ℚ Cherry Lips - Lacey Dearie

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Lacey Dearie to talk about Cherry Lips (3 June 2015, StrawberryGold, 196 pages), a Chick-Lit Fairytale.

**Purchase your copy directly from the author's e-store for a signed copy with author swag included in the price.**.

Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

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Hello Lacey, welcome to BooksChatter, and thank you for joining us today.

What was the inspiration for Cherry Lips?

"I am a huge fan of fairy tales and I wanted to put my own spin on a classic.   That classic was The White Cat by Madame D’Aulnoy but once I started writing it evolved and became something entirely different but that’s great because it means readers don’t get the same old thing re-hashed."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Every person I met in the year that I was writing this book made their way into the story somehow and every experience I had is reflected in the events.  I don’t think that I am in the book at all but more the world around me."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover.  Can you tell us about your cover for Cherry Lips - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The image of the cat was licensed from a very talented Italian artist called Carla Castagno.  I’m a huge fan of her work and I’ve used her images twice now.

I used cover design software to incorporate this image. I like to keep things simple and I almost always put together the covers myself. I’ve hired people to do them in the past and I’d do so again if I could afford to but to keep costs down it’s best to retain control of the designs myself."

Very good choice - I love that kitty on the cover!
Why should we read Cherry Lips and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"There are thousands of fairy tales out there and I’m sure somebody somewhere will have written something similar at some point so I can’t claim it’s unique.  It’s a fun story thought.  I do pride myself on offering something different from what’s trendy, for example, it’s very trendy these days to write erotica so that’s one thing I’ll avoid.   What my book offers is light entertainment, a little humour, some romance and some quirky twists.   Also, I don’t know any other story where the fairy godmother runs a brothel so maybe turning a fairy tale into something more gritty and realistic is what I’m offering."

Can you tell us something quirky about Cherry Lips, its story and characters?

"I guess the quirkiest thing about my book is the fact that nobody is behaving the way they should.  The handsome prince is short, the princess is sleeping with the jester, the fairy godmother is quite kinky and the beauty was sent to an asylum for spending too much time with the beast.  It’s all a bit mixed up!"

Who would you recommend Cherry Lips to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a fairy tale but probably not young children.  There’s not really any bad language in it as I’ve used medieval curse words rather than modern ones and I’ve got for descriptions that are sensual rather than overtly sexual.  There’s a lot of blasphemy in it though, so if that offends you, don’t download this."

If you could / wished to turn Cherry Lips into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"I’d love Baz Luhrmann to direct it.  I’m a huge fan of his work.

It would have to be filmed in Scotland.  Although I never mention Scotland specifically and am very vague about the location, Scotland is the country I had in mind when writing.

As for actors, I would have Demi Harman as Cerise, Gustaf Skarsgard as Leopold, Ewan McGregor as the shoemaker, Amanda Seyfried as Queen Merewald and possibly Dominic Monaghan as Prince Duncan.

This is fun, picking a dream cast! If only…"

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I mostly write cozy mysteries these days.  I’m the author of the Leger Cat Sleuth Mysteries about a Glaswegian cat detective.

My favourite genre to write though is bizarro.  It’s a cult genre and I don’t make any money from it but it’s so much fun."

What is your writing process?

"I do it all backwards.   I start with a title, then I design a cover based on that title.  I then work from the cover image.  I need visuals.  I plot the story, usually on one page, and work from there, fleshing out the details as I go.  Like I said before, I like to keep things simple.  I do have a tendency to over-complicate things so this method stops me from doing that."

What is in store next?

"That’s a difficult question to answer.  I’m finishing off the last Leger story for the time being, as well as the sequel to a novel I wrote a few years ago and the sequel to Cherry Lips.  After that I’m taking a writing break since I’m very busy with my own business – I’m a perfumer.  I hope to be back writing full time within a year or two but I’m really just waiting to see how things go, both with the books and the perfume before I decide which I’ll be dedicating more time to in the future."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us? 

"Lacey and her pooch Bidean."

Image: © Lacey Dearie

"Bidean"

Image: https://instagram.com/p/SnVo0uuSzb/?taken-by=laceydearie - © Lacey Dearie

"Her window to the world"

Image: https://instagram.com/p/xNJJ7zuS4i/?taken-by=laceydearie - © Lacey Dearie

Thank you so much for sharing Bidean with us, she was an absolute cutie x

We wish you all the best with your new career as a perfumer, but also hope you will find time to and enjoy writing again and continue sharing your imagination with us.

You can find out about Lacey's Fary Tale Fragrances on Facebook.

Cherry Lips - available NOW!

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