Thrilled to have one of my dearest author friends back on Off the Beaten Track, marking the publication of her passion project Lucky Number. And what a gorgeous cover!

Welcome back, Nina. Tell us what inspired you to write Lucky Number?

I honestly can’t remember where the idea to have a broken-hearted lottery winner came from. It’s so long ago now! I think it’s perhaps as simple as it just came to me and I loved the idea of addressing the age-old question of ‘can money buy happiness?’ It’s not inspired by personal experience sadly. However, from a practical/writing perspective, Lucky Number is probably the most important book I’ve written (to me anyway). It was the first one I ever wrote and I call it ‘my rehab book’ because I started writing it as a way of rebuilding my cognitive capabilities after a significant health event in my life. The inspiration to put fingertips to keyboard and actually write it rather than just having the idea floating around my head came about very unexpectedly. This excerpt from my Acknowledgements sums it up nicely:  

‘I wanted my life back and it felt like an impossible challenge. That was, until a conversation with an ex-boss of mine, Mel MacIntyre, during which she asked if I was using my time off sick from work to write the book I’d always wanted to write. At first, I was thrown by her question. I was far too unwell for that. But her words stayed with me and the seed that she planted grew into something special, helping me to identify what was missing from my recovery plan: ‘physio’ for my brain.  So, I started writing – just ten to fifteen minutes at a time. It was gruelingly difficult and painful to even sit at a desk, but the thing about me is that I can be a determined little bugger. I kept at it, and as I wrote, it got easier and I could write for longer – until eventually I had written my first ever novel: this book, ‘My rehab book’ or if I’m allowed to be a little dramatic, perhaps even the book that saved me. Because it didn’t just help me recover some of my cognitive capabilities, it gave me a renewed sense of self-belief when I badly needed one.’

So, while the book itself doesn’t have headline-grabbing inspiration behind it, Lucky Number has great personal meaning to me and I always wanted it out in the world. And it is now part of a two-book series (the sequel is called Another Lucky Number).

I note that you’ve gone down the independent publishing route with Lucky Number. Can you say a bit more about that?

Yes, of course. Lucky Number was originally called As Luck Would Have it – in fact, I self-published it back in 2016 (or thereabouts) and then took it down from Amazon six weeks later because I was offered representation by a literary agent (I was also querying at the time). However, despite it being the book that got me an agent, it was never bought by a publisher because it didn’t sit cleanly within any genre. I did get great feedback on it though, and that spurred me on to write more books and eventually become successful in getting traditionally published.

As the series still doesn’t have a clear genre (though there is a delicious romance thread that runs right through it), I decided to put it out there myself and have a proper stab at the indie publishing route this time. Though I love being traditionally published author and all the opportunities and learning that comes with that, I’m someone who enjoys being creative without boundaries and this independent approach allows me more of that. I’m also a doer and being in control of my own destiny quite suits me. I’ve enjoyed taking these stories in the direction I wanted them to go, managing the design of my covers and creating my promotional posts such as the one for my cover reveal. In fact, I’m currently doing the same with a children’s book I’ve written, the main characters of which are based on a couple of clay models I also made during my ‘rehab’ period. I will self-publish that too, hopefully this spring.   

It might seem like an odd move to some but it’s actually been a very deliberate one and one that has been great for my mental wellbeing and sense of fulfilment. I am by no means walking away from the traditionally published route and I guess if I were to have to put a label on my situation, I’ve gone ‘hybrid’.

What’s your most recent read that you’d like to recommend?

This is always a difficult question for me to answer. And if I’m totally honest, one that makes me feel a bit ashamed (though I know I shouldn’t). My cognitive issues, which are part of my health condition make reading difficult for me. I know, that sounds bizarre coming from an author (hence the shame), but I think it’s important to talk about these things. Writing is far easier for me and editing is also not too bad because it’s an active rather than a passive activity. I guess it must use different parts of the brain. But reading is a real challenge – I’m slow, I often struggle to take in the words and I find it difficult to concentrate if I’m not editing at the same time. I even find it challenging reading back my own work, which I’m already familiar with, so tinkering with my work as I go is really the only way to keep myself focused.

Previously, I put a lot of pressure on myself to read the books of other authors to support them and try to keep up (and I really do want to support my fellow authors) but it was creating stress for me and I was becoming over tired, and after my last covid infection I had to admit defeat. I haven’t stopped reading altogether, but I have accepted that it’s something I can’t do a lot of, especially when I’m already working with my own texts. That said, I adore stories and storytelling so I watch TV programmes and films – it’s my way of relaxing. I also recently made a great discovery. As long as I’m doing something to keep my brain active (washing dishes, cleaning, etc), I am able to listen to (and actually take in) audiobooks for short periods – and I really enjoy that.

Sorry, that really was a long way around a short cut! To finally answer your question, an audiobook that I recently listened to and really enjoyed was Mhairi McFarlane’s Between Us. Mhairi’s rise to fame coincided with the worst period of my health issues, so despite hearing great things about her books, I had never read one. And now I’m a fan, like so many others.    

What has been your author highlight over the past year?

I honestly think it’s been my shift towards taking the reins myself on some of my writing projects. It has given me such a boost.

What are you working on now?

Currently, I have a few things on the go. I’m getting Another Lucky Number ready for publication. I have the children’s book I mentioned that I am working on – the aim being to publish that this spring under a different pen name. I’m also about to start querying agents to seek representation for a non-fiction book I’ve written, and I’m working on the second book in a romance series I’m writing as well. It’s a juggling act and obviously not everything is in play at once. 

What do you hope readers will take away from Lucky Number?

I hope it will leave them wanting more because there’s a second instalment. Sorry, I had to add in a wee plug there. It’s generally a light-hearted easy read, but as with all my books, there is some poignancy and there are some more serious themes hiding in there. I think there’s an opportunity to reflect on the question of money and how important it really is to our happiness, as well as the important role of elderly people in our world and the benefits of having real experiences, not just doing everything virtually.

Her numbers have come up, but can money really buy her happiness?

Emma is stuck in a rut. Her boss is a bully, she’s missed out on a promotion at work and her partner is a sanctimonious git – not that she knows it until he heartlessly dumps her, leaving her homeless. In an unexpected twist of fate, Emma finds herself with a winning lottery ticket. She thinks a bulging bank balance will make all her problems disappear, and the first thing she’s going to do is have some fun by living like a millionaire for a week.

With romance off the agenda for the foreseeable future, a newly carefree Emma embarks on the experience of a lifetime. But between a series of run ins with a handsome yet irritating stranger and finding herself involved in one disaster after another, her life is soon unravelling again.

Will Emma realise that money doesn’t solve everything? And can she untangle herself enough from the mess she’s in to take a chance at real love?

Lucky Number is Nina Kaye’s answer to the question ‘Can money really buy me happiness?’ and she does a stellar job in exploring what we think will help us achieve happiness and those aspects that actually form the foundation of happiness – relationships with loved ones.

There are lots of twists and turns as Emma discovers what really matters, wonderful supporting characters, including a very scrummy travel agent, and plenty of Nina Kaye’s trademark humour and poignancy.

Nina Kaye writes warm, witty and uplifting reads with a deeper edge. She has previously published Stand Up Guy, Just Like That, One Night in Edinburgh, Take A Moment and The Gin Lover’s Guide to Dating. Nina lives in Edinburgh with her husband and much adored side-kick, James. In addition to writing, she enjoys swimming, gin and karaoke (preferably all together in a sunny, seaside destination).

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Thank you again, Nina, and huge congrats on Lucky Number.