Carole Matthews

Hi Judy - I went out and lived a very colourful life before I become an author so I'd have lots of material! Just joking... I'd advise your daughter to start perhaps writing short stories - that's a good and less daunting way to start practising your craft. There are a lot of sites on the internet where teenagers can post their work. There's a good market for teen or YA books at the moment (Young Adult) - perhaps it would be fun to write about what issues concern her and her friends. Hope that helps. Carole xx

Hi Michelle - I was trying to get back into work mode after the Christmas break and starting browsing myspace - a friend had recently set up a page and thought that it would be a good thing for me to do. I'm currently struggling a bit to pimp my site as it's at the outer limits of my technical ability! I don't know if I've gained many new readers yet, but I've certainly connected with a lot of people who seem to have been reading me for years - which was a very nice surprise. I think it's nice that readers can chat away with the authors of some of their favourite books. That's something that myspace has facilitated. It's also very time-wasting! I spend hours fiddling about on there when I should actually be writing... Carole xx

Hi Kerry - yes, my stories go off tangent all the time. I do work to a plot, but they never quite turn out as I envisage. I think it's a good thing to surprise yourself as a writer though - I hope that comes through for readers too. As a new writer you absolutely must be your own publicist. My experience is that no one else will do it for you! I have a fantastic publicist now - but that's just about the first one in eleven years!!! Other than that, I'd had to do my own groundwork. I always tell my editor that it's 90% promotion and 10% writing - very rarely am I joking... Carole xx

Hi Purple Poppy - Let's Meet on Platform 8 is very definitely based on my experience of commuting into London - but, unfortunately, I never did meet my own Jamie! Lots of my material is based on personal experience - I've been married twice, so I have a lot to go on! I also have a lot of friends with very complicated lives who are kind enough to shares their stories with me over a glass of wine! Carole xx

Hi Michelle - Yes, this is the first time I've used four characters in a book. I love Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives and wanted to see if I could create the same sort of thing with my book. I love group dynamics. But now I've got so much material that I'm having to do a sequel to tie up all of the loose ends in their lives! That will be out in August - called The Chocolate Lovers' Diet. Carole xx

Hi Michelle - yes all the recipes on The Chocolate Lovers' Club website are my tried and tested favourites! I'm known among my friends for my choccy desserts... : ) How could I not enjoy researching chocolate??? I got to visit some lovely chocolate shops, eat loads of chocolate and call it work. Life doesn't get much better than that! Carole xx

Hi Princessponti. I do quite a lot of planning. I spend about two weeks setting up my characters - I write complete histories for them (that I never use) and I even cut pictures out of magazines so that I can imagine what they look like. When I start to write it means that I know my characters inside and out. I also do a basic outline of where I think I need to go with the story. My books are, generally, around 100,000 words and I like to have some idea of the twists and turns required to get to the end. However, once I start writing, it very rarely ends up like that! With The Sweetest Taboo - I didn't know the ending right up to the last paragraph. I think when you set out your characters so well, then they sometimes dictate the story, rather than you having to 'shoehorn' them into situations. I start each day's writing by editing what I've done the day before to get me back into the flow and then I edit once again when I get to the end. That's it. I think if you over-edit, then you can take the life out of the books. I'd rather have it a big scraggier, but faster paced! Best Carole xx

Hi BuzzyBee! Glad to hear you like my books. Favourite authors include Harlan Coben, Phillipa Gregory (as I've mentioned). Also like - in my own genre - Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella. In the USA I like Sarah Mlynowski and Robyn Harding (although I think she's actually Canadian. I recently read a book by Kelly Braffet called Fabulous Things which was wonderful - will be looking out for her next one. I was inspired to write by a lovely lady called Norma Curtis. Years ago she wrote a book called Living It Up, Living It Down. It was the first book I'd read about normal things and normal people and it was set partly in Hemel Hempstead - where Iwas living at the time. That inspired me because I thought - I could do that too! Carole

Hi Kell - I think that coming from near Liverpool, I'm genetically programmed to have a skewed sense of humour. I don't think I could write without humour if I tried - I always seem to find the funny side in things. I'll be the one at the back of a funeral in fits of giggles - most inappropriate! But I hope that I bring that sense of fun and the ridiculous to my books!

Hi Purple Poppy. My organisation for my research is fairly basic. I keep one massive brown folder on my desk with all my clips, info and scribblings in it. How hi-tech is that?? When I visit somewhere for research I'll also take hundreds (and I mean hundreds!) of digital photos and usually some video too. I keep all that in a filing cabinet ad infinitum - you never know when it might come in handy! Carole

I've read nearly all of Phillipa Gregory's books - only one or two missing. And I also followed her career when she was writing chicklitty books and the odd psychological thriller. But it's her historicals I love best. The Virgin's Lover and The Queens Fool plus The Other Boleyn Girl are top of my list. I think her new one is just about out - so I must get that! Carole xx

Hi Guys I thought I'd try to introduce myself early and check out whether my technology skills were up to scratch! Looking forward to questions about my books or writing in general. I also know more about chocolate than is healthy after doing the research for The Chocolate Lovers' Club, if that's something that you want to ask about. Best Carole xx