Featured Interview With Cody Young
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in the New Forest and grew up in the UK, I emigrated to New Zealand when I was eighteen. I have written nine books – mostly romantic fiction – plus one history book. I recently released the first book I ever wrote – yes, that book that every writer has under the bed or in a dark cupboard that isn’t supposed to see the light of day. Yes, well, I published that one (it’s called Becky’s Boyfriend) and to my surprise I sold over a thousand copies very quickly. So – other writers reading this – buff up your book and put it out there. I am now working on sequels to that book – part of the Urban Boyfriend series, and I’m also just finishing the third and final book in my time-travel trilogy, affectionately known as “the Johnny books” by my readers.
I am (at last, and hopefully forever) married to a romantic Italian guy, and we have three kids.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing seriously about five years ago, but I had always done a lot of dreaming about my characters and the situations they might get into. I entered a competition that inspired me to “finish that book” in 2009 and though my book was not in any shape to win, I got some great feedback. I later published the book as American Smile. The next one was Scandal at the Farmhouse, which began as a spoof on the bodice ripper genre but ended up being deeply romantic. Then I wrote Katie’s Hero which got some attention from a Harlequin editor who shall remain nameless. But then it lost her attention and was picked up by Crimson Romance. After that I went into my vampire phase – with time-traveling, blood-drinking Johnny – the dark, sexy hero of Johnny Doesn’t Drink Champagne. Johnny is my readers’ fave character and the one I get the most fan mail about. Now I’m writing more contemporary romance – often set in London or other big cities. Lots of grime and crime but also lots of sex and romance.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I’ve enjoyed a wide range of genres and books over the years – Gerald Durrell, Lee Child, Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Nora Roberts, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and a zillion books on fashion history and costume design. Not exactly what I write – but enjoyable all the same. I am now reading a LOT of romance books and genre fiction.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Ben is a contemporary romance about a London doctor who risks everything, including his career, to save a lovely young girl from a London crime ring. It is a 93k full-length book – possible a ‘thriller romance’ – and I wrote in in less than three months. It was hugely enjoyable to write. Ben is the trainee doctor who appeared in Becky’s Boyfriend, and lost Becky to another man. He needed a love story of his own. But I wanted to make sure that this time he was prepared to do JUST ABOUT ANYTHING for the love of his life, because he let the last girl slip through his fingers… In Layla he meets his perfect match.
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