

Sitting in a piazza in the sunshine, coffee at hand, writing your latest novel is a dream for many of us and a dream our guest this episode has made a reality – with best-selling books based on Greek Islands, Prague, Italy’s Lake Como, Andalucia, Sri Lanka, Canada, New Zealand and more as well as a career in popular magazines. As well as exotic location expect heart-melting romance and maybe even a few tears – author Isabelle Broom always takes readers on a beautiful emotional journey and she’s here now to tell us all about her travels:
On this episode we cover:
Her novels in ‘escapist fiction’ – based in Greece, Prague, Spain, Lake Como in Italy, Sri Lanka, Canada and New Zealand
Becoming an accidental escapist author
Her travel wish list
Not being Chick Lit
Does ‘Chick Lit’ have a derogatory image
How travel and reading go hand in hand
Audio books on the beach
Books as face beach shades
Her wild days in Greece
How the Greeks are friends for life
Getting fat on pizza
Dancing on bars as a ‘PR’
Being paid to speak to strange men
Working in gossip mag Heat Magazine
The heyday of women’s magazines
How social media has nudged out the magazines
Big Brother – Jade Goody, Pete and Nikki
Celebrity parties
Rude celebs, karaoke and nipple tassels
The National Television Awards and the Baftas
McFly, Danny Dyer and Gemma Collins from TOWIE
How Danny Dyer really understands women
Danny Dyer being related to royalty on BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are
How Vicky Patterson from Geordie Shore is lovely
Her second novel, based in a magical, wintery Prague
Wandering around Prague Christmas markets, talking to strangers and drinking hot wine
The Sri Lankan characters that inspired her most recent book
Captain Siri, the lovely man in Sri Lanka who ripped them off
Confusing local customs
Her book based in Mojacar, Spain
How Mojacar was wiped out by an earthquake and rebuilt
The rebuilding of Ypres after the First World War
Teenage drinking in Mojacar with Jose the barman
The spiral of disasters and comedy storyline
Stolen vodka, blue drinks and kissing boys
Holiday romances with handsome, uncomplicatedly masculine Greeks in Skiathos
A recent month in New Zealand for her sixth book
Richard Armitage from The Hobbit being in the room next room to us!
The peace and quiet of New Zealand
Sitting and thinking for three hours , hills, mountains, lakes and a guy called Ross from Brighton
Solo travel staying in hostels rather than hotels
The loneliness of a hotel room
Bar crawls with Australian brothers
Using people she meets as characters in her book (hi Griffin!)
People not being on facebook
Sending postcards
Her forthcoming research trip to Canada
How Canada is beautiful, clean and friendly and less in your face
Never having been to Scotland
Moving from London to Suffolk
Lisa suggests Fiji – beach and sun and more
Lake Como above Rome, Milan or Venice
The wedding that inspired her trip to Lake Como
George Clooney and Amal and the playground of the rich
The music that can take her back to her happy place