I’m delighted to welcome to USA Today Best Selling British Author NICOLA CORNICK to Rakes and Rascals today for an exclusive interview.
Thank you very much for inviting me, Carol. I love the Rakes and Rascals blog and it’s a great thrill to be here!
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R&R:
Could you tell us where you were born and what it was like growing up there?
Nicola:
I was born in Bradford, a city in Yorkshire, and I grew up in Leeds, one of the biggest cities in the North of England. From being a small market town in the 16th century, Leeds grew into a city as a result of the industrial revolution. It was known for its mills, iron foundries, printing works and other industry. So it was a very urban setting in which to grow up.
My parents divorced when I was very young and my mother remarried. We lived in the northern suburbs of the city and I went to a small private school out in the country. It had originally been the dower house for Harewood House, the stately home where the Queen’s cousin lived, so it was quite grand. I’d won a scholarship but all the other girls were from wealthy families, which was something of an eye-opener to me! I didn’t really fit in socially but I did enjoy the classes. I was a bit of a history geek even at that age!
When I was eleven, my grandparents came to live with us in a rambling old Edwardian house. I was an only child surrounded by adults so my main entertainment was to read. I loved being outside so I would pick a book off the shelves – Rosemary Sutcliff or a Puffin adventure like Fell Farm Campers by Marjorie Lloyd, or A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley – and go and sit out in the garden reading.
Me as a little girl
R&R:
How would you describe yourself – temperamental or easy-going?
Nicola:
Hmm, I can be a bit of both. I have Scandinavian blood and a fair bit of northern melancholy in my soul so my mood can vary from sunlight to rain very quickly. However, I’m pretty easy-going with other people. It takes a lot to make me get angry and I usually simmer down equally quickly. If I’m feeling a bit gloomy I’ll just accept the mood and wait for it to pass. All these emotions provide good inspiration for writing so I feel blessed anyway.
R&R:
When it comes to food do you like sweet or savoury or both?
Nicola:
I’m more for savoury than sweet but having said that, I absolutely adore cream cakes and white chocolate!
R&R:
What is your most treasured possession?
Nicola:
That’s a very difficult choice. If I can’t choose either my husband or my dog (both of whom I treasure greatly but don’t think of as possessions) then I think I would go for my “Ashdown stone.” I work for the National Trust at a 17th century hunting lodge called Ashdown House and a few years ago there was a major restoration project to repair the house, which is built out of chalk. They opened up the original quarry that was used to build the house in 1662 and took stone from there to make the repairs. My wonderful husband, knowing how much Ashdown and its history mean to me, asked the stonemasons if they could engrave a piece of the chalk with the name of Ashdown House and the date, and then he gave it to me as a present.
My “Special Stone”
R&R:
If you were able to afford a second home anywhere in the world where would you choose and why?
Nicola:
Another very difficult choice! I love travelling and there are so many places I would like to see, but I love Britain and its history so much I find it difficult to think of living anywhere else for any length of time. So I think I would have a house on the west coast of Scotland, which is stunningly beautiful and where the sandy beaches and wild seas would definitely inspire me!
R&R:
Finally, what has been your most embarrassing moment?
Nicola:
Oh, there have been many! One that sticks in my mind happened when I was about twelve years old. It was at a time when the original series of Poldark was on the television, the one with Robin Ellis. I was totally hooked on it and besotted with Robin Ellis, and when a school trip to York to the theatre was arranged to see him in a play I was thrilled. I did make an impression on him, but not in a way I would ever want to remember. We were in the bar, drinking orange juice, when Robin came over to say hello to us. I was so utterly overwhelmed and excited that I didn’t realise the glass holding my orange was tilting and pouring the juice all over his shoes! He was terribly nice and charming about it (whilst mopping himself up!) but I was completely mortified.
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Thank you for taking time out to be here today and sharing these interesting facts about yourself, Nicola.
Thank you very much, Carol! It’s been a lot of fun.
If you would like to find out more about Nicola and her books, here are the links:
Rakes And Rascals 