Interview and Giveaway with Nicola Marsh, author of Busted in Bollywood

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s books – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today we are welcoming Nicola Marsh, author of Busted in Bollywood to the blog! She dropping by to answer some questions and tell us more about her book!  She has also kindly offered to give away a paperback copy of her book to a lucky reader with a US or Canadian mailing address.  To make things a bit more interesting, if you leave a question for Nicola I add extra entries for you!

So, sit back and enjoy…..and then fill out the form at the bottom of this post!

Barb – Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Nicola – I’m a busy mum who runs after her boys all day, then sits down at her computer every night to write. My work ‘day’ starts at 8.30pm but I don’t begrudge my lack of sleep. I’ve had the opportunity to watch my gorgeous boys grow and develop before my eyes, precious time I’ll always treasure.

Barb – What started you on your journey to be a writer?

Nicola – I’d worked as a physiotherapist for 13 years before I got tired of saying ‘I’m going to write a book one day’ and actually did it. Once I started writing I couldn’t stop.  I was lucky enough to sell fairly quickly (started writing late 2001, sold first book to Harlequin May 2003) I always wanted to write from a young age. I just got temporarily sidetracked into the medical field along the way.

Barb – Who are your cheerleaders? Who do you have that encourages you and keeps you writing?

Nicola – My hubby has great faith in me.  Because I write at night we don’t spend a lot of time together but that will change once my youngest is at school, so I appreciate his patience.

I also have a few close writer buddies who I couldn’t do without. We email daily, they’re my champions. It’s taken me a while to find them but now I have, I’m not letting go. It’s so nice to have buddies who ‘get’ me and the trials writing can bring.

Barb – Tell us about your new release in your own words.

Nicola – Busted in Bollywood is an eclectic mix of contemporary romance/romantic comedy/chicklit/women’s fiction. Think ‘Sex and the City’ meets ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. I love that it’s packed with secrets and deception and laughs and romance and food! As one reader described it, ‘hilariously scrumptious!’

Barb – What’s the hardest part of writing a book?

Nicola – Slogging through the middle. The first chapters fly and once I’m heading towards the end those words can’t get onto the page quick enough too. But it’s the dreaded ‘sagging middle’ I find tough, when characters are at loggerheads, conflict is escalating and we’re all trying to find a way out!

Barb – What’s your favorite part of writing a book?

Nicola – Definitely the start, when the brand new sparkly idea is exciting and beckoning and full of possibilities. Love that buzz of a new idea.  Then comes the hard part, actually writing the thing!

Barb – What type of scenes do you find the hardest to write?

Nicola – I think sex scenes are hardest to write, because I strive to keep them fresh and free of repetitive language (after all, there are only so many ways you can describe certain bits!) while maintaining the emotional underpinning of the scene.

Barb – Who is your favorite character in your new release?

Nicola – I should say Shari or Drew, the main characters, but I think deep down my favourite is Aunt Anjali. She’s hilarious and threatens to steal every scene she’s in, I love her!

Barb – Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

Nicola – Hmm…not really, though I wouldn’t mind being Shari and having a hot, English guy lusting after me…

Barb – Do you have an all time favorite book?

Nicola – My favourite book would be Barbara Samuel’s ‘No Place Like Home’. So lush and evocative.

Barb – How can readers stay in touch?

Nicola – I love chatting with readers!

You can find me:

Website: http://www.nicolamarsh.com

Blog: http://nicolamarsh.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/NicolaMarshAuthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/NicolaMarsh

Barb – Where is your work available?

Nicola – BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD is available in print and e-book format online.

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Busted-Bollywood-Nicola-Marsh/dp/1937044637/

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/busted-in-bollywood-nicola-marsh/1034169575

Book Depository http://www.bookdepository.com/Busted-Bollywood-Nicola-Marsh/9781937044633

My Harlequin novels are available from the same online bookstores listed above, also http://www.eharlequin.com  and http://millsandboon.co.uk plus on shelves in all bookstores during release month.

Barb – Anything else to add?

Nicola – I have 2 other releases hot on the heels of BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD.

January sees the release of WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? (Harlequin Romance) and February brings INTERVIEW WITH THE DAREDEVIL (Harlequin Presents Extra.)

Both are fun and flirty, with an emotional core.

 

I’d like to thank Nicola for dropping by to share about her new book, and also to give away a copy to a lucky reader!

Shari Jones needs to get a life. Preferably someone else’s.

Single, homeless and jobless, Indo-American Shari agrees to her best friend’s whacky scheme: travel to Mumbai, pose as Amrita, and ditch the fiancé her traditional Indian parents have chosen. Simple. Until she’s mistaken for a famous Bollywood actress, stalked by a Lone Ranger wannabe, courted by an English lord, and busted by the blackmailing fiancé.
Life is less complicated in New York.

Or so she thinks, until the entourage of crazies follows her to the Big Apple and that’s when the fun really begins. Shari deals with a blossoming romance, an addiction to Indian food and her first movie role, while secretly craving another trip to the mystical land responsible for sparking her new lease on life. Returning to her Indian birthplace, she has an epiphany. Maybe the happily-ever-after of her dreams isn’t so far away?