BEST-SELLING romantic novelist Phillipa Ashley has revealed that two decades on from making her surprise debut she’s still brimming with ideas as she marks the landmark anniversary.
Despite penning over 30 novels during the past 20 years, 62-year-old Phillipa still admits getting "a buzz" on publication day – and her latest book, A Wedding Under the Cornish Sky, was no exception.
Philippa, who will release a second novel this year – Stay Another Christmas – has announced plans to hold a series of celebratory events in the UK, including three in Lichfield to mark her impressive milestone.
It will include appearing at The Hub at St Mary’s alongside her fellow author and friend Milly Johnson on 25th October.
The local novelist said:
"I can’t believe how 20 years have flown by or how I got to this point."
While she found her debut novel’s success "surreal" and "unexpected", Phillipa has never looked back, finding her stride and "place in the writing world" with seasonal novels in the romance genre set in Cornwall and the Lake District.
Despite marking 20 years at the top, the author – who believes TikTok has played a recent part in helping the romance genre to start "finally having its day in the sun" – has no plans to hang up her pen any time soon. Nor can she see herself ever leaving Lichfield.
The 62-year-old said:
"I have no plans to retire. I’m enjoying myself too much – and I don’t know what else I’d do anyway.
"This is my home. Lichfield and Staffordshire are beautiful, and the central location is great for visiting Cornwall, the Lakes, London and my family.
"Above all, our parents and my lovely friends live here."
Phillipa, who gets snippets of ideas from locations like news stories and anecdotes from friends, believes her success is in part due to readers being able to resonate with her novels because they offer warmth, escape and hope.
One reader message that she treasures is from Rowena Kincaid, a young woman who had documented her breast-cancer journey for the BBC, who, after discovering that her name was used in one of Phillipa’s novels, began reading her work.
The former Chasetown High School pupil added:
"She told me they gave her comfort during difficult times and I was able to dedicate a book to her before she passed away."
Having notched up such phenomenal success, including being a Sunday Times bestselling author, when asked if there was one piece of advice she would have given to her younger self, Phillipa said:
"To keep the faith and keep writing – which I have done – because it only takes one book to break out and reach your writing dreams."
A Wedding Under The Cornish Sky is out now and available to buy here.
