Get ready to learn more about the book Even Fairy Godmothers Need Help in this discussion with sapphic author Chloe Keto.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Chloe Keto about Even Fairy Godmothers Need Help, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Love After 40 category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Even Fairy Godmothers Need Help?
After I wrote Ransom to Love, my first ever novel, I felt that Marion, the owner of the coffee shop and Teri’s fairy godmother needed more. She was living alone, running a coffee shop in London. I wanted to know what happened to her, why she was there and why she was there for Teri at her lowest moment. It was too late for a holiday novella that year though, so I figured I might release it the next year. However, I was in a book club and the participants were asking about Marion… so I figured why not do something stupid and set myself the challenge of publishing it within two weeks?
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Gina is the fun one who brings light into Marion’s life. After Marion has been alone and focused on her business, widow Gina shows her that life’s not over just because you passed 50!
Gina is an author and a somewhat older woman – in those ways she’s maybe a little like me. However, she’s witty, fun and sexy with it. I can’t claim any of those!
What part of Even Fairy Godmothers Need Help was the most fun to write?
This was my first holiday novella so I wanted to be able to smell the mulled wine, hot chocolate and fir trees on the page. However, I also wanted the love to be something special so it was great to get the spark and fun into their story too. Kissing on a bridge in the centre of London was one of my favourite scenes!
How much research did you need to do for Even Fairy Godmothers Need Help?
Luckily, as a novella, the story is comparatively compact. I live near London so the places were easy to picture. I needed to do a little research on coffee making as the closest I’ve got to that has been watching my own being prepared. I’m sure nobody would trust me with a hot steam machine!
What is your writing process like?
I’m very much a plotter, although I’ve tried several different approaches from planning in a document, sticky notes to planning in a journal. As I’ve written different books I’ve found that the ideal is a mix of all the above. As such I often find myself opening doors to find sticky notes I’d forgotten about inside a wardrobe or on the back of a door. My wife wasn’t best pleased when she closed the kitchen door and found several colourful notes saying “Delay the sex … too early”
If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?
For me, I love authors I can learn from but also who are down to earth enough so I don’t feel intimidated. As such, I’ve been exceptionally lucky to meet many amazing authors at various events in UK.
However, if I had to pick one to spend a whole day with (and I can’t… because my choice would be a pair!) – it would be S-Jay Hart and Katherine Blakeman who are the ultimate pickup pair. A combo of inspiration, cheerleaders and taskmasters who motivate me to do better. Their writing is lyrical and sweet – but also accessible.
Is there a particular genre you would love to write but only under a pseudonym?
For me that’s erotica. I absolutely adore well written erotica that has real emotions and love entwined with the more physical narrative. I love the way some authors weave the two together so skillfully. Stories that challenge people’s perception that “sex is dirty” or that “BDSM is all about chains” are the ones that uplift me. It’s no secret Anna Stone has written my all time favourite book – Ensnared Hearts, for that reason. The vulnerability in her Domme character, Lydia, and the strength of her sub, Kat, simply inspires me. I would love to attempt something with more bite but only if I could do it justice.
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
In Ransom to Love there are a few scenes that have some truth in my own life. I lost track of the number of times I reread it while editing, but a few never failed to bring tears to my eyes. One was a flashback to when she was little and the poignancy of her wishes for the future – seen through the eyes of the love she’s experiencing in the present. The others I’ll leave readers to imagine as they read it.
Do you feel bad putting your characters through the wringer?
I absolutely hate being the horrible person to victimise my characters. My original plan was for Teri, in Ransom to Love, to be arrested but I chickened out. I simply couldn’t do it to her – not to mention I couldn’t quite work out how to get her out of that mess. In Even Fairy Godmothers, I needed a disaster to bring Marion and Gina together – I felt really bad about what I did to Gina’s beloved shop but I hope the end justified the means!
Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?
I’d love to say that it was a famous classic – but it wasn’t. People who are big, famous authors always felt way too remote and intimidating for me as someone whose longest writing credit was my dissertation. However, the pandemic gave rise to a few new authors – one of whom, Sabrina Kane, I found and loved her quirky, sunny outlook on love.
She was one of the first authors I got up the courage to approach and talk to. I found that, despite being a supernaturally tall redhead who rules the West coast of the USA, she was actually an approachable, funny person. That, along with her encouragement, gave me the confidence to embark on my own journey. I also met the most amazing crew of women as a beta reader for Sabrina, many of whom I remain close friends with.
Have you ever thought you’d hate a book, but ended up loving it?
Barbara Winkes’ “The Amnesia Project” scared the living daylights out of me. I was so scared I simply had to finish it so I knew what happened and it didn’t haunt me. The most scary facet was the sheer potential for it to bear any truth. However, as a story of love and hope, the eventual ending was the aspect that changed my mind. I am still scared of it but I can look on the love as inspirational against the backdrop of evil. That’s something as a Sapphic Trans woman in today’s society that I can’t get enough of – hope.
