Alex Brown Talks Her New Novel 'Bring Me Sunshine'

2 October 2024

Your latest book, Bring Me Sunshine is the first in a brand new series. What can readers expect from this book?
Bring Me Sunshine is a wonderfully uplifting, coming-of-middle-age story about female friendship, romance and starting over on a Greek island in the sun. Readers can expect escapism, a page-turning plot with characters that feel like friends. There is plenty of sunshine, joy and poignant moments too – think Mamma Mia meets Shirley Valentine.

Did you undertake any research whilst writing this book?
Yes, I wanted to make sure the main character, Gina, had an authentic story that was handled sensitively and not sensationalized, so I interviewed several women who had experienced a coercive controlling relationship. I’ve also travelled to Corfu and Mykonos, the inspiration for the fictional Greek island of Kalosiros where Bring Me Sunshine is set.

Gina is facing the challenges of being a middle-aged woman, would you say she is breaking stereotypes of women of that age?
Absolutely she’s breaking stereotypes. But these days, many older women are doing remarkable things, travelling solo and leaving unhappy relationships just like Gina does in search of a second chance of finding happiness, whether that be new love, female friendships, a new business venture or pursuing a creative passion as Gina does too. Maybe it’s time to drop the stereotyping and celebrate mid-life, something that I hope comes across in Bring Me Sunshine.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the journey Gina goes on and the friendships she makes?
Gina’s story is really one of self-discovery. She’s been in an unhappy marriage for twenty-seven years and seems to have lost a sense of the woman she once was with dreams and ambitions of her own. When her husband lets her down one time too many, she decides to travel solo to the Greek island of Kalosiros to break free from the monotony of her life and where she has happy memories of holidays there with her mum who died before Gina met her husband. Gina soon meets Deedee and Rosie who are travelling solo too and the three women bond over art classes and cocktails, renewing their lust for life and a shared quest to find Gina’s lost love. The three women have lots of fun and emotional moments together, with Deedee and Rosie rooting for Gina as they help her find second time happiness.

Can you tell us anything about the next book, Wish You Were Here, coming out next year?
Oh yes, I’m writing it now and it’s Deedee’s story and is going to be set in New York and the sand dune beaches with stunning sunsets of the Hamptons.

Bring Me Sunshine takes place in Greece, do you have a favourite Greek dish?
I do, it’s Portokalopita which is a traditional Greek orange cake and it’s absolutely delicious, sweet and citrus. There’s a scene in Bring Me Sunshine where Gina treats Rosie and Deedee to big slices of Portokalopita from a stall in the market.

Many of your books take place in fabulous locations including your very own fictional village, Tindledale. If there was one place you would love to write about though, what would it be?
In my twenties I lived in Spain for several years and still visit every summer when I can as it has a special place in my heart so I’m very much looking forward to writing a book set in Spain.

Tell us a bit more about Tindledale, how did you come about creating your own village? And did you draw inspiration from anywhere in particular?
Tindledale was created after my publishers asked if I’d consider writing a cosy Christmas book. I immediately said yes as I’d had the main character, Sybil, in my head for a very long time by that stage and knew that she needed to be somewhere welcoming and warm after being jilted at the altar and seeking solace in her love of knitting. A picture postcard village seemed like the perfect place to escape to with its traditional pub, duck pond and dreamy village doctor to help heal her broken heart. The inspiration came from the Kent and Sussex villages near to where I lived at the time.

You’ve written 16 books, which one would you say was your most challenging to write?
Every book has its own uniqueness and challenges, but the hardest book to write was my first one as I had no idea how to properly structure a novel and the first draft was around 180,000 words which is roughly double the length of a standard novel. Plus it was originally set in the world of banking which was very poor timing on my part as it went out to publishers on the cusp of the banking crisis and so of course nobody wanted to read about a bunch of bankers behaving badly. Although I loved the central character, Georgie, and her two best friends, Eddie and Sam and so I rewrote the book into a department store setting in a seaside location, and it eventually became Cupcakes at Carrington’s, an international and UK No.1 bestseller, and the first of four books in my Carrington’s rom-com series.