1--What is the title of your latest release?
ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
An American travel writer returns to London hoping for a second chance romance with her rock star ex. But as her ex’s best friend shows her around the city, she starts to think less about her first love and more about his down-to-earth best mate.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I came up with the idea for the book when I was nineteen and had just returned from studying in London. It took me years to actually finish writing, but I LOVED London and really wanted to write a love story set there. Even as I was working on other projects, I had the London book in the back of my mind.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely! Nora has a big heart, even if she’s sometimes a little frazzled. We’d get lost though, since we both have a terrible sense of direction.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Adventurous. Dedicated. Joyful.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned what it means to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. (I think I knew once, and then I forgot…or blocked it out.) Not pleasant.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both. When I start writing for the day, I always read the last thing I wrote to get in the mindset of the book, and inevitably, reading the last thing I wrote leads to making some edits. But I save the big revisions until the end.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Mmmmm sushi!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It’s a mess. I have a tiny desk covered in books, papers, pictures, drawings from my kids, and candy. But it’s homey, I guess.
10--Who is an author you admire?
I have to say Meg Cabot, because she’s part of the reason I wanted to be a writer in the first place. I was obsessed with the Princess Diaries series as a teenager, and I just love her voice. It’s like you’re reading a message from your best friend.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I think about that book all the time.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
Mine was an email, and I was ridiculously excited. I’d been working on this novel for so long, it was hard to imagine it ever being finished or making its way out into the world. I was shocked that it was real. I still kind of can’t believe it.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read every genre, but I have to say romance.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Oh gosh. TITANIC! Don’t judge me, please. It’s been 84 years, and I can still smell the fresh paint…
15--What is your favorite season?
Definitely summer.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I just like to spend time with my family and eat lots of cake.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m loving the Thursday Murder Club series. Those books make me laugh out loud for real. The characters are so lovable. I’m also in the middle of reading the Daevabad series, and I’m obsessed. The whole thing is enthralling.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
That’s a tough decision, but I think I would say Italian. When I read One Italian Summer, I was constantly hungry. Every meal in that book sounds fantastic.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Read, read, read. I also like to go on little adventures with my family – parks, markets, monster truck shows, hockey games. You name it!
20--What can readers expect from you next?
More contemporary romance and hopefully more international locations!
If only there was a guidebook on how to land the London boy of your dreams…
Nora Shrapsan is literally writing the book on London, and she’s not going to let fantasies about her sexy British ex-boyfriend break her stride. So what if she has been reunited with semi-famous rock star Hugh Jeffries, and their chemistry is still palpable? He’s engaged, and Nora needs to focus on…anything besides Hugh’s lips.
Julian Rhodes is Hugh’s best mate, and his secret feelings for Nora are one thing that won’t stay in the past. When a desperate Nora begs him to help her navigate London, Julian has to say yes—strictly to keep her from getting fired, of course. Surely, they can go to murder tours, magic shows, and museums without any feelings getting in the way. No problem.
But the more time Nora and Julian spend together, the less Nora finds herself thinking of Hugh. Maybe her second-chance romance didn’t go according to plan, but that doesn’t mean Nora could ever fall for her ex’s best friend, right?
Romance Contemporary [City Owl Press, On Sale: May 28, 2024, e-Book, ISBN: 9781648984563 / eISBN: 9781648984556]
Hannah Ledford is a romance novelist with a PhD in English. She loves travel, giant sweaters, and making up bedtime stories about Bigfoot in space. She’s lived many different places, including a tiny flat on Tower Bridge Road. Elephant and Castle is her first novel.
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