Today it's my pleasure to introduce to you Sophie Cousens whose debut novel
How to Get Ahead in Television won the LoveAtFirstWrite competition run by
Corvus and
Lovereading which saw the book being published last month.
Sophie Cousens has worked in television for over twelve years, working her way up from Runner to Series Producer. She has produced, among other things, The Graham Norton Show, Big Brother, Ant and Dec, Russell Howard’s Good News and most recently Murder in Successville for BBC3. Sophie recently won the LoveAtFirstWrite competition, run in partnership with Corvus and LoveReading with her debut novel How to Get Ahead in Television.
Before launching into a Television career, Sophie gained a History Degree from Edinburgh University. She currently splits her time between London and Jersey, TV Producing and writing. She lives with her husband Tim and spends lots of time growing vegetables, baking cakes and yearning for a time when she will be able to own a miniature dachshund.
Poppy Penfold desperately wants a career in television. After months of dead-end applications, she gets her big break with a temporary job as a runner for RealiTV. But to land a permanent role, Poppy will need to go head-to-head with fellow runner Rhidian: arrogant, highly competitive - and ridiculously good looking.
Poppy goes all out to impress, but somehow things don't go to plan. Whether failing to prevent a washed-up soap star from becoming roaring drunk during Scottish game show Last Clan Standing, or managing to scare the horses during the filming of Strictly Come Prancing, Poppy gets noticed for all the wrong reasons. With highly strung presenters and distractingly handsome producers in the mix, it's Poppy's determination that will see her win or lose her dream job, and maybe her dream man too...
Can you tell us a little bit about your debut novel How to Get Ahead in Television?
How To Get Ahead In Television is a romantic comedy set in the world of TV production. Poppy Penfold desperately wants to work in TV, but when she finally bags her dream roll as a TV runner, somehow things don’t go exactly to plan… The book sees Poppy working across a range of shows such as Strictly Come Prancing (a celebrity/horse themed dance show) and Changing Grooms (the latest wedding format which attempts to break couples up before their big day) all while getting a bit distracted by various love interests at the office. It’s a book for anyone who’s ever had a first job, anyone who’s ever fancied someone at work, and above all, anyone who wants to see what really happens behind the scenes of TV production.
