BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Chasing Chris Campbell

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Genevieve Gannon to talk about Chasing Chris Campbell (1 June 2015, AUS Impulse, 275 pages) a Contemporary Romance.

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

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

Here at BooksChatter we love music; do you have a music playlist that you used in Chasing Chris Campbell, or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

This is a very short playlist to go along with my answers. I was going to say the entire Radiohead album, The Bends, but figured that would probably be too long so I picked my favourite songs. Great idea : )

What was the inspiration for Chasing Chris Campbell?

"I first started writing a version of Chasing Chris Campbell around 2005/2006 when I was travelling through Europe during the summer before my last year of university.
I kept on finding myself in strange and unexpected situations, as travellers do, and thought a romantic comedy that somehow takes place in a gap-year or backpacking setting would be funny. I wrote a few chapters but they didn’t really go anywhere. I revisited the idea years later after publishers started showing interest in my first book, Husband Hunters. By then I’d travelled quite a bit in Asia and thought that would make a better setting than Europe. So I kept the original concept but completely changed the setting."

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

"Quite a lot actually. The main character, Violet Mason, is nothing like me. But many of the things that happen to her were inspired by my own travels. Particularly when she is in India. There’s a scene where she gets burns on her leg from an overheated exhaust pipe on a motorbike. This happened to me in Goa. The burns puffed up to the size of half tennis balls. They looked like something out of Alien. There are plenty of little anecdotes in this book that I pilfered from my own experience, but the character and her story is pure fiction."

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

"We lowly emerging authors don’t get a say in the cover, really, and I was surprised to hear at a writers festival event the other day that even the best-selling authors in the world don’t either. Mine is very similar in style to my first book, Husband Hunters. When you see them sitting alongside each other you can tell they are a pair. The stories aren’t linked, but the idea is that if you enjoyed one you’ll enjoy the other."

Why should we read Chasing Chris Campbell and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"One thing that sets this book apart from the average romantic comedy is the setting. The story follows research scientist and hypochondriac Violet Mason through Asia, starting in Hong Kong, then moving to India, from Goa up to Delhi across to Nepal, back to Hong Kong and then south to north through Vietnam. She’s not very experienced so she begins in a shabby women’s rooming house, where she almost immediately gets food poisoning. Hardly the classic backdrop for a boy-meets-girl tale."

Can you tell us something quirky about Chasing Chris Campbell, its story and characters?

"I have a character named Harry Potter. There used to be a news reporter in Melbourne named Harry Potter, and I thought it was very funny that someone with a name associated with whimsy and fantasy would deliver serious reports each night. I have a few friends who have “famous” names and know about the pitfalls that come with it, so I wanted to include that with a character. Harry Potter was the first one that came to mind, but I initially dismissed it because it’s a little too famous. But then I kept think of ways to incorporate it into the story, and it stuck. We meet Harry about a third of the way through the book and many readers have commented on how much they like him."

Who would you recommend Chasing Chris Campbell to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I think everybody in the world should buy at least two copies of this book. But in particular I’d love to see it in the hands of young women. Violet is in her twenties and on the precipice of settling down with her long-term boyfriend when we meet. The trip turns her life upside down, and although she finds it scary and confronting and lonely at first, it turns out to be an immensely satisfying venture. (That doesn’t give too much away.) "

If you could / wished to turn Chasing Chris Campbell into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"As for location, it would have to be shot in India, Hong Kong and Vietnam. I’ve always thought Saoirse Ronan would be the perfect actress to play Violet Mason. In my mind, Violet has always looked like Saoirse. She has the bonus feature in staring in same of my favourite films and book-to-film adaptations. She was Agatha in the Grand Budapest Hotel, which I loved. And she was Susie Salmon in the film version of The Lovely Bones – a book I’ve read many times. A very young Saoirse Ronan played Bryony Tallis in Atonement one of my favourite books and films."

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

"So far I’ve published two books that people would classify as chick lit, and I plan to finish one more before trying something new. I have a few partially written manuscripts for stories that are … heavier, I guess is the word … than my previous books."

What is your writing process?

"Very disorganised! I try to plan, but it never seems to work. I like to just dive in, but that tends to leave you stuck when you’re trying to pull everything together at the end. At the moment, my process is a compromise between chaos and order. I plan as I write."

What is in store next?

"I’m working on my third romantic comedy. I’m not very far into the process, but I’m pleased with how it’s coming together. I really don’t want to say too much yet. But it does focus a lot more on the male characters than my previous stories, and part of it takes place in a court room."

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?

"I don’t have a pet so I have included a photo of myself at the falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi. I thought this would be a good shot to include because Chasing Chris Campbell is all about travel."