I am delighted to welcome Sylvia Ashby to Books, Life and Everything as part of the Blog Tour to celebrate her novel, Sinking Chef -Pot Love 2. There is also the chance to win a £25 Amazon voucher and/ or an e-copy of the book- details at the end of the post.
Before we meet Sylvia, here's a little more about the book.
Bridget Jones meets Burnt in this delightful comedy novel
about a talented YouTuber and the guy who keeps trying to bring her down.
Although part of a series this book is completely standalone, as are all other
novels in the Pot Love Series.
In Belsize Park, London, Ashley works hard on her daily
YouTube channel “The Sinking Chef”. It’s filmed right in her kitchen, so she
doesn’t go out much.
James is a gruff British TV director, turned publisher, who
Ashley had a crush on ages ago. She has moved on but when he calls with an
offer to take her out to lunch she doesn’t say no. It’s only lunch – what can
go wrong?
The day Ashley meets James for lunch and he promises her a
book deal, she makes the worse decision in her life – to hide the book deal
from her boyfriend, Giacomo. As things progress Ashley’s secrets mount up and
other things in her life unravel. Is there a connection? And how is she going
to get out of this without losing Giacomo and the life she loves?
Set in the heart of fast-paced London, The Sinking Chef is a
charming story of love, recipes, secrets, and the determination to do thinks
right by those you love most in your life.
Welcome, Sylvia.
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Hello, my name is Sylvia and I’m the author of three novels
and a cookbook. “The Sinking Chef” is the second book in my “Pot Love” series.
Apart from being a writer I’m also a mum to two gorgeous
children, the wife of a very supportive husband, and a very reluctant sailor. I
suffer from terrible motion sickness, so the only way I can enjoy any sort of
sea adventures is by reading and writing them.
How did you first come to be a writer?
When I was fifteen I wanted to become a journalist but my
father opposed to the idea. He would sit me down in front of the television to
watch the news. When a bunch of reporters surrounded a politician or a
government official for questioning, he’d point at them and demand to know: “Is
that what you want to do for the rest of your life?”
I had no answer to that. I had no idea what I wanted to do
with the rest of my life, but I also didn’t want to disappoint my dad. So I
became a graphic designer. That went on for more than a decade. Eventually my
love for writing resurfaced and I became a journalist (not a reporter!) and a
writer at the ripe age of thirty-five. I love it.
What is your book about?
“The Sinking Chef” is a comedy novel about a talented chef,
Ashley, and the guy who keeps trying to bring her down. Ashley lives in London,
in Belsize Park, and works hard on her daily YouTube channel. James is a gruff
British TV director, turned publisher, who Ashley had a crush on ages ago. She
has moved on since, but when he suddenly calls with an offer to take her out to
lunch she doesn’t say no. It’s only lunch – what could go wrong?
The book is set in fast-paced London. It’s a story of love,
recipes, secrets, and the determination to do things right by those you love
most in your life.
Although part of a series, “The Sinking Chef” is completely
standalone.
Where do you get your ideas from?
This is the question I get asked the most. The honest answer
is – I don’t know. They just appear in my head, sometimes fully formed. Other
times they’re triggered by something I see, hear, or smell.
I was standing at a busy bus stop once, next to Selfridge’s
on Oxford Street. A beautiful Japanese woman was struggling to get her child’s
pram off the bus. She managed to get to the pavement only for the bus to close
the doors and drive away with her husband still inside. The woman panicked. Her
eyes were rolling inside her head. She was terrified and had no idea what to do
next. A well-meaning stranger told her that the bus would take the corner and
stop again. She could catch up with her husband there.
The woman hurried across the road and vanished in the crowd.
As soon as I lost sight of her I thought: What if they never meet again? What
if in twenty years time there is this diminutive, aging Japanese man standing
alone at a busy bus stop in London, peering into the crowd and hoping to find
out what happened to his wife and child, who he lost two decades ago?
That’s a whole crime novel right there.
What is your writing routine?
I never got the hang of procrastination (the guilt is
killing me!) so I have a fairly regular routine. I get the children and husband
out of the house as early in the morning as I can get away with. I make myself
a pot of tea and start writing. I keep it up (with varying success) until 4 pm,
when the kids get home.
Boring or what?
What’s your favourite book that you’ve read this year?
I started the year chuckling at Very British Problems and I
can’t seem to stop. It’s so keenly observed, it’s uncanny.
What are you reading at the moment?
I’m plotting my next novel, so I’m reading Into the Woods:
How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them by John Yorke. It’s about the structure
of drama on television, but it’s amazing how helpful it is for plotting books.
It’s given me heaps of insight into what works in a story, how to master
cliff-hangers and punchlines.
Is there a question that you wish an interviewer would ask
that you’ve never been asked? What’s your answer to that question?
Question: What talent would you like to possess?
Answer: To be able to slow down time.
How can people connect with you on social media?
I use Twitter excessively (according to my husband… I think
I’m totally fine). To get in touch use the handle @bysylvia_a.
My facebook page is Facebook.
htps://www.facebook.com/sylviaashbywriter
Thank you for having me on your blog! It was great fun.
Thanks for letting us into your writing world, Sylvia- I might just download that cookery book- tempting!
My Thoughts
I enjoyed meeting Ashley in The Sinking Chef and following her pursue her dream to be a published author. Full of flaws and insecurities, she made me smile as she kept getting herself into tricky situations. She is so full of insecurities but her heart is in the right place. There are several other characters who add to the humour, Paige and Jun in particular. It is the humour which defines this book and which runs throughout.
The recipes which are dotted through the book are a nice touch and so tempting as you read on. Food, romance and humour- it is a lovely, quick read. The story has a contemporary feel, full of references to You Tube, and social media. The episode with Mumsnet stands out for me and gives an insight into Ashley's character early on. A little impulsive, she ends up in an embarrassing situation ploughs on with her conversation with the Mums, digging herself an ever increasing hole..
In short: humour and romance- a lovely mix.
About the Author
Sylvia Ashby is fond of the written word: books, blog posts, recipes, even an explanation to the HM Revenue & Customs as to why she thinks skirts should be exempt from VAT - she's written it all!
She likes travelling and has lived all over Europe - London, Brussels, Amsterdam and Sofia, Bulgaria. Currently, she lives in Leuven, Belgium with her husband, daughter, son and a sparrow called Jack, who comes occasionally to peck the seeds she leaves for him on top of the garden shed.
Giveaway (International)
1st prize: £25 Amazon voucher and an eCopy of the book
2nd and 3rd prize: ecopy of the book
For the chance to win the above follow the link below
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