The Hanky-Panky of Girl in Between | Anna Daniels (Guest Post)
5:30 AM
Hi Stef, thanks for having me drop in to The Noveltea Corner for a chat about my debut, Girl in Between!
Girl in Between is a rom-com set in Rockhampton, Japan, London and Sydney.
It traces the adventures of thirty-something year-old besties, Lucy and Rosie, as they attempt to sort out where their lives are going, and what they really want in the first place!
My book is billed as a laugh-out-loud novel about life at the crossroads, and I think because it captures that moment in time when you don’t really know if you’re Arthur or Martha; whether you’re coming or going; when you feel all at sea…it is also making readers reach for their hanky!
Some of the initial feedback to me about Girl in Between is that people were both laughing and crying uncontrollably, sometimes at the same time! I was both surprised and delighted that my writing was having this effect.
I have always been a fan of humour with heart…the type of comedy that gets you chuckling but also pulls on your heartstrings. Muriel’s Wedding, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the British series Gavin and Stacey, are all examples of brilliantly poignant writing styles that I admire. I set out to achieve this balance in Girl in Between, and am so thrilled that I’m connecting with readers on these different levels.
I think the characters I’ve created, whilst being comically absurd in the case of Denise, Brian, and at times, Rosie, also have a depth and heart which draws you into their world, and by the end of Girl in Between you are barracking for them!
The story is told through the first-person narrative voice of heroine, Lucy Crighton. Lucy is every woman who has ever doubted herself, looked over the fence at other possibilities, and regretted past mistakes. She is also lovable, kind, funny, and open in her struggles to feel ‘enough.’ Her best friend, Rosie, on the other hand is loud, fancy-free, wild at heart and wickedly witty but whilst Rosie is a favourite character for many, and the person we wished we could be, Lucy is perhaps the character with which we feel an instant affinity.
I hope these girls of mine find their way into your heart, and make you both laugh and cry too!
Best wishes, Anna Daniels x
Girl in Between by Anna Daniels is published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $29.99, available now.
Anna Daniels
GIRL IN BETWEEN
Anna Daniels
Life can be tricky when you're a girl in between relationships, careers and cities… and sometimes you have to face some uncomfortable truths. The sparkling debut from comic TV and radio presenter, Anna Daniels.
Lucy Crighton has just moved in with some gregarious housemates called Brian and Denise… who are her parents. She's also the proud mother of Glenda, her beloved 10-year-old… kelpie. And she has absolutely no interest in the dashing son of her parents' new next-door neighbour… well, maybe just a little.
When you're the girl in between relationships, careers and cities, you sometimes have to face some uncomfortable truths… like your Mum's obsession with Cher, your father's unsolicited advice, and the fact there's probably more cash on the floor of your parents' car than in your own bank account.
Thank goodness Lucy's crazy but wonderful best friend, Rosie, is around to cushion reality, with wild nights at the local Whipcrack hotel, escapades in Japanese mud baths, and double dating under the Christmas lights in London.
But will Lucy work out what she really wants to do in life and who she wants to share it with?
Anna Daniels is a natural-born comedian. She originally set out to write a screenplay that was part Muriel’s Wedding, part The Castle. Instead, she wrote Girl In Between, which was shortlisted for the 2016 Vogel’s Award. She says ‘I’ve always loved comedy which not only makes you laugh but also pulls at your heartstrings. I think a lot of people may be able to relate to Lucy’s story!’
Girl in Between is a warm, upbeat and often hilarious story about life at the crossroads. Featuring an endearing and irrepressible cast of characters, it will have you chuckling from start to finish.
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