Spending time (and money) with Camilla Isley

Today, we welcome Camilla Isley to CLC. Since our theme for July is shopping, she's here to answer some fun questions on the topic. Her latest novel, I Have Never, is part of the First Comes Love series. (First Comes Love is a series of interconnected romantic novels. However, each book in the series can be read as a standalone novel.) 

Camilla is an engineer turned writer after she quit her job to follow her husband in an adventure abroad. She’s a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.

Visit Camilla online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Twenty-nine-year-old Blair Walker is a girl with a plan, or more a girl with a list. A list of dos and don’ts to live the perfect life, land a dream career, and marry Mr. Right.

When Blair loses her job and gets dumped by her boyfriend all in one day, she starts to wonder if she’s had it all wrong. And what better way to find out than experience everything the list forbade?

With hilarious consequences, Blair will discover some items are trickier to tick off than she’d thought…

A laugh out loud romantic comedy perfect for fans of Lindsey Kelk, Sophie Kinsella, and Mhairi McFarlane. 

Tell us about a time you experienced buyer's remorse:
A pair of boots. There’s an episode in Friends where Monica buys a pair of gorgeous—for that era―very expensive boots and then can’t wear them because they’re too uncomfortable and make her feet blister. The same happened to me. In the shop, for the five minutes I had the boots on, they seemed like the most sensible purchase. After wearing them for an entire evening, I knew I had just thrown out of the window a good chunk of my shopping budget for that year.

Would you consider yourself a shopaholic?
I have cycles. Dry seasons of shopping followed by splurging weeks, then I’m good for some months. Of course the aftermath of my birthday and Christmas always end up in a little shopping spree. The only unseasonal item are books, I buy them all year round…

Do you like to shop alone or with family/friends?
Alone. This way I have all the time in the world to spend in the shops I want to visit, try on whatever ridiculous amount of items, choose what I like, change my mind, not buy anything, and repeat in another shop. The only woman blessed with enough patience to go through this process with me is my mom, so sometimes she comes along.

What is the oldest item of clothing still in your possession? What year is it from?
Moving houses helps with keeping the hording in check, so I’d have to say a twin pair of strapless beach dresses 2008 circa, in white and green.
But if I go to my parents’ house in my old room the 90s are still raging in some drawers.

Favorite splurge purchase?
Weddings are always the best excuse to splurge, and I can’t resist the temptation to buy a new gorgeous dress to attend a ceremony and subsequent party. So my favorite purchase for this year has been a long aquamarine gown all flow-y and with a coral flowers print.

What would be your main character's favorite place to shop?
Blair lives in New York, so I’d say SOHO. A good mix for different budgets and both unique and chain shops.

Thanks to Camilla for chatting with us and to HCL Author Services for including us in Camilla's tour.

Check out the full tour:

July 13th

Rachel Brimble Romance - Author Q&A
A Beautiful Book Blog - Book Review
Writing Pearls - Book Review
With Love For Books - Book Review
For the Love of Chick Lit - Book Review

July 14th

Kristin's Novel Cafe - Book Excerpt
JenaBooks - Book Review
He Said Books or Me - Author Guest Post
Judging More than Just the Cover - Author Q&A

July 15th

I Heart Fictional People - Book Review
Chrissi Reads - Book Review
Books and Photographs - Book Review
Rebecca Book Review - Book Excerpt
Monique McDonell-Author - Book Excerpt

July 16th

One Book At A Time - Spotlight Post
CosyCuteKnits - Book Review
The Writing Garnet - Book Review

July 17th

The Belgian Reviewer - Book Excerpt
Girl vs Books - Book Review
kraftireader - Book Review

July 18th

Reading Is My SuperPower - Book Review
THE CHLOE DOUGLAS BLOG - Book Review

July 19th

Simona's Corner of Dreams - Author Guest Post
Bookish - Book Review

July 20th

TheBlossomTwins - Book Review
Grass Monster - Book Review
Chick Lit Central - Author Q&A
Living Life with Joy - Author Guest Post

July 21st

ItaPixie's Book Corner - Book Review
Rae Reads - Book Review
Novelgossip - Book Review
Whispering Stories - Book Review
Ali - The Dragon Slayer - Book Review
A Daydreamer's Thoughts - Book Review
Steamy Book Momma - Book Excerpt

July 22nd

BookLoverWorm - Book Review
Pretty Little Book Reviews - Book Review
Book Lover in Florida - Book Excerpt