Yep, here it is. Now, remember, I had NOT read Holly's Inbox before sending the interview questions, so some of them are kind of odd. :) Not that that's unusual, by any means. LOL!
1. What made you decide on this route when it came to both the website & the book?
The idea for the site came when someone in our company disappeared one day without any notice. We had to trawl through their emails to find out what they were working on, as it turned out they hadn’t been working on anything apart from their personal life, which I’m ashamed to say I became engrossed in. The emails were full of office gossip, scandal, romance, and back stabbing; so this gave me the inspiration to set about building a website to deliver a ‘real time’ story. As emails come through you get so wrapped up in Holly’s life that you begin to feel you are sitting at her desk going through all the fun and disaster yourself.The website www.hollysinbox.com is of course up and running with the story right now.
2. Since I had no idea any of this was happening, is this a real person's stuff or did you come up with it as a "reality" and put it out that way?
A lot is real, but some is fiction, I’d love to know if you can spot which bits are fiction….
3. Are you planning on writing any further books? If so, would they be about the same thing or would you do anything different?
There is a follow up to this story, as Holly continues her fun… which I’m hoping will be available from Sourcebooks!!
4. What are your hobbies outside of writing?
I have a beautiful 2 year old daughter, and a gorgeous demanding wife and they both ensure I have no other interests.
5. Are you excited about your book crossing the pond & coming over to America?
Like you wouldn’t believe, dream come true YIPEEEE!
6. What is the strangest thing you've come across while reading others emails?
That a very single flirtatious woman at work was actually married, with four children
7. What is something you wish you could forget?
A pornographic image she had on another email, I think it burnt my eyes, oh and that film where that “comedian” plays most of the other characters.
8. What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Any that makes me want to dance
9. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go & why?
I would hire a convertible and travel around your country – I’ve always wanted to be in my own road movie.
10. If you had a million dollars (or pounds as the case may be) & had to spend it all in 24 hours or lose it, what would you spend it on & why?
I’d buy a really fast car – and fill the boot with all the rest of the cash and drive away so you couldn’t get it back off me.
11. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day on earth?
I would try and shoot a few evil dictators first, and if I was still alive after that, I’d go back home and have a nice cup of tea, kiss my wife and child, oh and then die.
12. Do you like doing interviews?
:) It’s one of my first, and it’s been fun yeeeees. xx
13. What would you say has been the most rewarding aspect of this book?
Hearing it’s made people laugh, it really really gives me a buzz.
14. The least?
I guess sometimes I slip into my dream world and listen to the characters nattering, and so people close to me (mainly my wife) find it frustrating asking me the same question a zillion times while I look vacant.
15. And how is it writing as a woman?
I know as a writer trying to write from a male perspective is almost beyond me. How'd that work out for you? I’ve been trying to write all my life from a man’s perspective and failed miserably, I think as I’ve spent my whole life much much more interested in the opposite sex I’ve failed to notice much about my own kind at all, I make a terrible mate to go down the pub for a pint with, I try occasionally and find I laugh and grunt at all the wrong times.
And there you have it. My interview with Bill Surie, the guy behind Holly's Inbox. One lucky commenter (US & CANADA only...sorry!) will get a copy of the book! :) I hope you all enjoy. I really liked it. :D
Showing posts with label holly's inbox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holly's inbox. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2009
Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham
Dear Holly,
Are you sure you know what you're getting into...?
It's Holly Denham's first day as a receptionist at a busy corporate bank, and frankly, it's obvious she can't quite keep up.
Take a peek at her email and you'll see why: what her crazy friends, dysfunctional family, and gossipy coworkers, Holly's inbox is a daily source of drama. Laughter, friendship, and romantic interludes keep her going, until one day, Holly's secret past begins to catch up with her...
Written entirely in emails, this compulsively readable UK smash hit will keep you laughing and turning the pages all the way to its surprising and deeply satisfying ending.
When my contact Danielle first mentioned this book and the history behind it, I admit I was intrigued. A book, written entirely in email format, from a woman's POV written by a man. Yes, that's right, folks. Holly Denham is actually Bill Surie. I know! Shocking! :)
I actually interviewed Bill first since Sourcebooks didn't have copies of this book handy immediately and I got to ask questions without any knowledge of the books. Yeah, that was a bit odd.
Anyhoodles, my thoughts on Holly's Inbox (for one lucky commenter...US & CANADA ONLY...I will be giving away a copy of this book). Holly's Inbox is about Holly Denham, a young woman who has just started a job at a pretty prestigious bank. It's quite entertaining to read the beginning emails between her and Patricia (or Trish), the other receptionist. You can see that Holly really has no experience as a receptionist and reading her emails to her friends about her lack of abilities is actually quite funny.
Her friendship w/ Jason Granger is the predominate force through 99% of the books. He is her best friend and he helps her out when she's in trouble.
There's Aisha her slutty best girlfriend who doesn't seem to understand the concept of keeping her legs together.
There's her sister who asks her to bring odd things on her visit (the dead mice for their snake is the biggy).
The relationship that begins and ends with James, the hunky VP who begins flirting with her almost immediately.
Her relationship with her mother which is very much up & down.
And just her basic, overall Holly-ness.
Due to the fact that I knew Holly wasn't actually a woman (or real), it was still fascinating to read this story. It felt real. I could actually see these things happening and I found it very intriguing. I also found it to be LOL funny as well.
Watching as Holly maneuvers her way through a rivalry with a fellow coworker, her issues w/ someone who ends up being not who she thought, and her budding friendship with Trish was great.
That being said, I do have a couple of quibbles.
One being that there's something brought up about Trish near the end that's never resolved. I found it to be an odd addition and wasn't really necessary...unless another book is written, which might happen.
The romance-it came across rather abruptly and didn't seem quite as realistic as the rest (I'm talking the end of the book...won't go into further details than that). If you read the book, you'll know what I mean.
All in all though, I found I really enjoyed it. If I hadn't known that Holly was actually Bill, I would have thought it was a woman. That's saying something. :)
My Rating: B-
Are you sure you know what you're getting into...?
It's Holly Denham's first day as a receptionist at a busy corporate bank, and frankly, it's obvious she can't quite keep up.
Take a peek at her email and you'll see why: what her crazy friends, dysfunctional family, and gossipy coworkers, Holly's inbox is a daily source of drama. Laughter, friendship, and romantic interludes keep her going, until one day, Holly's secret past begins to catch up with her...
Written entirely in emails, this compulsively readable UK smash hit will keep you laughing and turning the pages all the way to its surprising and deeply satisfying ending.
When my contact Danielle first mentioned this book and the history behind it, I admit I was intrigued. A book, written entirely in email format, from a woman's POV written by a man. Yes, that's right, folks. Holly Denham is actually Bill Surie. I know! Shocking! :)
I actually interviewed Bill first since Sourcebooks didn't have copies of this book handy immediately and I got to ask questions without any knowledge of the books. Yeah, that was a bit odd.
Anyhoodles, my thoughts on Holly's Inbox (for one lucky commenter...US & CANADA ONLY...I will be giving away a copy of this book). Holly's Inbox is about Holly Denham, a young woman who has just started a job at a pretty prestigious bank. It's quite entertaining to read the beginning emails between her and Patricia (or Trish), the other receptionist. You can see that Holly really has no experience as a receptionist and reading her emails to her friends about her lack of abilities is actually quite funny.
Her friendship w/ Jason Granger is the predominate force through 99% of the books. He is her best friend and he helps her out when she's in trouble.
There's Aisha her slutty best girlfriend who doesn't seem to understand the concept of keeping her legs together.
There's her sister who asks her to bring odd things on her visit (the dead mice for their snake is the biggy).
The relationship that begins and ends with James, the hunky VP who begins flirting with her almost immediately.
Her relationship with her mother which is very much up & down.
And just her basic, overall Holly-ness.
Due to the fact that I knew Holly wasn't actually a woman (or real), it was still fascinating to read this story. It felt real. I could actually see these things happening and I found it very intriguing. I also found it to be LOL funny as well.
Watching as Holly maneuvers her way through a rivalry with a fellow coworker, her issues w/ someone who ends up being not who she thought, and her budding friendship with Trish was great.
That being said, I do have a couple of quibbles.
One being that there's something brought up about Trish near the end that's never resolved. I found it to be an odd addition and wasn't really necessary...unless another book is written, which might happen.
The romance-it came across rather abruptly and didn't seem quite as realistic as the rest (I'm talking the end of the book...won't go into further details than that). If you read the book, you'll know what I mean.
All in all though, I found I really enjoyed it. If I hadn't known that Holly was actually Bill, I would have thought it was a woman. That's saying something. :)
My Rating: B-
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