On this blustery, autumnal Tuesday, I’m really pleased to be able to share with you a Q&A with The Flip Side author, James Bailey. I love finding out a bit more about how people’s minds work, and probing the minds of authors is something I love being able to do because of book blogging. My thanks to James for his time, and to Sriya at Penguin Random House for all the wonderful support as always.
Josh thought he was doing everything right. The right girl, the right ring, the right situation.
What he wasn’t planning on was being told ‘no’.
Faced with a new year newly single, not trusting his own decision making any more, Josh decides to leave his every move up to a coin flip. After all, how much worse can it get?
Perfect for fans of romantic comedies, The Flip Side is a feel good adventure that sees just how far a coin flip can really take you.
Hi James! Congratulations on your new release, The Flip Side. How are you feeling about the book coming out? Especially in the middle of a pandemic!
Thank you very much! It’s probably not the ideal circumstances for any debut author to launch their first novel and there will be parts of the usual experience I will miss out on. (I’m still hoping that by November we may be able to have some kind of launch party!) That said, in what has been a pretty awful year for everyone it has certainly given me a lot of excitement already, even before the paperback is published. I’m also hoping that people are now in the mood to read something light, funny, and uplifting…like The Flip Side!
The concept is quietly yet forcefully unique. Where did the idea come from?
I have certainly been inspired by personal experiences, and have been jotting down anecdotes over the last few years. The actual concept of the coin came a bit later. I was watching an episode of House of Cards in which Francis Underwood discusses using a coin to make a decision. I thought that this was an intriguing idea, and one which would tie my novel about fate and decisions together neatly.
The genre of romantic comedy is growing in modern fiction, after having been long successful in film. Where do you see The Flip Side fitting in?
Yes, it’s great to see the return of the romantic comedy, both in fiction and film. I suppose whilst it’s more common in movies – think Hugh Grant – it’s less common to have a romanic comedy told from the male perspective in fiction. Hopefully, as such, The Flip Side is bringing something slightly new to the genre.
What book are you reading yourself at the moment?
I’m actually currently writing ‘Book 2’, and it’s difficult to find as much time to read as I’d like. However, one book I’ve loved recently was ‘Keeping Mum’ by James Gould-Bourn. And after I turn in my draft next week, I have Emma Christie’s ‘The Silent Daughter’ and Matson Taylor’s ‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth’ waiting on my bookshelf ready to dive into.
What tips would you give to someone working on their own novel?
Find a writing group! I think it really helps having others around you both to supply moral support, and, importantly, to critique your work. Writing can be a very solitary process so it’s a good idea to share the process with others. If you can find a group as diverse as possible it’a really useful to get feedback from people who read and write a variety of genres. You don’t have to take onboard all their feedback, but it’s good to listen to other people’s opinions and some of them may help.
And finally – as I ask everyone – how would you sum up your book in three words?
Sunflowers, coins, rabbits!!
I’m so grateful for James taking the time to join me for this little interview, and couldn’t agree with him more about having a male lead on a romantic comedy! Book two sounds very exciting just by existing, I can’t wait.
And On She Reads 