Penny wise or pound foolish? A heartbroken young Brit decides to turn his love life over to the flip of a coin—in The Flip Side, a delightfully British rom-com in the vein of Jenny Colgan, Rosie Curtis, Nick Hornby, and David Nicholls.
We had the pleasure of chatting to debut author James Bailey about The Flip Side, writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, James! Tell us a bit about yourself!
Hello! I’m a 28-year-old debut author from Bristol in England. I enjoy the cinema, theatre, and football… This sounds like I’m writing an online dating profile!
With the current state of the world, what are you doing to cope with the changes we’ve had to make with our day-to-day?
My friends would say that I was always anti-social before so it’s not made a huge difference that I can’t meet up with them! I think I’ve been lucky in the fact that I’ve been kept busy with writing, and I work in a school so my day-to-day routine hasn’t altered too much. I’m trying to stay positive, as much as I can, and hoping that life returns to normal soon!
When did you first discover your love for writing?
At secondary school – or High School as you’d say? – I started to really enjoy English lessons. I wanted to become a journalist, and I always enjoyed creative writing – even if I didn’t love studying Shakespeare so much.
Your debut novel, The Flip Side, is out November 17th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Coins. Rabbits. Sunflowers. Travel. Humour.
That sounds intriguing, if I do say so myself!
Now tell us a little more! What can readers expect?
‘The Flip Side’ tells the story of Josh, who is suffering from a quarter-life crisis after breaking up with his girlfriend, losing his job, and being forced to move back home with his parents. He decides to put his faith in fate, and flips a coin for every choice he makes for a year, hoping it will help him find himself and love. As you can imagine, it doesn’t all run smoothly so expect a few awkward situations along the way!
Is there a scene, element, or character you really enjoyed creating and writing?
I won’t give too much away but there’s a chapter in which Josh shares a car journey with a man called Jesus, and I definitely enjoyed writing that scene. Another character, Eva, who Josh meets on his travels was also very amusing to write.
When thinking of romance novels, people often immediately think female authors, but the genre as a whole has shifted and grown dramatically over the last several years. What made you want to write a romance?
I’m not sure I necessarily set out with that as my target, but I’ve always enjoyed romantic-comedy movies and it just came naturally. It is certainly a genre dominated by female authors, and female lead characters so it’s nice to show that men also care about love.
What has the road to becoming a published author been like for you?
It’s certainly been a rollercoaster, as I’m sure most authors would say. I was rather fortunate in finding an agent and a publisher very quickly, but since then it’s obviously been strange experiencing this journey in the midst of a global pandemic. My dreams of a launch party faded a long time ago! Unfortunately here in the UK are bookshops are also closed this month which is a shame so it’s not quite how I imagined my debut novel being launched. I’m hoping though that people are in the mood for funny, uplifting books!
What’s next for you?
I’ve just finished the first draft of Book 2 – which is a stand alone story. It’s another romantic-comedy told from a male perspective, set over two time periods, and two countries. Hopefully I can reveal more soon!
Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I find it hard to read as much as I’d like currently as I’m busy working on Book 2 – I have a whole stash of books in my ‘To Be Read’ pile. However my favourite book I’ve read in recent months is Keeping Mum by James Gould-Bourn – it’s hilarious and poignant. I’d thoroughly recommend it to all!
You can find James on Instagram and Twitter, along with at his website.
