THE 5 W'S OF POLLY COURTNEY

I'm very excited to introduce Polly Courtney to A Novel Review! Polly is the author of five books including It's A Man's World! 

WHO? Who are you? 

I’m an engineer by training, although I never worked in this field. I started my career in the City, which is where I got my first inspiration for a book. Golden Handcuffs – the lowly life of a high flyer was my first novel, based on my own personal experiences as an investment banker. Since then, I’ve been a writer and never looked back. I no longer write autobiographically, although all of my novels tend to feature real-life stories in some way. My novels are light-hearted, but they usually revolve around a serious theme, such as gender inequality, racism or class.

WHAT? What do you enjoy doing other than writing in your spare time?

I play football (soccer) – not with great skill, but with lots of enthusiasm. I play right wing for a local side, Old Actonians, where I also attempt to play tennis. In winter, I become a snowboard bum for a couple of weeks and in summer I splash around on a surf board. I’m still waiting for the sponsorship call from Ripcurl.

I also play in an all-girl string quartet, which formed part of the inspiration for my fourth novel, The Fame Factor. We got together in freshers’ week at university, ten years ago, and we play gigs up and down the UK.

WHEN? When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I discovered my passion for writing accidentally – whilst working in a large American investment bank. I felt so strongly that the life I was leading was not the one I’d been sold on the graduate milk-round that I needed to warn other young people about what it really entailed. That was what went on to become my first novel, Golden Handcuffs.

WHERE? Where do you write?

I write on my little laptop, on a desk in the bedroom. It’s probably not very healthy to eat, sleep and write in one room, but I make sure I get plenty of breaks and exercise to keep me sane (and to keep my limbs working!).

WHY? Why do you write?

I find it therapeutic to carve out a story from fragments of reality, social issues and experiences I’ve had. It’s even more rewarding to hear from fans who say that they can relate to my work or that my books have helped them to see things differently in their own lives. Aside from that, I love the research stage, when I get to meet all sorts of interesting people with different perspectives on the world we live in.

Thank-you so much for joining us here at A Novel Review, Polly! Wow, you sure do keep yourself busy! If you would like to get to know more about Polly and her other books you can visit her at her website http://www.pollycourtney.com/about.htm. Make sure to come back later this week to read the review on her book It's A Man's World and your chance to win a copy!!!