All about the novel The Upper Crush
Who is Evie Alexander?
Evie is an award-winning author of sexy romantic comedies with a very British sense of humour…
A self-confessed ‘method writer’, Evie has taken it upon herself to live a full and messy life, from which romantic and personal failures become fodder for her laugh-out-loud plotlines.
Imaginative, passionate and frequently called ‘bonkers’ by her friends, Evie’s interests include reading, eating, saving the world, and fantasising about people who only exist between the pages of her books.
Her debut novel Highland Games won Best in Category in the The CHATELAINE Book Awards for Romantic Fiction and Women’s Fiction 2021.
Evie lives in the West country with her family, where she pens her steamy stories from the Smut Hut.
What is The Upper Crush about?
Lady Estelle Foxbrooke is done cleaning up the mess left by her wild parents. She’s got a plan: take the reins and save the family estate her way. But then she’s saddled with a business partner she’s hated all her life. He’s her twin brother’s worst enemy and looms in her path like a six-foot-four hurdle.
After a catastrophic business failure, rich and successful James Hunter-Savage has watched his dream life in London crash and burn. Forced to ditch the city for the Somerset countryside, he’s now living with his parents and expected to work with the infuriatingly attractive Estelle. She’s sharper than a whip, pushes all his buttons, and seems determined to break him.
As Estelle and James jockey for position, their explosive personalities combust into passion, sending Estelle’s plans to the edge of ruin. With James’s flimsy reputation in tatters, and the biggest event on the Foxbrooke calendar on the brink of collapse, will they realise their love is worth fighting for? Or are their hearts and hard work heading for the ultimate fall?
Interview
What was your inspiration for The Upper Crush?
I created both characters of Estelle and James in Love ad Lib and loved Estelle from the outset. She’s fiercely loyal, brash and funny, with a heart of gold. However her outward self-confidence hides someone who’s tired of working non-stop to sort out the messes her father creates and just wants to find someone to share her life with.
James, on the other hand is one of the villains of Love ad Lib and EVERYONE hates him, including me! But because I like a challenge, I decided to make him the hero of book three in the Foxbrooke series and see what happened when I put him and Estelle together… The result is the most enemies-to-lover book I’ve ever written and one of the steamiest…
What drew you to writing?
I’ve always created stories in my head and acted them out when I was a kid. Aged eight, my primary school teacher recognised my love of writing and gave me a notebook to write my stories down. This was a pivotal moment in my life and gave me confidence at some level to keep pursuing my passion.
How did you choose which character to centre the story around?
Estelle was a no-brainer. She’s one of my favourite side characters in Love ad Lib and An Unholy Affair and I couldn’t wait to write her story! And I wanted to redeem the man everyone hates – James Hunter-Savage…
What was your process for writing The Upper Crush?
I already had my characters and knew what Estelle’s wounds were, but I had NO idea what James’s backstory was or how on EARTH I could explain why he was such an arsehole in Love ad Lib. This was the first thing I did – work out who he actually was and what caused him to behave the way he did.
Once I had his backstory and character wounds sorted, I fleshed out who his family was and the how I could force him and Estelle together. I didn’t have the main plot points of the book worked out but trusted that they would come to me, and started writing.
I wrote three chapters but after feedback from my most trusted friends, I started again with a brand new chapter one. Even though this was painful, it was necessary.
Throughout the writing process I had many moments where I stopped completely to try and work out where I was going next. The Upper Crush is a complicated book and Estelle hates James more than anyone else in the world. It took time for her to change her mind about him and it had to real real and organic.
The Upper Crush ended up being my longest book to date and this made editing even harder. The story was there, but it still took about twelve edits to get it to where it needed to be!
What is your approach to world and character building?
With the world of Foxbrooke, I wanted to write a world I knew like the back of my hand, and set it where I live. Foxbrooke itself is based on Corsham in Wiltshire, where I grew up, and I’ve transplanted it south of Bath to the area of Somerset where I now live.
Character building starts with their character wounds. What events, life circumstances and relationships have shaped the character and what does this make them believe about themselves and their place in the world? What would trigger these false beliefs and how could they be changed?
How would you describe The Upper Crush?
The ultimate laugh-out-loud, super steamy, slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romcom with a cocky city boy who isn’t used to anyone else taking the reins, and a fiery country girl who’s about to show him who’s boss…
Did you have a favourite moment in the book to write?
SO many!!! The banter was the best to write!!! I think my fave moment was when Estelle is claiming she has a sticker on the back of her beat-up car which says ‘My other car’s a Ferrari’, and James tells her it actually says ‘My other car’s a broom’…
What was your favourite book growing up?
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Gouge. LOVE that book and still read it
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