Isabella May Author

We Talk Number Twenty-Five, Bruce Bogtrotter Chocolate Fudge Cake and Writing Tips!

Can you tell us a little about your novel, “The Wrong Side of Twenty-Five”? What inspired you to write it?
I started writing this novel after being fired from a job. I didn’t like the job, nor the profession, but it was the only thing I was qualified to do. Suddenly, I was twenty-five with nothing going for me. I had no direction. I had hit a wall. I spent some time slumped against that wall and watched everyone get on with their lives. As I was watching, and listening, I realised that most people feel the same way to some extent. Most people wonder if they’re enough. Social media doesn’t help. We are saturated all day long by posed photos and select status updates portraying the best versions of people. So, I started to write about that. About two women who wonder if they’re enough. But I wanted them to figure that out on their own, and not just wait around for a man to come along and validate their lives. So, there it is: a story about two friends who are figuring things out. I would describe it as a coming-of-age. After all, does anyone really know themselves before the age of twenty-five? I certainly didn’t.

Who is your favourite character in the book and why?
The easy and predictable answer would be both Kylie and Alexa. They both hold a special place in my heart and they’re very real and very dear to me. I’ll say Zara is my favourite character. She’s certainly not the most likeable character, but I had a lot of fun writing about her. Zara is good hearted but kind of annoying. I think we all know a Zara.  

As a debut novelist, what’s the biggest discovery you have made about yourself during the writing process?
That actually, I can commit to something, I just have to be passionate enough.  

Favourite cake?
I love a good chocolate cake. I’m talking a proper Bruce-Bogtrotter-inspired chocolate fudge cake. And it’s not a cake, but I do love lemon meringue pie.

Favourite holiday destination?
Right now, it’s the UK. The UK is massively underrated and has some amazing places to discover and potter around in. Plus, I have small children and no desire to get on a plane with them.

What advice would you give to an author looking to find their unique voice?
Don’t try to copy authors you admire, and don’t think too hard about the ‘rules’ of writing. Write whatever pops in to your head. Let it flow from brain to fingertips to keyboard and worry about the rest when editing.

Where is the most unusual place you have found yourself writing?
I’m afraid I only write at home, usually in the dead of the night.

What’s the loveliest thing somebody has said about your words?
I’ve had many lovely things said to me about my words before, but I usually dismiss them with the thinking that they’re only saying it to be nice. I guess in that sense, the loveliest thing somebody has said is that they love my words, and would I like a publishing contract. Being published isn’t everything, but to have someone believe in my words to that extent when they don’t know me or feel obliged to do so, is the loveliest thing.  

Plotter or pantser?
I write plot points to use as stepping stones to keep on track, but how I get from stone to stone is up for debate.

You can invite 3 authors (alive or no longer with us) to dinner. Who would they be and why?
Oh, what a question! There’s so many to choose from. I think I’d want George Orwell to see what he makes of the everything nowadays. Terry Pratchett because he had a great imagination and sense of humour, which is essential at a dinner party. Who else? Charlotte Bronte, perhaps. Or Mary Shelley! I’m not wasting a dinner invite on anyone living when we have Twitter. Twitter is the dinner-table of the internet.

What can we expect to see from you next?
I won’t rule out a sequel to The Wrong Side of Twenty-Five but I’m eager to get my teeth in to something new. I want to challenge myself as a writer. Watch this space!

Book Blurb:

Best before twenty-five?

With newsfeeds full of perfect pouts, hot-dog legs, and the self-proclaimed hashtag-blessed, it’s hard not to feel inadequate. How has everyone figured out how to live their best life, except you?

That’s what Kylie wants to know. She thought she would spend her twenty-fifth birthday having a mini-break – not a mini-breakdown! After an evening of finger-food and snide remarks, Kylie decides that things must change. 

Naturally, Alexa disagrees. She doesn’t think anything needs to change at all, and is quite happy plodding along with her best friend by her side. 

So, when everything changes for the better for Alexa – while it’s going from bad to worse for Kylie – will it tear them apart?

About the Author
Kate Armitage is a 27-year-old writer from North Lincolnshire, England. She has three cats, two children and one husband. She lives an alarmingly conventional life which surprises everyone who speaks to her for more than five minutes. She spends her days knee-deep in play-doh and spends her nights elbow-deep in manuscripts. Sometimes she lets the children also use the play-doh but only if they promise not to mix the colours.

You can find Kate on social media under @itskatearmitage or through her website http://www.katearmitageauthor.      

Order your copy now via this universal Amazon link: mybook.to/thewrongsideoftwentyfive