It is my honor on this lucky
thirteenth day of November to welcome Nicky Wells back to Princess with a Pen on
the official last stop of her blog tour for the rerelease of Sophie’s Turn. *Jen breaks into slick dance moves yet is
glad you cannot see her* I adore Nicky!
She’s so fine, she blows my mind!
So without further ado, here she is!
Jen!! *Nicky squeals loudly and gives Jen a big hug* Thank you so
much for having me on your blog AGAIN today. I am so happy to be here with you
on Princess with a Pen and I hope we can spread some joy and sunshine today.
Also, I sincerely hope you have those Margaritas ready because we have to
celebrate: this interview marks the end of the blog tour for Sophie's Turn and
I am delighted that you are the Grand Finale. We will have to have an
after-party in true rock star style! But first... the questions:
You were
born and raised in Germany? Did I ever tell you that I spent time in
Darmstadt as an exchange student in 1989? We were so close yet so far
from each other!
Darmstadt,
wow! *Nicky hustles to Google maps quickly to check the location of Darmstadt
relative to Essen, having become woefully ignorant on her native country's
geography over the past 20 years* Yes, we were close then! And what an exciting
time for you to be over there ~ did you get to witness the Wall coming down?
Awesome!
Jen’s Sidebar (I’m fond of sidebars): I was a freshman in college,
sitting in my dorm room with eyes glued to the TV and watching history as the
wall fell. I had tears in my eyes, and
told my rommie, “You have no idea what this means for Germany.” It still gives
me goose bumps!
But I
digress. Yes, I was born and raised in Germany, in the town of Essen right
in the industrial heartland of the Ruhr. I grew up in a green and leafy
suburb and have memories of playing in small but wild woodlands, paddling in
brooks, flying kites on fields and generally being a bit of a tom boy. I once
sat high up in a cherry tree aiming cherry stones at hapless passers-by; I had
terrible aim and missed every time, but it was a thrill-and-half! As a
teenager, I appreciated the city delights my home town had to offer: discos and
clubs and ice-cream parlours and dancing studios, cinemas and museums and
shops. There was a little bit of everything on offer and it was a
great place to grow up. Alas, when I turned 20, I needed to leave. I just *had*
to get away. I don't quite know why. I had fearful visions of a tombstone
engraved with my name that read, 'Nicky Klippert, born in Essen 18 December
1972, lived in Essen all her life, died in Essen'. That was just too terrifying
a prospect. So I upstick'ed and came to England instead.
I know the writing bug bit you at the age of 10. Do you still
have a copy of the little alien story you wrote back then?
*scratches
head* Well. I ought to. I know I kept it. However, when my dad passed away in
2001, I had to return home to help my Mum deal with the fall out, including
giving up the flat my parents had lived in for well over 30 years. The
clear-out was manic and rushed, with furniture being sold, books being donated
to the library (my entire collection of over 50 Enid Blyton books!) and boxes
being packed with random belongings. We knew that Mum wouldn't have much
storage space going forward, and I was limited in what I could take back with
me on the plane to England. So ~ I would *like* to say I still have it. I can
see it in front of my inner eye, and it is possible that it is languishing in
one of the boxes in our attic. I haven't checked because it's been too painful
to go into those boxes. BUT! It is well preserved in my head and I could easily
write it again. The synopsis?
When the
alien's year abroad goes horribly wrong, a group of young earthlings
unwittingly but determinedly step in to save the day (and the planet ~ Jupiter,
not Earth!)
You know what? My friend
Cory Edwards has a new film coming out in February with The Weinstein Company
called, Escape From Planet Earth. I
think he took your notes! *Jen is totally kidding Cory*
You know that I have a HUGE crush on Grammy winning rock star,
Seal. Tell me about your celebrity crush and if you had a face-to-face
moment, what have you rehearsed to say?
Oh God Jen,
I couldn't possibly divulge this; since the writing of Sophie's Turn, this is
classified information. Especially as Sophie's Turn is all fiction!!! **clears
throat**
That is some SERIOUS hair!
Let's see
what I can come up with. My biggest celebrity crush was probably a certain Joey
Tempest of rock band, Europe. Remember The Final Countdown? *Jen sings: It’s the final countdown!!!* My God, I had it bad. I even had the hairstyle to match (see
attached photo). I taught myself some basic Swedish so I could converse with my
future husband in his native language, and I had our wedding all mapped out. (I
was thirteen!!).
I did get
to meet him for a fleeting moment at a concert in Bielefeld; I had a boyfriend
in tow and all the conversation boiled down to was asking for an autograph. I
remember Joey laughing but that's all. *sigh*
However.
There is more. Not much more, but a little more. Nothing to do with Europe, but
everything to do with a band I saw supporting Europe at that same concert in
Bielefeld. They were outstanding live and they made a deep impression. They're
not very famous, and I don't have a big crush on any of the band members; their
music, yes, but not the individuals. Absence of full-on crush didn't
stop me from going to see them again when they played near my home town in
Germany. On that occasion, I was also in autograph hunting mood and I missed my
opportunity because I got delayed at the merchandise desk by a very flirty
roady. (LOL, it's all so predictable). When I jokingly complained that I'd
missed the band for autographs, he looked at me, took me by the arm (yes, it
was *right* as though from a movie) and said, totally deadpan: "Well, let
me take you backstage."
Now I *was*
supposed to be on my way home again. It was a school night (well, university
night) and all that. Then again, I was nineteen and not subject to any kind of
curfew. There was the small matter of the pesky boyfriend in
attendance, of course. Why do these things happen to me? (I should say that our
relationship was on the way out and we were just kinda hanging in there for old
time's sake. Although as I write, certain Sophie-parallels can't escape my
notice, hmmm!).
Anyhoo, I
went along (and boyfriend too) and was introduced to the band. We had beers. I
got my autographs. I was told that I was very pretty (*swoon*)
and invited to sit down and chat (and boyfriend too). We hung out until
the bar chucked us out at 3am!!!! What did we talk about? Anything and
everything. Music. Touring. Equipment (musical and male; yes, conversation went
the obligatory lewd way after a few too many beers had been had by some, but it
was *way* over my head at the time).
It was
AWESOME. I have a huge smile even thinking back to that night now. NOTHING
happened, I hasten to add. Nothing at all. I went home (with boyfriend),
reputation and innocence intact. No regrets. But it was great.
That is awesome! My
hubby, Mike, ounce went backstage to meet the guys from the 80’s band The
Outfield. Do you remember them? “Josie’s on a vacation far away…” I cannot believe how much signing we’ve done
together already, Nick! Ha!
You can purchase Nicky's book
here
I am a huge fan of Sophie from your breakout novel, Sophie’s Turn. I
love that you are bringing her back for a second and third book too. Can
you give us a little tease of what to expect in the new book and maybe a hint
at what you’re cooking up for the last installment?
*blushes*
Thank you so much ~ I am so happy that you enjoyed Sophie's Turn! Book 2,
Sophie's Run, takes Sophie and Dan on a little detour; well, it has to,
otherwise there wouldn't be a book 3, right?
Sophie's Run is out on 7 February 2013 and here's the blurb:
Her famous star remains her rock as life takes her on a little
detour
Who says that the road toward
true love is straight and even? Sophie is certainly discovering that it is
anything but.
So she has finally found the
man of her dreams. Well…she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually
quite met him yet. When she misses her opportunity, her life goes crazy. Rock
star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he
is just trying to be helpful. A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a
dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life.
Just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel
commits an act of unspeakable betrayal. And to top it all, her new boyfriend
leaves her lying in the mud.
Sophie has had enough. Confused
and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change. Surprising
herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey that
eventually gets her life back on track.
Book 3, Sophie's Encore...
well, there's a hint in the title! Sophie's Encore comes in three parts: New
Beginnings, Falling and Grand Finale. It starts with a ... big event
and things progress from there... I can't give away too much as it'll spoil not
only Book 3 but also your enjoyment of Book 2! I'm 30,000 words in and
hope to have a full draft complete by end of March 2013. The book is due for
release in September 2013!!
With the holidays quickly approaching, do you and your family have
any traditions you keep going year after year.
Oooh, we certainly do! First of all, we light candles on an advent
wreath, one on every one of the four Sundays preceding Christmas. Typically on
a Sunday we will also bake cookies and then chat and eat and sing by
candlelight in the evening. Doesn't always happen that way but we do try!
On 6 December, we celebrate St Nicholas day. Yes, St Nick ~ his
feast day is 6 December! In Germany, the kids put their wellies outside their
front door and hope that St Nick will fill them with sweets, nuts and a little
treat overnight. I remember watching out of the window myself all night long waiting
for the sleigh to appear! My kids put their wellies inside our fire place (as
our local foxes are known to make off with abandoned footwear) and we sing
songs and hope for the best. It usually works!
Christmas is an elaborate affair as we have to reconcile German
and English customs. Here's how that goes. On 24 December, the 'big' day in
Germany, we have lots of lovely special food; we light candles and reveal the
Christmas tree and hang out stockings. In the afternoon, we usually go the children's
service in our local church. Normally we let the children have one present each
that night, brought by the Christ Child (uh-huh, in Germany it's usually the
Christ Child who brings presents, although Father Christmas features too... it
never occurred to me how many customs co-exist until we had kids of our own!),
although we are experimenting with what works best and what honours the spirit
of Christmas most fully.
On 25 December, the kids wake to a magically filled stocking and a
pile of presents under the tree. We have a big breakfast and then we gather
round the tree, opening one present at a time, trying it out straightaway. For
example, if it's a game, we play it; if it's Lego, we build it; if it's a book
we start reading. That way, the present side of things stretches out and we
sometimes have to have lunch in the middle!
Nicky, thank you so much for stopping by! You can Find Nicky Wells on Twitter, Facebook, and purchase her book here. Thank you too, to all you fabulous readers
who pop by and spend time with me. Have
a wonderful week!
Bless and be blessed,
Jen
