We chat with author Lucy Vine about Seven Exes, which is a delightful rom-com about a woman who decides to revisit each of her seven exes, convinced that one of them is “the one who got away.”
Hi, Lucy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Well, hello there! I’m Lucy Vine, author of five novels – but Seven Exes is my first out in the US (super excited!!). I live in England, in a small village in Cambridgeshire, with my husband (still weird saying that – we got married in November) and three dogs (yes, THREE! We’re idiots). I spend my days being harassed by the puppy while trying to write more books in my garden office. I’m also into yoga, playing squash, and I hate running but I do it sometimes.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I actually can’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading and/or writing stories. Growing up as the youngest of five kids and being pretty introverted, I spent basically my whole childhood hiding in the bathroom reading and writing. Which might sound boring but I highly recommend it! I had a great time. The bathroom remains one of my favourite places to this day.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
I have the worst memory but I know I was obsessed with Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. My mum says I learned to read on it, and I’m pretty sure I could still recite the whole thing from memory (doing it out loud right now). The book that made me want to become an author was Marian Keyes’ Anybody Out There. Her book Watermelon was the one that got me into rom-coms as a teenager, but it was the way I felt reading Anybody Out There that made me want to do that job more than anything in the universe. And then the book I can’t stop thinking about… that probably changes every week! I just read Yellowface which is playing on my mind loads. But in a more longterm way, apocalyptic novels are the ones that haunt me – The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham is one I think about a lot.
I’m sorry – none of this was very lightning!!
Your latest novel, Seven Exes, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Funny, nostalgic, frustrating, silly and heartwarming
(btw this is evil to do to an author – the reason we write novels is because we can’t be succinct!)
What can readers expect?
Hopefully they can expect to laugh and relate – but also feel warned off not to contact their own exes! Esther is a very divisive character, she can be selfish and blinkered, but she has a good heart and adores her best friends Bibi and Louise.
Where did the inspiration for Seven Exes come from?
Before writing books I was a magazine journalist, so I’ve written many articles like the one that inspires Esther’s Seven Exes mission. I’ve also spent a lot of time being obsessed with exes, so it was great getting closure vicariously through Esther while writing this!
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Bibi is probably my favourite character. I also loved writing Sofia because it’s fun to swear in French…
What do you love about the romance genre?
What’s not to love!! You get relationships and heartache and romance and jealousy and so much more. Most books classed as romance (or rom-coms) are often SO much more than just romance as well. They cover friendship and family and everything in life. My favourites are also incredibly funny. I sometimes think of myself as more com-com than rom-com… And I love that the romance genre is being taken more seriously these days. For a long time it felt like anything written by a woman was looked down on or seen as lesser or throwaway. I think – hope – that’s changing.
What’s next for you?
Well, I’m currently doing edits on the next book, and making plans for books 7 & 8 – so wish me luck!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
As I mentioned, I’ve just finished reading Yellowface – which I LOVED. I adore a delusional villain. For full on gorgeous romance, Paige Toon’s Only Love Can Hurt Like This. For absolute hilarity, Mhairi McFarlane’s Between Us.
