Interview with Liz Bankes, author of Undeniable

Hello! Today - as part of the Undeniable Blog Tour - I have an interview with the lovely author, Liz Bankes. I've really loved both books by Liz Bankes that I've read - Irresistible and Undeniable. I love the humour and romance in her books, but also the amazing friendships too.  

If you'd like to know more about Undeniable or Liz Bankes, do visit the following websites:

Liz Bankes on Twitter ... Liz Bankes on Facebook ... add Undeniable to your Goodreads shelf

Hello and welcome to Fluttering Butterflies! Could you please tell me a little about yourself and your book, Undeniable.

Hello! And thank you very much for having me. I am Liz and I’m part-writer of teen romance books, part-assistant editor of children’s books and part-lover of cats.* UNDENIABLE is the follow up to my first book, IRRESISTIBLE, but the books can be read as stand-alones too. IRRESISTIBLE was the story of Mia and a summer of romantic entanglements. In UNDENIABLE it’s Mia’s best friend Gabi’s turn – she’s off to London to intern on her favourite teen drama for the summer and she meets a fun-loving extra called Spencer. It would seem the perfect opportunity for summer romance, but Gabi is reeling from a break up. And so trusting someone new is a huge deal. 

*I meant that I am a fan of cats, not that I am a person who has affairs with them. Just to be clear.

How different was writing Undeniable than writing Irresistible?

On one hand I felt more confident, because I learnt a lot from the editing process for IRRESISTIBLE. The first book felt like a real leap into the unknown – I’d never written anything that long before and I just went for it and thought ‘well I hope that counts as a book’. Everything my editor said was wise and good, so I kept it in mind for the second one. On the other hand it was hard writing as a different character – Mia’s voice in book one was pretty much the same as mine! Also, Gabi is my favourite character, so I wanted to do her justice!

What were you like at Gabi's age?

A female version of Will from the Inbetweeners. I spent a lot of time not getting into pubs and daydreaming about being cool. And stalking boys.*

*Just in the usual manner of lurking near them at parties and changing my route to school so I could walk past them, not the kind that gets you arrested.

Was there any particular scene in the book that you found really hard to write and had to keep returning to?

There’s a scene where Gabi phones her best friend Mia from the bathroom in Spencer’s house, after she’s had a lovely time with him, but isn’t sure what is going on. At first it was just played for comedy, with Gabi drunk and falling asleep on the loo, but I rewrote it quite a few times because I really wanted to get across that Gabi, who is usually very confident, is suddenly feeling unsure and insecure, but is covering it up. And that she needs Mia to be there for her, like Gabi was for Mia in book one. * Spoiler * She still falls asleep on the loo.

Which soap or television programme which you like to intern with?

It would definitely be a comedy. I’d go back in time and intern on Spaced or The Office – I irritate people by quoting from them a lot and it would be brilliant to have been there the first time those lines were said. I’d try and wangle a cameo as ‘short girl who walks past’ but would probably ruin it by laughing. Either that or I’d intern on Dawson’s Creek and make Pacey be my boyfriend.

Who is your fictional crush or favourite literary couple?

Well this is easy as my fictional crush is also one part of my favourite couple! It’s Dave the Laugh and Georgia from the Georgia Nicolson books. I’ve loved them since I started reading the series at the age of 12 and then spent years desperate for Georgia to sack off the silly Sex Gods and pick Dave! I think they show that the most important thing when it comes to love is having someone you get on with and who makes you laugh.

Gabi has a great circle of friends - if you could choose another fictional best friend for yourself and one for Gabi, who would you choose?

I am going to be repetitive and pick Georgia Nicolson as mine. She’d be full of wise boy advice, such drawing a face on a melon so that you have something to practise kissing on when your boyfriend’s not around. And that would mean I’d be part of the ace gang. It was something I really wanted to get across in this book – the focus is the romance, but it is important not to forget that your friends will be the ones who are there no matter what. I’ll give Gabi Jane Eyre – she has a bit of a miserable time of it and I think Gabi would take her out for some crazy dancing and cheer her up!

Which UKYA book have you most been looking forward to reading this year?

I was very much looking forward to the second Geekhood book from Andy Robb (Geekhood 2: Mission Improbable) coming out and it more than lived up to it! And it’s not YA, but it is difficult to explain how so very excited I am about Bridget Jones 3 coming out. It’s the kind of excited where you want to do a little dance when you think about it. Bridget is one of my absolute favourites and my inspiration for wanting to write romantic comedy.

Finally, what's next for you?

I am writing book three at the moment. It’s going to be a two-hander, featuring Cleo from book one and Rosie from book two. Cleo was Jamie’s quite terrifying girlfriend from book one. She’s very different to Mia and Gabi – (seemingly) very confident, as well as blunt and a bit mean, so it has definitely been fun writing as her. Rosie is one of those people who is nice to everyone and hates conflict, so it has been interesting to explore what she’s really like under the surface.


Ooh! I *love* the sound of a Cleo/Rosie book!  Thank you so much Liz for your fabulous interview! Be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the Undeniable Blog Tour too!

REVIEW: Undeniable by Liz Bankes

I really loved the previous book by Liz Bankes that I've read, Irresistible. It was really funny with great characters and some sizzling hot scenes. So I was very excited indeed to hear that Liz Bankes was writing another book about the same cast of characters, this time starring Mia's best friend, Gabi. And of course, you don't necessarily need to read Irresistible to understand everything going on in Undeniable, which I enjoyed.

I had really high hopes for another funny and hot book and that is just what I got wth Undeniable!  I loved Gabi and how much she puts herself out there, doing crazy things and telling it straight. I wish I were a bit more fearless and outgoing like Gabi. But things aren't so great with her either as she's dealing with a pretty crappy break-up.

So it's kind of perfect that in Undeniable Gabi gets to run off to London for her awesome summer job interning with her favourite soap and hanging about with hot actors ... even if she is just bringing them their coffees. On set she runs into Spencer who's good-looking and flirty and is a brilliant distraction from everything else.

I really loved this thing between Gabi and Spencer... The tension and chemisty between those two is - I have to say it - undeniable.  It really made me smile to see those two get together.  Even with some of the crazy and awkward situations that Gabi finds herself in.  And of course there were always questions that I wanted answered about Gabi's previous romantic relationships. 

And I wanted to soak up all the details that Liz Bankes threw us about Gabi's job as a runner for a television programme. It all sounded really fascinating with the audtions and scripts and some of the things that Gabi gets involved with to do with the production of it all. I was really interested in it all and it was lovely to see Gabi doing something she really enjoyed too.

The friendships though, the friendships that Gabi has with Mia and the other girls, even with her ex-boyfriend are really what made me love this book as much as I did. Even with Mia travelling abroad, there's still the brilliant connection. And while Gabi doesn't quite appreciate her circle of friends throughout, I still felt like they'd have been there for Gabi no matter what. And a girl always needs some friends to have her back through drunken escapades and to help her navigate through tricky/confusing/exciting new relationships. And everything else! 

This was a fantastic story, a wonderful blend of romance, friendship and humour. I'm certainly looking forward to more stories by Liz Bankes.

REVIEW: Irresistible by Liz Bankes

I really enjoyed Irresistible by Liz Bankes!  I thought it was absolutely hilarious and within the first few chapters, I had already laughed out loud several times, much to the annoyance of my husband who was trying to watch a film next to me.  I couldn't help it, there's some really funny stuff in this book.

I was a bit worried about the rest of the content though. My copy of the book has a 15 warning on the front cover and warns that this book 'contains scenes of a passionate nature.' I was thinking that perhaps the sexytimes within the book would end up taking over the story, but I needn't have worried. Liz Bankes writes some really great and chemistry-filled scenes between her characters, but it is in fitting with the story and is really quite tasteful. 

I really liked the characters in Irresistible, especially the main character, Mia, who at the start of the story is being interviewed for a job at the restaurant of a fancy country club nearby. Despite Mia's doubts, she ends up with the job and in a very short space of time she is both attracted to the owner's son, bad boy Jamie Elliot-Fox and is also flirting with the cute and nice Dan, who works in the kitchen.  Aside from Mia's romantic problems, I also really enjoyed Mia's complicated relationship with her step-father Jeff and also her friendship with her best friend. 

Right from the start, I really liked Dan.  I like how uncomplicated this relationship seems to be. There's no games or secrets in Dan's feelings for Mia and they seem to really get along.  But I can also understand and sympathise with Mia's growing attraction to Jamie.  He's not very nice and he seems to use the people around him for his own entertainment purposes. But oh, the sex appeal he emits! He certainly seems to be 'irresistible' both to Mia and to me as the reader and thankfully throughout the novel we can see some softer sides to him in his relationship with his little sister and also in some of the more private moments that he and Mia share. But we know right from the beginning that Jamie Elliot-Fox is toxic and I really worried what troubles Mia will get into, especially with her emerging friendship with Jamie's girlfriend, Cleo!

Irresistible was a quick read for me, I really flew through the pages wanting to know what happens next. I love the characters and the chemistry between Dan and Mia and Jamie. I look forward to reading what Liz Bankes will bring next!

Irresistible by Liz Bankes is currently available as an e-book and will be published in April by Piccadilly Press as a physical book. Look out for it!