – she has such a knack of showing the poignancy and meaning in everyday things. Even the most ordinary people can be so strange, and that weird ordinariness is what makes us most human. And Nora Ephron! Really, was there ever a better screenwriter? I’m so sad she’s passed and there won’t be any more movies from her.
On my nightstand right now is a Kindle full of books! I only just got one and I’m really loving it. There’s also a pile of Architectural Digest magazines, which I adore. They take me to another world, where people’s homes are beautifully styled and coordinated, and there are no lamps without shades or grubby fingerprints on the walls!
LR: This might not be a fair question for the mother of two boys, but do you prefer clutter or quiet?
SC: Quiet! *sigh* My natural inclination is to be really tidy and organized, and I hung onto that for a long time – but I’ve had to give up now. Between boys and paid work and the call of writing, something had to give! I used to find it hard to concentrate if there’s mess, but now I’ve learned to just go into another room…
LR: Describe your perfect writing situation.
SC: One in which I have all the time in the world! I don’t mind where it is, but I do find it difficult to write in fits and starts. When things are going well you get in a kind of zone, and you just want to keep going! Tearing yourself away back to real life can be tough. Mind you, while writing this I’ve stopped to give kids popsicles, hang out washing, and start the dinner, amongst other things. As we all know, women are good at multi-tasking!
LR: Since it looks like you’ve done just about everything, I gotta wonder what your day job is now. Are you juggling work in addition to writing, raising kids, and living out your Happily Ever After with Mr. Tall, Dark & Handsome?
SC: My day job is a wordy one! I do freelance writing, editing and proofreading for business clients – very workaday – and for New Zealand Geographic magazine – magical! This is the cover of the next issue, which will be out shortly. I’m lucky that I can mostly take on work as it suits me – although I’d rather just write books of course!
LR: Where’s your dream vacation? Is there any place you’re dying to go that you haven’t visited yet?
SC: Well, on my last stint overseas I really wanted to go to Mongolia. I wanted to ride Mongolian ponies across the steppe, like Julia Roberts, but I never made it there. So it’s on my bucket list. But I don’t think drinking fermented mare’s milk and eating sheep’s head would suit my boys! (Not exactly my dream dinner either, I admit!) So right now I’m dreaming of a family trip to Disneyland. I want to have my picture taken with Mickey Mouse again!
LR: What’s next on your horizon? Describe your current WIP(s) or other upcoming project.
SC: On the horizon – hopefully not too distant now – is my next book. Lots of people have asked about it, so I’ve tried to sum it up without giving too much away: England, California, matchmaking, bees, Iggy Pop, loss and acceptance, secrets and sandcastles. A hostage drama, flash mobs, people power in a hyper-connected world, true love, and the trials and joys of sisterhood. But this may change, depending on who else walks into the story!
That was so much fun – thanks for the opportunity to chat with you today!
Well thank you, Serena. You’re welcome back any time!
About All Over the Place
Contemporary romantic fiction with a chick lit feel
Livi Callaway has fled back to London after a reality TV disaster in New Zealand. Safely anonymous in the big city, she’s determined to stay under the radar from now on. But her attempts to build a new life are complicated by unexpected visitors from her old one, and new dangers and temptations lie in wait.
Late one night, she meets a mysteriously sexy American on the Underground – and the events that follow take her from Pooh Bear to the golden lights of Paris, via a trail of rock stars dead and alive. A family in disarray, a determined Swede, a crazed Australian and a childhood friend (who might yet be more than that) have her all over the place as she tries to discover the American’s secret – while keeping her own.
With help – and occasional hindrance – from her friends, what she eventually finds is something unexpected…sometimes, running away can lead you to exactly what you didn’t know you needed.
About Serena Clarke
Serena grew up in a family of itchy-footed readers and dreamers – not concentrating, reading the atlas and Narnia books, and planning to escape somewhere magical as soon as she could. When she was 16, she went from New Zealand to live in Sweden for a year. It was the beginning of many travels and adventures – and quite a few disasters! She didn’t know it at the time, but eventually she’d be grateful for all the downs as well as the ups. As writers say in the face of adversity: “I can use that.” She’s now living back in New Zealand, where she writes stories reflecting her determined belief in magic, possibility and second chances – and happy endings!
Find Serena here
https://www.facebook.com/SerenaClarkeAuthor
https://twitter.com/Serena_Clarke
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6893136.Serena_Clarke
Buy All Over the Place here
http://www.amazon.com/Over-Place-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B00B2B0X9E/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Over-Place-Crimson-Romance-ebook/dp/B00B2B0X9E/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/all-over-the-place/id594641901?mt=11
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-over-the-place-serena-clarke/1114286511
