05 June,2011 09:32 AM IST | | Yolande D'Mello
Claire Somerville, the marketing head for Mills & Boon was in the city recently. YOLANDE D'MELLO caught up with her on Marine Drive and got her talking about the novel in her hands and her parents' love story that began at the Gateway of India
What did you read while growing up?
I read a whole variety of things (none of them too literary, unfortunately), but I think fun reading is what got me into the habit of reading voraciously. My mother always wanted me to read the classics like Dickens and Elliot but I was too busy with Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie when I was a teenager.
Claire Somerville soaks up the sun on Marine Drive
Pic/ Santosh Nagwekar
What is it like working with Mills & Boon and how did that come about?
I've always worked in publishing but I started out quite by chance. I studied French and English in university, after which I was thoroughly confused about what I wanted to do, like all graduates. The Eighties were a very exciting time for the publishing industry and I began with Penguin as a secretary ufffd a very disorganised one! I slowly started by writing the blurbs that appear at the back of books and went on to work at publishing houses like Random House and Harper Collins. Right before Mills & Boon, I was working with a series of children's novels.
Which is your favourite Mills & Boon novel?
I was a big fan of Violet Windspear and Penny Jordon. They were the kind of books that would keep you away from your studies during exams.
I'm currently reading Susanne James Buttoned -Up Secretary.u00a0
Do you think romanceu00a0 is a success formula that will never get old?
Well, a lot of people have tried to copy our style and it hasn't worked. What does work is the rich portfolio of writers that we have and the way our characters change with readers. Our contemporary books look at real women and we put in a lot of research to represent diverse cultures and personalities.
There has been criticism about how Mills & Boons tends to give women false expectations of men and romance. What do you think of that?
I don't think our readers expect to meet a handsome Italian billionaire on a business trip and then end up falling in love with him. Our books are based on an escapist fantasy and it's all in good fun. We do cater to reader aspirations. At the end of the day, it's entertainment.
Have you had a chance to explore the city?
I've been to Mumbai many times but unfortunately all my sightseeing has been from the back of a taxi. Between my meetings I always make sure I take some time to visit the Gateway of India; it's the first thing my mum saw when she came to the country in the forties and this is where she met my dad. They got married and I was born in Kolkata.u00a0
Mills & Boon readers stand a chance to visit Italy on a holiday for two. For more information, visit their site: www.millsandboonindia.com/offers.php
