Sunday 17 February 2013

Manic Monday: Q&A quickie with Ali McNamara


British author Ali McNamara has come out with a sequel to her book, From Notting Hill with Love Actually - this time dubbed From Notting Hill to New York... Actually.

It surrounds Scarlett O’Brien, who's utterly addicted to romantic films and is convinced her Sean is Mr Right. But the day-to-day reality of a relationship isn’t quite like the movies. With Sean constantly away on business, Scarlett and her new bestie, Oscar, decide to head to New York for a holiday. Scarlett and Oscar make many new friends during their adventure. And Scarlett finds herself strangely drawn to a TV reporter, Jamie. They appear to have much in common. But Scarlett has to ask herself why she is reacting like this to another man when she’s so in love with Sean.

We put Ali in the hotseat about her latest novel...

Why do you think '90s rom-coms, like Notting Hill, still resonate? In my opinion, they have more thought put into them, better and more interesting plots, and even though you know the ending will be the same - i.e. the girl and boy will get together - the journey you take with them along the way is so much more enjoyable.
 
What tips do you think people can take from '90s rom-coms, which they could possibly apply to their own love lives? Life never goes according to plan, but as long as you have some laughs along the way, everything is usually OK in the end!

What happens when your life doesn’t unravel like a perfectly plotted rom-com? How to deal then? Start again in a new city, with a new leading man/lady or a whole new set of characters. Failing that, just smile and realise life never is quite like it is in the movies – it’s actually much stranger! alimcnamara.co.uk
 
This interview will feature as part of an article, dubbed 'Nineties guide to romance', in DUO Magazine in March 2013.

No comments:

Post a Comment