I Wrote It My Way - Nicky Wells

My exciting and effervescent guest author today is a rising star, a self-confessed rock 'n' roll chick. She is - drum-roll, please - Nicky Wells! I do love to host a rich mix of writers and if you take a look back at previous posts where writers reveal how they arrived at 'their way' of writing, you will discover a veritable medley, a pot-pourri for your delectation.

So, opening with a keen musical reference, as you would expect from a rock-star, let us tune in to Nicky's story:

'Well, Frank, I certainly did! To begin with, I wrote Sophie’s Turn for me, and only for me. Therefore, I wrote it about me, or rather, about things that I’d always daydreamed of doing, or of happening to me. Unsurprisingly, I put a great deal of me in the book. Sophie’s love for rock music and rock musicians; her occasional clumsiness and ill-advised comments; her humour, excitement and spark… those are all very ‘me’. Writing was a way to bring out all the bits of me that I kept hidden or was too shy to share. 

And there’s also a lot of me in Rachel, Sophie’s best friend, she with the scathing humour and the caustic tongue. I’d love to be able to be Rachel in real life; carefree, self-assured, glamorous and outgoing.

The subject matter of Sophie’s Turn, the fairy tale element (world-famous rock star fancies the girl next door) has appealed to me ever since my Grandma introduced me to the stories of the brothers Grimm, and it’s the same aspect that makes romantic comedies such as Notting Hill such a hit in my world.

And yet Sophie’s Turn is more than a romance. It’s not just chick lit. There is a strong element of travel in the story; probably not enough to justify labeling it as a travel book, but enough for almost every reader to comment on Sophie’s journey. Speaking of journey, Sophie’s Turn is also about self-discovery. Sophie has some very difficult decisions to make, and they don’t exactly take her where she (or the reader!) expected.

People who know me tell me they can hear me in every one of Sophie’s utterings. Or Rachel’s, for that matter. So I think it’s safe to say that yes, I wrote it my way…'

It is always interesting to hear how much of a writer is in his or her characters. Many of us hotly deny this, but clearly for Nicky this is what makes Sophie so real! Thanks so much Nicky.

Sophie’s Run is now available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and in Paperback edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. You can also get the paperback at Barnes & Noble, or download Sophie’s Run onto your Nook (coming soon).