Sam lives by the mantra that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
After the tragic loss of her husband, Sam built a new life around friends, her cat Coco and a career she loves. Fending off frequent set-ups and well-meaning advice to ‘move on’, Sam is resolutely happy being single.
But when Sam gets seconded to her firm’s Boston office for the summer, it is more than her career that is in for a shake-up. A spur of the moment decision to visit the idyllic beaches of Cape Cod could end up changing her life forever.
Q&A
- Did or do you like to read comic books/grapic novels? Which ones?
As a child, I loved The Beano and The Dandy but I never got into any of the proper superhero comics, I don’t think they were as popular when I was younger.
- Whom did you inherit your love for books/reading from?
My mum didn’t drive when my sister and I were children so going for days out took a lot of planning if my dad was at work. One of the things she did to keep us entertained was to walk us to the library (something I do now with my own children) and it stemmed from there.
- When you need a murder victim or someone you can diagnose with a serious disease or someone who is involved in a fatal accident do you sometimes picture someone nasty you have met in real life and think ‘got you’ LOL?
The only character I’ve killed off in any of my books was the most wonderful person ever. God, I’m a monster!
- How do you come up with the names for your characters?
If I don’t have a name in my head already, I look at the popular baby names for the year the character was born and look at the top 100 list for something that fits or inspires me.
- Do write other things beside books (and shoppinglists 😉 )?
Not really, I do have a book review blog where I share my thoughts on books I’ve enjoyed. It’s just a hobby for myself more than anything and I don’t accept review requests or anything like that.
- If your movie or series would be made from your books, would you be happy with the ‘based on’ version or would you rather like they showed it exactly the way you created it?
I’d be happy with the ‘based on’ version. It would be great to see what another mind or two would come up with.
- Who would you like/have liked to interview?
It has to be Stephen King.
- Do you have certain people you contact while doing research to pick their brains? What are they specialized in?
It varies depending on the advice needed. Who Needs Men Anyway? had a lot of legal detail surrounding the divorce and I spoke to my author friend, Rachel Burton about it who just so happens to be a qualified lawyer. It Started With A Note has some French letters in it. I wrote them and translated them myself but I had them checked over by a friend of mine who is French bilingual. She did have to make some tweaks and I’m eternally grateful to her for that.
- Is there someone you sometimes discuss a dilemma with?
I have a lot of fabulous friends who, at some point, have had their fair share of dilemmas and tricky situations but I’ve had plenty of my own too. I’d say the answer to this question is sometimes but not as often as I could / should.
- What is more important to you : a rating in stars with no comments or a reviewer who explains what the comments they give are based on (without spoilers of course).
The nosey and ambitious side of me loves to know why the reader gave the rating they did so I love the comments to go with the reviews. It also takes time and effort to write a review and it’s really nice to think that my book generated enough emotion (be it love of hate for the story) to prompt someone to do that.
Thank you for featuring me on your blog.
Thank you, Victoria Cooke and Rachel’s Random Resources
About the author
Victoria Cooke grew up in the city of Manchester before crossing the Pennines in pursuit of a career in education. She now lives in Huddersfield with her husband and two young daughters and when she’s not at home writing by the fire with a cup of coffee in hand, she loves working out in the gym and travelling. Victoria was first published at the tender age of eight by her classroom teacher who saw potential in a six-page story about an invisible man. Since then she’s always had a passion for reading and writing, undertaking several writers’ courses before completing her first novel, ‘The Secret to Falling in Love,’ in 2016.
Her third novel, Who Needs Men Anyway? became a digital bestseller in 2018.
Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16345710.Victoria_Cooke
https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaCookeAuthor/
Purchase Link
getbook.at/ASummerToRemember
B for Bookreview 