Catherine Bennetto’s laugh

out loud romantic comedies deal with the “Bridget Jones” dilemmas of

contemporary life – unexpected pregnancies, failed love affairs – have been praised

by critics for their wit, charm and freshness.

Hello there, I’m your host

Jenny Wheeler and today Catherine talks about the darker side of rom com, working

on top TV shows, and  marrying your best

friend.

Six

things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode:

Why Catherine writes what she likes to readGetting started in TVIn favour of marrying your best friendNo pink fluff ! The darker side of romanceThe last book series she binge readOn going to work in a bikini

Where to find Catherine Bennetto:

Website: https://www.catherinebennetto.com/

 Twitter: @cathbennetto 

Facebook: @catherine.bennetto.3

What

follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for

word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions.

Jenny: Was there a “Once Upon A Time’ moment when you decided you must write fiction or you would have somehow let yourself down, or not completed something you were meant to do?  And if so what was the catalyst for it?

Catherine Bennetto - fresh rom com

Catherine: No, I actually can't remember a time when I didn't write because I remember my first book, if you could call it a book that I wrote. I think I was about nine or ten and even though I'd always written, I'd written poems.

I've got scraps of paper that my grandma has kept, when I wrote things for her when I was six and seven and I just always knew I wanted to write a book. But I didn't actually sit down to go 'Now I'm going to write a novel' until I wanted to be a bit older. So I went into television and did all of that, knowing that I would always write a book because I had always written.

I just wanted to be a bit more worldly and write with a bit more authority rather than completely make it up. So I started - I can't remember how old I was, in my thirties - and that's when I felt mature enough that I could actually write with authority on what I wanted to write on. But no, I was always, always going to write a book.

Rom Coms a natural choice

Jenny: You’ve published two well received rom coms aimed – dare I say it – fairly squarely at Gen Y and Gen X readers.  Was it a case of writing what you like to read -  more strategic? What made you decide on rom coms as your genre?

How Not to Fall In Love Actually

Catherine: No, it definitely wasn't just strategic. If there are people out there who can do that, then they must be brilliant. But no, I write what I actually can write I think and also what I like to read.

I like to read everything but I lean towards things definitely with comedy. I think even when I write things with a dark subject matter they come out a bit flippant and I can't seem to help myself. So now I write what I like and I never worried whether anybody was going to like it or read it. I wrote it squarely for myself and it's just amazing that it got published.

Jenny: Your debut novel was How Not to Fall in Love Actually. A play on the much-loved movie Love Actually – and your heroine worked in TV.   That was easy for you – because that’s what you did too, isn’t it?

Getting started in TV

Catherine: Yes, I've worked in TV since I was 22, I think, so in that book she's got my exact job. Behind the scenes TV is so funny and so nuts and full of so many odd characters. You've got so many different people from different walks of life trying to make the same thing. I just had to write something that was sort of semi-based 'behind the scenes' because I had such a wonderful time working in television and everybody was quite nuts. So that was pretty fun.

NZ's popular soap - Shortland Street

Jenny: And the little mentions about getting the different extras that have to fill different roles, there's a real comedy with all of that as well.

Catherine: Yes,