We are happy to welcome Georgia Stone. Ask the author a question or leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of the book.

How long have you been writing?

One of the earliest stories I remember writing was a modern-day Cinderella retelling when I was probably about eight – written entirely in a bright pink notebook with a pink fluffy pen, of course.

As a teenager, I dabbled in fanfiction, but I had a habit of starting a fic and then getting distracted by a new idea and starting that instead. I think in the end, I only completed two stories – at the time, they felt like huge literary masterpieces, but looking back, I’m pretty sure they weren’t even a quarter of the length of my novels today.

I was a copywriter in my early and mid-twenties, and I thought I’d reached my peak with that – I was writing for a living! Over time, though, I became more and more aware that I wasn’t writing anything I was passionate about, so in 2022 I started writing The Friendship Fling.

So I guess, to summarise, in terms of novel writing, I’m still a baby, but I’ve been dipping in and out of writing my whole life. Eight-year-old me with her fluffy pink pen would be buzzing to see me now.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Try to enjoy the experience of writing your first book, because you’ll never get another experience like it again. You get to move at your own pace, it’s very much focused on figuring out if you even can write a book, and it’s overall so much fun just to let the story take you where it needs to without a deadline on your shoulders.

Also, don’t put too much stock in advice that speaks in absolutes. Never do this! Always do this! If you don’t do this, you’ll fail! A lot of advice out there is treated as if it’s universal, when really it should be situation specific. Know that you’re smart enough to figure out what works for you, your books, and your lifestyle.

What comes first, the plot or characters?

Definitely the characters. Sometimes they’re super clear right from the start, other times I just know their general vibes, but I usually end up building the plot around who the characters are. And as a romance author, one of the first things I decide is what kind of dynamic the two main characters will have, because that will inform how the romantic arc unfolds.
I always wish I could come up with super cool, fresh hooks and marketable ideas for the plot and then build my story and characters around that, but that’s just not how it works for me.

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.

A big part of my main character Ava’s arc revolves around her relationship with her twin brother Max. He shows up in the book a few times and is one of my favourite characters (mostly because he’s a bit of a menace, and unfortunately that is extremely hot to me).

No one would ever call Ava Monroe a people person, which isn’t ideal for a barista in a busy London coffee shop. She’s sarcastic, blunt, and cynical, and her relationships are strictly no strings attached. With her best friend Josie soon leaving for a year, Ava knows she’ll be all alone unless she shakes up her routine. But she can’t risk bringing chance back into her carefully controlled life.

Then insufferably cheerful, country-hopping, undeniably gorgeous Finn O’Callaghan rolls into her coffee shop with a horrifying proposal —a strictly friends-only summer fling. Finn needs a local to help him complete his London bucket list, and Ava needs to reassure Josie she won’t be on her own. And it’s only for a few months.

To Ava’s surprise, their mismatched friendship of convenience becomes oddly tolerable, and as they work their way through Finn’s list and around the sun-drenched city, from rooftops and floating bars to nights at the museum, their adventures—and Finn’s company—start to feel . . . nice. Incredibly, terrifyingly, dangerously nice.

Still, rules are rules—Ava has good reasons for them—and as the days get shorter, Finn’s departure gets closer. Because that’s the thing about summer: it always ends. Right?

About the AuthorGeorgia Stone is a romance author based in London. She writes love stories filled with heart, heat, and slightly ridiculous humor. Outside of writing novels, she’s usually swooning over other people’s stories, copywriting and proofreading for work, or doing a piece of entirely unnecessary DIY in her extremely colourful flat.