I recently read Alice Peterson’s new novel Monday To Friday Man and after I was done, I had the chance to ask Alice some questions! Here are her answers and look out for my review of the novel tomorrow!

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your new novel Monday To Friday Man?

Monday to Friday Man is a romantic comedy set in the dog-walking world of Ravenscourt Park, West London. It’s a funny and original take on what 30’somethings do when they haven’t met ‘the one’ yet, and are watching as their married friends move out of London, one by one, to raise their families.

My heroine, Gilly Brown, has been jilted 2 weeks before her wedding, and finds herself alone, with only her little dog Ruskin for company. Stuck in a rut and in need of some cash, she is encouraged to advertise for a lodger, a Monday to Friday one. When handsome reality television producer, Jack Baker, arrives on her doorstep, all kinds of new adventures unfold, but we never quite trust Jack. He seems too good to be true. And what, exactly, does he get up to at the weekend?

Monday to Friday Man is a fun summer holiday read, but there is also a real depth to it too. Gilly Brown has had a troubled past and the novel poignantly shows how loss affects a family. It is both funny and moving (I think!) I want my characters to go on a real journey.

2. Are you working on a fourth novel, can you tell us anything about it if so?

Yes, I am working on a fourth novel. I don’t want to say too much about it now, nor give the title away as I don’t want anyone to steal it! Sorry, how boring of me! But it’s another romantic comedy set in the wine-tasting world. It was fun to do the research.

3. Your website tells me that there IS such a thing as a Monday to Friday man and that you have one yourself. You didn’t fall in love with him a la Gilly, did you? Can you tell us a little bit about why you decided to get a Monday to Friday man, weren’t you spooked that perhaps he could be a mass murderer?

I have had Monday to Friday lodgers for the past three years, and no, sadly I have not fallen for a Jack Baker! My story is very boring in comparison to Gilly Brown’s. I needed a little extra income and do have a small spare room, so was tempted to find a lodger, especially when I was told about www.mondaytofriday.com - a site that allows homeowners to advertise their rooms. I felt very safe advertising via a well-known agency.

I live on my own, and writing is a solitary job, so I have enjoy having a lodger, not because we spend masses of time together, far from it in fact, but it’s another presence in the house. My current lodger is a Monday to Friday Woman! She’s called Liz, and she’s great fun and has become a friend, and the added bonus is that she loves my dog, Mr Darcy.

4. When you were a teenager you were a tennis player, but due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) you had to give up that dream and you even wrote a book about it (A Will To Win – republished as ‘Another Alice’ for the folks wondering what it’s called). From what I can tell - and I’m only a viewer, watching on TV - tennis is a very intense sport how did it feel to learn you couldn’t play tennis any more?

It was one of the most painful things I have ever gone through, and it is still a deep sadness, after nineteen years. Tennis was a part of my life since I was ten years old. I played on the junior circuit, competing in tournaments every week of the school holidays and training each weekend. By 18, I was ranked number eight in the country and had just been awarded a scholarship in the USA when I experienced pain in my right hand. This was the beginning of RA, and overnight my life changed.

When my doctor told me I’d never play again, I was angry, sad, in terrible pain and scared about my future. Not playing tennis has inevitably got easier over the years, and especially since I have become a writer, but I shall always miss it.

5. Do you still watch tennis, or is it just too hard for you?

I went to Wimbledon this summer. I watched Murray on Centre Court, and I loved it. As I said above, not playing will always hurt, but I have made a choice not to feel resentful. I am very lucky in many other ways, and that is what I hang on to.

6. You say on your website that your dog - your beautiful dog! - Darcy inspired the novel, can you tell us how he did that? Was it just by him being myself? (Having two dogs myself who I love to pieces I can totally see that, my dogs are just so awesome).

Darcy is my four-year old Lucas Terrier: fluffy, blond, big brown eyes and a great character. And it is through Darcy that I have met so many new friends on the dog-walking circuit. Each morning, at about 9am we meet in the park. Everyone is so different in character – that’s what I love about it, and this is why I realized that dog walking was a great platform for humour in a novel. It’s how people meet, have fun, make friends, maybe fall in love…!

7. Your website is brilliant and doesn’t seem to have skimped on anything, how important do you feel it is for authors to have websites that are updated, to be seen around the web? (For the record, I love authors who keep us up to date on their happenings, I’m nosy like that, terribly so in fact).

I think it’s really important for authors to have a website, and a site that you are proud to show friends and readers. Facebook and Twitter are great, but what I love about a website is you can make it fun and informative with articles, photos and interviews. More importantly, you can get your character and style of writing across in a website. I think it’s the foundation for any writer or business, and I agree, we should update regularly if we want our readers to remain interested!

8. I really love the cover for Monday to Friday Man, did you have any input at all about the cover? Although I was so disappointed Guy didn’t have a hat on! (Well, I presume he’s Guy!). I mean it’s rather tempting to take a permanent marker to the man in the cover.

This is my third novel and the first cover I have really loved. In the past I haven’t had a huge amount of input, and that can be frustrating, but with this book, I loved the original design right from the start. I made a couple of suggestions, which my publisher at Quercus did take on board, and that was great. But I agree, it would have been nice if he’d had a hat!

9. What got you into writing? Tennis and writing don’t seem as if they necessarily go hand-in-hand?

I was encouraged to write my story by an old family friend, Robert Cross. It was during my mid twenties, when my RA was so severe that I couldn’t live and work in London. Robert told me how therapeutic writing could be and that I did have a story to tell. I really enjoyed the creative process and it was a dream when I got my first deal with Macmillan, for ‘A Will to Win’.

I agree, you wouldn’t normally put tennis and writing together, but I have always written a diary, since the age of 10, so it didn’t seem too alien to me.

10. Sorry to bring up the tennis again, but you first published book was a memoir about your battle with rheumatoid arthritis, why did you decide to write your story down for others to read?

I felt very alone when I was diagnosed with RA, and I also felt it was a misunderstood disease. It’s not something only the elderly get. It’s an autoimmune condition that anyone of any age can be diagnosed with. I wanted to get that across in my story, though at the same time still make it entertaining. Ultimately I wanted others to read it so they didn’t feel quite so alone or as lost as me. I dedicated my story to my mother and father, as a thank you for everything they had done (and still do!) for me. Without their support and love, I wouldn’t be here today.

11. What books do you like to read yourself? If you had to choose three books to take onto a desert island, what would they be and why?

I enjoy lots of different books, though I’ve never been too keen on crime. I prefer human stories, romantic comedies or biographies. I’m currently reading ‘The Hare With Amber Eyes’ and Jill Mansell’s ‘To the Moon and Back’, and I’ve just finished, ‘The Slap’ (in fact only got half way through as I didn’t like the characters) and ‘A Town Like Alice’. I love Khaled Hosseini’s books too. I haven’t read a book that has moved me like The Kite Runner for a long time.

My three books on a desert island would be something by Jane Austen – probably Pride and Prejudice - because it’s a classic and I never tire of her writing; One Day, by David Nicholls, because it’s contemporary and I can’t remember enjoying a book so much recently; and A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry, because it has so much soul and the story remains with you, long after you have finished it.

12. Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?

You have to be fairly determined, as there is a lot of disappointment and rejection. But I’d also say never give up! If you believe in yourself and your work, keep on going because when you get a publishing deal, there is no other feeling like it.

Thanks so much Alice! You can visit Alice’s website here: http://www.alicepeterson.co.uk/

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