Pieces of You is my first novel as Ella Harper (I have four novels published under the name of Sasha Wagstaff) and it’s about infertility and love and relationships…and how even the most perfect of matches can be tested when the desire for a baby gets in the way.
Ella Harper
Please tell us about the characters of Lucy and Luke.
Lucy and Luke Harte have been together for about eight years. They are married but having children has always been the most important thing for both of them. But they have suffered several miscarriages and have also experienced infertility problems. We join them as they are pregnant as a result of their third and final IVF attempt, just before their lives are about to change forever.
You were an avid reader as a child so who were your favourites?
I certainly was…I read Enid Blyton as a child, moved onto Judy Blume and when I was old enough, Jilly Cooper was my absolute favourite.
Why did you want to become an actress?
Because I’m such a drama queen! No, seriously, I just love the idea of acting out a character, assuming another persona. I guess I took an alternative route of using characters to assume another persona in my novels.
You discovered your love of writing on your commute to work, so can you tell us a bit more about this?
Absolutely. I always used to read on my commute and then I started having a bit of a daydream about writing my own novel. I started sketching it out by hand in a notebook, playing around with a story and some characters and it just grew from there. It was one of those moments where you suddenly realise you have completely clicked with something…it fits you and you fit it…even if it needs honing and developing. From that point, I was hooked and it took over my life.
At what point did you decide to leave your job in banking behind?
When I realised that the job that had held my attention for so long before literally just didn’t do it for me anymore. All I could think about was writing and I knew I had to give myself a proper chance of focusing on it if I was going to be successful at it. And as I was often at my desk at 7.30am and not leaving until late, something drastic was required. That said, it took me six months to make the decision to leave…but I haven’t looked back since.
You love to travel so where is your favourite place to be?
I loved Rome, actually. Breathtakingly beautiful and it had a fantastic feel about it. I would love to explore more of Italy.
You have also written novels under Sasha Wagstaff so why did you decide to have an alias for your writing?
Because this is a completely different genre. My Sasha Wagstaff novels were bonkbusters (loosely speaking) – fun, family-based romps with lots of sexy characters and glamorous backdrops. They still contained some fairly serious issues but they were probably masked by the beautiful locations and all the fun my characters had. I needed a change of direction – an opportunity to delve into issues and emotions…with a love story at the core.
This is your debut in women’s fiction so how did you find the process?
Scary. It’s always scary trying something new and this novel has taken a while to write as I had to find my feet in a whole new arena and hone a different voice. But this is the novel I am most proud of and I really feel that I have rediscovered who I am throughout the writing of this one.
What is next for you?
What’s next is another Ella Harper novel. I’m working on some chapter notes featuring a whole set of new characters but still with an achingly romantic story at the heart of all the emotional issues. I can’t wait to get stuck in!
