S8 Ep 3: From Narrowboat B&B to International Bestseller and the Godmother of Fiction: Katie Fforde

Hold on tight – not only did you have the wonderful Milly Johnson last week… Get ready to meet one of the most brilliant, encouraging and wonderful women writing fiction today.Katie was a mother looking after her 3 children and their dogs while her husband was away at sea, when she had that feeling as if something was missing, a bit like a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle.Katie started writing Mills and Boons novels, carving out moments while she was running her children’s bath. For 8 years she faced rejections, but she never gave up. Her writing may not have been right for Mills and Boon, but she did find an agent and publisher who loved her work.Katie has just written her 30th novel. Her books have sold in their millions in the UK alone as well as all over the world. But what’s even more special about Katie is how supportive she is to other writers. She’s been the President of the Romantic Novelists Association for more than ten years and has helped so many aspiring authors as well as setting up the Katie Fforde Bursary scheme. Since recording this episode Katie has won the Lifetime Achievement Award for the RNA and it could not be more deserved.We discuss Katie’s method-acting style of research, how going to a ballet school when she struggled to dance taught her resilience and the importance of finding her tribe (think Milly Johnson and Jill Mansell… I mean what a tribe). Katie has built a career from her passion – all around the family she adores in Gloucestershire. Plus, she gives some wonderful advice to help you do the same – whatever your missing piece of the puzzle may be. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenextchapterbyelliebarker.substack.com