An Interview with Vanessa Van Veen
In the day, I am a data analyst, a mum, and love a cosy read and a cup of tea. In the night, I’m much the same, but I also write romance books.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
It started as a competition with my friends. We all had a year to write, publish, and market a book. At first it was just a bit of fun, but soon I was 20,000 words into my first draft and realised that it was becoming something serious for me. I’d always wanted to write but had been too much of a perfectionist and stressed and fretted about my work. Other than a few short stories in literary magazines, I hadn’t published anything. Choosing to write a cosy romance book was freeing. It was fun. It suddenly wasn’t stressful anymore. I could let it be imperfect. I became engrossed in the community, and found a supportive and uplifting group of people, who loved their imperfect books unreservedly.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Puffin Love: It’s still a bit of a working title! My husband suggested it to me, and I felt it captured the essence of the plot, which largely revolves around the love lives of an eco-terrorist group who are working to protect puffin habitats. It gets across what the book is about in two words!
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
I’ve been reading a lot of books with flawed female protagonists lately. I read Play Nice by Rachel Harrison, and Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes. I’ve also been getting into the Christmas spirit and have read Good Spirits by B.K. Borison!
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I’ve recently completed a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, and I bet my readers wouldn’t guess that my expert subject was colour vision!
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I can’t remember a time I didn’t want to write. When I was five, my reception teacher gave me a notebook for writing stories in, and I’ve been writing ever since. As a teenager I completed the national novel writing month several times. As an adult, I was primarily focused on gothic horror as a genre for a long time, before becoming a mum transformed me into a much more cosy person!
Where is your favorite place to write?
I love to write on the sofa next to my husband. We write together and help each other when we get stuck.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
There’s no such thing as the perfect novel. There are only finished novels, and unfinished novels.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I’ve done a huge amount of research on puffin conservation – I hope they come for the romance but stay for the tangential monologues on the importance of seabird conservation in the North Atlantic!
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