Brilliant #Interview with Kelly Golden, author of The Perfect Girl
Please welcome Kelly Golden here today And read on to discover what she has to say! She's kindly answered my questions and allowed me her answers to share Along with more info about her and her book - of partner's best friends beware! It sounds a fascinating read I hope it'll be the next one you also need!
Where did you get the inspiration for the book/series?
Real life and lots of books! In particular, I loved THE GUEST LIST and I really wanted to dig deeper into the best-friend-of-the-bride angle. I think most people have experienced that situation where there’s a friend of their partner’s of the opposite sex who seems a little too close for comfort. Ideas for the characters partially come out of my worst fears about myself and my interest in the impact of trauma on who people become.
What is your writing process?
I find a title and a hook that I think is immediately gettable and then I do a lot of planning. I love planning! As I figure out developments and twists, who the characters need to be to make everything believable and emotive starts to become clearer till they just feel alive to me. In this case, a bestselling author hit #1 with the title I wanted to use (The Girlfriend by bestseller KL Slater VS The Girl Friend by nobody Kelly Golden) just before Christmas, so I felt I had to change the title.
Do you write using pen and paper or on a computer?
The computer! Always. I find it much easier to get in the flow and feel uninhibited. I feel too self-conscious with pen and paper and somehow always go off on weird tangents that I can’t use. All my dialogue becomes wooden. I know some writers love it but for me it’s a double waste of time because I write terribly and then have to type it up anyway.
Who is your favourite character out of your stories and why?
Sophie. I think she manages to be appealing and horrifying at the same time and I hope readers get immersed enough to go on a similar journey as Emma in terms of trusting and not trusting her. She’s the most real to me and I love her audacity. Writing her dialogue was the most fun I’ve ever had staring at a computer. Obviously, she’s also completely awful.
If you were a character in your story, which would you like to be?
A side character who comes away unscathed?! I’m afraid I really put my characters through the ringer and while Mike is probably the best person, I certainly wouldn’t want to be him. There are parts of me in all of my characters and I just have to hope that I’m not too much like any of them.
How and why did you choose the names for your main characters?
There’s not much of a story here! I just went for relatable names that seemed about right for their ages and backgrounds. The only mildly interesting one is Arla, who is named after a brand of vitamin-fortified milk, which I tickled me for about two seconds because she’s lactose intolerant.
Thank you!
Read on to discover more about The Perfect Girl and Kelly Golden
He always said she was just a friend… What if she’d kill for more?
Sophie is perfect. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and when she smiles her teeth sparkle. And she cares; she’s passionate. Everybody loves her. So would I, except she’s my husband Mike’s best friend, and sometimes they seem a little too close for comfort.
This summer, Sophie is renting the grand house next door, bringing over fancy wine, offering to babysit our beautiful three-year-old daughter. It’s nice, actually. She’s smart and funny. Maybe the way she is with Mike – squeezing his arm, tilting her head when she laughs at his jokes – is just how she is with everybody.
But then she says something that sends a shiver down my spine – does she know something about me she shouldn’t?
And when her new husband arrives, looking slightly too familiar, I realise my time is running out. My baby girl and I are in terrible danger.
Sophie really is perfect. She has me perfectly trapped. And as my world begins to crumble, I start to wonder: does Sophie just want to steal my husband, or has she planned the perfect murder?
A completely unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep you flicking through your Kindle late into the night. Perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Guest List and anything by Louise Candlish, Erin Kelly or TM Logan.
Author Bio –
I’m the working mum of a bossy little girl and a bossier cat called Pesto. We live in the southwest of England and escape to the beach whenever we can. I’ve never stopped writing my whole life but this is the first time I’ve published a book!
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