Discover the heart warming journey of Olivia Spring, a talented author who has graced the world of romantic comedies and women’s fiction with her enchanting stories. From the spark of inspiration following a personal loss to becoming a prolific writer, Olivia’s storytelling has captured the hearts of readers worldwide. In this candid interview, she unveils her writing rituals, upcoming projects, and the essence of her enchanting tales. Dive into a world of love, laughter, and literary wonder.
What inspired you to become a fiction author?
Becoming an author was always my dream. From the moment I learnt to write at four years old, I’d sit in my bedroom creating stories. Then I’d run downstairs to read them to my parents and whoever would listen. As I got older, I the desire to write a novel remained, but I just didn’t have that big idea. Then about seven years ago a close friend passed away and I woke up in the middle of the night after his funeral with a head full of ideas. Once I returned home, I decided life was too short not to start pursuing my dream. So I set myself a goal to become a published author. Two and a half years (plus bucket loads of blood, sweat and tears) later in July 2018, my first novel, The Middle-Aged Virgin was published. It was definitely a pinch-me-is-it-real moment!
Do you have a particular writing ritual or routine? If so, can you share it with us?
I try to make writing the first thing I do every day. I picked up this tip from a prolific author a couple of years ago and it has worked well for me ever since. Before, I used to focus on ticking random tasks off my daily to-do list then start writing. By which point I might not be feeling that creative. But if I write first, my mind is fresher and then if anything else pops up during the day, at least I know I’ve hit my word count. I try not to look at social media or go online before I write. I have breakfast, put on a playlist that suits my mood to help get me into the zone and then I write. Another game-changer has been putting my phone on ‘do not disturb’ mode, so I don’t get distracted with notifications. I usually write until lunchtime then once I’ve finished writing, I look at my messages and reply to anything urgent. After that, depending on my schedule/deadlines etc. I’ll either write some more or focus on marketing tasks.
Can you tell us about any upcoming projects you’re excited about?
I’m super excited about the promotion of my twelfth book, a Christmas romantic comedy called My Perfect Happy Ending, which was just published. I’ve organised a virtual book tour, so for the next few weeks, a host of Bookstagrammers and BookTokers will be posting their reviews which I can’t wait to read. I’m buzzing about my next book too – a fake-dating novel called The Match Faker. And I’m also trying to decide which idea to develop after that!
What are your favorite genres to read or watch, and how do they influence your writing?
I love romance books and I write the kind of novels I like to read. It’s the same for films and TV shows. I’ll always choose something with strong romance and comedy elements. I want to read or watch something that will make me laugh out loud and give me warm, fuzzy, happy feelings. A few of my favourite TV shows are Ted Lasso, Emily in Paris, Sex in the City/And Just Like That and Friends. I’ve watched these series multiple times and they still make me smile. These kinds of shows inspire my writing because for the most part, they include relatable characters and explore real-life issues that many of us face such as finding a fulfilling career, dating disasters, friendships, the highs and lows of relationships, family etc. with a healthy dose of comedy. And those are the kinds of topics and themes I include in my books. For example, in my debut The Middle-Aged Virgin the protagonist Sophia is thrust onto the dating scene after her fifteen-year relationship ends. And although she’s at the top of her game with her career, when it comes to finding love, she’s completely out of her comfort zone. When this book was published I received so many messages and comments from readers saying how much they related to Sophia’s struggles with being newly single in her late thirties. My favourite shows are also easy to binge and that’s my goal when writing my books. I like to create fun, addictive stories that romcom lovers will want to devour in one sitting.
What are some hobbies or interests you have outside of writing?
I love reading! My TBR is probably the size of Mount Everest, but I can’t resist buying new books!
Travel is one of my biggest passions. I’ve been travelling a lot around Spain recently. I also love Italy, France and the Caribbean. Exploring different places also inspires my writing. So a number of my books feature international locations, for example My Paris Romance, My Spanish Romance, My French Wedding Date and The Middle-Aged Virgin in Italy.
Baking is something I enjoy when I get the time. Eating the cakes and cookies afterwards is a great bonus!
Music is a big part of my life too, so as well as listening to it all day, I love going to concerts.
And after a long day sitting at my desk, I like to go for a walk. As well as helping me to keep active, it also clears my mind. Plus, if there’s an idea that I’m struggling with before the walk, the solution often pops into my head naturally by the end of it!
Is there an overarching theme or message that you aim to express across all your work?
When I’m writing, my primary goal is to offer readers escapism and entertainment. My objective is to take them away from the challenges of everyday life and help them lose themselves in a fun, romantic, uplifting, steamy and exciting story. I also aim to express hope in my books and the happiness that comes from stepping out of your comfort zone.
All of my protagonists are scared to try something new in the beginning. They don’t believe that certain things are possible. So they might doubt that they can find a better and more fulfilling career, or that they can find someone to love and appreciate them, just the way they are. But then throughout the book the reader follows their journey and sees the protagonist achieve more than they’d hoped for and get their perfect happy ending.
Which of your book(s) are you the proudest of, and why?
I’m proud of them all, because writing a book isn’t easy, but I’m proudest of The Middle-Aged Virgin because it was my debut novel. It took a lot of work, self-discipline and perseverance to get it published. I was working full-time so could only write in the evenings, early hours of the morning and at weekends. Plus everything about the industry was new to me, so it was a very steep learning curve to learn everything from scratch. It took two and a half years to get that novel out to the world, but it was worth it.
I am also especially proud of my eleventh novel: my enemies-to-lovers, best friend’s brother romcom My French Wedding Date, because it was the first book that I wrote with a dual POV.
Having the male and female perspective is popular in a lot of novels in my genre, so I thought it was important to try it too. Now I absolutely love giving the reader those two points of view, so I’ve done the same for My Perfect Happy Ending and I’m doing it again for my next book, The Match Faker. I’m glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone!
What is your most recent book and/or what are you working on currently?
My most recent book is my Christmas romantic comedy, My Perfect Happy Ending which was published yesterday (Thursday 19th October).
Originally, I thought that My French Wedding Date would be the final book in the My Ten-Year Crush series and I had the concept for another novel lined up and ready to start. But the idea for My Perfect Happy Ending kept swimming around in my head. So I discussed it with my husband and after hearing his enthusiasm, I decided to go for it. I’m so glad I did because it’s a gorgeous, heart-warming story with lots of laugh-out-loud moments. And as the title suggests, the couples get a beautiful happy ending too!
Here’s the blurb:
My Perfect Happy Ending: a dreamy Christmas romantic comedy
A BRAND NEW hilarious holiday romantic comedy that will give you all the festive feels!
I’ve got the perfect Christmas holiday planned: a romantic getaway in the Scottish Highlands with my gorgeous husband, Nico, and four other loved-up couples, staying in a snow-covered luxury cabin.
There’ll be kisses under the mistletoe and spicy times with the love of my life before our baby is born in the New Year. It’s going to be epic!
Or so I thought.
When we arrive, disaster strikes and my dreams for a perfect Christmas are shattered.
With secrets swirling and our cosy couples’ nights in turning frostier than the winter snow, the holiday is in danger of being ruined.
But I promised my friends an amazing time and I won’t let them down.
Can I save Christmas? And will everyone get their perfect happy ending?
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Join Cassie, Nico and their friends for a fun, romantic adventure filled with seasonal shenanigans!
This laugh-out-loud, steamy, dual POV romcom can be read as the final book of the My Ten-Year Crush series or as a standalone novella.
Don’t miss out. Order My Perfect Happy Ending now!
Amazon UK (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3qgM1vI
Amazon US (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3oH7uNR
I’m currently working on my first fake-dating romcom, The Match Faker. I’ve always wanted to write a book with this trope, so I’m glad to finally have one in the works. It’s scheduled to be published in Spring 2024.
Is there a book project you have in mind that you plan to write one day? If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?
I have a few ideas in mind! There’s one in particular for a series that I think could work really well that I thought of a couple of years ago, but I wanted to finish the My Ten-Year Crush series first. Then the idea for The Match Faker kept shouting in my head, so I put the concept for the new series on hold again.
Maybe I’ll finally get to start on that secret project next year… Watch this space!
You can find Olivia Spring on her web site, on Facebook, or on Instagram.
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