Interview with Gemma Burgess, Author of 'A Girl Like You'

Today, I'm very pleased to welcome Gemma Burgess to my blog! Her first book, an anti-romantic comedy called The Dating Detox, was a hilarious, warm-hearted read. Gemma's just released A Girl Like You, and I can't wait to get my mitts on that one.

And a massive congratulations to her -- she's just signed a book series deal with St Martin's Press in New York! Not only that, her awesome Dating Detox trailer has now reached over 25,000 hits. You can read more on her blog.

Gemma did me the favour of reading through The Hating Game pre-publication, and she did wonders at soothing my pre-pub nerves. She's every bit as lovely and funny as you might expect from an author who writes such wonderful novels.

Right, I've done enough gushing, so I give you... Gemma!

1. Your second novel, A Girl Like You, has just been released. Was it easier or harder to write than your first?

Both. Harder, because I was worried that the nice reviews I had for The Dating Detox were a one-off, and well, the first was just a bit of fun, the second was suddenly 'real'... Easier, because, well, the more you write, the better you get at it! - same goes for plotting, dialogue, characterisation...

2. What are three things you must have to make your writing day a good one (e.g., tea, vodka…)?

Coffee, a large bottle of still water, and nice nails.

3. What’s one thing you wish you knew about the publication process before you got published?

Two things: that it's very, very slow, and that you have no control over your cover so it's not worth stressing about.

4. What’s your favourite word? Least favourite?

My favourite and least favourite words are the same; when I go through my writing, I find certain words everywhere, and curse myself for having such a limited and predictable vocabulary - soupcon, awesome, seriously, dude... Actually, I didn't use dude much in A Girl Like You, as it didn't suit the main character. But I used it a lot in The Dating Detox.

5. If you had to choose between a cocktail, ten minutes on Twitter, reading a few pages of a novel or a bite of cake, what would you choose?

You had me at 'cocktail'. Twitter is fun, but not as fun as a cocktail. I like my novels in big chunks. Ditto cakes.

About Gemma:

Gemma Burgess wrote her first book, The Dating Detox, when she and her sister discussed the difficulty of had finding a comfort read with cojones. Her second book, A Girl Like You, is inspired by her experiences of learning to navigate the bastard-infested waters of the London bar scene after a long time in a relationship. Gemma grew up all over the place and now lives in Notting Hill. Find out more at www.gemmaburgess.com or follow her on Twitter at @gkateb.

Thank you, Gemma! Have a great weekend, everyone.