Author Interview: Cathy Bramley

I am thrilled to welcome the absolutely lovely Cathy Bramley to Bookaholic Confessions for a good old chin-wag today! Cathy has released a Christmas novella, Comfort and Joy and she has very kindly stopped by to tell us a little bit about it. She also spills the beans on Christmas in July, sausaage dogs (hurray!) and reveals her favourite books of 2016…

Hi Cathy! Welcome to Bookaholic Confessions. As one of my favourite authors you need to introduction but for those readers who are new to your books, please could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Thank you for your kind words, Holly. I write light-hearted, feel-good stories which I hope my readers can lose themselves in. I used to run my own marketing agency but now I write full-time. I live in Nottinghamshire with my family and a cockapoo, Pearl.

 

As a big fan of your books and also a lover of Christmas novels I was very excited when I discovered your festive novella, Comfort and Joy. Can you tell us about it?

Comfort and Joy is a story about Verity and her boyfriend Tom and is set in the village of Plumberry, the location for my last novel The Plumberry School of Comfort Food. It’s their first Christmas together and they are planning on a quiet, romantic day, but when bad weather causes a power cut, they end up having to save Christmas for the entire village. The whole community of Plumberry rallies together to make it a Christmas to remember, but will everyone get what they most want this year…?

 

What time of the year did you write Comfort and Joy? Was it difficult getting into a Christmassy mood out of season?

I wrote Comfort and Joy in the hottest weeks of summer. It was odd writing about fairy lights, mistletoe and log fires, but I compiled a Christmas playlist and tried to conjure up my favourite Christmas memories. It was slightly surreal but great fun!

 

Now, seeing as we’re talking Christmas can I ask you a few quick-fire festive questions?

Favourite…

1) Christmas film – The Holiday

2) Christmas song – Fairytale of New York by The Pogues

3) Christmas food – chestnut stuffing

4) Christmas book – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 

As a sausage dog owner myself, Comfrey and Sage were naturally two of my favourite characters in Comfort and Joy. Why did you decide that Dachshunds were going to be in your story?

I love Dachshunds! I think I saw your pictures on Twitter of your lovely boys just at the time I was trying to decide what sort of dogs should feature in the story. So your dogs are actually the inspiration behind Comfrey and Sage!

I am stupidly excited about your next full length novel, White Lies and Wishes (out in January 2017) Can you give us a hint as to what readers can expect from your next story?

I am VERY excited about this book and can’t wait to hear what my readers have to say about it. It’s about three women who meet for the first time at a funeral. They have a ‘Carpe Diem’ moment and decide to help each other to make their dearest wish come true. Unfortunately, they’ve all told each other a few white lies along the way. It’s a bit different to my usual stories, but I think people will enjoy it.

2016 has been a great year for fiction. What have been your favourite reads of this year so far?

Oh gosh such a tricky question! Here’s my top three: Somewhere Inside of Happy by Anna McPartlin, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and Strictly Between Us by Jane Fallon and LOADS more besides!

A huge thank you to Cathy! Get hold of your copy of Comfort & Joy here.

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