A very warm welcome to Yorkshire writer Helen Pollard. I have had the pleasure to meet Helen a couple of times for lunch in the delightful Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge and I have read and very much enjoyed her two romantic novels, WARM HEARTS IN WINTER and HOLDING BACK.
Hello Helen. It's lovely to talk to you again! What can you tell us about Holding Back?
Holding Back is a summer romance
set in northern Portugal and it concentrates on the developing relationship of
Daniel and Laura who, as the title suggests, are both wary of each other and
the prospect of falling in love. From a very rocky start, they move through a
rollercoaster of mutual attraction, misunderstandings, friendship … but will
they allow that to develop into something more?
I loved the Portugal setting. Even though I have never been there, I could picture perfectly well the scenery and the little towns Laura and Daniel visited.
In three words - What kind of man is Daniel, your hero?
Demanding, loyal, goodhearted.
Indeed... I found Daniel a wonderful romantic hero! In three words - What kind of woman is Laura, your heroine?
Independent, capable, stubborn.
What did Daniel think the first time he saw Laura?
After a mix-up over luggage and
hire-cars at the airport, Daniel thought Laura was stroppy and incompetent … and
attractive despite her dishevelled appearance:
He was so tired he could sleep for a month. Encounters with stroppy,
sexy women he could well have done without. On his drive north from the
airport, he'd had quite a struggle to forget the pretty brunette with attitude.
And what did Laura think of Daniel the first time she saw him?
Laura thought Daniel was arrogant,
rude … and handsome:
"Pity his manners aren't as attractive as the rest of him,"
she muttered as she pushed her trolley through the throng. And, she had to face
it, the rest of him was
attractive, even to her usually oblivious
eyes.
What is the one thing you absolutely need to write? (quiet, music, an
empty house?)
I like music if I'm fiddling about
with bits and pieces – marketing, social media, etc. – but when I'm actually
writing or doing some serious editing, I do need quiet. As for an empty house …
that's a rare occurrence so I tend not to rely on it, or I'd never get anything
done!
Just like me then!
Do you find it difficult to come up with titles for your novels?
Yes, I find titles really hard. I
know some authors think of a title first and write around that, but I can have
the whole book written and still draw a complete blank!
With Warm Hearts in Winter, even when I’d finished the book, everything
I thought of seemed to have been used before. In the end, I went for something
that gives the reader a clear idea of what they’re getting (with a little
alliteration for good measure!) For Holding Back, I spent weeks trying to
come up with something. I wanted it to reflect the story, the fact that the
hero and heroine are too stubborn and reticent to allow themselves to fall in
love. In the end, good old hubby came through and suggested Holding Back, which I'm really pleased
with.
As for my current work in
progress, it has several working titles - none of them suitable, of course …
I am sure you will find wonderful title. Sometimes, it's better not to try too hard and it just pops into your mind!
Now for the word association fun test!
day coffee, work, walk
night insomnia, owl, pillow
winter snow, robin, radiator
summer coast, flowers, garden
nature trees, river, wildflowers
Blurb:
The last thing they're looking for
is love …
Laura
Matheson is a natural at avoiding romance, so when she is drawn to mystery
guest Daniel Stone while helping out at her friends' hotel in Portugal, she
assumes all she needs is a little extra willpower.
Daniel
is at the hotel on business. The demands of work and a manipulative
ex-girlfriend mean he doesn't have the time or energy for romance, but Laura is
a distraction he finds hard to ignore.
As
they negotiate a minefield of misunderstandings and mutual attraction, will
they both continue to hold back? Or will they finally allow love into their
lives?
Buy Links:
Amazon
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Holding-Back-Helen-Pollard-ebook/dp/B00WRZ1PKA
About the Author:
Helen Pollard writes
contemporary romance with old-fashioned heart. She believes there will always
be a place for romantic fiction, no matter how fast-paced and cynical the world
becomes. Readers still want that feel-good factor - to escape from their own
world for a while and see how a budding romance can blossom and overcome
adversity to develop into love ... and we all need a little love, right?
A Yorkshire
lass, Helen is married, with two teenagers and a psychotic cat. When she's not
working or writing, it goes without saying that she loves to read. She also enjoys
a good coffee in a quiet bookshop, and appreciates the company of family and
close friends.
Find Helen at:
Website
& Blog: http://helenpollardwrites.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pages/Helen-Pollard/372986142839624
Twitter: http://twitter.com/helenpollard147
Goodreads:
http://goodreads.com/author/show/8647878.Helen_Pollard
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/helenpollard
Excerpt:
Laura's mind raced as
her footsteps slowed. What on earth was he doing here? The unlikely hope he
might be passing by—perhaps he'd called in for directions to somewhere else?—was
immediately scotched as he lifted his luggage from the car. Reminded of their
encounters at the airport, she could have squirmed with embarrassment at how
out of character she'd acted, making mistakes and being so snappy about them.
Well, he wouldn't see
her like that again. If Daniel Stone was a guest here—and it seemed there was
no escaping from it—then she must make him welcome. For goodness' sake, she was
used to dealing with awkward situations every day at school!
He turned at the sound
of her footsteps. Forcing a calmness into her voice that didn't extend to her
stomach, she stepped forward and held out her hand.
"Mr. Stone?
Welcome to the Quinta Maria."
Closing the car, he
straightened up to his full six-foot-something and reached out to shake hands.
For one brief, glorious moment, Laura thought he might not recognise her now that
she was spruced up a little, but any hope of that disappeared as his eyes
narrowed in sudden recognition and his hand dropped to his side as though it had
been burned.
"It seems you have
the advantage over me, knowing my name," he said. "Since you're
determined to turn up like a bad penny wherever I go, perhaps you could
enlighten me with yours?"
Incensed, Laura bit
back a response. They were no longer on neutral ground, and as his host, she
could hardly give him a piece of her mind.
"I'm Laura
Matheson," she replied as evenly as she could. "If you'll excuse me,
I'll get your key and then I'll show you around."
Disappearing into
reception before he could find further fault with her, she crossed to the desk
and raked her tired eyes over the reservations spreadsheet with a growing sense
of disbelief. Not only was Daniel Stone booked in for a full fortnight, but
he'd been allocated the room next to hers. Even Paulo and Rachel were
unknowingly conspiring against her!
"You're in room
eleven," she announced, sensing his presence in the doorway. "Your
other party checked in earlier. Will you require a second key?"
"My other
party?"
Something in his tone
made her glance up. She recognised the travel weariness in his stance, but his
face showed only bewilderment.
"Yes." She
squinted at the computer screen again. "Miss Hartman."
His eyes froze to a
dangerous dark blue. "Natalie Hartman?"
"That's
right," she confirmed, double-checking the name. "Is there a
problem?"
"What time did she
check in?" His mouth was a hard, thin line.
She frowned. "I'm
sorry, I don't know."
"You don't know?"
There was incredulity in his voice, along with displeasure and a hint at incompetence
on her part.
Laura didn't like it,
nor was she going to take it. "I don't know because I wasn't here in
reception when she checked in. As you're aware, I only arrived here a short
while ago myself. I …" She stopped. There was no need for her to explain
herself. Frankly, she couldn't understand why he didn't just go and talk to his
companion. After all, they were sharing a double room.
Thank you so much for coming on the blog today Helen. I wish you plenty of success with HOLDING BACK and good luck with your work in progress!
