Eva Jordan in conversation with writer @kellyflorentia published by @Bloodhoundbook

This month I’m chatting to the lovely, Kelly Florentia. Like me, Kelly was published by Urbane Books, but sadly, back in April this year, we both received the sad news that our publisher was closing. Luckily though, the news wasn’t all bad and both Kelly and I were fortunate enough to receive the offer of a new home for our books with Bloodhound Books.

Welcome Kelly. Can you tell everyone a bit about yourself?

Hi Eva, thank you so much for inviting me! I’m a north London girl, born and bred. I started off writing short fiction for women’s magazines, then went on to release a collection of short stories in my eBook To Tell a Tale or Two. My first novel ‘The Magic Touch’ was rereleased by Headline in 2019. The Audrey Fox series followed with No Way Back and Her Secret, originally published by Urbane Publications and republished this year by Bloodhound Books. All three novels are romantic suspense. My latest novel ‘Mine’ is a psychological thriller, also published by Bloodhound Books in February. I’m now working on my fifth psychological thriller, so it’s all go!

Have you always wanted to be a writer, and if so, what writers have inspired you?

I’ve always enjoyed writing but had a few other jobs before I embarked on my writing journey, which included working in travel and in a family restaurant. Reading has always been a passion. I’d often buy the weekly magazines just to read the short stories at the back. Then one day I thought, why don’t I have a go? I took a short story course and the rest, as they say, is history. I feel very fortunate to be a published author, there’s a lot of great talent out there. As far as inspiration goes, I just love reading contemporary novels in most genres, so can’t name just one or two authors who’ve inspired me.

Your most recent novel, Mine, is a psychological thriller. However, your previous books were, I believe, contemporary and romantic fiction. Why the change in genre, and do you prefer writing one above the other?

Yes, that’s true, although Her Secret has a thriller-esque edge and has been described by readers as a psychological thriller. I can only say that as a writer I always like to challenge and push myself, hence the change of genre. I can’t say I enjoy writing one over the other as they’re both quite different yet equally enjoyable. I’m not sure where my writing journey will take me in the future – maybe another thriller, or perhaps a comedy. I do quite fancy stepping back into Audrey Fox’s Louboutins and making it a trilogy.

And finally, my favourite question! For anyone thinking of becoming a writer, what advice would you offer?

Writing a novel isn’t easy, so you’ll need as much help as you can get. I’d advise anyone thinking of becoming a writer to take a course in creative writing, even a short one. If that’s not an option then buy a few books on novel writing. Join a writing group, there are lots online, so that you can share your writing journey and also get feedback on anything you write. Read, read, read! Grab a few books in the genre you’d like to write in and glean as much as you can from them. Plan your book, break it down into chapters and get that first draft down. You can always change it as you go along. I do! And finally, work hard, persevere and never give up. Dreams do come true.