LIFE IS A DRAG: Meet author Janie Millman

I am delighted to welcome fellow 'Accenter' Janie Milliman today! Hello Janie and thank you so much for coming on the blog to tell us about your debut novel LIFE IS A DRAG, which has been getting terrific reviews! I believe you live in a beautiful part of the South of France. I am so envious... 

Can you tell us about your novel?

'Life's A Drag' is set in San Francisco and Suffolk.

A struggling San Francisco Drag club.

An idyllic English village.

What do they have in common?

 More than meets the eye.

 

It is a riotous account of two very different communities coming together to help each other and though they seem worlds apart it soon becomes clear that appearances are not everything and that sometimes human connection can surprise us. San Francisco collides with Suffolk and nothing will ever be the same again.

'A magical bucolic frolic with a cast of characters you'd love to meet.'

What kind of man is you hero?

I have two heroes – Drew Berry ( Honey Berry in the evening)  is a drag queen in San Francisco.  He is fighting a battle to save his club and the livelihoods of his closest friends and the community who depend on him.

With a heart to match his waistline he is larger than life –  charismatic and compelling - an extrovert who lives life to the full.

Jamie is a straight talking Scot. He is an actor, full of fire and passion, embracing life with energy and enthusiasm.

What about your heroine?

Roz is my heroine – she is Jamie's wife and also an actress. She is kind and compassionate – she cares deeply about people and worries for England.

They are both struggling to come to terms with some recent life changing news and have moved to Suffolk to start a new chapter in their lives.

What do you absolutely need to write? I know I need - but rarely get - silence and a reasonably neat house.
I like to have peace and quiet to write at home but bizarrely I am able to write in trains, busy cafes, planes etc. I usually try to get up at 6.00am and get words done before the day starts and madness ensues! I aim for 1000 words a day – sometimes happens – sometimes doesn't!

I love finding titles for my novels. What about you? Do you find it difficult to come up with titles for your novels?

This is my debut novel – so I've not really had a problem with titles yet ....  having said that  this novel did go through about five different titles before we settled on 'Life's A Drag.'

I think it's a great title! How do you pick names for your characters?

I try not to use names of close mates or family....there are quite a few characters in this book and  to be honest I have no idea where the names came from .. they just seemed to pop into my head. It was quite a challenge because I also had to make up names for the drag queens!

 

What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on my second novel at the moment – which still remains untitled....

It also has a dual setting – Marrakech and SW France.

After that I hope to write the sequel to 'Life's A Drag' which has been  tumbling around in my head for a while!

Thank you so much, Janie, for being my guest today. I wish you lots of success with your novel and with your writing!

 

LIFE IS A DRAG Blurb:

Fabulously funny debut fiction!

Actress Janie Millman opens up the world of ‘women’s’ fiction in this warm-hearted and hilarious debut, as she brings together an English village fighting for its traditions and some of the San Francisco’s hottest drag queens… 

 

Roz and Jamie have moved to leafy Suffolk from London in search of a quiet life so it is a surprise to find that the village is embarking on its riotous annual drag competition. Fuelled by large quantities of alcohol and ubiquitous community spirit, they soon find themselves caught up in a battle for the identity of the village itself. 

 

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Drew is fighting his own battle to save his club and the livelihoods of his closest friends. Though they seem worlds apart, it soon becomes clear that appearances are not everything and that sometimes human connections can surprise us.

 

Drag is the new cool – think Conchita Wurst, Ru Paul, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Kinky Boots in London. This fun-filled and life-affirming romp will appeal to anyone who enjoys humorous fiction.

“High jinks and high heels… imagine The Archers in drag, with a huge heart and lots of laughs.” Veronica Henry (award-winning romance author)

 

Author Bio:

Author Janie Millman was an actress for twenty-five years, appearing in the West End, on UK and World-wide Tours, on television and film. Her least-recognised role was as Leonardo the Ninja Turtle. Since 2009, she and her husband have lived in south-west France where they run Chez Castillon in an eighteenth-century house which provides an idyllic setting for painting, photography and creative-writing courses. She contracted breast cancer a couple of years ago and was inspired to write a popular blog: ‘Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow’ which sparked an interest in wild and unusual wigs, which probably helped when writing the Drag Queen characters.

LIFE IS A DRAG is available from:

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lifes-Drag-Janie-Millman-ebook/dp/B00XA4Y75M

and

http://www.accentpress.co.uk/en/Contributor/19120/Janie-Millman.html