#AuthorInterview - Laura Barnard!

Time for another visit to the Round Corral, WordWrangler readers! This time we've got Laura Barnard in our sights and we're not going to let her off easy! Lets get right to it!

Liz: What woman alive or dead would you want to have dinner with and what would you talk about?

Laura: Jennifer Laurence – she just seems hilarious!  Plus she’d actually eat a dinner, not like a lot of Hollywood types.  I’d ask her to describe what kissing Bradley Cooper is like, then get her drunk and take his number out of her phone!

D'Ann: What was the first seed of an idea you had for your book? How did it develop?

Laura: I first came up with the idea for the first book, The Debt & the Doormat, when a lot of my close friends were struggling with debt.  Being the sensible Sally that I am, I started joking that I should swap lives with them so that I could get it all paid off.  That’s where I got the idea of the life swap.  The Baby & the Bride is the aftermath of that decision – we now have a pregnancy and an engagement!

Kristina: What is your favorite genre to read?

Laura: I love reading chick-lit as I know I can always have a giggle and know it’s going to end well.  I also like romance and a bit of erotica…oh go on then!

Margie: What is your favorite way to get over a writing block or hurdle?

Laura: I try to forget about it and get busy with another project.  The best remedy is hanging out with my friends.  Sometimes when I’m working too hard I forget the simple pleasures of peeing my pants laughing at some ridiculous story and they normally give me ideas which develop.

Shawn: How much of you is in your characters?

Laura: My friends all say that Poppy is me.  I personally think that she’s a more exaggerated version of me and worries too much about what people think.  I’d like to think that as I get older I care less about the opinions of other.  I know who my true friends are and they are willing to stick by me even if I make an idiot of myself.

Excerpt:

‘Un-button your blouse,’ I whisper quickly.
‘What?’  She looks back at me as if I’m mad.
‘Just do it!’ I hiss.
‘Hello there, Mrs Windsor,’ he smiles, a confident, professional flair to him.
‘Miss Windsor,’ I correct. ‘She’s getting a divorce.’  Meryl looks back at me alarmed. Like I’m telling the truth and she’s the last to know. ‘She’s single.’  I wink at Meryl, desperately hoping she gets my plan.
‘Oh yes,’ she says, sticking her chest out. ‘Totally available,’ she grins, twirling her hair.
‘Okay,’ he nods, clearly confused. ‘I’m afraid that hotel policy states that our wedding deposits are non-refundable. You’ll see that in our small print, in the contract you signed.’
She never mentioned a contract. Fuck.
She looks back at me, clearly searching for an answer.
‘Is it hot in here?’ I ask, sticking my boobs out and in the process Jemima. Maybe he’s into a younger model. ‘I’ve found ever since having a baby I’ve been so hot,’ I purr.
‘Right,’ he nods, his forehead creasing.
‘And horny,’ I add for good measure.
Meryl coughs abruptly. Everyone turns to look at her. She catches my eye and seems to be guiding me over somewhere. I follow her eye range and a man is mopping the floor. There’s no-one around, but he still hasn’t put out one of those yellow warning signs. He’s a bloody liability.
‘I think you need to listen to my reasoning,’ Meryl says, clearly trying to get them to concentrate on her. I start backing away slowly.
‘And what reason do you have?’ he asks suspiciously.
‘The groom is dead!’ she shrieks, bursting into fake tears. ‘My goodness, do you have no compassion?’
They look at each other alarmed.

The cleaner goes off to another patch. This is my chance.

About The Baby & The Bride

Sequel to the #1 Amazon Best-Seller, The Debt & the Doormat (available for FREE) 
Poppy and Jazz’s lives sound perfect on paper. Jazz has a new baby and Poppy’s getting married. But their realities are very different. 

Poppy must strive to keep her cool new job with crazy hours, while trying to keep Ryan happy. Before she knows it her wedding has got out of control, thanks to her mother, the runners at work are bullying her, her parents are in financial difficulty and she’s doubting everything and everyone she ever knew. 

Meanwhile Jazz is struggling with motherhood, something a credit card won’t fix. Why won’t this baby give her a break? Will Jazz be able to cope before she loses it? 

And will Poppy make it down the aisle? Will Ryan even be waiting?

Buy the Book: Amazon - US   Amazon - UK

All About Laura:

My name is Laura Barnard and I am an author from Hertfordshire, UK. My first chick-lit novel, The Debt & the Doormat was an Amazon number 1 best-seller and won Best Laugh Out Loud Book of 2013. It is available via Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks. Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository and many more.
In my spare time I enjoy drinking my body weight in tea, indulging in cupcakes the size of my face, drooling over hunks like Jamie Dornan, Ryan Gosling and Leo Dicaprio...oh and my husband of course! I like wearing yoga clothes and reading fitness magazines while I sit on the sofa and eat chocolate. I'm a real fan of the power nap and of course, READING!


I write not to get rich or famous, but because I LOVE writing. Even if one person tells me they enjoyed my book it makes the midnight typing worth it!