My Favourite Things by Heidi Swain, Author

Hello my lovelies! Thank you so much for inviting me to take part in this fabulous feature. I had thought sharing a few of my favourite things was going to be a breeze, but actually pinning things down is pretty darn tricky.


Food – Savoury and sweet

Easing myself in with an easy ‘favourite thing’ here because given the choice I would only ever pick a savoury favourite! Even my preferred scone is the cheesy variety. I would go for something salty over something sugary any day. Apologies to those of you who envisage me typing away, scoffing giant slabs of Galaxy bars all day.

Favourite savoury snacks would include plain crisps (I never buy them because they wouldn’t last five minutes) and ginormous slabs of Yorkshire pudding served with butter.

Of course if I did have to pick a favourite sweet thing, it would be that Galaxy bar, or perhaps a chocolate orange.


Drink

Again, not too tough to answer. British to the backbone, I don’t think there are many dramas in my life that haven’t been helped along by a good old mug of tea. Ironically I take a small spoonful of sugar. So much not having a sweet tooth! 

Film

OK so now we’re entering tricky territory. I’m going to give you my favourite current film so if you ask me in six months’ time, don’t expect the answer to be the same. Heading into Autumn (finally), top of the film pile has to be You’ve Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. I mean, ‘bouquets of sharpened pencils’… how seductive is that one line alone?


Author

This one is simply impossible so I’m naming three, I’m sorry, but I just can’t choose between them. Dame Milly Johnson, Trisha Ashely and Carole Matthews, I adore them all. Quirky, real, feisty, fun, surprising…the reasons to love their plots and characters are simply endless.  

Milly Johnson and Heidi Swain

Holiday destination

Not unlike the film choice, this answer comes from my current state of mind, but it could all be different just a few days down the line. This year we took a short break close to home, just across the border into Suffolk and I absolutely fell in love with the countryside and coastline. It is such a beautiful county. The landscapes we visited were gently undulating and it was almost harvest time so the land was abundant and ripe. Simply stunning.


Animal

Our native brown hare. I adore them and here in our patch of Norfolk they are fortunately plentiful. There is something so wild about these elusive creatures. Their lives are intriguing, their looks, with that intense amber eye, feral but wise, and their babies are beautiful. I have an ever increasing art collection featuring hares in all guises. Majestic, magical and right on my doorstep, how lucky am I?


Place to write

As a published author I have discovered the art of being able to write almost anywhere. With a deadline looming you have to go with the flow. However, given the choice, I would pick my sofa at home. I write my first drafts in longhand now and curled up among the cushions with a mug of tea, a pencil and an A4 pad feels pretty perfect to me.


Season

Cheating again probably but I’m naming two here. I love Spring every bit as much as Autumn. There is something distinctly satisfying about beginnings and endings in my opinion. The first lush growth in the spring and the upsurge of birdsong after the long dark days is blissful, but then balancing that, the tang of the bonfire, conkers and leaves to kick through are also longed for after the summer heat.

Inspirational quote

Here I turn to Elizabeth Taylor to sort me out…

‘Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick and pull yourself together’.

Simple as that and works like a charm.


Thing in the whole world

Curled up in bed with a good book. Reading is my absolute favourite thing, closely followed by writing of course! 

A bit about me…

Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.

She now lives in Norfolk with her wonderful family and a mischievous cat called Storm and writes commercial fiction for Simon and Schuster.

Her debut novel, The Cherry Tree Café was published in June 2015 and Summer at Skylark Farm followed in July 2016.

Mince Pies and Mistletoe at The Christmas Market will be published on November 17^th, but can be ordered now.

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Christmas has arrived in the town of Wynbridge and it promises mince pies, mistletoe and a whole host of seasonal joy.

Ruby has finished with university and is heading home for the holidays to save up for her trip around the world in January. Against her father’s wishes, she takes on a stall at the local market, and sets about making it the best Christmas market stall ever. There’ll be bunting and mistletoe and maybe even a bit of mulled wine.

But with a new retail park just opened on their doorstep, the market is under threat. So together with all the other stallholders, Ruby devises a plan to make sure that Wynbridge is the first port of call for everyone’s Christmas shopping needs.

The only thing standing in her way is Ruby’s ex, Steve. It’s pretty hard to concentrate on saving the world when he works on the stall opposite, especially when she realises that her feelings for him are still there …

This Christmas make time for some winter sparkle – and see who might be under the mistletoe this year…

Thank you so much for inviting me to share a few of my favourite things.

Thank you so much Heidi for joining us.

Sincerely

Book Angel x