Divorcees.biz - Eileen Thornton

I’m delighted to welcome Eileen Thornton, blog friend and author of The Trojan Project, here to talk about her latest book and also tell us about her writing.

Divorcees.biz came out as an eBook late last year and is now available in paperback. I asked Eileen to tell us a little about it.

Divorcees.biz is set in London and tells of four, thirty-something, divorced women, who decide to set up an online dating agency for divorcees. However, the four ladies, Connie, Sadie, Jenny & Lucy find the project a little more complicated than they first thought. I have tried to keep the story light-hearted and fun to read.

I love the title – it’s perfect for the book. If Divorcees.biz was made into a film, who could you see playing the parts of Connie, Sadie, Jenny and Lucy?

That is a difficult one. I really have no idea. Though, if my four ladies were a little older, I would have no hesitation in recommending Dame Maggie Smith, as Connie. After being glued to the screen watching Downton Abbey, I believe she would be wonderful playing the part of someone, like Connie, who enjoys the finer things in life.

Dame Judy Dench would make a great Sadie. She is a feisty lady in the James Bond films, so she could very comfortably slip into Sadie’s shoes.

However, as for Jenny and Lucy, I would have to think hard on casting those two characters.

On the other hand, choosing men would be easier. I would have no problem casting parts to George Clooney, Gerard Butler, Hugh Grant and Ewan McGregor. I would even find a place for Pierce Brosnan – how easy is that?

What a great line up! Did Divorcees.biz take you long to write?

It took quite a while, mainly because I tend to make up my stories as I go along. I started off well, with the launch party at the beginning of Divorcees.biz, but then I found myself wondering where to go from there. However once I got back into it again, the ladies sort of took over. There were even times when I had to go back and slow them down, as they were running away with my story. They gave me a headache sometimes. I suppose in the end, Divorcees.biz took me about a year to write.

So you’re a bit of a panster when it comes to writing. I’m the same, preferring to find out what happens along with the characters. It’s a great feeling when they take over. You’ve been published before – when did you start writing?

I began writing in February 2001 when I took a writing course with The Writers’ Bureau. In July of that year I had my first article published in The Lady magazine. It was about The Changing Face of Tyneside. I was born in that area, so I was really interested in the changes being made. Then I went on to write short fiction.  My first novel, The Trojan Project, a thriller was published in 2008.

That first article must have been special on more than one level. I have to ask now, who is/are your favourite author/authors?

I enjoy the historical fiction of C J Sansom and Rory Clements. However, I also enjoy the works of several other authors. I don’t really think I have a favourite.

I can understand that. Do you have a favourite book?

I’m afraid I don’t have a favourite book. However, if you were to ask me about my favourite TV series, then I would say The West Wing. It is a wonderful series and I never tire of watching it.

It’s very hard to choose a favourite book isn’t it? Many writers dream of having a dedicated writing room, do you have one?

I have commandeered our spare bedroom. There I have my desk and PC and I can work undisturbed for hours at a time. Fortunately, my husband never complains about me spending so much time in here.

Sounds perfect, Eileen. Is there a particular time of day when you are at your most creative or can the muse strike at any time?

I don’t have any set time for writing. When I think of something to write, I simply go for it. If I hang around, I tend to forget what I wanted to say. As for making notes: that is a no go area. I am useless at making notes. I either try to write so much info I might as well have written the whole thing there and then or, I don’t write enough and haven’t a clue what I was talking about. (I based my character Sadie on me!)

It’s always interesting to hear how other writers go about it all, Eileen (Sadie!). Thank you for stopping by and good luck with Divorcees.biz – you’ve already had plenty of great reviews and I hope now it’s out in paperback you’ll get lots more.

You can visit Eileen at her blog, Life’s Hard, Wine Helps and find out more about her and Divorcees.biz at her website.