Rachel Dove lives in West Yorkshire with her husband, two boys, and a cat and dog. When she is not writing horror, short stories or romantic novels, Rachel is looking after said tribe and dreaming of adding to their chaotic happiness with more bookshelves and animals. Every book sold is a step closer to her dream farmhouse in the country, complete with chickens.
Rachel used to teach adults about special educational needs and primary education, and is still passionate (and vocal) about both.
1. Why did you want to become a writer?
I remember loving books as a child, and wondering at the people who sat and created these worlds and characters with their imagination, a pen and paper. I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember.
2. What's the toughest part of the writing process for you?
Being stuck. Sometimes in a book, you hit a wall, and the words get stuck in your head. Those are hard times, but the worst thing you can do is stop writing. Writing through the block is better, so start something new and plough through!
3. What's the most enjoyable part of writing?
Oh lots! Finishing a project, seeing your book on the bookshelves in shops and supermarkets, creating something unique, hearing someone discuss your book, getting the spark of an idea.
4. Out of all the amazing books out there, which book do you wish you had written and why?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Those books are amazing. I reread them a lot. I like the dystopian genre, and the fact that the characters are emotionally scarred, not the average HEA.
5. If you could only save one of your characters from fictional calamity, which would you pick and why?
In the book I am writing now, a male character (secret yet!) goes through the mill, and loses hope. I would speak to him and tell him to hang in there. He is very close to my heart. I feel as if he exists, and wasn't just created in my mind!
6. If you could spend the day with your favourite literary character (not from your books), who would you spend it with and what would you do?
I would transport myself to Wuthering Heights, my favourite book. I would love to spend time in their world, and see just how desperate and romantic those times were.
7. What can we expect next from you?
Lots! I am writing away, and have had a short story accepted for a magazine in Australia, so I am now international! I have plans for more Westfield books, and am currently finishing a standalone romance too.
8. Is there any particular writing advice you wish you'd been given at the start of your writing career? If so, what is it? If not, what advice would you give to someone starting out?
I found my spring board through the amazing competition run by Prima magazine and Mills & Boon. I would say enter competitions, they are a fantastic way to get your work out there and read by professionals. Read a lot, any genre you can get into, and write. Write every day, even if it's just a note to your neighbour, or a list for the future. Put pen to paper and fingers to keyboard whenever you can.
9. Tell us what a typical writing day involves for you.
I have the boys and the cat and dog to run after, so my day is tailored around them, errands and school runs. I have a desk but often write anywhere, at any time. I aim for 500 words a day minimum.
10. Finally, what are you reading at the moment?
I often have 2 or 3 books on the go. On my bedside table currently is Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Follow Me by Angela Clarke, and a few autism textbooks for my children. And of course, I always have a Mills & Boon title on the go! I devour them like sweets!
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Recently single and tired of the London rat race Amanda is determined to make her dreams of setting up an idyllic countryside boutique come true, and the picturesque village of Westfield is the perfect place to make a fresh start.
Local vet Ben is the golden boy of Westfield, especially to resident gossip Agatha Mayweather, who is determined to help Ben get his life back together after his wife left.
When a chance encounter outside the ‘chic boutique’ sets sparks flying between Amanda and Ben, Agatha is itching to set them up. But are Amanda and Ben really ready for romance?
The Chic Boutique on Baker Street is the debut novel from Rachel Dove, winner of The Prima Flirty Fiction Competition. You won’t be able to resist this heart-warming romantic story set in an idyllic Yorkshire village, full of lovable characters and laugh-out-loud moments... as Amanda finds her way to a second chance at life and love. This is the reading escape you’ve been looking for!
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