Jenny Colgan’s books are the perfect pick me up whatever the season. In November we were treated to another “hug-filled engaging” addition to the Mure series with the paperback release of Christmas at the Island Hotel as well as the new “gorgeous feel-good” The Christmas Bookshop. Now we’re heading into the warmer months and we’re being treated to the paperback release of Sunrise by the Sea, described by Liz Robinson as “A truly lovely, heart-warming, compassionate, and joyful romance set in Cornwall, it’s an absolute delight.” You can find our full review and even read an opeining extract of our book page. 

Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous Sunday Times bestselling novels and has won various awards for her writing, including the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance, the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award and the RNA Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year Award. Her books have sold more than five million copies worldwide and in 2015 she was inducted into the Love Stories Hall of Fame. Jenny is married with three children and lives in Scotland

It’s a delight to welcome Jenny Colgan as our Author of the Month and hear about her favourite books from childhood (a classic), Desert Island reads, and a joyful book event memory. Thank you Jenny, for taking the time to share an insight into your bookish world.

What was your favourite book from childhood and do you still have it?

I adored Little Women and read it a lot. My daughter and I just listened to it in the car and she loved it too. We both still think Jo was wrong and should have picked Laurie. That was from the book. When we saw the Winona Ryder film with Gabriel Byrne as Mr Bhaer we thought he was probably alright. 

When did you first start writing and what made you think, ‘I want to be an author’?

I didn't really know books had authors when I started reading. 'Enid Blyton' as two words didn't mean anything to me at all. I remember a nice librarian showing me books were filed by author names and that seemed completely mad to me. So I never thought 'I’m going to be an author' when I was very small, but that's what my teachers told my mother. 

Can you show us a picture of your favourite book cover to date?

It's an absolute tie, I love both of these so much- the American cover of The Christmas Bookshop and the French cover of The Little Beach Street Bakery. They don't really have puffins in France and I think the artist just thought of a penguin and improvised but I just adore it.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? Where do you write and do you have any writing habits?

I write in coffee shops, about 2,500 words a day every day. It takes a couple of hours and is generally accompanied by a sandwich. I like white noise. I can handle any kind of chit chat in coffee shops, except for small children whose parents turn up the volume on their ipads and let them watch it. I don’t know when we all decided that was okay but I can’t work to it.

Do you have an image of something that helped to focus your latest book.

Well for the Beach Street Bakery series, Polly lives in a lighthouse so I often think of that; Marisa turning up, feeling very bruised by life, and seeing something lighting the way. 

What is your favourite piece of advice or feedback received with regards to your writing?

It always means a great deal to me when people say they have had trouble reading- perhaps they have literacy issues, or they have gone off reading because of difficult situations in their lives, and if they tell me I’ve brought them back to books.  I also received three letters during the pandemic from different people saying they had ‘saved up’ my novels for particularly bad days and I found that  incredibly moving.

Which books do you like to read? What have you read and loved recently?

I love everything. Good, funny, scary, I read anything and everything. Okay, maybe not too scary. Recently I thought Fall, the biography of Robert Maxwell was absolutely superb; Skyfaring, about a pilot’s life is terrific; Gwendoline Riley’s book My Phantoms blew me away, even though it’s horrible, and the new Monica Ali, Love Marriage is incredibly enjoyable.

What do your bookshelves look like at home? Do you have a favourite?

They are just full of unread books; everything I’ve read I kind of put back into circulation, but also I do so much reading on my kindle. I keep nice hardbacks so they look nice. 

What is your desert island book, why is it your must-have read?

Ooh it’s hard to say; normally I think, well, War and Peace because I haven’t read it, and I could have it in french to improve my french and make it last longer. But in terms of books I am absolutely devoted to, it would probably be something like A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving or A Tale of Two Cities or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

What has been your most memorable book event so far?

Marian Keyes and I did an event together in Stockholm. We stayed in a hotel owned by Benny from Abba and they let me play BENNY’S ACTUAL PIANO and then we ended up staying next door to Alexander Skarsgaard. I don’t know if a book event can ever top that to be honest, we ate chocolate and laughed ourselves stupid for two days.

What piece of advice would you give to anyone thinking about writing a book?

Don’t compare the words you’re writing to the words other people have published. Words can be fixed. Get your wordcount done, don’t look up till you’re at 80,000, then start making it better from there. Also don’t fall for the idea that you need a special room or a computer programme or anything like that. Everything you needed to learn you learned at primary school. 

What is next for you in terms of writing?

I am working on a very romantic, slightly sad book about finding your wings, set in Scotland for next year. I’m hoping it’s going to be really dreamy and lovely. We have about three titles for it so far, and nothing jumping out at as yet so we’ll have to wait and see what it’s called. 

In 2022, Jenny has two novels publishing – Sunrise By The Sea in paperback – out in March and An Island Wedding in hardback, out in June. Also available in ebook and audio.

If you enjoyed this, click here to take a look at our other 'Author Talk' blog posts.