Sponsored by
Author Claire's debut attracts interest
A SCARBOROUGH author could be set for international acclaim after signing a six -figure five-book deal and attracting the attention of film producers keen to snap up her first novel.
Claire Connor, of Scalby Road, held a signing session in WH Smith, in Westborough, to launch the book, Rosie: Note To Self, co-written with best-selling Scarborough fantasy writer Graham Taylor.
Miss Connor, 32, lives with parents Hugh and Jane Connor and her six-year-old daughter Sophie. She said the session for the book was extremely successful and added she couldn’t believe she had fulfilled a lifelong ambition to become an author.
She said: “The signing went really well, we sold about 160 books and Smith’s were also extremely pleased because they sold double the amount of Dan Brown’s new book, The Lost Symbol.
“There has been some interest from film producers though nothing is concrete yet.
“I had always wanted to be an author ever since I fell in love with Enid Blyton’s novels as a child.
“It feels slightly incredulous but I’m enjoying the ride.”
Miss Connor, who was previously a lay chaplain at King’s College London School of Medicine, now works as a PA for Mr Taylor and said the opportunity came about after she impressed his wife Kathy with her work.
She said: “I met Kathy and she showed Graham a short story I had entered for a competition in Waterstones, though she didn’t tell me.
“I then got an email from Graham out of the blue asking if I wanted to write a book together which was amazing.”
Mr Taylor said he immediately saw the quality of Miss Connor’s work and couldn’t wait to continue their partnership.
He said: “I knew as soon as I read Claire’s short stories she had a vivid imagination and a great writing style.
“This is a departure from my usual work for children but we’ve had great fun and we’re looking forward to working on the next novel in the series.”
The book centres on New York-based character Rosie Jacobs who is devastated by the loss of her young husband.
Voyaging on a journey of self discovery, she finds love second time around in the most unlikely of settings including Oxfordshire and Northumberland.
The novel is part of the Lipstick Confessions series, a collection of modern romances set in glamorous locations around the world, and Miss Connor said the pair were already working on the next instalment.
She said: “There will be a book released every September and the next one works on a similar theme of loyalities and courage in a relationship.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Scarborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North east
