Spotlight with Q&A and Review - Flying Solo by Zoe May

Welcome to my Spotlight Post for Flying Solo by Zoe May! I'm so excited to have Zoe on the blog today with a Q&A and I'm also sharing my review of the book.

Without further ado, I shall hand over to Zoe to answer a few questions! Thanks for joining me, Zoe!

Where is your favourite place in the world?  

I’m a big fan of India. I’ve been twice for extended trips. It’s such a unique and fascinating place. It’s so vast and never ceases to surprise you. I love the spirituality of India and how different it is to the West – it feels almost otherworldly to me and I just adore exploring the country. During my last trip, I spent time in an ashram in Pondicherry. I met lots of interesting people there and had quite a few bizarre experiences, which inspired me to write my new book, Flying Solo, which is about a lawyer who jets off to India in pursuit of her wayward boyfriend who is on a mission to ‘find himself’ I describe it as ‘Bridget Jones meets Legally Blonde in an ashram’!

What do you love most about writing?

I love exploring ideas and the process of bringing a story and characters I’ve imagined to life. I love sharing my work with readers and hearing that they enjoyed my books. It’s the best feeling! So far the feedback about Flying Solo has been really positive. A few readers have said how they laughed so hard they were crying or had tea coming out of their nose – that makes me so happy!

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

My ideas usually stem from something that has happened to me in real life. My new book Flying Solo, is about a London lawyer who jets off to India in an effort to save her relationship with her boyfriend, Paul, who has embarked on a trip to an ashram 'find himself'. I describe the book as 'Bridget Jones meets Legally Blonde, in an ashram'! The idea for the book came from my own trip to an ashram in India in 2013. My debut, Perfect Match, is about dating and that was inspired by my experiences of dating in London in my twenties! Usually, there’s a seed of real life in my novels but then I start day-dreaming and turn it into a mostly fictional plot.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I was 26. I wrote a novel called ‘The Wallet’ (not a very catchy title). It was about a woman who falls in love with a guy after finding his wallet on the Tube. It was an okay hook, but my execution was terrible and I had actually bored myself by the time I finished it. I knew it would never get published but as I’d been writing it, I’d been sharing chapters with my writing group and getting feedback on my writing, which helped me hone my skills. Once I finished The Wallet and put it aside, I started working on a new, way more fun book, which was then published by HarperCollins. That was my debut, Perfect Match.

Finally, tell us about your new release, and where we can find it.

My new book, Flying Solo, is about a London lawyer called Rachel who is a bit of a control freak. She’s lived her life according to her ‘Life List’, ticking off major goals along the way, such as getting a good degree, finding a decent boyfriend, becoming Partner at her firm, but the only goal she’s not managed to achieve is to get engaged. Rachel thinks her boyfriend, Paul, is about to pop the question on a date, but instead, he informs her that he’s jetting off to India to stay in an ashram and find himself. Rachel is distraught but after a few weeks of licking her wounds, she decides to embark on a trip India to win Paul back and save their relationship.

Rachel is the last person to end up in an ashram and the experience surprises her in many ways. From spirit animal workshops to corrupt gurus to orgies, she leaves the ashram a different person to who she was when she arrived. She also happens to meet a hippy heartthrob along the way!

Thank you so much for that! I love learning about authors and their books!

What They Say:

Rachel Watson has it all worked out. By 30, she’s ticked off most of the goals on her Life List. She’s a home owner, a partner at her law firm, she has a gorgeous boyfriend, lots of hobbies and loads of good friends. The only thing that’s missing is a ring on her finger.

According to her Life List, Rachel should be getting hitched around now, so when her boyfriend, Paul, plans a romantic date, Rachel’s pretty confident he’s going to propose. Except Paul has other ideas. He’s jetting off to India to find himself.

Distraught, Rachel doesn’t know what to do. Not one to easily admit defeat, she embarks on a mission to win him back.

Flying solo to India is definitely not part of Rachel's plans, but could her trip teach her unexpected lessons about love, life and herself? Could she realise that perhaps her Life List wasn’t exactly what she wanted, after all?

What I Say:

What a fab story! Rachel and Paul are like so many couples. Work too hard, spend too much time doing things that don't really make them happy and just kind of drifting.

So when Paul decides it's time for a drastic change, Rachel has no choice but to reassess her life goals too.

Jetting off to an Ashram in India isn't what she had planned but it's where she ends up. Rachel isn't really into the whole spiritual enlightenment gig, but reluctantly gives it a chance. She also meets Seb. Delicious, Quebecois, Seb. Mmmm.

Needless to say, Rachel doesn't find what she was looking for but instead finds exactly what she needs.
This is a gorgeous, fun, sweet and romantic story by a great up and coming author! 9/10

Thanks again for joining me, Zoe! Congratulations on the publication of this gorgeous book!

Flying Solo is out now!