Alissa Baxter

Alissa Baxter was born in South Africa, and grew up with her nose in a book on a poultry farm in Mpumalanga. After school and university, where she majored in Political Science and French, she started writing her first novel, The Dashing Debutante.

Alissa then moved to Switzerland before joining Emirates Airline as a flight attendant. When her stint with the airline was over, Alissa travelled to London and did an odd assortment of jobs, while researching her second historical novel. She returned to Durban, nine months later, and wrote Lord Fenmore’s Wager. Alissa then moved to Cape Town, where she wrote her third novel, Send and Receive, and worked as a publicist for a local TV station, before moving to Johannesburg.

Alissa Baxter is our featured writer this week, since allaboutlove is publishing all three of her books we asked her a bit about herself.

When did you begin writing your first romance?
I was 19 when I started writing my first book. I wrote it during the long university holidays.

Did you have any false starts, or did you finish the first book you started?
The Dashing Debutante was the first book I ever wrote. I did rework it a few times though. The first draft was only about 40 000 words. I had an American agent at the time and she told me it wasn’t long enough. So I lengthened it to 70 000, and then to 90 000 words.

Have you ever wanted to write anything other than romance? If so, what? And can you see yourself continuing with romance and chick lit?
I like writing humorous, romantic comedies. I’m primarily interested in writing about relationships, though, and I prefer writing books where I have some leeway in terms of what happens. In the romance genre, for instance, you generally know who the hero is from the beginning of the book. In my modern books, I don’t like having restrictions of this sort, and I prefer it to be more open-ended in terms of whom the heroine ends up with. I like playing with the romance/chick lit genre when I write my modern books, and combining the two genres in a number of ways. They’re not straight romance, but I wouldn’t put the exclusive label of “chick lit” on them either.

Is this what you always wanted to do?
From the age of seven (when I learned to read), I knew I wanted to be writer.

Why romance?
I grew up reading Georgette Heyer’s novels, and when I decided to write my first book, I realised I was very young and didn’t know much about life. I did know quite a lot about Regency England, though, and so I decided to write a Regency Romance. Romance is an excellent genre in which to craft one’s writing skills. One learns about the importance of creating conflict between characters, and how to write about emotions, while at the same time how vital it is to develop a good plot. It’s also a lot of fun!

Do you enjoy reading romance, and whom do you admire as writers?
I do read romance, but because I write romance/chick lit, I also like to read books in other genres when I relax. When you write in a specific genre, it’s difficult to detach from it, and read a book without analysing it a hundred different ways. I like a number of authors including (of course) Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Iris Bromige, Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney, Marian Keyes, Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Kate Atkinson, Agatha Christie, the list goes on. I also enjoy reading non-fiction and biographies.

Did you daydream a lot growing up? If you did, do you think it contributed to your becoming a writer?
Actually, I didn’t. I was a very active child. I grew up on a farm and was always running around doing something! I was creative, however, and if I thought of a story, I’d write it down. So I must have been introspective, in some ways, but I combined thinking with action. I tend to “switch off” more as an adult, and disappear into my own world.

Are you a romantic in your own life?
I’d say I’m more idealistic than romantic, but I suppose I must be romantic, writing the kind of books I do! I do try and keep my feet firmly on the ground in real life, though.

The men in your books are nice people. You clearly don’t subscribe to the “arrogant hero” principle?
I like nice men! The thing is, I generally create male characters who have a finely tuned sense of the ridiculous, and who can laugh at themselves. In my experience, arrogant men tend to take themselves very seriously, so even though my male characters are confident, they don’t come off as arrogant because they have an element of self-deprecation about them. Besides, I could never inflict such a hero on my poor heroine!

Did you have to do a huge amount of research for your historical romances? How did you go about it?
I did have to do a lot of research. First of all, I read extensively in the genre. Then I started collecting research books about the period, so that I could check my facts. I also used the Internet to research the fashions of the time, stately homes etc. As I wrote my historical novels, I’d check the facts as I went along. I hate inaccuracies in historical novels, so I tried my best to ensure that I didn’t have any anachronisms or errors in my books. On the other end of the scale, I’ve toyed with the idea of writing a Regency Romance filled with anachronisms and errors. I think it could be very amusing. For instance, “The Duke rolled up the sleeve of his Gucci jacket, and gazed at the Rolex on his arm. If he didn’t hurry he’d be late calling on Miss Winterton, and tardiness was something that young lady wouldn’t tolerate.” Something in that vein – it could be very funny.

Are you a disciplined writer – do you have set times and a place you always write?
I am a disciplined writer. I write at home, and I usually write during set times in the week, and take the weekends off.

You’ve just sold the option on Send and Receive. How does it feel? Tell us about the offer and what is planned.
Yes – Anamazing Workshop have optioned Send and Receive and they are developing it into a feature film that they hope to produce fairly soon. It’s very exciting.

What’s your next project? What else do you have planned?
I’m currently writing a book, set in Jo’burg. It’s in the early stages, and I’m still feeling my way with it, but I am enjoying it. A few characters from Send and Receive will be making their appearance in the book. It has a more sophisticated flavour than my other books, but it’ll be in a similar vein.

Read Chapter 1 of Send and Receive

Click here to buy a download of Send and Receive