by Lindsey Kelk
I’d never really thought about the difference between the things I wanted and the things that I needed. Right now, whether Nick’s letter was entirely honest or not, he couldn’t be what I needed, even if he was everything I wanted. He needed time, I needed time and, thankfully, that was one thing I had plenty of. But, as I watched London slip away behind me, I knew that I couldn’t give up on him, even if maybe I should. And if he thought I would read his note, smile, nod and get on with life as though he had never existed, he was as stupid as he was hot.
And that would make him so, so stupid.
London had never really struck me as a beautiful city. It was where I worked, it was my escape from the village and from my family, but up here, flying over it at sunset, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad to be leaving. I wished I had my camera to capture the fading light, casting its shadows over all of her stories. The next time I was in London, I promised, smiling at my reflection in the tiny double window, the next time, I’d be ready.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It hasn’t escaped me that this list gets longer every time I write it and for that, I will always be grateful.
I’m starting to feel like you’re all getting bored of hearing me say thank you and would much rather I quit writing, got a job down the supermarket and stopped whining at you. Well, tough luck. There will almost certainly be more books, more whining and more thank yous. If you’re very lucky, there might also be a drink and a hug. Or just the drink, if you’d rather.
Rowan Lawton, wonder-agent. Liane-Louise Smith, patience of a saint. Lynne Drew, Thalia Suzuma and Martha Ashby, how many ways are there for you to say ‘don’t worry, we’ll make it work’? I know this one was a bloody chore and you helped keep me sane during a very difficult time. Thanks, hugs and drinks aren’t enough. Soul of my firstborn? Soul of my firstborn it is. If I listed everyone who was owed hugs/alcohol at HarperCollins, they’d have to charge you another pound for the book so they’ll just have to take it verbally when I see them. So to speak.
The last, ooh, let’s say nine months have been a serious effing challenge and without the support and love of my friends and family, you’d be reading this wherever you are right now while I sat rocking back and forth in a cave with very bad roots and no manicure to speak of. All my Twitter buddies, my Facebook friends, fellow authors and generally fantastic people who stop me going legitimately mental, thank you.
If you enjoy this book at all, you should probably give Della Bolat a call and say thank you. I ran out of ways to say it but I like to think my epic overconsumption of pizza al tonno right across Italy made my feelings clear. Love you, skank.
And to the people who literally had to hold me together when things got dark, you are my heroes. Della, Beth Ziemacki, Ryan Child, Emma Ingram, Rebecca Alimena, Philippa Drewer, Scott Addison Clay, Kevin Dixon, Jack Murnighan and Terri White, I know I’m here because you are.
‘Yet still steadfast, still unchangeable.’
Discover how Tess’s adventures started in Hawaii with About A Girl …
‘Fans of the I Heart series will instantly fall for this gorgeously funny and romantic read’ Closer
Tess Brookes has always been a Girl with a Plan. But when the Plan goes belly up, she’s forced to reconsider.
After accidently answering her flatmate Vanessa’s phone, she decides that since being Tess isn’t going so well, she might try being Vanessa. With nothing left to lose, she accepts Vanessa’s photography assignment to Hawaii – she used to be an amateur snapper, how hard can it be? Right?
But Tess is soon in big trouble. And the gorgeous journalist on the shoot with her, who is making it very clear he’d like to get into her pants, is an egotistical monster. Far from home and in someone else’s shoes, Tess must decide whether to fight on through, or ‘fess up and run …
Click here to buy now
Q&A with Lindsey Kelk
We said you could ask Lindsey anything – now read on for her answers to your burning questions … and your answers to our question: what does a girl really want?
Gemma Carey: When you are writing your books, do you ever find that any of your characters begin to rub off on you? Do you start saying something that Angela or Jenny would say? What a girl wants: for calories to be non-existent and Chanel to be free!
Oh, absolutely! I suppose all of the characters have part of me in them and writing them magnifies that. There’s definitely a lot of Tess, Angela and Rachel in me but I’ve also got a good chunk of Jenny and Amy in there too – I never know when to shut my mouth.
Sophie Jackson: When you start writing a book, do you already know exactly how you want it to end, or do you find that as things develop the initial plan changes? What a girl wants: enough money to be able to study and get the qualifications she needs to go into her dream job.
I generally have an idea of the ending but it often changes. I don’t write terribly long or involved synopses, I prefer to be surprised by the story as I’m going along.
Kevin Loh: Of all your heroines, who was the most difficult to write? Wait. I’m a guy! OK, what a girl wants: happiness. If you’re not happy when you’re doing something, it’s not right. *plays ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams*
None of the girls were especially difficult to write but they all make decisions that make me crazy sometimes. Out of all of them, I think Tess is probably the cleverest which made it all the more frustrating when she cocked up. She’s so used to making single-minded business decisions so isn’t used to having to think about others or even herself. When you take yourself out of a corporate environment, you have to think about things in an entirely different way, that was quite tricky to communicate. The boys were a different matter altogether. Nick and I have a very complicated relationship…
Jess Morrison: Is there going to be a link between Angela and Tess? Will they ever meet each other? What a girl wants: just contentment and a stress free life.
Hmm. I could tell you but I’d have to kill you! Watch this space.
Alison Cooney: What comes first, the story or the location where you want the story to be set? What this girl wants is endless supply of books and a library to put them in!
With the I Heart books, the stories and the cities came together. With the others, I thought of the story first and then tried to work out which location would bring it to life. The wrong location would feel forced and suffocate the characters, as I don’t think you can make a story work in a place the characters wouldn’t find themselves naturally. Tess ended up in Hawaii because I wanted to put her in a paradise that clashed against the chaos and misery back in London. What A Girl Wants found itself in Milan because it was a story about the fashion industry. I’m definitely not done with Italy though, there are so many wonderful cities for my characters to explore.
Risa RisaRisa: Have you ever wanted to be something other than an author and what made you change your mind? What a girl wants: to feel confident in herself whatever it takes!
I always wanted to write but, in fairness, I also always wanted to be a rock star and an actress. Anyone who has ever heard me sing or saw my stellar turn as Nancy in my school performance of Oliver! will tell you I chose the best path.
Laura Dring: How would you feel if your books were made into a film or TV show? Would you be happy if they changed any of your characters to fit a target audience? What a girl wants: more time, to get loads more stuff done, plus I could spend more time reading my favourite books.
I’d love it! I think where dramatisations are involved, you’ve got to be prepared to accept some inevitable changes. Some of my favourite books have been made into films and I try to treat them as entirely individual pieces of work – Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, Pretty Little Liars, The Devil Wears Prada and even Game of Thrones – all great translations, all different to the source material in the end.
Lee-Shay Andrea Collison: When you’re feeling down, what makes you happy? What a girl wants: I would really like to solve all the unsolved
mysteries out there, like what happened to Amelia Earhart; the missing planes and ships in the Bermuda Triangle.
I like to run, read, borrow someone’s pet, watch seventeen episodes of Law & Order: SVU, get dinner with my friends, the usual. I suffer from anxiety so I can get pretty miserable pretty quickly if I don’t take care of myself. The best thing to do is get outside, get some fresh air and try to put things in perspective. Or watch seventeen episodes of Law & Order: SVU.
Susan Lloyd: Aside from family and friends, what one thing do you miss not living in the UK?
Shopping on the high street, definitely. The UK has much better and much more creative high street shopping. Sob. Oh, and supermarkets. You should see my face when my mum takes me to Tesco. Pure joy.
Anya Mackay: Do you feel sad to finish writing or reading a book? I as a reader often feel like I’ve lost a friend when I’ve finished a good book. What a girl wants: I would love a rewind button for my life, to be able to go back to certain stages and try different paths to see where they would have taken me. It would also enable me to relive special moments and maybe spend more quality time with special people who aren’t here anymore.
So sad! That’s one of the reasons I started writing a series, I love following a character’s story. That said, there is something incredibly satisfying about turning the last page on a fantastic book and getting that closure.
Louise McKeen: Which could you not live without: WWE or Marc Jacobs?! What this girl really wants is a library in her house!
Ha! Please don’t tell him I said this but I’d take the WWE over Marc. At the end of the day, there are a lot of nice handbags but only one Wrestlemania.
Mel Russell: If you could choose two celebs to duke it out WWE style who would you pick and why? What a girl wants: a body like Beyoncé.
Michael Fassbender and Ryan Gosling. They’d have to wear trunks. This is an entirely unselfish choice made for the good of mankind.
Evelyn Chong: If the police were knocking on your door now, what crime would it be for? What a girl wants: Andy Brown at my doorstep right now.
Touch wood, I have never been arrested or questioned by the po-po but most likely, someone would want to have a word with me about my overly casual attitude towards speed limits on empty freeways… They’re just suggestions, right?
Ifigenia Al Giousef: Have you ever been so sleep deprived that you passed out while you were writing? What a girl wants: to live adventures with our loved ones!
Yes! When I get near the end of my book, I sort of forget to sleep and eat and leave the house so I tend to sleep whenever it hits me. Basically, it looks like a homeless fox has taken up residence on my settee – half-empty takeaway cartons on the floor, empty cans of Diet Pepsi everywhere, dirty redhead in the middle of it. The shame.
Lauren Elise Sutcliffe: Where is your favourite place to buy shoes on the high street? (Seeing as most of us girls have a lemonade budget!) What a girl wants: to be happy and healthy surrounded by friends and family who accept her for who she is and supports her whenever she needs it.
I do love Topshop shoes but most of my high street treats come from Modcloth.com and Asos.com. I love a vintage-style Mary Jane and they have some corkers.
Abi Holligan: What does Lindsey want? What a girl wants: a happy ever after, a good man who takes care of her, to eat whatever she wants and to not put on any weight!
Lindsey wants to be happy. To get her roots done, get this broken tooth fixed, be able to give myself a fringe trim without looking like Lloyd from Dumb & Dumber, find a way to live in London, New York and LA all at the same time, get a puppy and a kitten and teach them both to speak so I don’t feel like I’m talking to myself all the time. To find a way to keep my family and friends healthy and happy and to work out how to relax. Or at least calm down a little bit. But I’d settle for a hug and a chocolate croissant.
Catch up on the rest of the I HEART series and find out how it all started!
Click here to buy I Heart New York
Click here to buy I Heart Hollywood
Click here to buy I Heart Paris
Click here to buy I Heart Vegas
Click here to buy I Heart London
Click here to buy I Heart Christmas
About the Author
Lindsey Kelk is an author, journalist and prolific tweeter.
Lindsey loves living in New York, expensive shoes, professional wrestling and wondering whether or not it’s time for bed. Lindsey dislikes too much frosting on a cupcake, being so far away from London, spiders and not being in bed. Lindsey is indifferent to sushi and dogs that are smaller than a cereal box.
Lindsey has written eight other novels: I Heart New York, I Heart Hollywood, I Heart Paris, I Heart Vegas, I Heart London, I Heart Christmas, The Single Girl’s To-Do List and About a Girl. You can find out lots more about her here: http://lindseykelk.com
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LindseyKelk
Also by Lindsey Kelk
I Heart New York
I Heart Hollywood
I Heart Paris
I Heart Vegas
I Heart London
I Heart Christmas
The Single Girl’s To-Do List
About A Girl
Jenny Lopez Has a Bad Week (e-only novella)
Copyright
Harper
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
77–85 Fulham Palace Road,
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk
Copyright © Lindsey Kelk 2014
Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublisher 2014
Cover illustration © Bree Leman 2014
Lindsey Kelk asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780007501533
Ebook Edition © 2014 ISBN: 9780007501557
Version: 2014-005-21
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