Thursday, June 10, 2021

Ellie Pilcher is down to Earth

Today we are pleased to welcome Ellie Pilcher to CLC. Sara really enjoyed her debut novel, What Planet Can I Blame This On?, and recently reviewed it at Amazon. We enjoyed learning more about Ellie and her book, and she has a favorite TV series in common with both Sara and Melissa.


Ellie Pilcher is a writer based in South London. She works in book publishing and is a freelance journalist regularly featured on BBC Radio 5 Live, The Telegraph, Huffington Post, and many others. She also runs a Careers, Books and Lifestyle blog called EllesBellesNotebook, and is a public speaker on topics including social media, zero waste lifestyle and career growth.

Visit Ellie online:


Synopsis:
The stars are not in position - and Krystal Baker is determined to make them fall in line.

It's Krystal's 29th birthday. This year:

· Her boyfriend finally proposed after six years of dating (only for her to find out he cheated on her for five and a half of them)

· She landed her dream job as a writer at Craze magazine (which swiftly fell into administration)

· She moved into her dream flat overlooking the city (just for the pipes to explode making the place unliveable)

As she mourns everything wrong in her life, her best friend mutters the dreaded words: Saturn Return. The time in a woman's life where Saturn returns to the position it was in on the day of their birth, 29.5 years ago, and, according to legend, everything falls apart. Krystal has never bought into astrology but maybe it's time to re-evaluate - because if the stars got her into this mess, they can get her out of it. And she only has six months to make things right.

Loaded with crystals, horoscopes, tarot cards and a carefully aligned chakra or two, Krystal's determined to have her life back on track by the time Saturn returns. No longer shall she brand herself a 'human disaster' because this time it's not her fault, it's written in the treacherous stars.

It's Krystal versus the universe in a fight for her future that she's determined to win. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

‘Fresh, fun and fascinating from an exciting new talent’
~Bella Osborne, author of Meet Me at Pebble Beach

‘It’s fresh, wise, and hugely funny and real – a celebration of that tricky late twenties stage when you reckon you should have it all figured out – but definitely haven’t … I loved it!’
~Fiona Gibson, author of The Dog Share

‘Delightful, fun and full of laugh-out-loud moments’
~Gillian Harvey, author of Perfect on Paper

In one sentence, tell us what your road to publishing was like.
A bit like ordering an Uber and getting a rocket: unexpected, a little bumpy and surprisingly fast-paced
 
How are you similar to Krystal?
I would say not at all, but my family members who have read the book said pretty much 90% the same. I’m very dramatic and incredibly stubborn like Krystal but thankfully I’m a little less obsessive and less reliant on other people. 
 
If What Planet Can I Blame This On? were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I love this question, mostly because when I write my stories it’s like watching a movie unfold in my head. For me, I saw someone like Florence Pugh as Krystal (Amy from Little Women), and I imagined Emma Corrin (Diana from The Crown) as Tina. Paige was more complicated, I had Sandra Oh (Eve in Killing Eve) and Samira Wiley (Moira in The Handmaid’s Tale) in my head when I was writing her but they’re not the right actors, but the right style of actor. Oh, and Paul Mescal for Ryan (Connell from Normal People) what I can say… the Irish accent! 
 
Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
I’m currently re-watching The Bold Type on Netflix. It is my all-time favourite series about three women working in the magazine industry in New York City. The friendships, the career goals and the drama is everything. 
 
What is your astrological sign and how fitting is it to your personality?
I am a Gemini, through and through. Although my Moon and Rising Sign are both in Sagittarius. According to my birth chart I’m very self-expressive and curious, and supposedly witty – useful since I’m writing comedy! – not to mention a people pleaser and generally not-boring. So far, my birth chart has reflected my real-life personality to a T.
 
What is something you have learned about yourself during the pandemic?

I do not do well with boredom. I read over 100 books, wrote two novels, moved flats, decorated said-new flat, started an event series, hosted a hen do (twice!) and organised a wedding reception… lockdown was very productive for me. 

Thanks to Ellie for visiting with us and to Hodder for coordinating the interview.

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