An interview with Lindsey Kelk! Plus book giveaway!!

We were beyond excited when a couple of weeks back we got to interview one of our favourite Authors, Rebecca Raisin. We were so grateful for her taking the time to be a part of our little blog and we loved picking her brain about writing and finding out little treasures about her. With us bouncing off the walls in delight, we thought it would be fun to reach out to some of our other top favourite Authors and see if we could ask them some questions we've always wanted to ask. Today we are again jumping for joy, as we bring you 10 questions with the wonderful Lindsey Kelk...yes you read that right...LINDSEY KELK!!! :) We have mentioned her on this blog many a times when talking about her lovely books (The I Heart Series, Always the Bridesmaid What a Girl Wants)because we simply LOVE her. Not only are her books so much fun, right up our alley and perfect, she also happens to be pretty darn awesome herself. Lindsey is a huge wrestling fan and also loves makeup...do we need to go on?! :p

Thank you so so much to Lindsey for answering our questions and taking the time to join us here on the blog. We truly appreciate it and loved reading your answers!! :)

1.   What bought you over to the States and do you miss the UK?

Before I was a full-time writer, I worked as a children’s book editor and came over to the US to work in our New York office. I first visited with my job and totally fell in love with the city so I basically begged them to find me a job - I told them I’d do anything so I’m pretty lucky they let me work with the books and didn’t make me clean the loos. Before I moved, I was scraping together money to visit, selling stuff on eBay, sleeping on friends’ sofas. It was worth it just to be there.

Sometimes I get homesick but it’s usually for people more than anything else. I still go over to the UK a couple of times a year and time moves so quickly, I feel like I’m there all the time.

2.   We adore New York and fell in love with you the moment we picked up ‘I heart New York’, what is one of your favourite things about the city?

Well, now I’m blushing… it’s so hard to say why I love New York, it’s like being in love with a person, when you know, you know. New York is a city full of adventure and possibility, I love to just wander the streets and see what I can see. I love that you can go out for dinner on a Sunday and end up at karaoke with complete strangers until four in the morning. I love that you can be chatting to a cab driver and end up hearing the most incredible story. And I love bagels. Dear god, I love bagels.

3.   As former wrestlers and wrestling fans ourselves, how did you get in to wrestling? Have you loved it since you were little?

Yup. My big brother is five years older than me and he got really into WWE around 1989 when he was 13 and I was 8. At the time, I was totally obsessed with him and anything he liked, I liked it to. We wrestled all the time and used to use an England scarf as our house belt with his bed as our ring! I only held the belt once when I made him tap to a figure four. Not too shabby for an 8 year old…

4.   Who is your favourite wrestler?

 I honestly find it so, so hard to choose! Bret Hart and Shawn Michael were my favourites when I was little and I’ve always kept that preference for the smaller guy who is a great technician. WWE-wise, I was really sad to see Daniel Bryan retire because his matches were always great and I watch out for Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins matches. I’m really excited about all the talent coming up through NXT, Kevin Owens and Finn Balor are so exciting to watch and the divas that are coming up through WWE developmental are fantastic. Charlotte is insane, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so in control of their own physicality. In the indies, I love the Young Bucks, Ricochet and Zack Sabre Jr, such different styles but so much fun to watch. So, um, that’s not really an answer is it? Probably Bret Hart. I met him on the street in New Orleans during Mania and nearly died.

5.   Do you opt for WWE or do you prefer Indy wrestling?

I genuinely love both of them. I watch a ton of WWE and enjoy the soap opera nature of the product and I really feel like it’s an exciting time for the company right now, lots of new talent, more time for the divas, but since I moved to LA, I’ve been going to PWG events and oh my god, are they fun. I’m totally obsessed. I was also able to meet Colt Cabana a couple of years ago when I was working on a feature for Cosmo and he was so lovely. I always listen to his podcast and I completely marked out. Cliff Compton was with him and it was all I could do not to start screaming ‘Super Domino!’ I think I just about managed to escape with my dignity. Just.

6.   What are your favourite brands of makeup? Do you think it’s about time the UK got Sephora stores or are you satisfied with the likes of Debenhams and Selfridges?

I’ve probably got more favourite make up than I have wrestlers! On the fancy side, Dior and YSL never seem to disappoint and I love everything Urban Decay but I also love a good root around Duane Reade! I’ve always got about four different Lipsmackers on me.

I love a good UK make up haul, the bargain brands over there are fantastic – Sleek and Make Up Revolution have been total game changers – but who wouldn’t want Sephora?

7.   What do you love most about writing?

I love telling stories. I love creating worlds and inventing people to fall in love with, not just the men but the women as well. My favourite thing to write is friendship between women, I try and make it realistic but the most important thing to me is to show how strong women can be when they have each other to depend on. There are so many stories about bitches and women screwing each other and of course that happens and those people exist but I’m trying to correct the balance with a few more positive stories.

8.   What is your favourite book and why?

I’m so bad at this… OK, it’s The Secret History by Donna Tartt. My university professor gave it to me when I was reading Bret Easton Ellis and I loved it immediately. It’s a story about a group of eccentric, mimsfit students, reading ancient Greek at a private college who fall under the influence of their professor and ultimately pull further and further away from society until things take a turn for the tragic. It’s such a great story and the writing is incredible, so controlled and deliberate and then things start to unravel and the pace of the book drags you along so fast, you can barely keep up. I still reread it every couple of years, it’s definitely my favourite.

9.   Which part of the writing process do you love the most? When you first come up with an awesome idea? Writing and planning? Editing? Or when you have the final copy?

I love finishing the book because it’s such a relief! The writing process has its ups and downs, some days it’s fantastic and I love getting it all out and other days, it’s absolutely agonizing – no ideas, nothing make sense, writer’s block – call it what you will. Some days are just painful.

I feel quite detached from final book, it stops feeling like mine once it’s gone from my computer, but I’m still really proud every time I get the finished copy. The book you hold in your hands belongs to a million people, the editorial team, the design team, sales, marketing, PR, and I wouldn’t be here without them. Publishing is such a huge industry and it goes so much further than the writer.

10.  You recently moved to LA, we have been fortunate enough to have visited LA twice with our Dad, are you enjoying it so far and have you had a cupcake from the Sprinkles ATM yet?

Ha! I was at the Glendale Galleria yesterday and they have one there. I managed to resist though. One of the worst things about writing is that I spend twelve hours at a time at the computer and my workouts and healthy eating intentions go down the toilet. Now I’m out of the first draft stage of the new book, I’m back in spin class and trying to be good!


There you have it everyone, isn't she awesome??!! :) AND get this... you, yes you, can WIN a copy of Lindsey Kelk's 'About A Girl' US Edition!!!!!

All you have to do is tweet us @TheBlossomTwins and @LindseyKelk a picture of your best wrestling pose! That's it! Start hulking up and doing your best raised eyebrow and you will be in for a chance to WIN a copy of 'About A Girl' :)

Have a beautiful day and keep smiling!
Love Lucy and Kelly xxx

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