Jo Thomas, author of 'Escape to the French Farmhouse' - Romance writer talks food and family, retreats and incredible research trips.

Jo Thomas has carved out a fantastic niche in fiction. She writes escapist romance set in idyllic locations across the world. To accurately tell these stories, she takes amazing research trips all over the globe, diving straight into it, getting a feel of the food and drink, before dreaming up a love story that fits everything.She's told stories about Galway, Puglia, Sicily, and her new book is set in Provence. 'Escape to the French Farmhouse' is about Del starting a new life in France, happy and alone, after her husband moves back to England.Jo worked for many years as a reporter and producer, first for BBC Radio 5, before moving on to Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Radio 2's The Steve Wright Show. In 2013 Jo won the RNA Katie Fforde Bursary. Her debut novel 'The Oyster Catcher' was a runaway bestseller in ebook. It was awarded the 2014 RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the 2014 Festival of Romance Best Ebook AwardWe talk about being a morning person, her hectic writing routine of a year, the detailed synopsis she writes before she starts, and how she's managed to wangle one of the best writing lives ever.If you enjoy the episode, please do support the show on patreon.com/writersroutine.@writerspodwritersroutine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.