Author interview

I was recently a guest on the anniroseauthor.co.uk weekly blog, chatting about The Love Dilemma. Transcript of the interview below…

I’m really chuffed today to be talking the lovely Tracy Corbett on my blog today about her new book The Love Dilemma.

Thank you for popping in today, Tracy, to talk about your new book, before we start would you like something to eat and drink. I’m afraid I can’t offer Walnut Whips, but I do have a Nutella chocolate cake and maybe a tea or coffee?

Thank you for inviting me, Anne. It’s tea for me… straight up English Breakfast. And a definite yes to the Nutella chocolate cake. Delicious!

Tracy, this is another great novel, full of characters that I could really empathise with. But I know it was an incredibly personal novel for you to write. Are you able to say something about your inspiration behind it?

I’ve always wanted to write an office-based enemies-to-lovers story and have my two main protagonists at war – as writing sparring dialogue blended with chemistry and flirting is such fun! The characters of Elena and Danny allowed me to indulge in my love of rom-coms.

Aside from the humour and will-they-won’t-they storyline, I also wanted to include a character with Cystic Fibrosis. My best friend, Louise, had this condition and watching her deal with the disease over many years was both heartbreaking and incredibly inspirational. Very few people knew how much her life was impacted by the illness, she did a fantastic job of keeping her issues hidden, and I wanted to write a character where I could pay tribute to her stoicism, bravery, and unfailing sense of humour. Louise died in 2006 aged just 32. My biggest hope is that I’ve done the character of Luisa justice and shown that living with a limiting health condition takes huge courage, but it doesn’t stop someone living life to the full… even if that life is cut short.

The Love Dilemma set in some great locations – would you like to have lived in Colombia? And is Notting Hill an area you know well?

My brother lived in South America for over thirty years and his wife is Brazilian, so my nieces and nephews were born there and spent most of their lives in Bogota. Colombia is one of those countries I probably wouldn’t have visited if I didn’t have family there, but I’m so glad I did. It’s a beautiful country, with stunning locations, super-friendly people, and a rich and diverse history. My Spanish is very limited, but hopefully my phrasing in the book isn’t too clunky!

As for Notting Hill, I knew I wanted a London setting for the book, and Notting Hill instantly sprang to mind with its vibrant architecture and famous Portobello Road Market.

Have you ever been to the Secret Cinema? I would’ve liked to have gone to Dirty Dancing and Grease as well, although at the time I don’t think my hip would’ve been up for it – have you ever been? I did bump into a couple of women at a London tourist attraction once who were heading for Bridgerton and very suitably attired.

I haven’t been myself, but I have friends who are big fans and tell me all about their adventures. They regularly dress up as characters and follow the clues with no idea of the film they’ll be seeing. It sounds a lot of fun. It’s on my bucket list.

Talking about Dirty Dancing – do you dance?

Define dancing…? Let’s put it this way, as a child I used to be involved in my local pantomime in the chorus and I was always placed in the back row the farthest away from the audience. I tried not to take it personally.

When we last met, Anton du Beke presented you with the Romantic Novelists 2024 Award for the Festive Read category for Only for Christmas, what do you think he would have made of your salsa or merengue? And Craig Revel Horwood?

Anton would have given me a 7 for effort (because he’s a lovely man)… and Craig would have given me a 1 for execution (because he’s… well, he’s Craig).

I was speaking to another author last week whose characters had to build a raft and sail across a lake on it too, personally I think this is madness but is this something you’ve tried? And in an ideal world who would you have helping you?

Every year we go to my partner’s boss’s house for his annual raft race on his massive lake. It’s carnage and highly competitive! Unlike my characters, these rafts don’t sink, as my partner works for a bespoke high-performance car manufacturer so the rafts are designed by skilled engineers who wouldn’t dream of tying bamboo poles together. I’m a watcher, not a participant… as I’m a very poor swimmer and I don’t want to end up as fish food.

I was delighted to read the Bookseller announcement a couple of weeks ago; to suggest that Boldwood Books have signed a new cosy magical romance writer. Anyone we know?

Exciting, isn’t it! I’m still buzzing. Boldwood are an incredibly successful publisher so I’m thrilled to be joining the team. Magical romance is a slightly new direction for me, and my main character is a witch, so I’m channelling my inner-teenage-goth and enjoying making up spells… and maybe a few curses too.

Am I allowed to ask what’s next from the Tracy Corbett pen?

The first of my new magical romance books is scheduled for release in November 2026, title to be decided, but watch this space.

What does a typical writing day look like for you?

I write in chunks these days, mainly because last year we adopted our first rescue dog and I’ve become a ‘dog mum’. Writing has to fit around Poppy’s walks, meal times, play times, and her climbing on my laptop for a cuddle and deleting everything I just wrote! I wouldn’t have it any other way, though.

I sometimes ask authors who they’d like to play their hero and heroine if their novel was turned into a book or a film, but I know that you’ve been involved in the theatre world for many years, so I’m going to ask you who you’d like to play in the TV or film version of this book.

Oooo, this is a fun question. Casting my characters is my favourite part of the process! Every character has their own bio with a set of photos and backstory. My hero and heroine for The Love Dilemma are Danny Jackson played by Ryan Reynolds and Elena Romero played by Eva Mendes. I like to aim high!

And finally, a question that another writer asked me last year, was what was on my vision board for 2026? So, I thought it would be fun to ask all my guests this year if they would share one item on their board for 2026 – I might come back to you to later in the year and ask whether you achieved it! So, what would be one item on yours?

Okay, so life/work goals… I’ve been sitting on the same chair for over ten years writing novels and the poor thing is on its last legs (the chair not me… well, most days). I’m thinking it would be good to get a reclining chair that doubles as a bed so I can take a cheeky afternoon snooze… and yes, Poppy would definitely join me.

Thank you for stopping by to chat today and good luck with your writing journey. I look forward to reading your next book. Ax

A pleasure, Anne, thank you for inviting me.