Katie Fforde Books

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Katie Fforde is a British author who writes chick lit, although some people will categorize her as a romance author. Fforde likes chick lit because she thinks falling in love is the best sensation in the world, and the genre allows her to explore the experience.

She thinks chick lit and romance vary, but she understands why many people struggle to differentiate the two. Fforde was born in Wimbledon, London, in 1952. Writing is in her blood. Her sister, Jane Gordon-Cumming, is a writer.

Her husband’s cousin, Jasper Fforde, is also a writer. The author was late to the party. She only started writing after her third child was born. Initially, Fforde had dismissed publishing as a potential career because she couldn’t spell.

However, like many of her peers, she read voraciously, gravitating towards the likes of Georgette Heyer and Arthurian Legends during her childhood. As a published author that tells stories for a living, Fforde has found that writing isn’t nearly as difficult as she thought.

Although, she continues to grow. Plotting is the most challenging aspect of the process. The characters will jump into her imagination without warning. But it takes a while to craft a fitting plot around them.

Many people think ‘Living Dangerously’ from 1995 is the author’s first novel, and they are partially correct. ‘Living Dangerously’ was the first novel Fforde published. But by the time it came out, she had written several novels for Mills and Boon, which were never published.

The author was starting to lose hope when someone encouraged her to give historicals a go because of a shortage in the genre. Fforde acquiesced, generating a highly derivative plot about a girl dressing up as a boy to go out to sea and reading numerous novels by Patrick O’Brian during her research.

She penned half a manuscript before realizing she had no idea how people wrote on ships during that era (Napoleonic Wars). The tidbit was so vital to her plot that it stopped the author in her tracks.

Before she could research the concept, Fforde got a fortuitous phone call that introduced her to an agent who took her on, compelling the author to abandon the historical novel. She thinks some aspiring writers stumble because they don’t spend enough time doing research while searching for an agent.

They don’t understand that different agents have different requirements. They also forget to craft fitting cover letters when they query agents. She encourages them to join the Romantic Novelists’ Association (for romance writers) because attending the events will connect them to prospective agents.

But even when they secure an agent, Fforde wants aspiring writers to lower their expectations. She has encountered newcomers who become indignant because publishers rejected their first novels.

They don’t realize that the average author pens several books and receives multiple rejections before landing a publishing deal. Fforde speaks from experience. She wrote eight novels before getting her big break.

Best Katie Fforde Books

The author has been a Romantic Novelists’ Association chairman and president. She’s also responsible for the Katie Fforde Bursary, which targets aspiring writers who haven’t secured a publishing deal. Fforde’s best books include:

A Perfect Proposal: Sophie wanted to hit the ground running in Manhattan. Her family had never taken her seriously. That did not stop them from taking advantage of her practical skills. When her best friend invited her to New York, Sophie jumped at the chance to escape her family’s oppressive sensibilities.

The last thing she expected was for a spirited old woman to invite her for Thanksgiving to her home in Connecticut. She accepted the invitation, unaware that the woman’s attractive, arrogant, and over-protective grandson would oppose her at every turn, convinced that Sophie was out to take advantage of her grandmother.

Wedding Season: Sarah planned weddings for a living, but she was too busy to think about love. She had agreed to organize two weddings on the same day, an arduous undertaking. Sarah was confident in her ability to drag both events across the finish line.

The problem was the second bride, Sarah’s sister, who had high expectations and very little money. She was making a difficult task nearly impossible. Fortunately, Sarah was not alone. Her two best friends, a dress designer and a hairdresser, were more than happy to get into the trenches with her, even if it meant putting their own romantic aspirations on hold.

When Does The Next Katie Fforde book come out?

Katie Fforde doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Island in the Sun and was released on February, 15th 2024.

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