Today I’m delighted to feature author Pernille Hughes. Pernille is a firm believer that love and laughter go hand in hand, so that’s what she writes about.

Before she moved to writing full-time, Pernille Hughes studied Film & Literature at university. After she graduated she went on to market Natural History films before working in Children’s television, which meant living in actual Teletubbyland for a while! From 2011–2015, she was a regular contributor for The Sunday Times column ‘Confessions of a Tourist’. She’s had two novels published to date – Punch-Drunk Love and Probably the Best Kiss in the World – and her new book Ten Years is released on August 31st 2022. 

Pernille lives in Buckinghamshire, England and while the kids are at school she scoffs cake and writes stories in order to maintain a shred of sanity. 

Over to Gordon:

Which five pieces of music/songs would you include in the soundtrack to your life and why?

For our wedding we originally wanted Wedding Day at Troldhaugen by Grieg for my walk up the aisle, but the organist bluntly said no, it wasn’t an organ piece. Ok then… We switched to our second choice Pachelbel’s Canon in D major.

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I had two miscarriages after my first child and Feel by Robbie Williams resonated with me during that time. Scroll on by 18 months and I had three new babies (surprise twins, thirteen months after baby two) and the chorus of Shining by Kristian Leontiou (I will not be beaten, You have yet to see me shining, Shining, I won’t take this lying down…) became my new anthem as I tried to manage four children under five.

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Who wants to live forever by Queen but played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. It was simply one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. It made me quite teary and I’m not a teary person.

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Brown-eyed girl by Van Morrison. My husband of 20 years requests this song for me. My eyes are green.  (We change the words as we sing it… We are such saps.

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What five things (apart from family and friends) would you find it hard to live without.

Books (I’m sure all the authors say this.)

Chocolate (I’m sure all the romance authors say this.)

Pen & paper

Airpods with a smartphone, purely for the podcasts/audiobooks.

My duvet, for warmth and comfort.

Give five pieces of advice to your younger self?

Ignore your career’s teacher’s opinion. You can write.

Try not to worry so much about what others think of you. It’s a long time until your forties when you’ll toy with the mantra of ‘F**k’em’, but I can tell you already that it’ll help …

Try to learn to deal with conflict better. (Although much of your writing-fuel will be playing out ‘what you should have said’… )

Everyone peaks at different times in their lives. Your time is not in secondary school, but that’s OK, life is long, and just imagine if your ‘best time’ was before you were twenty!

When you are working in Cannes in October 1999, don’t drink so much. You’re pregnant.

Tell us five things that most people don’t know about you

I can’t whistle

I am scared of submarines

I have skied with Pavarotti’s undertaker

I took a poledance class as research for my debut Punch-Drunk Love. It was fab; I laughed for the entire 90 minutes, I couldn’t walk for the next three days.

Goats cheese makes me gag.

Tell us five things you’d still like to do or achieve.

It was thrilling get published at all, but now I’d like to be on my fifth book by the time my children leave home.

I dreamed of having a translation of my work, and with my new book Ten Years, the rights sold to Germany which was incredible. Zehn Jahre du und ich comes out this August, both in ebook, paperback and audio. I’d love to have more translations. Seeing your stories in different languages is amazing.

I’d like to have a travel adventure with my husband. We had our kids quite young, so being able to travel more or even live in a different country for a while is within possibility in a few years.

Like most authors, it would blow my mind to see my stories on screen.

I’d like, one day, to have that moment when I see a stranger across a train carriage, plane aisle or swimming pool, reading a book I’ve written.

Thanks so much for joining me Pernille, it’s been a pleasure. It was a joy to hear Kristian Leontiou again, I have his debut CD and virtually played it out. We may have been separated at birth Pernille – books, chocolate and a duvet how could anybody live without them. Plus as somebody who has just entered the 21st century and bought myself some bluetooth earbuds I’m spending far more time listening to audiobooks – so much easier. I’m not a lover of goats cheese either. Skiing with Pavarotti’s undertaker certainly needs expanding on, we need to know more! Delighted you’ve been able to see at least one book in translation, I’m sure the others will follow – hopefully being read by some stranger opposite you on a train/plane.

Pernille’s Books

(NB This post features Affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)

Ten Years

‘Some days I feel like I’ve lived more than one lifetime, so, couldn’t we be right for each other this time around?’

Becca and Charlie have known each other since university.
Becca and Charlies have also hated each other since university.

Until now. Until Ally’s bucket list. The death of their loved one should mean they can go their separate ways and not look back. But completing the list is something neither of them can walk away from.

And sometimes, those who bring out the worst in you, also bring out the very best…

Over the course of ten years, Becca and Charlie’s paths collide as they deal with grief, love and life after Ally.

Probably the Best Kiss in the World

Jen Attison likes her life Just So. But being fished out of a canal in Copenhagen by her knickers is definitely NOT on her to do list.

From cinnamon swirls to a spontaneous night of laughter and fireworks, Jen’s city break with the girls takes a turn for the unexpected because of her gorgeous, mystery rescuer.

Back home, Jen faces a choice. A surprise proposal from her boyfriend, ‘boring’ Robert has offered Jen the safety net she always thought she wanted. But with the memories of her Danish adventure proving hard to forget, maybe it’s time for Jen to stop listening to her head and start following her heart…

Punch-Drunk Love

True love packs a punch…

Tiffanie Trent is not having a great week. Gavin, her boyfriend, has dumped her unceremoniously on their tenth anniversary, leaving her heartbroken and homeless.

Frank Black, the owner of Blackie’s boxing gym and where Tiff has been book-keeper for the last decade, has dropped dead. He’s not having a great week either.

And if that wasn’t enough, Mike ‘The Assassin’ Fellner, boxer of international fame and Tiff’s first love, is back in town and more gorgeous than ever. Tiff can’t seem to go anywhere without bumping into his biceps.

When she discovers Blackie has left her the gym, Tiff, with her saggy trackies and supermarket trainers, is certain she’ll fail. Can Tiff step up and roll with the punches, or will she be down and out at the first round?

Love Stories : Ukraine

Love Stories is an anthology of short stories from your favourite women’s fiction authors, raising money for the DEC’s Ukrainian Humanitarian Appeal.

Featuring contributions from Adele Parks, Milly Johnson, Jane Fallon, Katie Fforde, Jane Corry, Jessica Fellowes, Cathy Bramley, Holly Martin, Paige Toon, Rachael Lucas, Clare Swatman, Bernice Bloom, Josie Lloyd, Kate Gray, Gillian McAllister, Gill Paul, Rachel Edwards, Amanda Jennings, Chrissie Manby, Emily Kerr, Kirsty Greenwood, Phoebe Morgan, Tammy Cohen, Veronica Henry, Alex Brown, Pernille Hughes, Tasmina Perry, Lola Jay, Cesca Major and Isabelle Broom, Love Stories is a perfect escapist read, with 100% of the profits from the anthology going to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

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GET THAT HOLIDAY FEELING ALL YEAR LONG!

44 sun-kissed stories from some of the hottest names in women’s fiction (see whopping list of talent below).

How’d you like to go diving in Grand Cayman, dancing on a yacht in Monte Carlo, swanning around Parisienne patisseries and safari-ing in South Africa? We’ll take you there!

SUNLOUNGER was the #1 Short Stories Bestseller in the Kindle Chart last summer and this year’s collection is even more diverse with chilling thrillers mixed in with the romance and adventure. But which story will you read first? So many names to choose from…

EUROPE: Katie Agnew – Valerie-Ann Baglietto – Laurey Buckland – Jo Carnegie – Poppy Dolan – Matt Dunn – Janey Fraser – Sophie Hart – Emma Heard – Pernille Hughes – Molly Hopkins – Margaret James – Milly Johnson – Belinda Jones – Lucy Lord – Chrissie Manby – Cressida McLaughlin – Kiri Mills – Wendy Rigg – Talli Roland – Juliette Sobanet – Katie Stephens – Jo Thomas – Anna-Lou Weatherly – Julia Williams

AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN: Tracy Bloom – Carrie Duffy – Tony Horkins – Louise Marley – Holly Martin – Martel Maxwell – Nigel May – Ilana Fox – Ruth Saberton

WORLD: Jessica Adams – Hannah Beckerman – Rosie Blake – Lisa Dickenson – Ella Fairlie – Roisin Meaney – Nicola Moriarty – Alexandra Potter – CL Taylor – Stephanie Whalstrom

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Take a trip around the world with 44 of the hottest writers in Women’s Fiction!

This bumper collection of sun-kissed short stories will have you boarding a millionaire’s yacht in St Tropez, exploring a sheik’s palace in Dubai, swimming with dolphins in Australia, partying in Ibiza, surfing in Hawaii, roaming ancient ruins in Turkey and sipping Limoncello in Italy!

Whether you read it on your favourite beach (Sunlounger features golden sands from Greece to Mauritius) or on your daily commute or coffee break you will be spirited away on a variety of adventures – some will make you chuckle with delight, some will make your heart pang, others will inspire you to live your life to the max!

There’s even a matching Sunlounger website – http://www.va-va-vacation.com – featuring exclusive interviews with each of the fabulous authors on board:

Katie Agnew, Valerie-Anne Baglietto, Rosie Blake, Alexandra Brown, Laurey Buckland, Abby Clements, Miranda Dickinson, Carrie Duffy, Ilana Fox, Victoria Fox, Emma Garcia, Michele Gorman, Kirsty Greenwood, Kate Guest, Kate Harrison, Lisa Heidke, Molly Hopkins, Pernille Hughes, Margaret James, Belinda Jones, Lucy Lord, Chrissie Manby, Louise Marley, Holly Martin, Nigel May, Martel Maxwell, Roisin Meaney, Kiri Mills, Nicola Moriarty, Tamsyn Murray, Emily O’Neill, Lynda Page, Carmen Reid, Wendy Rigg, Lucy Robinson, Talli Roland, Ruth Saberton, Nancy Scrofano, Cally Taylor, Sasha Wagstaff, Anna-Lou Weatherley, Julia Williams, Lara Williamson, Tiffany Wright

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