Blog Tour Author Interview: Highland Fling on the Whisky Trail by Margaret Amatt

Highland Fling on the Whisky Trail by Margaret Amatt
Series: The Glenbriar Series #5
Published by Leannan Press on October 7, 2023
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Goodreads

Blurb:

What happens in Glenbriar stays in Glenbriar

When sunny and efficient Felicity Swan lands her dream job as PA to the new CEO of the Glenbriar Whisky Co., the dream soon turns into a nightmare. Gavin Sinclair isn’t what she expects.
Gavin’s only qualification for the job is that he’s the owner’s son. He knows he’s out of his depth but he doesn’t need his PA criticising the changes he wants to make.
Questioning his business decisions isn’t the only way Felicity makes Gavin hot under the collar. He can’t get her out of his mind. But dating an employee is strictly off-limits, especially one ten years younger than him.
While touring the Glenbriar distilleries together, Gavin and Felicity discover each other’s company is more intoxicating than the whisky. But when the trip’s over, they have a tough decision to make if they’re to ensure their highland fling isn’t simply a brief tryst at the illicit still.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/whiskytrail

Author Interview

1.  What does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you start?  Or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of the pants writing)?  If you plan it out, how do you do that?  Outline, notecards, post-it-notes, etc.?  

I’m generally a planner and like to make fairly detailed outlines with character arcs and plot points. I have a document I’ve made up over time that I fill out for each book when I’m planning. Some books start off clearer than others and don’t take long to plan. Others need a lot of work. I have occasionally done seat-of-the-pants writing too and that can be fun, though I find with that method that starting off is usually quite easy but when I get further in I usually have to plan at least a few chapters ahead or I go off course!

2. Do you edit as you go, or wait till you’re finished before you edit?  How many times would you say you go over it yourself before having another set of eyes look it over? 

 I never edit as I go. I write first drafts pretty fast and I like to get as many words down as possible. I love the famous quote ‘a first draft is just you telling the story to yourself’. That’s how I see it. I get everything down then leave it at least a fortnight, more if I can, and then return to it. I generally do about four or five edits before it’s ready to go to beta readers and editors.

3.  Are you part of a writers group that gets together and helps each other with their writing?

 I’m not a member of any in person writers’ groups but I’m in several on social media and I find them really valuable for finding like minded people and sharing triumphs or problems with them. I’ve made some good friends through these groups and have now met up with two of them in person.

4.  How do you come up with your ideas for your stories?

 My ideas come from lots of places. Sometimes I’m inspired by people I’ve met or read about, sometimes actors, often places and sometimes just random things that pop into my head!

5.  How long have you been writing?

 The first full-length book I wrote was about 25 years ago! It was kind of a memoir-diary style book about a character who was badly bullied at school. It’s not something that would ever be published but everything I wrote back then was good practise.

6.  What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

 Get feedback! I can’t say it enough. It can be tough but it’s the best way to learn and it gets you into the way of thinking that other people are going to read your writing. A lot of first time writers get scared off at the thought of others reading their work but once you’re over that first hurdle, it gets easier.

7.  How important are names in your books?  Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds, or the meaning?  Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend? 

 I love names! Quite often I choose names I like, other times they have a special meaning or go with the character’s heritage. As all my current books are set in Scotland, there are a lot of traditional Scottish names. There are lots of good baby name websites online that can give some interesting names. Even name generators can be fun though they can give some bizarre suggestions!

8.   What are your favorite:

Books/authors/genres

Books: A Girl Called Samson

Lord of the Rings

Emma

North and South

Authors:

Kathryn Freeman

Suzanne Snow

Evie Alexander

Genres:

Romance

Historical

Movies/TV Shows

Poldark

Sense & Sensibility

Merlin

Music

Musicals!

Film Scores

Food/Writing snack

Chocolate all the way!

I also enjoy homemade pizzas, strawberries, pineapples and lasagne (not all together!)

About the Author

Margaret is a Scottish author and chocolate lover who has been writing stories for over twenty years

(possibly more if you count her primary school efforts). Her early works will never see the light of

day and are locked in dusty vaults on some old floppy disks. But after all those years of practise,

Margaret released her first novel A Winter Haven in 2021. This is the first of a ten-book series set on

the gorgeous Scottish Isle of Mull. Margaret has also written five books in The Glenbriar Series with more planned for 2023.

The stories are unashamedly romantic but with lots of drama and an eclectic mix of characters. Each

book can be read as a standalone but followers of the series will enjoy catching up with the characters.

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