Little Northern Soul: Author interview: Liz Tipping

Today I'm delighted to invite Liz Tipping, author of Five Go Glamping to the blog for an interview! I read Five Go Glamping last month and it is a fun, quirky read - you can read my review here.

So, without any more delay, welcome Liz! :)

1. Hi Liz & welcome to Little Northern Soul! Your novel Five Go Glamping was published a few weeks ago by UK Carina. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Thank you for having me! It’s lovely to be here. Five Go Glamping is a romantic comedy. Our heroine, Fiona, is stuck in a bit of a rut career wise and romantically and she’s worried she’s going to end up a mad cat lady. When Juliet, the Wicked Witch of The West Midlands arrives on the scene at work, things get worse so Fiona and her friends think a glamping trip is just the thing they need to get away from it all. But it’s not the relaxing holiday they think it’s going to be!

2. Where did you get the idea for the story come from?

I wanted to write a book that had all the sense of adventure of my favourite children’s books but with a chick-lit spin on it. The title just popped into my head one day and I started writing! Plus, I had always wanted to go glamping and at that point hadn’t been, so I thought it would be fun to write about it!

3. I absolutely loved Five Go Glamping and a big part of that was because of the variety of different characters, who were all brilliant in their own right. Do you have a favourite?

I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I love all the characters in different ways. I can relate to Fiona not being happy in her office and feeling unable to follow her dreams and I think lots of people feel like that. Sinead is also a favourite as she’s one of those unintentionally funny friends that a few of us will know! I loved writing about Brian too, he’s one of my favourite characters in the book, even though he is canine and doesn’t say much!

4. When it comes to writing, do you like to plan things out or do you just get stuck in?

When I first started writing Glamping, I just got stuck in, but found myself having to stop and re-plan. With the second book, I planned it all out scene by scene and while it changed as it went along, I think planning is best for me. Knowing what’s about to happen makes me excited to write it!

5. What was your journey to publication like?
It was a bit odd, I think! I hadn’t written any fiction since I had left school twenty years ago and I just started writing one day. Once I had a few thousand words, I uploaded it onto the authonomy website which has recently closed and I was approached by an editor. But because she had a Hotmail address and I couldn’t believe an actual real editor would be interested in it, for realses, I thought it was someone trying to flog me editing services!
After that another couple of editors asked to see the manuscript, so I thought, hang on, I am onto something here. I contacted a few agents and finished the book and sent it off to a few publishers. It was all relatively pain – free and somehow I have managed to escape writing a dreaded synopsis.

6. Any writing tips for aspiring authors?

Try to see any rejections as positive and as a step closer to your goal. Set yourself a target of getting 100 rejections rather than getting a publishing contract- it will motivate you to get the work out there and you may receive some feedback on the way!

7. Do you like camping or would you prefer to go glamping? What’s been the best holiday you’ve ever been on?

I love camping and glamping and I do both. I love a caravan holiday too! I’ve had loads of holidays this year because I turned forty and also because my husband had a heart attack last year and we had to cancel a couple. It was really scary at the time and the holiday we went on when he was well again was my favourite. We went camping in Tenby in Wales, just for a couple of nights. It made me really appreciate us being well and healthy being able to go on holiday! It was while I was there that I heard from my editor at Carina about a publishing deal. I have a friend who teases me about going on so many holidays, but I’m very aware now that life is short and the more holidays, the better, I say!

8. On the topic of holidays, when you’re not busy writing, how do you relax? What do you like to do in your spare time?

As well as the all the holidays, I enjoy photography and love to share pictures I take. I did photography at University and since I started writing, I have an even greater love for taking pictures. Writing a book can feel like a long process and it’s nice to contrast that with something so immediate like photography.

9. What’s been the best thing about being a published author?

The best thing about writing has been all the lovely people I have met. Writers, bloggers and tweeters especially. It’s been so fun to get together with people who love stories, write stories and write about stories. It’s just fun to be in the world of books. I love taking part in features on book blogs- it’s such a nice collaborative thing to do.

10. Finally, do you have plans for a next book? Are you able to share anything about it?

I do and I’m quite excited about it! It’s a book which is very influenced by 80s teen movies but has a contemporary setting. It’s really funny ( if I do say so myself!) and really romantic and I’m hoping to be able to share more about it soon!

Ooh that sounds brilliant, I can't wait to hear more about it! Thanks for coming on Little Northern Soul, Liz, it's been great chatting to you :)

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