Welcome, today we are talking with Lucy Felthouse! I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy writing schedule to answer a few questions. First, let’s delve into who you are. Some of the questions may be untraditional but you’d be surprised at what readers connect to, and sometimes the simplest ‘I can relate to that’ grabs their interest where nothing else can.

Can you share a little something about Lucy Felthouse that’s not mentioned in your bio on your website?

I try to counteract my love of chocolate by spending lots of time walking in the countryside, going to Zumba once a week and doing Yoga at home.

How long have you been writing?

Since I was a child. I was a huge reader from a young age, and loved adventure stories, so anything by Enid Blyton, that kind of thing. I would spend hours making up my own stories and scribbling into notebooks. I wish I still had them now—I’m intrigued as to whether any of it was any good!

In terms of writing for publication, it’s getting on for twenty years now, since I was at university.

What have you found most challenging about it?

That when you write in certain genres, i.e. romance, and particularly steamy romance, you will often find people look down on you and what you write. There are certain places where writers of other genres will be welcomed, but you won’t. I’ve learnt to live with it, and don’t try to insert myself where “my face doesn’t fit”, but I do find it quite annoying at times. In a lot of ways, we still live in a very narrow minded world.

What does writing do for you? Is it fun, cathartic, do you get emotional?

All of the above! I’ve made myself laugh writing, I’ve made myself cry writing. I take it as a good sign, to be honest. As the writer, I know what’s going to happen, so if I still get emotional about it, then surely that means I’m doing something right!

Describe what your writing routine looks like. Are you disciplined with a strict schedule or do you have to be in the mood?

I don’t have a routine. I don’t write full time, and I don’t always have a book or story on the go. So it all depends. When I am writing a book, I tend to fit it in around my other work, unless I’m getting close to deadline, then I tend to shift things around so my other work fits in around my writing time. Also, if there’s a time where I’m feeling really tired, or not very well, that’s when I’ll do other things. It’s way better if I don’t try to force writing on days when I’m under the weather. I’d only end up having to ditch it or re-write it.

Did you go into writing thinking that it would be a hobby or a job?

A hobby. When I was younger I wanted to be a writer, but I was young and naïve, and thought that kind of thing just “happened” and you would get paid for it. Obviously as I got older I found that just wasn’t the way it worked, so I always thought it would probably be something I did on the side of whatever else I was doing. And in a lot of ways, it still is, since I don’t write full time. I just class my writing as part of what I do to make money, and I’m privileged to do so.

What inspires you?

It can be anything. A person, a place, a song, a TV show, an overheard conversation… somehow my brain manages to make stories out of thin air, and it never fails to fascinate me as to how that happens.

Let’s move on and give readers some insight into your personal life.

 What are your pet peeves?

Noise. I’m super sensitive to noise, especially when I’m trying to write. I spend a lot of time, particularly in the summer, wearing noise-blocking earplugs so I can actually try and get some work done while people are mowing lawns, using power tools, and allowing their dogs to bark for ages. This summer has been particularly bad for noise, which has driven me crazy and been pretty detrimental to my mental health.

Give us one thing on your bucket list.

I want to see the Norwegian Fjords.

What would readers find surprising about you?

I don’t think there is anything surprising about me. I’m pretty boring—I just have a good imagination!

If you could go to heaven, who would you visit?

My dad.

Just for fun. What is your least favorite:

• Hero type –  arrogant know it all
• Body part – Don’t really have one
• Overused word in a title – The
• Genre – Sports autobiography
• Dirty word – None. I love dirty words!

Now that our readers know who Lucy Felthouse is let’s get down to the business of your book, Not That Kind of Witch.

Please tell us a little bit about, Not That Kind of Witch.

Not That Kind of Witch tells the story of Willow, a forty-year-old woman who has been left mentally scarred by the pandemic, resulting in her becoming germophobic and agoraphobic. She hasn’t left her house in four years. But the arrival of a new courier, Joe, changes all that.

What was your hardest challenge writing this book?

I didn’t find it challenging. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did some fascinating research (which I see I’ll cover in the next question), created some characters I really loved, and was genuinely gutted to finish the book and leave the characters behind. At the same time, I do feel the book was a one and done story.

What kind of research did you have to do?

There was quite a bit. In terms of online research, I looked into mental breakdowns, agoraphobia and germophobia. I also did some incredible real life research, which included visiting a lavender farm, taking part in a natural beauty workshop, and going to a talk on bees and beekeeping.

What in your opinion makes good chemistry between your leading characters?

I think the fact they’ve both been through the wars, but still manage to find humour in things.

Any other works in progress?

Depending on when exactly this interview goes out, I will either be finished with, or very close to finishing, my next release, When Christmas is Cancelled, which is due to come out on the 5^th December. After that… I’m not sure yet!

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Read lots in your chosen genre, learn to edit and polish your own work, and don’t give up.

Final words?

Thank you so much for having me on – it’s been a blast!

Please include the following links and an author picture:

Website and blog: https://lucyfelthouse.co.uk

Email: lucy@lucyfelthouse.co.uk