Nicola Marsh, author of Summer of Serenity took some time out to have a chat with Beauty and Lace.
Get to know Nicola in this interview.
Tell us about Summer of Serenity…
Summer of Serenity is an opposites attract, fish out of water, romance. Jy Atherton is a city boy, a principal of an elite private school, sent to Acacia Haven to provide a report to the education department to shut down the small town’s school.
There, he encounters a fiery hippy teacher Summer O’Reilly who’ll do anything to stop him.
Summer’s mother Rayne also has a story to tell in this book. She harbours a dark secret from her marriage and now, 16 years after it ended, she’s ready to start dating again at fifty.
Who she encounters in her forays with online dating changes her life, and Summer’s, forever.
Where do you get your inspiration?
The inspiration for this story happened at a parent-teacher interview for my youngest. While waiting for his appointment, I got chatting to the school principal, who’d worked in many locations around the globe but epitomised a slick city suit.
So I wondered how out of place he’d feel in a small Aussie country town…my imagination took over and a new story was born.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
From that initial spark of an idea, I sit down with pen and paper and brainstorm, coming up with characters, locations, scenes that need to happen, then I start writing.
What is your schedule like when you’re writing?
I’m at my desk after school drop-off and exercise, so around 9.15am. I tackle emails and promotion first, before settling down to write. I work from 10am to 2pm usually, with a break for lunch. If I’m juggling several deadlines I might write in the evening too, but prefer to keep them free if I can.
What are 3 items would we find on your desk?
Mess, mess and mess! It’s terrible. The 3 main items would be pens, notepads and Post-It notes.
Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become an author?
I always had a dream to be a writer and loved reading all of Agatha Christie’s books in my early teens, followed by Daphne du Maurier and Victoria Holt.
Who is your favourite author?
Barbara O’Neal. She writes wonderfully emotive women’s fiction.
What are you currently reading?
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey.
Where can our readers follow you?
I love chatting on social media so I’m everywhere!
WEBSITE: https://www.nicolamarsh.com
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Nicola-Marsh/e/B001JRTMJ8
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/nicolamarshauthor
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/nicolamarshauthor
TIKTOK: https://vm.tiktok.com/nicolamarshauthor
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/nicola-marsh
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/583990.Nicola_Marsh
TWITTER: https://www.twitter.com/nicolamarsh
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/nicolamarsh
What is next for Nicola Marsh?
I’ve recently finished writing the sequel to Summer of Serenity, SPRING OF SERENDIPITY, so I’m in the process of brainstorming new ideas.
This is the fun part before the hard work of actually writing and bringing the stories to fruition starts.
I am a mother of four beautiful children. I can’t leave a book unfinished which equals a lot of late nights! When I’m not reading you can find me in the garden, or helping out at Beauty and Lace.