Today I'm pleased to feature a guest post by author JANEY FRASER, whose latest novel is called AFTER THE HONEYMOON. Plus, see the end of Janey's post for the chance to win some goodies!
Vanessa Calls! by Janey Fraser
The email popped up unexpectedly in my Inbox. It was from my PR at Random House. Would I do an interview for Vanessa Feltz on her radio show. Would I? Just try to stop me!
As a journalist (before becoming a novelist), I’d
interviewed Vanessa on a couple of occasions for various women’s magazines. I’d
always found her to be warm, bubbly and generous. At the time, I was
freelancing from home with three small children and she was very understanding
when I had to pause the telephone interview for a few minutes while I sorted
out yet another squabble.
However, there was only one catch with this radio interview.
It was on a Bank Holiday Monday. I moved
to Devon some years ago so it’s not always easy to get into London on high days
and holidays. I also had to be there for 9.30am. I’m not a motorway driver (for
some reason, it brings me out in a cold sweat to approach the Entry lane) so I
took the sleeper. So exciting! In fact, it would make a story all of its own
but I want to tell you about Vanessa.
The BBC is a sprawling mass of buildings nowadays. I was
heading for the bit behind Top Shop (an important landmark for my daughter) but
even my taxi driver wasn’t sure of the exact spot. Eventually, I made my way to
the right building where – wow! – there was actually a uniformed BBC man at the
door.
‘Are you a guest?’ he asked.
To be honest, I almost felt like an intruder. At this time
of the morning, I am normally running my dog along the beach and thinking of
the next plot. Still, my name was on the
list so they must have been expecting me.
Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of security at the Beeb. I
wasn’t exactly frisked but you have to sign things and get a badge. After that,
because I was so early (thanks to the sleeper), I had to wait a bit on the ‘state
of the art’ sofa in the lobby in front of a giant TV. It was so comfortable
that I almost forgot why I was there!
Suddenly, Vanessa’s lovely assistant breezed in and whisked
me off for a coffee. Honestly, I could get used to this. Yet at the back of my
mind was the thought that in a few minutes, I was going to be chatting on air.
From previous experience, I know that the strange thing about live radio is
that you are lulled into a false sense of security. It feels as though you are talking
to a mate because the presenter is normally friendly (unless you’re on some
horrible political programme which I would never be on because I’m hopeless at that sort of thing). So it’s very
easy to say something you don’t mean or stumble over words – and then you can’t
take it back.
Vanessa wanted to talk to me about honeymoons because that’s
what my new novel is about. So I’d made a few notes. But when I found myself
being ushered into a smallish room with THE Vanessa on the other side of the
desk, all my ideas went out of my head. Vanessa in the flesh is just like the
kind of woman you’d want to have a chat with. She looked very glamorous with
that lovely hair of hers but don’t be fooled. She was also very professional.
We kicked off with the fact that – according to a recent
survey by the travel firm Kuoni – 12 per cent of brides would like to ring
their mums when on honeymoon. ‘Don’t most girls want to do that?’ asked Vanessa
who has two grown up daughters.
I agreed. When I got married the first time, I queued up for
hours in Greece to ring my mum/ ‘No mobile phones then,’ said Vanessa chattily.
Too true. Then we had a good old natter about some of the
brides I’d interviewed – including a couple whose damp confetti fell out of
their clothes on their wedding night. It
stained the marble floor and they spent hours trying to get the marks out of
the floor so they didn’t get billed. It rather put paid to any newly-wed
intimacy if you get what I mean...
In between chats, Vanessa played tracks but to be honest, I
couldn’t have told you what they were. We were too busy having little chats
ourselves. ‘Look at this,’ said Vanessa, proudly holding up a shopping bag
which had a picture of her first grandchild on it. It was really heartening to see a normal
proud granny behind a public face.
Another interesting bit were the number of emails which came
in from listeners who wanted to describe their own honeymoon experiences.. They
were handed to Vanessa swiftly over the desk by another assistant and she read
them out on air. It just goes to show that it IS worth getting in touch!
I was on for nearly half an hour but it felt much shorter.
In fact, I was sad to go. ‘Would you like to come to my launch party?’ I asked
Vanessa boldly as I left.
‘Send me the invitation,’ she replied chummily.
I don’t know if she’ll turn up – but I’ll let you know......
~~~~~
Please send me (Janey) your honeymoon stories – and you could win a bag of books or a Champneys goodies parcel. Email them to me at janeyfraser@gmail.com
~~~~~
About the novel...
Please send me (Janey) your honeymoon stories – and you could win a bag of books or a Champneys goodies parcel. Email them to me at janeyfraser@gmail.com
~~~~~
About the novel...
AFTER THE HONEYMOON by Janey Fraser.
One honeymoon
destination. Three couples. Six secrets.
Emma never wanted to marry Tom, let alone go away without the children. But then the girls at work give her a honeymoon voucher. Enter Yannis, the local lothario...
Winston is the nation’s Keep Fit bachelor darling. Newspapers are agog when he marries Melissa, newly-divorced mother of two. But when her teenagers disrupt their honeymoon, his past is revealed....
Rosie was homeless and pregnant when she arrived at the Villa Rosa, sixteen years ago, but now she’s the owner. Winston might not remember her, but she’s never forgotten him…
By the end of the week, none of their lives are the same. But what happens after the honeymoon?
~~~~~
About the author... (in her own words)
Janey Fraser is the pen name for journalist Jane Bidder who also writes as Sophie King. You might have read some of my previous novels such as THE SCHOOL RUN and THE WEDDING PARTY which was short listed for Love Story of the Year 2010.
For many years, I was a journalist on women’s magazines and until recently, edited the family page of Woman. Now I write ‘ MUM LIT’ novels about the ups and downs of family life.
I have plenty of experience with my own three – remind me to tell you, one day, about the time that my youngest gave his friend a pudding-basin haircut while my back was turned for three minutes or when my eldest bashed me on the head with an empty lemonade bottle while driving because of an over-heated car game.
Oh my goodness, the interview with Vanessa sounds exciting and nerve racking all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteIntrigued by the sound of what happens After The Honeymoon I'll be sure to keep a look out for it.
Very captivating post. The experience of this interview sounds like it was such fun.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that a higher percentage of Brides do not want to call their mothers.
Mum lit is a new term to me, but it does fit a lot of current books. Love it!
ReplyDeleteHarvee
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