PHOTO: Teresa F. Morgan: The talented author behind heartfelt romances that whisk readers away to the stunning shores of Cornwall.
Writing Life, Inspirations, and Crafting Love
Teresa F. Morgan shares her journey from fanfiction to published author as she crafts heartfelt contemporary romances set in enchanting coastal towns.
Teresa F. Morgan’s heart-warming tales and captivating characters truly encapsulate the essence of contemporary romance. With an admirable ability to weave relatable heroes, strong heroines, and enchanting settings into her narratives, Teresa’s works are a delightful invitation to explore love, life, and personal growth. Her debut, Plus One is a Lucky Number, combined the charm of romance with an inventive, feel-good scenario, while her brilliant stories such as One Fine Day have enchanted readers with their heartfelt premises and striking originality.
Having lived in both Surrey and Weston-super-Mare, and drawing inspiration from her cherished family holidays in the picturesque Polzeath, Cornwall, Teresa brings an authenticity and warmth to her backdrops, which are as vivid and inviting as the relationships she crafts within her pages. With every book set against the stunning coastal towns of Tinners Bay and Kittiwake Cove, her readers are transported to a world filled with crashing waves, breezy sea air, and the timeless pulse of romance.
Teresa F. Morgan masterfully creates heart-warming characters, authentic relationships, and picturesque settings that resonate deeply with readers of contemporary romance.
Teresa’s journey into the literary world showcases her determination and resourcefulness, moving from fanfiction to publishing novels that have captured the hearts of countless fans. Her love for writing, kindled by her sons and honed through the Writers Bureau Comprehensive Writing Course, epitomises her dedication to storytelling and her craft. Whether immersing her protagonists in genuine emotional conflicts or channelling her witty imagination into compelling romantic moments, Teresa Morgan delights and inspires—a true talent in contemporary women’s fiction.
What inspired you to move from “boring jobs” to writing contemporary romance? Was there a particular moment or event that sparked your passion for storytelling?
I’m not one of those authors who have known since the age of five that they wanted to be a write. Unsure of what career path I wanted to follow, I fell into secretarial and administrative work.
My boys are my catalyst to becoming an author. My eldest son wasn’t even two and I was pregnant with second son when I got into fanfiction being convinced to write it. I loved it so much, and I didn’t want to return to full-time work, so I decided to take the leap and become a writer.
And I can’t imagine not writing now, whether published or not. It keeps me sane.
How did your experience with the Writers Bureau Comprehensive Writing Course influence your writing style and career? Would you recommend it to aspiring writers?
The Comprehensive Writing Course goes through all the different avenues of how a writer can make money. The first half of the course is non-fiction, writing articles for magazines etc. I certainly discovered that writing fiction was my happy place. However, the course provided advice on how to keep track of income and expenses, which I still use today, as well as advising how to contact publishers and agents.
The Writers’ Bureau has some great courses, and they are affordable. I even studied the copy editing and proof-reading course to help strengthen editing my own work. (I like the writing part, I’m not so good on the editing.) The way I looked at it, other people spend more money on their hobbies. It was worth the investment.
Your books feature relatable characters and romantic tension. How do you go about creating such engaging characters and authentic relationships in your stories?
I’ve always wanted to create heroes the reader could bump into and fall in love with. It’s also important to have strong female characters that the reader can identify with. There’s nothing worse I hate reading than a heroine being told not to do something (where her life could be in danger) and then she goes and does it!
It’s about creating enough flaws, and conflict, but not too unrealistic for them to overcome – for me anyway!
I try to create characters that my readers will want to invest time in. It’s what I enjoy reading and so want to write my characters that way too.
“Plus One is a Lucky Number” and “One Fine Day” both have unique premises. Where do you find inspiration for your story ideas, and how do you decide which ones to develop?
Superman is my favourite superhero and with One Fine Day, I was inspired by the idea of how my hero, being an A-List celebrity, would know if a woman was interested in him for him or his money/status. Would her love be genuine? So Ruby, Steve’s sister, strips away his Hollywood identity and gives him a Clark Kent disguise.
With Plus One is a Lucky Number, which was my debut novel, I love the whole pretending to be in a relationship trope. I love films like Just Go With It and The Wedding Date. Is he pretending or is that kiss real?
The ideas that just won’t leave me alone are the ones I develop. I listen to the voices inside my head. I quote Sue Moorcroft, ‘I’m not mad, I’m inhabited.’
Having lived in both Surrey and Weston-super-Mare, do your personal experiences or the places you’ve lived influence the settings or themes in your novels?
To be honest, it’s really our family holidays in Polzeath, Cornwall that are my biggest influence in my books.
Tinners Bay (Plus One is a Lucky Number and Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage) and Kittiwake Cove (Cocktails At Kittiwake Cove, Mistletoe At The Manor and Sunsets and Happy Ever Afters) are inspired by Polzeath, which we have visited every year for the last twenty years. This seaside town with its perfect surfing beach neighbouring Padstow was the perfect backdrop for my novels.
I set One Fine Day in Bristol, knowing the city and it local to research. I knew my hero was less likely to get recognised in Bristol, rather than London, where celebrities are expected to get spotted.
However, after Plus One is a Lucky Number, my publisher encouraged me to return my novels back down to Cornwall, which I was more than happy to do.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in writing, particularly in the contemporary romance genre? Are there any lessons you’ve learnt along the way that you wish you’d known earlier?
You cannot edit a blank page. I heard that somewhere and it is so true. So just write what you know, what you’d enjoy reading and let the characters talk to you.
And don’t get hung up on a book title. For my first three novels, I didn’t choose the name of the books – my publisher did. But they’re the experts and will know what sells.
However, I wish I’d taken more time choosing a name for my fictional town Tinners Bay. At the time I wanted something sounding Cornish. But when writing my Kittiwake Cove series, I thought long and hard on a name that could feature in book titles and sound romantic.
