Guest Post: Jill Mansell, Author of Rumor Has It

I don't read too many chick lit novels, but you can bet that when I hear about a newly released Jill Mansell novel, I'm all over it.  Mansell's novels are chick lit at its best.  Her books are humorous romances with quirky characters, and Rumor Has It is no exception.  You'll have to wait until tomorrow for my review, but you can read my reviews of An Offer You Can't Refuse, Miranda's Big Mistake, and Millie's Fling.

Today, I'm thrilled that Jill Mansell has stopped by Diary of an Eccentric to talk about her journey toward publication.  Please give a warm welcome to Jill Mansell.

My Road to Writing and What’s Next!

Hi there, and thanks for inviting me back to your lovely blog!  And what a great question too, because I know exactly where my road to writing started. I was in my early twenties, just married and very poor. Working in a hospital meant I was never going to earn a fortune. Then one day I happened to pick up a magazine in our hospital waiting room and inside was an article about women like me who had transformed their lives by becoming best-selling writers. Well, as you can imagine, I was enthralled by this idea. I decided to give it a try and started writing that very same day. OK, I was a bit unfocused for a while, basically not even knowing what I wanted to write, but I joined a local evening class in creative writing and it was a thrill to meet other people with the same goals. I settled on trying to write Harlequin/Mills and Boon books and wrote several. The publishers were lovely and said I could write, but that my style was too jokey, too lacking in emotional depth for them. So I made the decision to write the kind of book I would be interested in reading myself, with drama and quirky likeable characters and plenty of humour too.

I wrote the whole novel and sent it off to an agent, who said it wasn’t publishable because too much happened in it. A second agent then rejected it, saying that not enough happened in it. The price of posting the parcel and enclosing an SAE was a drain on my finances so the third agent was going to be my last. Luckily she loved my book and sold it within weeks to a great publisher. It was the most exciting time of my life. I have to say, people talk about the difficulty of writing the second book but I was so thrilled to have been accepted that the second novel flowed out of me in record time. That was the easiest one I’d ever written.

So that’s how it all started. I found my style, my writing niche, and twenty years later I’m still going strong. I don’t have ambitions to write a great literary novel – I’d far rather entertain people, make them laugh and cry and cheer them up. I have lovely readers and just hope I’ll never run out of ideas. My other hope is that I don’t die in the middle of a book. If I could just quietly keel over and pass away moments after writing those magic words The End, that would be perfect!

Thanks, Jill.  I wish you much success and look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

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About the Jill Mansell

UK bestselling author Jill Mansell has written nearly twenty romances and women’s fiction novels and sold over 4 million books.  A master of romantic comedy, her smart, sassy style has an irresistible appeal for women of all ages.  A full-time writer, Ms. Mansell worked for many years at the Burden Neurological Hospital, Bristol. She lives with her partner and their children in Bristol, England. For more information, please visit http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/ or follow Jill on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JillMansell. 

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Rumor Has It -- In Stores May 2010

Would you be tempted?

Newly single, Tilly Cole impulsively accepts a job offer in a small town as a “Girl Friday.” Fun job, country house, fresh start, why not? But soon she finds herself in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue, and rampant rivalry for the town’s most desirable bachelor—Jack Lucas.

Rumors of Jack’s “love ’em and leave ’em” escapes abound, and Tilly decides to do the mature, sensible thing...avoid Jack at all cost. But the more time Tilly spends with Jack, the more the rumors just don’t make sense. Tilly doesn’t know what to believe...and Jack’s not telling.

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If you're interested in reading Rumor Has It, you're in luck.  Sourcebooks is offering copies to 2 lucky winners!  Just leave a comment with your e-mail address.  Because the publisher is shipping the books, this giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada addresses only.  This giveaway will end Sunday, June 6 at 11:59 pm EST.  The winners will be chosen randomly.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate.


© 2010, Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not copy or reproduce content without permission.