Astrid Arditi was born from a French father and Swedish mother. She lived in Paris and Rome before moving to London with her husband and daughter back in 2013.
After dabbling in journalism, interning at Glamour magazine, and teaching kindergarten, Arditi returned to her first love: writing.
She now splits her time between raising her kids (a brand new baby boy just joined the family) and making up stories.
A Cunning Plan is Arditi’s first published work.
Astrid Arditi has been kind enough to give an interview so readers can learn more about her:
Where did you grow up ? Siblings ? Locale ? Were you considered a « bookworm » or a jock ? Married, single ? Children ?
I grew up in Paris. My dad is French and my mom is Swedish. I have three siblings, one half sister seven years older than me and a younger sister and brother. We were all born one year apart. Courageous mom !
Although I hung out with the jocks, I was incredibly shy and insecure. I was a bookworm at heart, spending hours lost in Barbra Cartland’s novels but the cool crew allowed me to trail them around. My so-called “girlfriends” loved to make fun of me and take me down. My teens were fairly lonely.
I’ve been married for three years now and have an almost three-year-old tsunami of a daughter (barely made it into my wedding dress, just couldn’t wait to become a mother) and a sweet, contemplative baby boy. We moved to Brooklyn earlier this summer.
Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?
My all time favorite author is Stefan Zweig, particularly his short stories and biographies. In romance, I’m a die-hard fan of Janet Evanovich. I also love Helen Fielding and her Bridget Jones.
What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge? Hobbies?
Anything that doesn’t include my kids these days (Although I’m incredibly grateful for them). Reading or hanging out with friends, eating cakes.
Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” Oscar Wilde
How long have you been writing?
Pretty much all my life, but with a professional intent for the past 6 years, which is when I met my husband. He believed in my talent when I wasn’t ready to do it for myself.
Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?
I write in cafes. First because my kids aren’t there, and second because I love being surrounded with life as I write. Snippets of conversation, heads huddled together as if sharing a secret, any ordinary detail can inspire me. I also need to concentrate that much harder to keep the ambient noise out whereas at home I get distracted way too easily. My laptop follows me everywhere although I’m very much a pen and paper gal. I only write with my special pens, pink, turquoise, purple and blue, just like I did in high school
Are you a plotter or a panzer?
A bit of both I think. I need an outline and a strong sense of direction before I can begin to write but then I love it when my characters surprise me and I’m always willing to let them take a detour.
Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?
My work is mostly fiction but Claudia, my heroine’s best friend was strongly inspired by my old housekeeper. She worked for me when my daughter was born and I was feeling lonely in London. We became close friends till she disappeared one day. I was thrilled when she contacted me again the day of A Cunning Plan’s publication. Best launch gift!
Do you set daily writing goals? Word count? Number of chapters? Do you get a chance to write every day?
I try to write every day but with young kids it’s not always possible. I usually write for two to three hours per day – about 1,500 words.
What do you hope your writing brings to readers?
I hope I can inspire women to reach their full potential. Sloane may appear impossibly weak and submissive at first, almost unbelievably so, but I do know many women who take an incredible amount of abuse because of their insecurities.
I’m also simply hoping to give people a good time because sometimes you just need to laugh.
What long-term plans do you have for your career?
I foresee many more adventures for Sloane and Ethan. I’d also love to write YA fantasy some day, when my kids are old enough to read my novels.
Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?
Book 2 in the Sloane Harper series, A Cunning Heist.
What advice would you give to unpublished authors?
Don’t let your insecurities get the best of you. If you want to be an author, nothing’s stopping you. Write then write some more so you can hone your skill, for yourself first and foremost.
There are so many opportunities for authors nowadays… A shiny publishing deal isn’t the only way to share your words with the world.
A fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you.
I have a fish phobia. Started when I was about ten. Give me the choice between a pool with a gold fish and one with a shark and I’ll always choose the latter.
Something about you that would surprise or shock readers.
My first language is French. I only truly learned English in my early twenties.
A Cunning Plan is book one in the Sloane Harper series. I have no set number of books in mind although I believe every good thing must have an end. I’ll keep writing this series as long as Sloane keeps me entertained and impatient to know what she plans next.
Can you give readers a blurb about A CUNNING PLAN?
Determined to put her family back together, Sloane Harper stalks her ex husband and his annoyingly stunning mistress, Kate. And she’s not the only one. Handsome IRS agent Ethan Cunning is surveying them too, but not for the same reasons. He is attempting to nail Kate’s playboy boss.
Ethan and Sloane decide to help each other, which sends Sloane’s wobbly life spinning out of control. She’ll have to face danger, humiliation, and scariest of all, the dating scene, to lure her daughters’ father home.
Losing control was the best thing to happen to Sloane… until it turned lethal.
How about an excerpt from A CUNNING PLAN:
So far, I have spent more than ten hours this week parked on the exact same street, in front of the exact same building, staking out my husband’s mistress. To be exact, Tom was my ex-husband now, but I was pretty sure he was still my husband when Katherine Stappleton started screwing him.
A sideways glance confirmed Claudia’s eyelids had finally closed, and I sighed in relief. If I had to listen to one more minute of heavy metal, I would hurl myself or my housekeeper extraordinaire out of the car window.
I shot my hand toward the Mini Austin’s radio. But just as the angry voices faded in favor of a monotonous radio show, Claudia’s hand lashed out and slapped my wrist away.
“Go back. I love that song.”
“But I don’t understand Polish,” I said with a pout.
“It’s music, you don’t need to understand it,” she countered, her eyes still closed.
My teeth hurt from the loud screeching she called music. I considered looking for Magic FM again, but Claudia read my mind first. She snapped open one fierce blue eye.
“Don’t,” she warned.
Heavy metal music wasn’t nearly bad enough to risk incurring Claudia’s wrath and chancing her leaving. Listening to any kind of music with her definitely beat sitting in the car alone.
I gave a last, longing stare at the radio then turned my attention to the dashboard’s digital clock. It was 3:43 p.m. according to the flashing orange numbers. Sighing, I thought again of how much time I’d spent here.
The details of my husband’s ‘infidelity’ mattered; they changed the way one perceived things. On one side, you had my ex’s new girlfriend, and on the other, the tramp who stole my husband. Doesn’t have the same ring to it, right?
The same way if you asked Katherine Stappleton, she might have described my endeavor as ‘stalking’ rather than ‘staking out’. If she knew I was hiding in front of her work place, that is, and I was extremely careful not be noticed. Plus, I never left the car or followed her home -the definition of stalking. Legally speaking, I was in the clear. I’d checked on Yahoo Answers.
Where can readers find your books?
How can readers learn more about you?
Twitter @astrid_arditi https://twitter.com/astrid_arditi
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?
I love to connect with my readers. It’s still hard for me to comprehend my book was published and knowing strangers out there are reading my words and hopefully enjoying my story is a gift. So please, don’t remain strangers and feel free to contact me!
Astrid is giving a $50 Amazon Gift Card to two people who commend on her post. Good through 9/30. Readers can follow the tour below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
