The Temp

What if your dream job became your worst nightmare?
Bella seems to have it all – a beautiful home, a brilliant career, a loving husband and teenage daughter, and supportive family and friends. The only thing missing is her body confidence.

So, when her PA goes on maternity leave, she decides against hiring a temporary assistant and employs a personal trainer instead. Why squander hard-earned cash on a temp when she could put the money to better use? Surely, she deserved some happiness after years of being a mum, wife, and housekeeper.

But little did she know Frank would want more than tightening her glutes and toning her biceps. Angry and frustrated for making the wrong choice, Bella sacks Frank and hires a temp, Daisy.

Daisy has settled in nicely. She thinks she’s landed a great job. But if Bella thinks she can happily move on, as if Frank never existed, she may have to think again…

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Kelly Florentia was born and bred in north London, where she continues to live with her husband Joe, and where her novels THE MAGIC TOUCH, NO WAY BACK, HER SECRET, MINE, and THE TEMP are set.

Kelly has always loved writing. Before penning her debut she wrote short stories for women’s magazines. To Tell a Tale or Two is a collection of her short tales. In January 2017, her keen interest in health and fitness led to the release of Smooth Operator – a collection of twenty of her favourite smoothie recipes.

As well as writing, Kelly enjoys reading, walking, running, going to the gym, cooking (but not the cleaning up part), watching TV dramas – especially psychological thrillers, and spending way too much time on social media.

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Today I’m delighted to welcome Kelly Florentia back to my blog, as she publishes her fifth gripping novel, The Temp. It follows the highly acclaimed Audrey Fox series; No Way Back and Her Secret, The Magic Touch, a spooky romantic suspense, and her bestselling psychological thriller, Mine.

BH: Hi Kelly, thank you for joining me today. And can I start by wishing you a happy publication day and many congratulations on The Temp, which launches today.

KF: Thank you so, so much, Beverley, for your well wishes and for inviting me!

BH: I’ve read the blurb and am loving the sound of The Temp already. The plot sounds very original; can I ask, what inspired the story?

KF: It’s a bit tricky to explain the inspiration behind The Temp without giving too much away. What I will say is that I wanted to write a story about siblings – the closeness and the rivalry. I think I’ve achieved this with Bella (protagonist) and her younger sister Zelda. One sister seems to have it all, while the other is a struggling baker. One night, something happens that changes their lives forever.

BH: I know that you’re somewhat of a fitness fiend yourself; is Bella based on you, or any of your gym friends?

KF: I do enjoy going to the gym (sometimes!). Most of the time I drag myself there! However, Bella isn’t based on me. We’re from different worlds, which is what makes writing fiction so exciting. That said, I suppose all my characters have a little bit of me in them. Frank, on the other hand, does bear an uncanny resemblance to one of the trainers at the gym. I couldn’t conjure up an image of Frank until I saw him, and then, of course, I couldn’t stop staring at the poor man. It was a bit of a eureka moment. I thought, that’s Frank! I then brought him to the forefront of my mind whenever I wrote the Frank scenes. And gawped at him whenever I saw him at the gym.

BH: And do you see The Temp as a standalone thriller, or do the characters have more to give?

KF: I’ve no plans to write a sequel but I do think it could work as a series. The plot is quite intricate and all the characters are deep, each with their own background story, which could be explored in other books.

BH: Who are you reading at the moment? And can you name some of your favourite authors.

KF: I’ve just finished reading a novel by Freida McFadden and am about to start Maggie in the Middle by Debbie Vigianno, which is also a new release. I enjoy books by Louise Candlish, Lesley Kara, Jane Corry and Adele Parks. They’re all incredibly talented authors, but the plan is to start reading novels by lesser-known authors for the rest of the year. There is SO much talent out there but a lot of brilliant novelists don’t get the acclaim, recognition, or sales that they truly deserve.

BH: I’m in awe of your social media prowess, Kelly. We originally met on Twitter, when we were both signed to the boutique publisher, Urbane, but these days you’re also very active on Instagram and Tik-Tok. What are your thoughts on social media? How important is it for authors?

KF: I loved being a part of Urbane and was sad when they folded. It was a close-knit outfit. On the plus side, I got to meet some fabulous fellow authors, some of whom are now friends! On the social media front, I think it’s very important to be active on the platforms. Particularly on TikTok and Insta. I’m not going to say that it’s easy because it isn’t. Well, not for me. You have to be consistent and creative. You need to think of new ways to showcase yourself as a writer and promote your books, without making it all too spammy. The posts have to be interesting enough so that the viewer doesn’t scroll on. Some authors, I won’t name them, are brilliant on TikTok. They come across really well and their content is so engaging. I’m not an extrovert, so I find it harder. Readers like to connect with the author and social media has made this possible.

BH: What’s next? Are you working on your next novel? And if so, can we expect another thriller – or a modern romance like the popular Audrey Fox series?

KF: I’m about to make a start on a new psychological thriller. It’s a genre I enjoy writing in at the moment. I would also love to write a third Audrey Fox one day. She is one of my favourite protagonists!

BH: Lastly and just for fun, The Temp is being made into a film! Who would you cast?

KF: Ah, what a lovely thought. I often have someone in mind when I’m writing character scenes. Most of the time it is someone famous. Gillian Anderson, Michelle Collins, or Kate Blanchett would be great as Bella. Toby-Alexander Smith would make a good Frank, and I pictured Angela Scanlon as Daisy. But can I also say, because she is one of my favourite characters in the book, Linda (Bella’s best friend) would be played by Nikki Amuka-Bird.

BH: Kelly, lovely to chat about books again. I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing The Temp shortly,
but meanwhile, readers can order from Amazon now.

KF: Thank you so much for having me.

BH: My pleasure, Kelly!

You can also follow Kelly on social media.

Website: kelly florentia | AUTHOR

Twitter @kellyflorentia

Facebook: @KellyFlorentiaAuthor

Instagram: @kellyflorentia

Tiktok: @kellyflorentia