#Interview with Becky Wicks @bex_wicks: Before He Was Famous

Becky Wicks is a HarperCollins author going indie! Itchy feet has led her to live and work all over the world since leaving England at age 21, including NYC, Sydney, Bali, South America and Dubai. Right now she’s scribbling the second book in the HotFlush series in Vietnam, and will soon be in Vancouver if any hot Canadian men want to make her a cup of tea?

Becky has also written three funny travel books about her time in Dubai, Bali and South America (HarperCollins). Her first book, Burqalicious - The Dubai Diaries, her second book, Balilicious - The Bali Diaries and her third, Latinalicious -The South America Diaries are out now as ebooks.

Becky has also written a comedy romance with author Sarah Alderson under the name Lola Salt, called The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft (not Croft) which should raise a giggle or two... think Bridget Jones if Jackie Collins had written it!

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At any given time do you work on only one story at a time and maybe plot out the next one or are there many ideas racing around your head?

You can’t stop the ideas! I’m constantly bashing things into the notebook app on my phone when I’m out and about – just snippets of overheard conversation, or ideas for character traits I see in strangers, or song lyrics that make me think beyond the song and further into a story. As a writer you see and hear everything as a potential element of a book… and this is something that can worry people, haha! I worked constantly on Before He Was Famous for five months, but the whole time I was planning book two and three, making sure I had a solid foundation and making even more notes. You never really switch off when you scribble for a living!

Is there a genre you haven't written in but would like to? Or wish you could write in?

I would love to try historical fiction one day, although I’m always impressed with the amount of research people have to do for these books. It’s crazy. It must take a looooooong time to write something so accurate about a bygone era – kudos to anyone with the time and patience! I’d love to try a ghost story one day too; something romantic.

Do you add an element of romantic suspense in your stories?

Of course. I find it incredibly dull when a hero and heroine get together and have the best sex ever having only just met. We can dream of it happening in reality, but it rarely does, and in books, where’s the satisfaction for the reader who was rooting for a couple from page one if they’re having it off by page 20? A few people have written in their reviews for Before He Was Famous that they were beyond frustrated with Noah and Chloe for denying themselves each other for so long… and that by the end they were tearing their hair out, maybe even hating the characters. But most of them finished the book. Without that suspense there wouldn’t have been a journey and in holding the characters back, the reader begins to care whether or not they’ll finally come to their senses. If you care about a character, even if you hate him/her, I’m happy!

Say you have unlimited funds: What kind of writing office/cottage would you create for yourself?

Oooh I’d be in a tall tower, right at the top, with a view of the ocean and maybe some cliffs so the crashing waves could add a touch of drama! I know it’s cliché but there’s a reason why so many writers love to write by the ocean – it’s so calming and kind of infinite when you look out at open water. It’s almost like looking at a blank canvas and calling inspiration in from the heavens!

If you could turn your novel into a TV show, which novel or series would you do? Where would it be set?

I’d love to turn Before He Was Famous into a movie…and there’s another book I wrote with author Sarah Alderson under the pen name Lola Salt that would be so fun to see turned into a movie, too. It’s called The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft (not Croft) and we had such a laugh writing that together. We imagined Gemma Arterton in the lead! It’s about a woman who travels the world delivering mysterious packages and we set it in Bali, Africa, Dubai and some other random places. That would be an interesting tour schedule for sure

Finally, tell us about your latest release!

Before He Was Famous is the story of Noah Lockton’s rise to fame and how it affects his relationships – namely his with Chloe, who’s been his best friend since childhood. I wanted to explore the consequences of instant fame; you know, the inevitable stress and panic, the users orbiting you like satellites, the old-friends who forgot you but suddenly want a piece of what you’ve earned. We see people’s private lives splashed over everything these days, and for the people involved it can’t be nice seeing and hearing nasty things about yourself, along with all that praise from your crazy fans. I got to thinking how mad it all must be and wove the love story into that. I really hope people enjoy the ride!

Blurb:

Falling in love with your best friend isn’t always a great idea, especially when he’s Noah Lockton - the sexiest, most famous new talent on the planet. When 21-year-old small-town photographer Chloe Campbell is offered the chance of a lifetime – to join her celebrity childhood friend Noah on tour as an exclusive blogger for a New York magazine – she’s certain both have put what happened four years ago behind them. But his eyes still burn; his voice is still a jackhammer to her heartstrings; all his songs are about her. Is it possible that that night still haunts them both?

The music industry is a machine, spinning hype and rumors as much as his records. It’s not just Noah’s girlfriends who’ve got it in for Chloe (there’s no stopping the Twitter-obsessed, cat-loving pop-star Courtney Lentini for starters). Pretty soon, the jealousy and media frenzy surrounding these so-called-friends takes a life-changing turn and it seems making love means making enemies at every turn. When tragedy threatens to pull the final curtain on their relationship, both Chloe and Noah must make a choice. As much as this world leaves them starstruck, is living their dream really worth living without each other?

A story of lifelong friendships, love and hope, set in a world of celebrity, fame and social media gone very, very wrong.

Where to Buy: Amazon

Excerpt:

I see the scar on his right shoulder from where he fell off Jack's homemade sled one winter and tumbled roly-poly style right into a rock. It's a thin, shiny white line. I resist the urge to touch it. He's undoing me, again, lying here beside me in a literal bed we made ages ago but have since refused to lie in. How does he do this?

'I guess she knows it, even if you don't,' he whispers.

'I do,' I say, and inside I'm screaming. We're not doing this; we're not. This is dangerous. But he climbed in next to me and now it's the strongest, aching urge to keep him here, to have him holding me again and to never let me go. The guilt surges through me, along with the fear. 'So, she broke up with you?' I manage.

'I guess so,' he replies, scanning my cuts with his eyes.

'She really liked you, Noah,'

'Yeah, well, maybe I'm just an asshole.'

I realize my hand is still in his hair and I retract it quickly. He grabs it, holds it against him. You're not an asshole I'm thinking, but for some reason I can't say it. It would be like admitting something else; like the fact that he's an asshole to every girl who likes him, but never to me. And then I'd have to really think about why that is and that's not something I'll ever be comfortable with at all, even though his eyes are like maps and his words are like anchors and his songs are like personal messages and I love all that.

Becky will be awarding an eCopy of Before He Was Famous to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop during the tour, and a Grand Prize of an eCopy of Before He Was Famous , as well as a print copy of Latinalicious, Becky's last travel memoir (HarperCollins) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. (International winner)

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