Lovestruck
Lovestruck is the story of Rosie and Jake, who fall in love, marry and have two kids very quickly. Jake is a struggling actor and Rosie is the breadwinner, and they’re hard up and stressed. Overnight, their luck changes when Jake’s cast as the lead in a huge sitcom. He’s famous, they’re rich and able to move to their “dream” house in a smart suburb and Rosie can give up work. But Rosie finds adjusting to her new life much tougher than she anticipated and when Jake is cast in a West-End play with a flaky Hollywood star, things quickly go from bad to worse.
Why is this book the perfect beach read?
It’s the perfect beach read because it’s full of fun, glamorous characters and deals with a question many of us ask ourselves how would we enjoy overnight fame and fortune?
Please tell us about the characters of Rosie, Jake and Christy.
Rosie comes from a poor background, with a useless mother, she was essentially brought up by her grandmother. She finds the contrast between her upbringing and the world she’s now entered hard to stomach. Jake is from a far more privileged family, with a pushy mother and is kind but a little bit spoilt. Christy is Rosie’s best friend from childhood and now Jake’s agent. She’s determined to give Christy the life she deserves by pushing Jake in his career, but she doesn’t see Rosie would rather her friend gave her more emotional support, instead of constantly focusing on her husband’s career.
Please tell us about your other novels for those who have not read them.
I’ve written six novels, including my first The Love Trainer about a cleaner whose boss and friends have disastrous love lives, which she sets out to fix by teaching them to “train” men, like you train dogs. My second, If I Were You is about two friends – one very beautiful but in a dead-end career, the other very successful but longing for love, who are both secretly envious of each others’ lives. My personal favourite is The Model Wife about a young model, Poppy, who has an affair with a much older, married newsreader. Poppy gets pregnant, his wife kicks him out, they marry but she finds herself lonely with a baby and a husband with whom she has nothing in common. It’s about how Poppy reinvents herself and finds happiness.
You write regularly for the Sunday telegraph and the Sunday Times, so please can you tell us a bit more about this?
I’ve been a journalist writing for the national papers for a shocking 22 years now. In that time, I’ve had all sorts of crazy assignments – I’ve met child soldiers in Sierra Leone, been a knife thrower’s assistant, attended a ‘posh’ orgy – though I didn’t’ participate. I’ve also interviewed hundreds of famous people from Princess Anne to Shakira to Jamie Oliver (three times) to pretty much everyone who’s ever appeared on Strictly Come Dancing. All these experiences give me great ideas for the novels.
Why do people assume that living with an actor is all peachy?
People assume that living with an actor is all peachy, because most actors – in the public mind – are rich and famous and often handsome to boot. What they don’t realise is that most actors are often deeply neurotic people (I know this having interviewed so many) and not easy to live with. If they’re successful, they’re away for long periods and you never see them, if they’re not, they’re mooching around the house depressed. I wouldn’t want my daughters to marry an actor.
What is next for you?
I’m taking a break from novel-writing, I want to spend more time with my children while they still think I’m the coolest person on earth, (they’re nine and seven) and I am enjoying the journalism a lot and want to devote my energies to that side of work for now. But several ideas are always bubbling round my brain, so I’ll be back!