Book in Question – Raw Mistakes by Gwen Courtman.

Is there a bit of you in the characters, and who do you most relate to?

My reply.

What a fun question!  I like to think that there are bits of myself scattered throughout all the characters, well, at least the good parts of them all. I wish I had the beauty of Bree, the calmness of Carla, the loyalty of Nina, or the determination of Petra. But let’s face it, I’m just a tiny smidgen of each of them

I must confess, I do share some of their not-so-great qualities. Like Petra, I have the worst luck in love. Like Carla, I seem content with and have accepted my single status and prefer to throw myself into work projects to distract myself. Like Nina, I can be a bit too gullible and believe everything I’m told. Like Petra, I do have a soft spot for Zanzibar and love to travel as much as I can.

If I had to choose a character I relate to the most, it would have to be Bree. She’s a wedding photographer and business owner who has lived in the UK, Greece, and Italy – just like me. Bree and I share quite a few traits: I was a holiday rep in Rethymnon, worked in a bar in Italy, and even spent time in an old-fashioned hotel in a mountain ski resort. I’ve had my fair share of bad relationships similar to the ones Bree endured with Murray, Micky, Robby, and Luca. And yes, I did have a white shirt mishap similar to Bree’s, much to my embarrassment.  Like Bree, I leave my phone and bag at home at the worst moments.

My recipe for potatoes with washing-up liquid instead of olive oil is a true story. I almost ate it, but the bubbles and strange smell put me off at the last minute. I once made a cheesecake with salt instead of sugar and fresh strawberries instead of cocoa powder. And though it wasn’t mentioned in the book, I did bake bread so tough that my ex-boyfriend broke a tooth, and I had to rush him to the dentist.

I think that I’ll save the entertaining stories of my shared qualities, good and bad, with the other members of the ‘Raw Mistakes’ cast for another time.