Gillian Harvey
Author Interview - Gillian Harvey
Author of Everything is Fine, The Riviera House Swap, and Moving my Writing to France: A Guest Post by Gillian Harvey
About The Riviera House Swap:
Nina has always played it safe. But when her divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday she decides enough is enough.
She’s always chosen the sensible route, staying in her stable job and marrying her rather boring ex. In fact – she realises – she’s chosen security over excitement for years. Ever since she refused to elope with her first love: beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange. The only man who ever made her heart race.
Maybe it’s time to take a few risks?
Impulsively she goes online and finds another kind of French exchange… a house-swap. She can’t imagine what French businessman Jean-Luc wants with her terraced home in rural England, but she can’t wait to stay in his beautiful, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French riviera.
She’s not just there for the house though. She’s decided to find the love she missed all those years ago. But will Pierre still be the man of her dreams after all this time?
Author I draw inspiration from:
2024: I loved Tony Parsons' 'Man and Boy' series, and adore Veronica Henry. More recently, I've become a huge fan of Catherine Newman, Dolly Alderton and Fran Littlewood.
2020: I take something from almost every author I read. Sue Townsend – the writer of the Adrian Mole series – springs to mind in particular. Her sharp, observational humour is fabulous. I’m also a big fan of Mark Haddon – his novel ‘A Spot of Bother’ manages to combine sharp observation, wit and pathos all at once. Finally, Joanna Trollope’s ability to weave an intricate plot out of the everyday is something I seriously admire.
Author Interview - Gillian Harvey
Favorite place to read a book:
2024: The beach - although it doesn't often happen. More often than not I'm forced to paddle with overenthusiastic kids.
2020: As a mum of five, it’s hard to find somewhere I won’t be interrupted. I tend to choose a quiet corner of the garden, or if the weather isn’t great, a cosy chair in my bedroom. Often, one of the kids will curl up with me – enjoying the quiet and the cuddles.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
2024: It might be fun to be stuck with Hayes from 'The Idea of You.' He sounds both fun and HOT. Plus, he's young enough to shimmy up the lift shaft and fix whatever's gone wrong (no, that is NOT a euphemism).
2020: Clare, from the Time Traveller’s Wife. She’s resourceful enough to help Henry discover more about his time-traveling disorder. Working out how to get out of an elevator would be a cinch!
Author Interview - Gillian Harvey
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
2024: Aged 5, reading 'The Garden Gang' by a 7 year old author. I was jealous!
2020: Birth, I think. Seriously, though it’s something I’ve always wanted – ever since I was read to; ever since I could read. I’ve been writing stories all my life and – published or not – will no doubt continue until I’m old and grey!
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
2024: Paperback - but I'll read anything :)
2020: That’s a hard question! I love how hardbacks feel important, special. Paperbacks are friendlier – but I feel I read them more carefully than a digital copy of a book. I enjoy e-books because they’re portable and usually affordable – but can’t read them on a bright screen. I have a soft-spot for audiobooks – the distraction of listening to a story while I busied myself around the house was a great help when I suffered with Post Natal Depression. If forced to choose, I think paperbacks are my favourites.
The last book I read:
2024: Catherine Newman - Sandwich. Wonderfully written and so insightful. Characterisation was amazing.
2020: Normal People, by Sally Rooney
Author Interview - Gillian Harvey
Pen & paper or computer:
2024: Computer. I can no longer write with a pen without getting cramp in my hands. I just don't do it enough!
2020: Computer – I trained as a secretary at 16 and can touch type. So the words flow out of my fingers almost as quickly as they enter my head. I used to scribble pages of notes, but like a lot of us since computers became part of our lives, I now find writing too much with a pen makes my hand ache!
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
2024: Maybe an odd answer, but I think Andy from Good Material (Dolly Alderton) would be fun. He's a little repressed and self-deprecating, but genuinely a good person. Plus his career is on the up, so it'd be fun to watch him perform.
2020: Elizabeth Bennet – she’s got a great sense of humour and fierce determination. She cuts through to the truth and sees through the facades put up by others. I wonder what she’d make of Twitter and Instagram?
Author Interview - Gillian Harvey
If I wasn’t an author, I’d be a:
2024: Probably a poet. I adore writing funny verse!
2020: Emotional wreck.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
2024: Honestly, I don't know. Probably 1990s. Casual and comfy and PRE skinny jeans!
2020: I’m no fashionista! If anything, I suppose I’d choose fashion right at this moment. People can pretty much wear what they want these days – and that’s cool.
Place I’d most like to travel:
2024: Rome - I've always wanted to go, but never made it so far.
2020: I’ve always wanted visit Rome. And could so easily have done so in the past. Now with five children and a global pandemic, it’s feeling further away. But I’ll get there someday!
My signature drink:
2024: Tea! Yesterday, today and always.
2020: Tea. Strong tea with a chocolate biscuit. I used to drink a lot more than I do now – I went off alcohol when I was pregnant and never really got back into it.
Favorite artist:
2024: Van Gogh - purely for his Starry Nights
2020: David Hockney
Number one on my bucket list:
2024: I've recently moved to the coast and would LOVE to try windsurfing. It looks like so much fun! But I'm not very coordinated and would probably end up in the sea every 5 minutes!
2020: Rather than looking for big momentous achievements (like climbing Everest) I think finding something each day to smile about and helping others to find joy beats any list of achievements hands-down.
Oh, and writing an international bestseller, obviously…!
Anything else you'd like to add:
2020: Sometimes contemporary fiction – especially when written by a woman – can be dismissed as light and fluffy. I like to think there’s a dual thread to my writing (and that of many other women authors). For example, in Everything is Fine, I address serious questions through the humour – about social media, human nature and the power of the press.
Find more from the author:
https://x.com/GillPlusFive
https://www.instagram.com/gillplusfive/
https://www.facebook.com/gharveyauthor
About Gillian Harvey:
Author Interview - Gillian Harvey
Freelance writer and author Gillian Harvey lived in France for 14 years with husband, Ray and their five children, but has recently moved to the Norfolk Coast. She regularly pens articles and short stories for UK magazines including Woman’s Weekly and People’s Friend. She also writes opinion pieces and has been published in Independent, Guardian, Metro.
Gillian’s first novel ‘Everything is Fine’ was published worldwide with Orion in May 2020. Her second, ‘Perfect on Paper’ was published in UK May 2021. She has since moved to Boldwood Books where she published the internationally best-selling ‘A Year at the French Farmhouse,’ ‘A Month in Provence’ and ‘The French Chateau Escape’ and ‘The Bordeaux Book Club.’
Author Interview - Gillian Harvey
