Zoe Allison Interview - The Wedding Engagement ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from Zoe Allison

Zoe Allison lives in Scotland with her husband and two children, having been brought up in a mixed race family in Yorkshire.

Growing up, Zoe enjoyed stories about falling in love. But rather than being rescued by a knight in shining armour she imagined herself fighting dragons alongside him, battling supervillains as heroic allies, or teaming up to dive into perilous waters and save the day.

As an adult, Zoe became a doctor. But as time passed she craved a creative outlet to counter the soul sapping burnout that her career inflicted upon her, and also to achieve the happy endings that were so often lacking in the real world. She wanted to create heroines who represented her and her values, as well as heroes who truly love women—men who find their true love inspiring, want to connect with her as a soulmate, and fully open themselves to her on an emotional level. And so, Zoe began to write romance.

Greatest thing you learned at school.

Being a book nerd is awesome, no matter what anyone says!

When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?

I never thought of myself as a creative during my childhood and early adulthood because I went down the science route and chose to go to medical school. Then when my children were small and I hadn’t read fiction in years I won a Sarah Morgan eBook, and reading it reignited my love of romance books. I read more of her works and it inspired me to write my own romances. It was only then that I remembered my love of creative writing coursework at high school and how I’d gotten an A grade for my English Language qualification. I realised that the creative writing bug had been there all along!

Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?

I think my favorite romance book (though it’s very hard to choose!) might be The Dating Game by Sally Thorne. It has the perfect enemies to lovers tension (one of my favorite tropes) plus is set in a very vividly portrayed literary world. It also has a nice sprinkling of spice which I prefer in the romances that I read (though I do also read closed door).
My favourite book outside my genre is probably One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night by Christopher Brookmyre. It’s about a school reunion on an oil rig going wrong when terrorists take over and there’s a brilliant dichotomy between that dark situation and the comedy of old schoolmates meeting up as adults! I also love the Scottish humor in the book (the author is Scottish).

If you could have written one book in history, what book would that be?

Probably a very recent one—The Love of my Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood. When I heard the premise, I knew I would love the book and wasn’t disappointed when I read it. It made me wish I’d thought of the idea!

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?

Social media! It’s the bane of my life. It’s hard to get the balance between doing the right amount of posting on my author accounts and then getting caught aimlessly scrolling.

What chapter was the most memorable to write and why?

Probably the chapters on the Isle of Skye. I went to Skye on a research trip and it was stunning. It was the perfect backdrop for my story and characters.

Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one and why, if yes?

The Snow Crystal trilogy by Sarah Morgan. The first in the trilogy was the book I won an eBook version of and it sparked a renewed love for reading romance and that lead on to me becoming inspired to write romance. Without that first book I might not be a romance author today.

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?

I think storytelling is a form of therapy. For me writing romance is like a balm for the soul and it soothes the burnout of my career in Medicine. I escape into my stories and can sculpt the happy endings that often elude us in real life. I think of it as sending out positivity and it feels good to be creating little sparks of joy in the world.

Can you tell us when you started THE WEDDING ENGAGEMENT, how that came about?

I wanted to write a story about Liv and Arran who first featured in my book The Ex-Mas Holidays as side characters. I liked the idea of a brother’s best friend romance where the male main character was one of these “sworn off relationships” types of guys but then that trope is turned on its head when it becomes apparent that the female MC has an even bigger relationship phobia and so he has to re-evaluate his own issues and go all out to win her!

What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the finished product?

I was absolutely ecstatic to be accepted and when I first saw the cover I was blown away because it was so gorgeous and exactly what I had wanted.

MEET THE CHARACTERS

LIV HOLLAND — is a Scottish nursery school teacher who’s had a crush on her brother’s best friend, Arran Adebayo, for a number of years. Liv has dark wavy hair, green eyes, fair skin, wears glasses and is petite. She’s an empath who is also a kickass karate blackbelt and is always there for everyone else as the rock of her friendship group. They all joke about her being “the only one who has their shit together” but in fact, she’s secretly a mess when it comes to relationships, stemming from problematic family dynamics when she and her twin brother were growing up. Liv also makes the best cup of tea in the Highlands and loves scones and Jane Austen.

QUOTE
Arran gave Liv a nudge as the others began talking among themselves. “We should meet up soon and get the activities sorted.” He gave her another one of those sexy winks, causing a delicious shiver to lick up her spine.

“Yeah, let’s do it. I’ve got a few ideas already about the activities.”

“Same.” He nudged her arm. “We’ll compare notes. See who comes out on top.”

Her cheeks burned at the thought of either of them being atop the other, so she moved her gaze away from his sparkling honey eyes. Planning a wedding related activity with the guy I’ve been crushing on for years. What could go wrong?

ARRAN ADEBAYO — is a Scottish single dad who is half Nigerian (his dad was originally from Nigeria). He has brown coily hair, honey-coloured eyes and coppery brown skin. He’s tall, especially compared to Liv’s petite stature. Arran is an artist and has been trying to get a new business off the ground selling his paintings of Highland scenery and portraits. Liv has been very supportive in his endeavors and has helped him with childcare since his fiancée broke off their engagement a few weeks before the wedding. Arran is also the joker of the group and he and Liv vibe off each other’s’ silly sense of humour. Arran has a five-year-old son, Jayce, who is about to start in Liv’s nursery school class and is obsessed with knights in shining armor and dragons!

QUOTE
“This is a surprise,” she continued, giving him a lopsided smile.
He cleared his throat because it felt like his own tongue was attempting to choke him. “You can say that again.”

She let out a laugh that was a little higher pitched than usual. His mind raced as he tried to come to terms with the last few mind-blowingly confusing seconds. His blind date was Liv, his best friend’s twin sister. The woman who helped him with childcare. The woman who would soon become his son’s nursery school teacher. The woman he’d known since they were about five years old and he hadn’t ever looked upon as anything other than a friend— until the last few months, when little snatches of heat began burning whenever she’d touched his hand, held his gaze, or took off her top layer to reveal tight- fitting clothing underneath.

Well, that heat was anything but a little snatch now. The sight of her this evening had been like pouring lighter fluid on a slowly burning barbecue. Boom.
Should he voice it?

What is the first job you have had?

My first job was age 16-17 working in a sports store. I was on the section that sold trainers (sneakers) despite not knowing anything about trainers!

What is your happiest childhood memory?

Watching Saturday night TV with my family. We would watch things like gameshows, The A Team, and The Golden Girls.

Name one thing you miss about being a kid.

Not having to do any adulting! It was nice to not take responsibility for the grown-up stuff but just concentrate on what was fun.

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?

How tired I am and how much I want to go back to bed! Also, coffee.

What is your most memorable travel experience?

Flying over a volcano in a light aircraft in New Zealand with just my husband and the pilot.

What's your most missed memory?

When my kids were tiny. I’ve loved every stage of them growing but as time goes on, I miss the baby cuddles.

Which incident in your life that totally changed the way you think today?

Getting signed for my first book and realizing that I was a creative person after all, and perhaps an ok writer!

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?

It’s a toss-up between being a kid watching the Saturday night TV with my family (or Christmas morning!) and being on maternity leave with my second baby and my toddler.

If you could be born into history as any famous person who would it be and why?

Nicola Coughlan who plays Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton (and Claire in Derry Girls). Because she is all round awesome.

At a movie theater which arm rest is yours?

Right side

What is your greatest adventure?

My husband and I went on a tour of the north and south islands of New Zealand when we were younger, and also on a separate trip we learned to scuba dive in Australia. Both were amazing adventures.

What event in your life would make a good movie?

There are a number of events from when I was a junior doctor but I think it would make a pretty harrowing movie!

What were you doing the last time you really had a good laugh?

Rewatching Derry Girls. I want to be Sister Michael.

What was your favorite subject when you were in school and why?

Science and English Language were my favorites. I loved doing experiments in Chemistry and I also loved reading and analyzing texts such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd.

What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a kid?

I think I would stick with the 80s, the era in which I was actually a kid. I don’t think I would like to grow up with the pressures of social media and that didn’t exist in the 80s.

What is the weirdest thing you have seen in someone else’s home?

I was in a care home and there was a framed picture of Poldark on top of the bookcase in the communal living area! Poldark was a British TV adaptation of a series of historical novels and the main character was played by a hot Irish actor called Aidan Turner, and they had a picture of him dressed as Poldark in this frame as if it were a real person. I assume the old folks in the home were big fans of his!

Planning a wedding is so romantic . . . except when it’s not yours, and you’re planning it with the guy you’re secretly crushing on. Scottish schoolteacher Liv Holland has a secret. She’s been carrying a torch for Arran Adebayo, her brother’s best friend, for years. A blind date gone wrong cements in Liv’s mind that Arran has no romantic interest in her whatsoever. But then, with her brother set to marry her own best friend, she and Arran are enlisted to help plan the festivities… After being left at the altar by his ex, single father Arran is having trouble managing his growing feelings towards the woman who is both his best friend’s sister and his son’s Liv. Then his mind is blown when fate thrusts them together for an unexpected blind date, but he messes up his chance to tell her how he feels. As the big day approaches and Liv and Arran’s connection intensifies, their chemistry chafes against their checkered romantic histories. Risking everything for love could mean losing each other forever . . . or being the next ones to find their happy ever after.

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