Sealed with a Kiss is a story about self-discovery and taking a chance. Kate, the heroine, has led a pretty safe existence right up to the point when her boring boyfriend dumps her. She's mainly just cross that she didn't get in first, but with no job and no money, realises that she has nowhere to go but back home to her mum who is lovely but more than a bit smothering. So she decides to take a leap and do something different, and she accepts a job working on the (fictional) Scottish island of Auchenmor. She's absolutely definitely sworn off men for the year she's there, so it's a bit unfortunate that the first one she meets is a gorgeous gamekeeper, and the next one is her Mr Darcy-esque new boss, Roderick, the Laird of Duntarvie. It's a story about friendship, too - and one with lots of animals, including a seal pup called Flora.
Sealed with a Kiss
You wrote your first novel at 11, so what can you tell us about that?
I used to write pony stories in the summer holidays in school exercise books. When I got a typewriter for my eleventh birthday I decided I was going to write a novel. So every night after school, I'd go to my nanny's house and bash away on the typewriter. I did this until I had a whole novel, plastered with Tippex but double spaced and as neat as my eleven year old self could make it, and I sent it off to Pan, who published all my favourite pony books. They sent me back a very sweet rejection letter telling me it wasn't suitable but to keep on writing - I wish I'd kept it, because it's lovely that all these years later I've come full circle and now I'm being published by Pan!
Why when you are writing to hate everyone and everything?
I get incredibly grumpy when I'm caught up in a story I'm writing. I find it really hard to get my head out of the fictional place and back into the real world of schoolbags and lost socks and boring things like paying the bills. I'm getting better at stopping as time goes on and I become more experienced at writing and balancing family life - we've got six children between us, so it's pretty important that we get the balance right or total chaos ensues!
You are a big reader so who are your favourite reads?
My favourite authors are Jilly Cooper (her book Rivals is my absolute favourite comfort read, and I've read my copy so many times the pages are all falling out) and Katie Fforde (who has been a really lovely supporter all the way through the process of writing Sealed with a Kiss, which was amazing). I also love Mary Wesley - The Camomile Lawn is one of my favourites, too, and I'm always recommending it to people. Oh, and Edith Wharton and Jane Austen. And that's just for starters. I could go on and on!
You are a blogger, so how much does it mean to you to you to stay in touch with your readers?
I got back into writing through blogging - I've been blogging since 2004, so I'm a proper old school internet geek. I love blogging, and sharing stuff I've found online, or recipes I've loved, or books I've read. I have a Facebook page (facebook.com/rachaellucaswriter) where I spend a lot of time chatting away with people and if I'm not there, when I'm supposed to be writing you can often find me on Twitter (@karamina). I'd hate to be the sort of writer who wasn't approachable.
Your book has been compared to Carole Matthews, Trisha Ashley and Katie Fforde, so how does that make you feel?
Deliriously happy! They're the queens of romantic fiction, and their books make me enormously happy - if mine can make other people feel the same way, I'll feel I'm doing a good job!
Please tell us about the character of Kate.
Kate's spent her first 26 years doing the right thing for a quiet life. She's been a bit aimless and lacking in direction; and it takes everyone by surprise - including her - when she decides to get on a boat and take a job on a strange Scottish island where there's no cinema, no decent shops, and no Starbucks in sight. It's interesting to see the transformation as she grows up and develops as a person during her time on the island.
What is next for you?
I've just finished the sequel to Sealed with a Kiss, which will be out in November - it's a lovely Christmassy tale which I loved writing. Right now I'm working on my next novel, which is set in a very English village, and is about a group of friends who come together one summer. It's all country cottage gardens and village fetes and gossip and it's loads of fun to write.