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Choc Lit
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Where did you find the inspiration for your novel, All You Need Is Love?
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Carole
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The story is about a single mum who is struggling to do a good job of raising her son alone on a sink estate in Liverpool. I wanted it to be an uplifting story as I think single mums get quite a lot of bad press and they’re not all wanton women who spend their benefit cheques on cigarettes and alcohol as the media would have us believe. Many single mums are in that situation through difficult situations and just do the best that they can. I set it in Liverpool as I was born on the outskirts of the city in St Helens and it’s a place that I really love. I thought it was about time that I went back to my local area.
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Choc Lit
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What was particularly challenging about writing this story?
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Carole
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I wanted it to be something that my readers in Liverpool would be proud of. A story that would show the people of that city as kind-hearted, neighbourly and funny. I also wanted to reflect the Liverpool dialect without going completely over the top, so I hope I achieved that. In this book, I also wanted to write certain chapters from the point of view of Charlie, my heroine’s ten year old son, with his view of the adult world. I think he has some of the funniest and most poignant scenes.
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Choc Lit
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What do you love most about your hero and heroine?
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Carole
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I think I like that fact that Sally Freeman is trying to get her and her son out of the situation they’re in – she’s living on benefit, in run-down council housing and she wants so much more for her child. But she decides to try and improve her lot and sets up a scheme to renovate their own area, surprising herself with her organisational skills and her power to motivate people. It’s only then that she starts to realise how special she is.
I love Johnny because he is such a kind-hearted and caring person in his own quiet way. He too doesn’t realize what a great talent he has until it is discovered by accident. Sally sees him as a dreamer, but there are hidden depths to Johnny – he just needs the confidence to pursue his dreams. Though Charlie isn’t his son, he treats him just like a father would and loves him just as much as Sally.
Spencer Knight is from a very privileged background and comes to the sink estate to help put something back into the community. I think his time there helps him to discover who he really is and though he has the cushion of wealth he is also tied by duty.
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Choc Lit
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How would you describe your heroes Johnny and Spencer in terms of chocolate?
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Carole
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Hmm. I think that Johnny would be a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk. Creamy, comforting, just the thing to curl up with on the sofa.
Spencer would be a box of Godiva Champagne Truffles. Rich, inviting, something that you can’t have every day of the week.
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