Author Interview: DEBBIE VIGGIANO

I'm back and thrilled to welcome my next multi-published author guest to the blog today who likes keeping all her pets happy! 

Check it out... 

Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy... apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate. Tweet @DebbieViggiano or follow her on Facebook!

Find out more about Debbie here!  

Wedding vows have never been this personal…

Willow has been living with marriage-shy Charlie for more years than she cares to remember and is old-fashioned enough to want a wedding band and a loads-of-sex honeymoon before stretchmarks and nipple shields.

So when the once-wary Charlie surprisingly goes down on one knee, Willow doesn’t question why her boyfriend is suddenly so keen to rush her into saying “I do”.

The first clue comes as Willow is zipped into her Cinderella dress, the second as she bobs into the wedding car, and the third as the Roller swings towards its fairy-tale destination… leaving a shell-shocked Willow desperately trying to figure out what to do next.

A bride can do anything she wants on her wedding day, but nobody expected her to do this…
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Grab your copy here

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The Interview...

​Who are you and what do you write?
 
My name is Debbie Viggiano and I am a writer of romantic comedies. That said, I’m currently flirting with a psychological thriller. I’m nearly 40,000 words in but not sure I’ll ever be brave enough to publish it!

 
Where and when and how did the writing life begin for you?

I was a legal secretary for many years, but always felt there was a book trying to bust out of me. It finally happened when I married my football-obsessed husband who was reluctant to relinquish the remote control so that he could watch a match that was always taking place somewhere in the world. By this point I’d missed umpteen episodes of my beloved Coronation Street and lost the thread! So, every evening, instead of watching television, I took pen to paper. Out came that story! Stockings and Cellulite was self-published in 2010 and went to Number 38 in the UK Kindle Chart. 


How has the journey to this point been? Can you give us a basic rundown?
 
After the publication of my first novel, I was bitten by the writing bug. Flings and Arrows came next and, again, went into the UK Kindle Charts. I was still doing the day job and juggling kids, home – the whole shebang, but was steadily building a readership. There comes a point when you have to take a leap of faith. Also, my energy levels were flagging! I became a full-time writer in 2017 after signing with Bookouture.
 
 
What's been the hardest part of your writing/publishing experience so far? And the most enjoyable?
 
The hardest part of the writing experience was going under contract. Suddenly this was serious. It was no longer something I could play at. There was a deadline and I had to deliver. It was terrifying and initially gave me brain freeze. I couldn’t write a word! So, I decided to ring my editor, tell her I was terribly sorry, but she’d have to rip up the contract. Happy that I’d made a decision, I sat down and was able to write a chapter. I then told myself I’d make that phone call just as soon as I’d written the second chapter. And then the third. Bit by bit the book got written and that telephone call never got made! 
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The most enjoyable part of the writing journey is getting positive feedback from readers. If I can make a person smile, then I’m smiling too.
 
 
Would you go back and change anything?

Yes. I would have written that first book a lot earlier!
 
 
Where would you like to be in 5 years’ time? And 10? Or, what are your plans for the future?

Five years… ten years… I hope I’m still writing. But maybe, just maybe, it would be amazing to see one of my books turned into a film. Someone has been asking! If it happens, it won’t be for a while. But it’s fabulous to have the interest!
 
 
What's one piece of advice you'd give to new writers just starting out?

Go for it! We all have a story in us waiting to be told.
 
 
And most importantly...

Ketchup or Mayo? - Ketchup.
Night or Day? - Day.
Inside or Outside? - Outside.
Dogs or Cats? I couldn’t possibly upset my dog or cat by saying just one or the other!!
Twitter or Facebook? - Facebook.
e-book or Paperback? - I can fit thousands of books in my handbag with an eBook!
Sun or Rain? - Don’t mind. I love sunbeams and raindrops.
Keyboard or Pencil & Notebook? - Keyboard.
Comedy or Drama? - Comedy.
Chips or Chocolate? - Chocolate. The darker, the better!

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Other books by Debbie Viggiano…

Stockings and Cellulite
Lipstick and Lies
Flings and Arrows
The Perfect Marriage
Secrets
The Corner Shop of Whispers
The Woman Who Knew Everything
What Holly’s Husband Did
The Man You Meet in Heaven
Lucy’s Last Straw
Willow’s Wedding Vows
Mixed Emotions ~ short stories
The Ex Factor (a psychological family drama)
Lily’s Pink Cloud ~ a child’s fairytale
100 ~ the Author’s experience of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia
Cappuccino and Chick-Chat ~ memoir