‘I’ve started book number 22 and all I had was a it being set in a shop at a location I have used before’

What is for certain, with book number 22 being written as you read this, bestselling author Milly Johnson knows how to spin a yarn.

Real-life incidents can light a trail in her mind to another story which will enthrall readers once it has made it to the page, even if it might take a darker route than first imagined.

Milly has told The Book Insider how she puts together a winning novel in the wake of more success with Together, Again which was released in paperback at the beginning of March.

Milly said: “I’ve just started book 22 and all I had to work with was that it was set in a shop in a location that I’ve used before.

“I’ve been too busy to do anything on it other than make that initial decision and pen a first page but in the meantime my head has started to spin a story and I can only liken it to a stick being put in a candy floss machine and the sugar strands starting to weave together.”

• 
  The Serpent Under continues Bonnie MacBird’s glorious Sherlock Holmes series
  “The sixth instalment from Baker Street continues to invoke the Holmes of Conan Doyle” There… Read more: The Serpent Under continues Bonnie MacBird’s glorious Sherlock Holmes series
• 
  Mona Susan Power spotlights harsh realities of indigenous people in National Book Award listed A Council of Dolls
  “There is every chance this will be viewed as a modern masterpiece” The harsh realities… Read more: Mona Susan Power spotlights harsh realities of indigenous people in National Book Award listed A Council of Dolls
• 
  GD Harper unravels the mystery of Arden and William Shakespeare
  “Thoughtful and entertaining with a fantastic mix of fact and fiction” Arden might not be… Read more: GD Harper unravels the mystery of Arden and William Shakespeare
• 
  Rupert Stanbury gives Pimlico to the People with homeless charity pledge
  “His characters went away with food for thought” Author Rupert Stanbury has pledged to give… Read more: Rupert Stanbury gives Pimlico to the People with homeless charity pledge
• 
  From small acorns grows Jules Acton’s mighty Oaklore
  “Adventures that help you see the wood from these extraordinary trees” Jules Acton is finely… Read more: From small acorns grows Jules Acton’s mighty Oaklore
• 
  A Bonsai Tree Called Geoff brings more arresting insights into the Police from ex-cop
  “There is something endearing about reading tall tales from a life’s work” John Donoghue has… Read more: A Bonsai Tree Called Geoff brings more arresting insights into the Police from ex-cop

Wih this philosophy in action, Milly admits she has had some success.

She continued: “A few more bits have ‘stuck to the stick’, a big one after I was recently at a dinner party and was speaking to a lovely gent with a health problem and my brain started to think ‘oooh – this would be a good storyline’.

“So I have a bit more substance to my candy floss, enough to start my book in earnest.”

Milly said that she was now ready to crack on with her new novel and told The Book Insider: “I have two lead characters and intend to bring in others from another book, and I have a location. And an old murder – I like a bit of dark in my books – and I will do my usual trick of just setting off my story with those elements in mind.”

Milly added that the process was still a little flying by the seat of her pants, so to speak, and admitted: “One word will go down in front of another 100,000 times and hopefully they’ll all be in the right direction.

“Because I don’t plan, I can only hope that I can pull it out of the bag for the 22nd time.”

Milly also shared why her books are so relatable to her readers, saying that it is the situations she writes about are what many would encounter.

The bestselling novelist said: “My books are full of real life instances because I write primarily about life and the things that bind us.

“Take my last three books which have been about grief: losing a partner and joining a grief counselling group where there are people who are also grieving.

“One woman is grieving the loss of her dog whom she loved more than she ever loved a human, and that is no less a grief. One man is grieving his mother and another wants to grieve but can’t and another is wrestling with the way their partner died, with lots of unanswered questions.”

Other real-life situations inspired other stories for Milly, as she looked to draw readers who had experienced similar circumstances.

She continued: “Then I wrote a book about a woman in the ‘sandwich generation’ as I am myself and I knew it would resonate with a lot of people looking after elderly parents, worrying about their children and also trying to fit in some semblance of a life for themselves as well.”

Speaking about Together, Again, Milly said: “My last book was about a narcissistic mother and I also knew that would hit a lot of nerves because not everyone who can have children, should have them.

“I always try and have my finger on the pulse of what will have a broad appeal as well as entertain.”

Buy Together, Again by clicking HERE.