Tuesday 18 March 2014

Interview with Portia MacIntosh, How Not To Be Starstruck





What They Say:


Nicole Wilde’s life is one of sell-out gigs, bunking on tour buses, trashing hotels and partying with the band all night long. But she’s not in the band. She is a music journalist, paid to be the world’s greatest groupie– and she loves it! 



Nicole has the party lifestyle – and the hangovers to prove it – but no one stops her in the supermarket on a bad hair day. Until she is papped in an incriminating position with recently married mega-star Dylan King of The Burnouts and the tabloids start hounding her. This isn’t so fun. Especially when her make-up is a mess and she hasn’t yet had a chance to clean her teeth. 

Dylan accuses her of ruining his marriage. His handsome PR agent, Charles, calls her a tart. She has to take gorgeous Luke from Two For the Road to hospital after a drug incident. And she’s dropped her mobile phone in the bath! Too much celebrity lifestyle for one week? Time to slow down and take stock? Maybe for somebody else. But Nicole Wilde is going to come out fighting!

My Interview with Portia MacIntosh

How old were you when you started writing?
I never actually intended to be an author, so I only started writing fiction a couple of years ago.

Who are your favourite writers?
I'm not so much into writers, I'm more into individual books. I'm the same with bands, more into different songs by lots of people rather than one album.

What books did you read as a child?
Fairytales were my favourite when I was little. I loved Roald Dahl and Goosebumps books growing up.

Your favourite book and why?
I love The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. It's just brilliant. I think everyone should read it growing up.

Do you have a favourite place you like to write and why?
I write all over, but I'm happiest when I'm comfortable in a bed.

What inspired you to take up writing?
I've been touring with bands for years, and I was looking for an anonymous way to tell me tour stories. I wanted to give people an insight into a weird world - the music industry.

Are any of your characters based on people you know?
Sort of. They're more based on a type of person I encounter - rockstars, fangirls, journalists, etc.

Do you have a support network for your writing?
No one in my real life really knows about my writing, but I've made some fantastic friends since I started.

What items are on your desk/where you write?
I've never actually written at a desk. I write on the go, my surroundings are always changing.

Do you have a routine for your writing? Particular time of day.
I do it when I can, although more often than not it's the middle of the night.

Any tips for writers who are just starting out?
Be careful what advice you take. There's a lot of it out there, but it won't all be right for you.

Can you share a sneak peak at what you're working on at the moment?
I have a book out in the summer. I can't say much but I will tell you this one isn't about the music industry. 

Have you ever heard a strange/different story that you thought would be great in a book?
I see a lot of things on tour that I could make an entire novel out of - even the horrible stuff. One day, I'll write a darker book.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I love reading and watching films/TV. I'm a lot of the 'aholics' - I love shopping a little too much. I never get bored of going to gigs and listening to music. 

Do you like it quiet when you're writing or do you need background noise?
I love to have music on when I'm writing! Silence doesn't work well for me.

If one of your books was made into a film/TV series, who would you like as the leading lady/man?
I love this question. It's fun to think about. I think Imogen Poots would make a good Nicole, and Kit Harington as Dylan.

Do you have a process for planning your books?
I try to plan as best I can, but it often changes as I go along.


Non book questions

Favourite holiday place?
I have lots of band friends in New York and LA - best kind of people to holiday with.

Favourite food?
Chocolate.

What kind of music do you listen to?
A bit of everything. From rock to pop to 80s tunes to Disney soundtracks. 

Favourite film?
Tough question, it's hard to pick just one - it's hard to pick just fifty. I love Closer, so we'll say that today.

Favourite Chocolate?
I love it all!

Favourite drink?
Coffee or tea.

I would like to thank Portia for a wonderful interview.

Thank

Jo x



About the Author:

When she was fifteen-years-old, Portia MacIntosh fell in with a bad crowd… rockstars. 
After disappearing on tour and living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle for a few years, Portia landed a job in the music industry – but only so that she didn’t have to join the real world just yet.
Now in her twenties, Portia is ready to spill the beans on the things she has witnessed over the years. Well, kind of. If her famous friends knew that she was borrowing their lives to inspire her fiction, they would stop inviting her on tour and banish her from the inner circle. Then she really would have to rejoin the real world, and she’s still not ready.
Portia only started writing novels to share her secrets, but then she realised she actually quite liked writing – maybe even more than she likes living on a bus with a bunch of smelly boys – and has since tried her hand at writing about other things.

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