Wordy Wednesday's author interview with Alice May

Today on the blog I'd like to welcome Alice May. She has written a book that went straight on to my GoodReads 'To Read' pile , and when you see the synopsis I think you'll understand why!

‘Accidental Damage – Tales from the house that sat down!’ by Alice May

‘Accidental Damage’ is the tale of a family of six (mum, dad and four kids) who suddenly find themselves homeless after their old cottage falls down completely out of the blue one day. With nowhere to go they are forced to move into a tent in the garden. The tent is supposed to be a temporary solution but then they find out that their house insurance policy doesn’t cover them and the tent becomes a more permanent fixture.

Told retrospectively from the mother’s point of view, ‘Accidental Damage’ is packed with both humorous anecdotes and brutally honest emotional reactions to what it is like to live in your garden whilst working out how you are going to rebuild your home.

It is a tale of family love and loyalty, proving that if you pull together as a team and look after each other you can survive anything.

Living in a tent! Yes dear reader a story I can get to grips with. I can't wait to read and discover if the family/tent relationship is love or hate, and will the family find out more about themselves than they expected? After all, living in a tent can give you lots of time to think about things in its limited confines.

And so we must interrogate our author Alice May...grab a camping chair and a marshmallow on a stick and we shall begin

Who would be at your dream dinner party?
I would love to hold a dinner party for Katie Fforde, Trisha Ashley, Anne McCaffrey, J.K. Rowling, H. T. King and Kate Fenton. All are authors whose books have kept me going through the years and I would enjoy cooking up a feast for them to say thank you!

What's the best advice you have ever received?
‘Never ever give up!’ My parents have been instrumental in encouraging me to pick myself up and dust myself off after every setback in life. They are right. Anything is possible, you just sometimes have to believe in yourself, grow a thick skin and get on with it.

What's the worst advice you have ever received?
“Do a French A-level. You’ll be really good at it!” Hmmmm – I passed, but only just!!!

Who is your hero or heroine?
Soppiness alert! My Beloved Husband is my hero. Just because! awww!

Where are you happiest?
I am happiest walking along the beach, whatever the weather, listening to the waves and just ‘being’.

A post shared by tattooed_mummy (@tatmummy) on Apr 9, 2017 at 1:46pm PDT

Who would you like to star in the film of your life?
Victoria Wood. She was such a talented lady. I have thoroughly enjoyed all her work, especially her poignant portrayal of Ella Last in ‘Housewife 49’.

Describe your best ever holiday.
Surfing (I really mean body boarding but I like to pretend I can surf) in Cornwall with my husband and kids. A whole day on the beach followed by chips and a pint of cold lager (lemonade for the kids of course) in the evening is my idea of heaven. Maybe I will take a learn-to-surf course one of these days.

If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
If I could be invisible for a day I would probably sleep if, I am being completely honest. As a busy working mother, I spend my life running from one spinning plate / disaster issue to another. If I was invisible no one would see me just relaxing. Could I be deaf to all the people grumbling that I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing too, please? Ooh nice choice...

If I joined you on your perfect day, what would we be doing?
My perfect day would involve sunshine and good coffee. Probably cake as well! I don’t have terribly high maintenance needs.

What do you think is the best thing about social media?
The best thing about social media is connecting people with similar interests and the opportunity to share knowledge. I totally agree!

And the worst...?!
The worst thing is how much of the day can slip away if you are not careful to limit the time you spend on social media. (Also true, due to recent Twitter changes I'm on there less than before and have rediscovered reading!) As an author you need to be really firm with yourself or you find that all available writing time is used up scrolling through Facebook or Twitter and not finishing that next chapter you need to write.

Big thanks to Alice for some fun answers (I'm now thinking about beaches, chips and snoozing as well as tents) Follow Alice (but try not to distract her) on Twitter and Facebook and check out her book Here

This post is part of the Accidental Damage Blog Tour find out more:

How to create the perfect family holiday

I was thinking (as it's sunny) about holidays. It seems that holidays can mean different things to different people and there is no 'perfect holiday' that would suit everyone. Of course Americans don't even use the same word and they call them vacations! But whether you take the family on holiday, on vacation or away for a break, the way people do it varies.

I wondered what people thought about planning a holiday and what they expect from it. I've already mentioned the dangers of relying on holiday review sites for information, and when you see how people look differently at vacations you'll realise why. What one person sees as a positive point can be a negative to someone else.

For example, even in my own house (3 of us) we have different ideas of 'fun on holiday' . Mr TM likes self catering as we get more room, it's easier to do what we want, when we want and meal times are flexible. He also likes to swim but gets bored laying around all day. Miss TM, the lovely DD likes a hotel, with a widescreen TV and free wifi. She likes to swim and lounge by a pool and also loves a hot tub, she loves a posh hotel. I like both but favour a more adventurous holiday, staying somewhere unusual like a narrow boat or a tree house, hiring a car and exploring. I like to eat out but at local restaurants, the sort rarely used by tourists, and I like to visit local attractions and also meet people and find out about different cultures.

I asked a few parents what they liked too, and of course the answers varied just as much.

Emily at Emily and Indiana said "A holiday to me is spending proper quality time as a family. No interruptions, lots of fun and creating as many memories as possible! And in a hotel, I want a break from everything!"

Emma from Life According to Mrs Shilts agrees that it's the break from the chores that really makes a holiday "A holiday to me means no cooking or washing up, we work so hard the rest of the year I don't want to be doing that on holiday"

Nikki at Yorkshire Wonders went all out for a cruise! "My favourite holidays are with my family, where we are all catered for so everyone is happy. So, a bit of sunshine, new places to explore, organised activities for the kids and lots of nice food and wine! We cruised last year and it was fab!"

As did Emma at Island Living 365 "For us holidays are very important. We use them as a an opportunity to spend time with the rest of our family. We also believe that it's really important to show the girls that there is a big, exciting world outside of Jersey"

Louise at Pink Pear Bear is more flexible with her approach, it seems that a change is the main aim "Going on holiday is a total break from the everyday chores for me. Well, it would be if we stayed in a hotel with a kids club!
For the last few years we have done self catering and so there is still the same amount of work, washing etc but it still feels better being somewhere different and in the sunshine somehow!
It's also about reading books, something I rarely do now. When abroad, I like to really soak up the culture, enjoy the food, see the sights etc. But chilling by the pool is also nice too! "

Hannah at Hannah Spannah agrees that it's being somewhere else that makes a holiday - getting away from the mundane. "My holidays as a single mum are either self catering or camping so there are still all the jobs to do but it means being somewhere different. A change is as good as a rest and that's true. I love the opportunity to just play together and explore."

And if you follow my other blog Tentsniffing for Beginners, you'll know that I also adore the camping life. Of course I'm not alone in that either.

Claire at Tin Box Traveller says "It's all about leaving behind the routine of every day life, exploring new places and getting lots of fresh air. We enjoy all sorts of breaks. The more varied the better. And they don't have to be expensive. I've come back from short camping weekends with recharged batteries and feeling like we've enjoyed quality family time."

So from a hot, all-inclusive holiday abroad, to a weekend in Wales self catering, from a Christmas cruise, to a road trip with the family it seems that there is something for anyone, even if every holiday isn't for everyone.

What is your favourite holiday and will you be going abroad this year or staying closer to home? A time to be spoiled or just time to be together as a family...or alone to read?