Isabel Wolff's "freaky" Friday...plus a book giveaway

We're so glad to have Isabel Wolff back at Chick Lit Central. I've really enjoyed her recent novels, A Vintage Affair and The Very Picture of You. I'm excited to read her upcoming novel, Ghostwritten, as well. It will be published in the UK in one week from today, and then released in the US next year with a different title and cover. In the meantime, Isabel has THREE signed copies to share with some lucky readers anywhere in the world!

Isabel was born in Warwickshire, read English at Cambridge and after spells in the theatre and in advertising, got a job at the BBC. For twelve very happy years at BBC World Service radio, she was a producer and reporter in the Features department and in Current Affairs. She also wrote freelance articles for magazines and newspapers such as The Spectator, The Evening Standard, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph who, in 1997, commissioned her to write a humorous girl-about-town column called "Tiffany Trott." Within a month of the first column appearing, she was commissioned by HarperCollins to turn Tiffany's adventures into a book, which turned into a whole set of books! Isabel currently lives in London, very close to Portobello Road, with her partner Greg, their two young children and her two teenage stepsons. In her spare time, she plays table football (soccer, for those of us in the US).

You can find her at her website, Facebook, and Twitter. She's here today to talk about birthdays!

Synopsis of Ghostwritten:
Jenni is a ‘ghost’: she writes the lives of other people. It’s a job that suits her well: still haunted by a childhood tragedy, she finds it easier to take refuge in the memories of others rather than dwell on her own.

Jenni has an exciting new commission, and is delighted to start working on the memoirs of a Dutchwoman, Klara. As a child in the Second World War, Klara was interned in a camp on Java during the Japanese occupation – she has an extraordinary story of survival to tell.

But as Jenni and Klara begin to get to know each other, Jenni begins to do much more than shed light on a neglected part of history. She is being forced to examine her own devastating memories, too. But with Klara’s help, perhaps this is finally the moment where she will be able to lay the ghosts of her own past to rest? (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon UK.)

Do you like having people sing to you at restaurants for your birthday?
I absolutely hate having people sing to me in restaurants for my birthday and I would run a mile outside screaming. Fortunately it's not really a custom in England so it's not likely to happen (it's really not done here unless it's because someone is proposing!), but I would find it extremely embarrassing.  But if I simply HAD to sit there, then what would I want them to sing to me? My favourite song in the world, 'From a Distance' by Nanci Griffith.

When is your birthday? 
May 13th

What animal represents your birth year on the Chinese calendar? Do you feel it describes you?
I was born in the year of the rat - rat girls are said to be very tidy in the home, which is definitely not me though. I'd like to think that the sign of the Rat suits me quite well as their traits include a 'rich imagination' and 'sharp obsevation'. Because of this their recommended careers are, amongst other things - 'broadcaster' and 'writer'. Shakespeare was born in the yea of the Rat, as was Winston Churchill, so I'm in excellent company!

What do you want to do for your next birthday?
My birthday is in mid May and all I want to do is spend it with my family and our new cocker spaniel puppy Alfie.

Share a favorite birthday memory.
A favourite birthday memory is from last year, when my children brought me a birthday breakfast in bed.

Tell us a fun fact about your birthday.
I was born on Friday 13th - like the heroine of Ghostwritten, Jenni. Because of this I am extremely superstitious!

Thanks to Isabel for chatting with us and sharing her book with our readers.

~Introduction by Melissa Amster

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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Worldwide. Giveaway ends March 25th at midnight EST.