The studios have been as busy as ever but we have been managing to catch up with some of the amazing, creative people who have been using them. One of which is a writer who was using the studios for a photo-shoot. We spoke to Jane Harvey Berrick to find out a little more about her work.
What kind of books do you write?
I’m a romance author, so I write smut from dusk to dawn and have done so for the last five years. I love it, I absolutely love it. I’ve got 20 titles out there now and hear from fans all over the world. I’ve got books translated into French, Italian, Portuguese (for the Brazilian market) and Polish.
But I’m an indie author (except for the foreign language titles), so I get to choose cover models (or stock images), my cover designer, interior formatter and editor. I love being part of a creative team that drives my ideas.
What were you working on in the studios?
I was working on a cover for my new military romance series.
How did you find your models for the shoot?
I was on holiday in Japan. It was a very much longed for holiday and I’d waited seven years to get there. I didn’t expect to meet a model there but when I saw Gergo Jonas, I immediately knew that he’d make a great cover model for my new military romance series. The only problem being that he’d never modelled before and I didn’t know if he’d want to. Only one way to find out! Luckily for me, he said yes.
As Gergo lives in Brighton and he has a friend who’s a photographer – Gigi Gold – who also lives in the area, it made sense to have the shoot in the town. Gigi put an ad on her Facebook page for a female model and we found the very lovely Ellie Ruewell.
How did you find the studios?
An internet search brought up Copperdollar Studios. That was a lucky break! Great space and natural light. I got in touch via the internet form and heard back from studio owner, Kt Simpson, the next day. I paid the booking fee (very reasonable) and arranged for a two-hour use of the premises.
How did the shoot go?
On the day of the shoot, we rolled up to the studio and Gigi also brought a studio light with her. Ellie did her own hair and makeup (I have no skills in that direction), and came equipped with several dresses in ‘jewel colours’, as requested. Gergo’s clothing consisted of British Army trousers and an EOD t-shirt from 321 Regiment that a friend loaned to me, along with a set of dog tags.
My good friend and right-hand woman, Libby Thick, also turned up to help, and we started the shoot. We utilised every part of the studio, using a combination of natural lighting and Gigi’s lamp. One of my favourite pictures was taken on the stairs in natural light, and there’s a gorgeous photo of Ellie staring moodily out of the upstairs window.
I was excited and delighted by the quality of Gigi’s shots, and I told Gergo that he should consider modelling professionally. He wasn’t so sure, but I really thought it was a great idea, so I sent some shots out to various agencies in London. So far, two of the top model agencies in the UK are interested. I think I’m more excited than Gergo!
Some of the pictures feature a Felix Fund tin, can you tell us a bit more about the reason behind that?
We did got some lovely shots of Ellie and Gergo holding a collecting tin for Felix Fund, the UK bomb disposal charity. It’s a charity very close to my heart as several of my friends work in bomb disposal, and we co-wrote a play – LATER, AFTER – about the effects of PTSD on people who have served in this part of the army. As you can see, Ellie looks super cute in her ‘explosive’ underpants!
We had a wonderful session at Copperdollar and think it’s a great resource to have in the centre of Brighton.
My two bomb disposal romances: TICK TOCK and BOMBSHELL will be published in 2018.
Instagram https://instagram.com/jharveyberrick
Email jharveyberrick@gmail.com
Website www.janeharveyberrick.com