Bloomsbury Spring Blog Tour – Q&A with Jenny McLachlan

Good morning everyone, and happy Friday! It’s nearly the weekend! Today I’m thrilled to be taking part in the Bloomsbury Spring Blog Tour featuring Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan, More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer and The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler.

And for my stop on the tour I’m bringing you a Q&A with the author of Truly, Wildly, Deeply, the lovely Jenny McLachlan.

First of all, can you tell us three things you love about this book?

The relationship between Annie and Fab, the road trip to Yorkshire and Annie’s gang of friends.

If you can choose, who is your favourite character in this book and why?

I think it would have to be Annie. I loved her in Stargazing for Beginners where she is strong and funny, but you see a more vulnerable side to her in Truly Wildly Deeply.

How important do you think it is that teenagers read your book?

It’s very important for me. I want my books to be accessible to teenagers, entertaining and intriguing. I started writing because the students I taught wanted more funny books that also felt ‘real’. Hopefully, I’m still doing that.

What themes do you feel run throughout this book?

First love, identity and adventure.

What is your favourite thing about being a writer today?

I write genre fiction, specifically romantic comedies. These are two genres that can be (unfairly) dismissed as being shallow, but I think this is starting to change. I find the diversity that’s appearing in genre fiction really exciting at the moment and I also love the way you can play with the conventions of a particular genre.

Can you recommend us some other YA authors?

I love Karen Gregory’s writing. It’s intelligent and accessible. Nikki Sheehan writes books that always surprise me and I love it when you can’t see where a book is going.

What book(s) did you wish you had while you were growing up?

All the romances in books I read when I was growing up were heterosexual. I love the fact that there are now YA books which depict happy gay relationships.

Now for some flash questions!

Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate? Tea

Dark, White or Milk Chocolate? Dark (unless it’s on a digestive biscuit!)

Water or Wine? If I could only have one, it would have to be water!

Typing or Hand-Writing? Typing with a bit of handwriting when the going gets tough.

E-mails or Letters? Letters

Growing Up Today or Growing Up When You Did? When I did, definitely. No mobile phones. No social media.

About the Book

Title: Truly, Wildly, Deeply

Author: Jenny McLachlan

Release Date: 8^th March 2018

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Annie is starting college. She can’t wait. No more school, no more uniform, and no one telling her what to do. It’s the start of a new adventure and Annie’s not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that. Freedom matters to Annie. She has cerebral palsy and she’s had to fight hard to get the world to see her for who she truly is.

Then she meets Fab. He’s six foot two, Polish and a passionate believer in…well, just about everything, but most of all Annie and good old fashioned romance. The moment Fab sees Annie, he’s wildly drawn to her and declares she must be his girl. Annie’s horrified. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s anything, especially if it means losing her independence.

But then Annie finds herself falling for Fab. As things go deeply wrong, Annie realises that love can make you do wild, crazy things, and so she sets out to win his heart with a romantic gesture of truly epic proportions!

Want to buy it?

   

 

About the Author

Before Jenny started writing books for teenagers, she was an English teacher. Although she loved teaching funny teenagers (and stealing the things they said and putting them in her books) she now gets to write about them full-time. In her spare time, just like Bea, the heroine in her first novel, Flirty Dancing, Jenny loves to jive. She is based in Eastbourne.

Connect With Jenny

Website // Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

Thank you to Jenny for answering these questions. Also on the tour today Mel at The Book Moo is talking about More Than We Can Say and Jemima at Drinking Books is talking about The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things. Be sure to check them out, as well as the other stops on the tour! If you’ve already read any of the books let me know what you thought!