Hey everyone!!! Today I'm interviewing my blogger friend Naomi Bennet about her recently self-published novella Boredom and Glamour Clashes. I am super excited to be interviewing her and so proud of what she's done!!! This book sounds amazing, guys. You can purchase it for yourself here. Anyway, let's get on with the interview! My questions are in red or black, Naomi's answers are in dark red. Just so ya know:)
Firstly, thank you Elizabethany for interviewing me! It really makes me feel like a real author!There are two main characters in my novella. The “hero” we shall hear about later on, so I will talk about the sweet, bubbly Shirley Violet Trimm, who is the heroine of the story. She is a short girl, nice and roly-poly with lots of curls. I imagine her to look like the actress Shirley Temple did, as an older girl, of course. Shirley’s failing in life is probably being led away by all the world’s exciting stuff- she’s a little gullible and thinks everything she sees is something amazing and lovely. In the end, she realises it isn’t, though. Her strengths are her cheerful personality and bubbly nature. She has a lovely spontaneous smile and can cheer up a whole room. She’s young and sweet and lot of people like her.
2-Is the story funny, sad, or sweet?
Well, a bit of each, I suppose. I hope it has some funny bits in them, and I hope the romance between the two main characters is a sweet one (I definitely think it is!). It’s not a very sad story, though. I’m bad at writing emotional bits. Ahem.
3-Tell us a bit about the time period it's set in.
It’s set in 1920, during the ‘Roaring Twenties’ when everything changed quickly and a lot of modern things got introduced. Hemlines were no-longer up-to the ankles, classical music was ‘groovy’, as they called it, and they only wanted jazz, everyone wanted cars, young people developed their own slang-words, and so on. I had to do a lot of research, and I hope everything is historically accurate. It’s a very fun time to write about, because, for us, it’s still old-fashioned, but, for the characters, everything is very modern.
4-What gave you the idea of writing this novella? Where did you get your inspiration?
Well, that’s a very good question. I remember watching a movie with Shirley Temple in it (where she was older) and that sparked me to write a story about a heroine who looked just like her, and whose name was Shirley too. We were on holiday, and I started scribbling the first chapter in a booklet… and I got some more ideas and it sort of formed. So, yeah!
5-Do you plan to write a sequel?
No, not at the moment. I like starting new things and whenever I finally finish something all I want to do is start something totally different! But, who knows, maybe one day.
6-What is the hero like? Strengths/failings/personality quirks?
The *hero*, Moses Reginald Cooper, is a tall, stately man, always in formal clothing and always doing everything according to etiquette. Although quiet, the kind bachelor is not shy and has a brain like no-one else does. He’s a little like Jeeves in ‘Jeeves and Wooster’, only nicer and a little more romantic, heehee. His failings are, definitely, not being open to change. He puts on his disapproving look whenever someone mentions one of the latest trends (such as, in that time, jazz). His strengths? Oh he has loads, I am proud to say. He’s very clever and a genius in solving problems and helping people.
7-Is there a villain? If so, tell us about him.
3-Tell us a bit about the time period it's set in.
It’s set in 1920, during the ‘Roaring Twenties’ when everything changed quickly and a lot of modern things got introduced. Hemlines were no-longer up-to the ankles, classical music was ‘groovy’, as they called it, and they only wanted jazz, everyone wanted cars, young people developed their own slang-words, and so on. I had to do a lot of research, and I hope everything is historically accurate. It’s a very fun time to write about, because, for us, it’s still old-fashioned, but, for the characters, everything is very modern.
4-What gave you the idea of writing this novella? Where did you get your inspiration?
Well, that’s a very good question. I remember watching a movie with Shirley Temple in it (where she was older) and that sparked me to write a story about a heroine who looked just like her, and whose name was Shirley too. We were on holiday, and I started scribbling the first chapter in a booklet… and I got some more ideas and it sort of formed. So, yeah!
5-Do you plan to write a sequel?
No, not at the moment. I like starting new things and whenever I finally finish something all I want to do is start something totally different! But, who knows, maybe one day.
6-What is the hero like? Strengths/failings/personality quirks?
The *hero*, Moses Reginald Cooper, is a tall, stately man, always in formal clothing and always doing everything according to etiquette. Although quiet, the kind bachelor is not shy and has a brain like no-one else does. He’s a little like Jeeves in ‘Jeeves and Wooster’, only nicer and a little more romantic, heehee. His failings are, definitely, not being open to change. He puts on his disapproving look whenever someone mentions one of the latest trends (such as, in that time, jazz). His strengths? Oh he has loads, I am proud to say. He’s very clever and a genius in solving problems and helping people.
7-Is there a villain? If so, tell us about him.
8-What is the main character's goal in life? What does she accomplish over the course of the novella? Shirley’s main goal in life was to run away from her Uncle (she does this in the first chapter), wear pretty clothes (she does this when she starts working at a fashion shop), and meet the love of her life. Yes, she does accomplish her goals. (Heroines normally do, don’t they?)
9-Who is the silliest/most annoying character?
Well, because the writer of the novella (me) is a rather nonsensical one, almost all the characters are silly ones. The silliest character is, perhaps, Cooper’s brain-less cousin Derdi (short for Ferdinand), and the most annoying character is Shirley’s monstrous uncle Marmeduke. *Cue violet, loud orchestral music again.
10-If the hero and the heroine went to a cafe together, what would each one order to drink?
Love this question, Bethany. Well, Shirley would take the most elegant, trendy drink she knew, perhaps a cocktail or a long glass with fizzy water, or something like that. Cooper would restrict to some good English tea.
Thanks again, Elizabethany! I hope you all enjoyed it! You can buy a copy of my novella ‘Boredom and Glamour Clashes’ here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/naomi-bennet/boredom-glamour-clashes/paperback/product-21761261.html
Thank you too, Naomi!! Let me tell you, guys, I read a sneak peek of Naomi's book on the site above. I was giggling after three pages!! So don't delay! Go have a look:)
Oh how exciting! I will have to read this now!
ReplyDeleteI read the preview, and it was very cute! I'd love to read more! :)
ReplyDeleteNaomi is like a proper author now!
I know! It's so exciting!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SO much!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome m'dear!!:)
ReplyDeleteHow thrilling! Naomi, you're a real author! (Of course, I knew that, but still this is SO cool.) ;-P I enjoyed this interview IMMENSELY. I am definitely buying a copy of your novella as soon as I can! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove you, Naomi!
~Emma