For today’s Author Spotlight, I’m joined by the fabulous Barbara Elsborg! We talked about love conquering all, touching people’s hearts and making her own Christmas cards.

Take it away Barbara…

First things first, please introduce yourself!
Hi everyone, I’m Barbara or Barb or Baba! I live in the south-east of England and I write every day, seven days a week much to my husband’s disapproval, but I can’t help myself. It’s a passion and obsession. Husband wishes I was obsessed with making money. Ha! I def. don’t write for money. 

Tell us a little bit about your writing style.
 I don’t plan or plot anything. I sit and write and see what comes out. It has the advantage of keeping things fresh but can lead to moments of- what the hell have I done – when I find I’ve written myself into a corner. I love banter and humour but most of my books have a dark edge to them too. I’m a sucker for damaged guys. Very few of my heroes have happy families behind them. But all my books have a happy ending. Love DOES conquer all and I want readers to share the happiness of my characters. 

Describe your books in only three words.
Humorous, dramatic, different.

What’s your next book about and when is it coming out?
Jonty’s Halloween will be out on the 20th September.  It’s a follow up to my other books about Jonty – who’s probably my most popular character – and it’s what goes wrong and right about Jonty organising a Halloween event at the Dunes Hotel in Bamburgh. I think it’s pretty funny so I hope readers enjoy it. 

Out of all your books, which one are you most proud of?
The Story of Us. It touched people’s hearts in a way I had not expected. It brought me to the attention of a couple of guys in LA who were trying – before Covid hit – to find a film or TV studio who would be interested in the book. I brought me more readers emails than any other book.

What or who (or both) has influenced you most as a writer?
Being lonely as a child, introverted and not interested in going out, meant I watched a lot of TV. I made TV and film stars my friends. I walked to school with them and started to write stories about them. Fan fiction of a sort. I have 100s of those stories – very drama driven, and that type of story led to me writing my first novel. So the short answer is TV was the biggest influence!

What inspired you to start writing?
 See above. My first novel – still in the wardrobe – was written because I was bored in my first job. I had a lot of free time so I filled it with the tale of a woman caught up in a mafia family in New York. I hadn’t even been to the USA at that point. 

What’s your writing process like? Do you have a typical “writing day”?
8 to 4 or 5 sometimes. I write better in the morning. My concentration levels drop as the day progresses. I usually go over what I wrote the day before and then write on. Lots of coffee and several spoons of peanut butter get me through the day. 

What comes first for you – the plot or the characters?
They come together. I get an idea for a story and then the characters form with the story. But I’m character driven, for sure.

What’s a book that you wish you’d written?
A Gentleman in Moscow. I love that book. But I read a huge amount and I fall in love with a book at least once a month!

If you could only write one trope for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Enemies to lovers – and I haven’t written many of those, but I do love it. It’s hard to do it well, I think.

What would be your three desert island books?
How to Survive on a Desert Island, a dictionary, and Alice Winter’s first Hitman book!

If one of your books could be made into a movie/TV series, which would you choose and who would you cast?
The Edge of Forever – which is about an American cowboy teaching Russians how to be cowboys. I’m hopeless at casting. I know the faces I like and I’m hugely picky! So any of the faces on my books would be great!

What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Do you have a secret passion or hobby that we don’t know about?
It’s only a once a year thing, but I do love making my own Christmas cards. I’ve done it for as long as I’ve been sending them. But my time when I’m not writing is taken up by grandkids. I have 2 in Texas as well, but sadly, we’ve not been able to go for 20 months.

Finally, what’s your favourite dinosaur?
T-Rex and if you read Jonty’s Halloween you’ll see why!

BARBARA ELSBORG lives in Kent in the south of England. She always wanted to be a spy, but having confessed to everyone without them even resorting to torture, she decided it was not for her. Volcanology scorched her feet. A morbid fear of sharks put paid to marine biology. So instead, she spent several years successfully selling cyanide.

After dragging up two rotten, ungrateful children and frustrating her sexy, devoted, wonderful husband (who can now stop twisting her arm) she finally has time to conduct an affair with an electrifying plugged-in male, her laptop.

She writes stories about two guys, two guys and one woman, and one guy and one woman in most genres—contemporary, paranormal, sci fi, suspense, urban fantasy. Her books feature bad boys and quirky heroines, and she hopes they are as much fun to read as they are to write. 

She loves hearing from readers and can be contacted at bjelsborg@gmail.com If you’d like to hear about future releases please ask to be put on her mailing list.

For more information on Barbara and her work you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Bookbub, and her website. You can also join her Facebook group, Barbara’s Besties, for more news and updates.