Author Interview: Portia MacIntosh

Today I'd like to welcome author Portia MacIntosh to the blog! Her novelette 'Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place' is out now and I've had the chance to ask Portia a few questions about her new release and writing in general!

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About the Novel

Behind the music…
Being best friends with a mega-star has its perks and Nicole Wilde, music journalist, laps them up. But when said friend, Dylan King, gorgeous lead singer of The Burnouts, has zero sense of self-preservation – once a drop of alcohol hits his blood stream ‒ and an inability to keep ‘little Dylan’ in his pants, it also comes with responsibilities. Now, Nicole has to track down Dylan in time to play a charity gig tomorrow. Half a dozen groupies, a haunted hotel, a tattoo parlour, a reality show runner-up and a crazy bed-hopping, sleepless night later – will she find him before the tour bus leaves town? And when she does, is it time to head home? Or to jump on the tour bus and go along for the ride!
Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place is the fun and fabulous prequel to Portia MacIntosh’s How Not to be Starstruck. Look out for it March 2014!

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About the Author

When she was fifteen-years-old, Portia MacIntosh fell in with a bad crowd… rockstars. 
After disappearing on tour and living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle for a few years, Portia landed a job in the music industry – but only so that she didn’t have to join the real world just yet.
Now in her twenties, Portia is ready to spill the beans on the things she has witnessed over the years. Well, kind of. If her famous friends knew that she was borrowing their lives to inspire her fiction, they would stop inviting her on tour and banish her from the inner circle. Then she really would have to rejoin the real world, and she’s still not ready.
Portia only started writing novels to share her secrets, but then she realised she actually quite liked writing – maybe even more than she likes living on a bus with a bunch of smelly boys – and has since tried her hand at writing about other things.
For more information, visit Portia's website by clicking here!

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Author Interview

Can you tell us something about your upcoming release, ‘Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place’? Well it's a novelette being released ahead of my first full-length novel, How Not to be Starstruck. My stories tell the tale of music journalist Nicole Wilde, and her adventures working in the music industry and touring with bands.
Where did you find the inspiration for ‘Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place’? Is it in any way based on your own personal experiences? The only reason I started writing was so that I could tell my tour stories anonymously. I have been working in the music industry for over ten years - since I was a teenager - so I have a lot of tales to tell. My books are heavily influenced by my experiences, and I hopefully use them to give readers an interesting insight into a fascinating industry. 
Do you have a personal favourite rockstar? I think Jon Bon Jovi is one of the ultimate rockstars. From his 80s big hair and spandex days to now, even though his style has changed he still commands an audience with ease. Jared Leto is a great example of a modern-day rockstar. He's got the look, the talent and the charm.
When and how did you decide you wanted to be an author? It was never my dream to write books. I just wanted a way to tell my stories anonymously, and novels seemed like the best way to do that. As soon as I started doing it I fell in love with writing, that's when I decided I wanted to be an author. 
Can you perhaps tell us something about your future plans as an author? Are you already working on a next novel? I have four books coming out with Carina UK. Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place is the first, followed by How Not to be Starstruck which is out next month. Keep your eyes peeled for info on the others.
Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? Write in a way that works best for you. Don't feel like you have to plan you book before you start writing, but if you want to then plan the heck out of it. There's no right or wrong way to do it.
What is the last book you read that you’d like to recommend to others? I recently re-read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Everyone needs to read that book.
And last but not least, if you had to describe ‘Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place’ in just three words, which words would you pick? Rock and roll.

Thanks so much, Portia, and good luck with the release!