Category Archives: Writer Interviews

SISTER SCRIBES: KIRSTEN HESKETH ON BEING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR

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It’s three weeks since my debut Another Us launched and what a strange, exhilarating, fabulous, scary three weeks it has been.

What with that – and, of course, ‘real life’ overlaid over the top – it’s all been rather overwhelming and I think it’s only now that I am beginning to sit back and play it all over in my mind. So – if it’s not too self-indulgent – I thought I might devote this post to my recollections of the big day.

I had wondered that the day itself might feel like an anti-climax. After all, my very first book was being sent off into the world to fend for itself in the middle of a global pandemic! Publishers and agent were working from home, decisions over a paperback edition had been put on hold at the last minute, and it was proving difficult to get physical review copies out to the lovely writers and bloggers who had offered to read and potentially review the book. It all looked like it might be one great big wash-out.

In fact, the day itself was absolutely wonderful. The outpouring of support on social media was absolutely incredible and I literally couldn’t keep up with all the tweets and RTs coming through on Twitter. Several days later. I stumbled across about twenty messages I hadn’t seen before. (I do hope the kind senders didn’t think I was terribly rude.)

And then there were the gifts. The doorbell rang all day with flowers and chocolates and cards. My lovely friend Debbie made this incredible cake. My fellow Sister Scribes not only sent flowers and an 48-pack (!) of Curly Wurlies (how well they know me!) but have arranged for flowers to be sent for the next two months as well – so the celebrations can go on and on. My Coppa Club friends – Claire, Becci, Moira and Marilyn – sent a magnificent afternoon tea. My chums at Reading Writers sent flowers and chocolates.

How lucky am I?

I hadn’t been sure what to do about the launch party. I had planned a very small afternoon tea at the Lanesborough Hotel for ten, but that was scuppered by Covid. In the end, I plumped for a Zoom launch which was brilliant and surprisingly emotional. As some of you may know, I dyed my hair red to match the book cover in order to raise money for Mind, and everyone got in the act. There were red tops and red wigs and Jane Ayres dyed her hair red too in solidarity. There was also a red drink competition judged by my children and I know Sue won but I’d slightly lost the plot by this point and I’ve no idea what she was drinking – or if she’d just made something up! More seriously, my editor Emily and agent Felicity both made wonderful speeches and I had a genuine lump in my throat when I came to reply to them.

So all in all it was a wonderful day and thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate and who has supported me in my journey.

And now Another Us is out there in the world and, as I write, has 42 fabulous 4* and 5* reviews. I have had lovely messages from people I know and don’t know saying how much they’ve enjoyed Another Us – including one from a Hollywood actress. I have no idea how many the copies the book has sold but it has been the most wonderful whirlwind!

Next time: the inevitable party hangover and the first 1* review!

 

My Writing Process Sandie Jones

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Sandie Jones, AuthorI’ve been a journalist for the past 25 years, interviewing celebrities for national newspapers and magazines. I started writing fiction in 2017, because writing a book was on my bucket list, but I never imagined it being read by my mother, let alone be published and reviewed by thousands!

My debut The Other Woman was published in 2018 and was a New York Times Bestseller, as well as a Reese Witherspoon Pick. My second novel The First Mistake was published last summer and The Half Sister is out on 25th June.

What is your latest book?

The Half Sister, which is about Kate and Lauren,  two sisters who each feel that the other has the perfect life. When a woman turns up, whilst they’re having a family Sunday lunch, claiming to be their half sister, their worlds are turned upside down and it sends them in opposite directions, in their quest for the truth. But neither of them could ever imagine what they’re about to discover.

Please could you tell us a bit about your process of writing?

It’s changed since writing my first book, as I’m no longer doing it just for myself. There are editors and publishers involved now so instead of, quite literally, making it up as I go along, I now have to have a clear idea of what the story is, where it’s going and how best to get there.

Do you plan or just write?

It goes against my natural instinct to plan anything – I love to just write and see where we takes me, but as I say, I do have to have a solid outline of an idea before I start, which involves lots of spider diagrams and boxes on a whiteboard. Though once I get started, it all tends to change anyway!

How do you think about structure?

I used to think that the books I liked to read had one big twist at the end, but since writing myself, I’ve found that actually, reveals are peppered throughout. I tend to drop a bomb of some description at each third, so as to keep the reader interested and engaged.

Is there anything you find hard about writing?
The planning stage is particularly difficult for me as I feel I’m forcing myself to come up with every twist and turn in advance. However, I am learning that it’s good to have a loose structure to work to and I have understanding editors who know that my best ideas are likely to come when I’m writing.

What do you love about writing?

Everything else! I adore creating characters and getting to know them. I’m at the stage with my fourth book where I don’t want to put it down. It feels like I’m reading a story I’m really invested in and can’t wait to get back to it, to see what happens next. I forget that’s down to me to decide and that’s a great feeling!

Sandie Jones’s books are available here.

More information on Sandie Jones.

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: TANIA CROSSE ON AN AWARD WINNING SAGA

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Susanna invites Tania Crosse to talk about winning the first ever Saga of the Year award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association as it celebrates its Diamond Anniversary

I was utterly thrilled when I learnt at Christmas that The Street of Broken Dreams had been shortlisted for the new saga category in the RNA’s major annual awards. With the other contenders, Lesley Eames, Jean Fullerton, Rosie Goodwin and Kate Thompson being such wonderful writers, I went to the ceremony in London with no expectations, just looking forward to a glittering evening out. So when my name was read out as the winner, I was totally overwhelmed. I managed to gabble a few incoherent words up on the podium, but I must confess, it was all a bit of a blur at the time.

It really is fantastic that this new saga award has come into existence. It remains an enormously popular genre, and the quality of so many of the brilliant sagas available, covering a huge range of different topics, deserves such recognition. I feel honoured that as the first ever recipient of this award, I can represent saga lovers everywhere.

Tania (left) with agent Broo Doherty

So what is considered ‘saga’? That is a good question, so here is my interpretation. Whatever length of time the story spans, the entire action must take place at least fifty years in the past. Secondly, the actual romance is not necessarily the main focus of the book. Characters must fight their way through extreme adversity, often – though by no means always – generated by the historical circumstances of the period, with the romance intertwined within it. Sagas are normally gritty, hard-hitting stories illustrating strong themes.

Like all sagas, The Street of Broken Dreams is a tale of spirit, warmth, courage and heart, and has been described as ‘searing emotional drama’ and as being ‘beautifully compelling and poignant’. It’s 1945 and WW2 is drawing to a close. But the consequences of war can be far reaching. Can dancer Cissie ever recover from the brutal night back in 1944 that destroyed her life? Will it take the love of a good man or the guilt and self-sacrifice of a stranger from across the sea to bring her peace? Does Mildred really know the man to whom she so hastily became engaged before he went off to war? Will she able to face the tearing conflict of loyalty on his return?  Can golden-hearted Eva, matriarch of the street and linchpin of the story, help them unite against the future?

I actually lived in Banbury Street, the street of the title, as a small girl, so writing the book brought back many childhood memories. Cissie’s story was inspired by an ‘encounter’ my mother experienced during the blackout, though fortunately it had a different outcome and my mother was unharmed. During the war, my father served in submarines in the Far East, which gave me the idea for Mildred’s story. Dance has been a lifetime passion of mine, and my ballet mistress with whom I kept in contact all her life, told me about her experiences as a dancer in wartime repertory, and this became the Romaine Theatre Company in the book.

So I think you can appreciate that this award means so much to me, not just in itself, but because so much of myself was poured into the book. As my fourteenth published novel, it feels like a lifetime achievement and I thank from the bottom of my heart the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the readers and judges who put me on the podium.

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: ANDREA MICHAEL ON WRITING FRIENDSHIP IN FICTION

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At Sister Scribes we often talk about how important friendship is within the writing community. Andrea Michael is one of those friends, we have shared publishers and parties, we share an agent and a similar sense of humour. I adored her latest book, a novel about the love involved in friendship, it made a change to reading about romantic love and was insightful and honest. With it out in paperback this month, I’m buying myself a forever copy. I’m so happy to host her on Frost, talking about writing friendship in fiction. Kitty x

When I wrote romantic comedies, it was easy to see the importance of a best friend. You needed someone to talk some sense into your main character, encourage risk, push them towards their destiny. They needed to be a support system, offering an opportunity to rant and rave and cry. That’s what best friends are for.

Without friends, it’s hard to convince your reader to trust your character. Why don’t they have people in their life? Why don’t we get to see more of who they are? Are they a real person? Are they loveable?

But most of the time this best friend never gets to have their own adventure, they always exist in relation to the main character. They are the equal opposite, the voice of reason or rebellion, depending on what the main character needs. They didn’t exist on their own.

And that was where the idea for The Book of Us came from. We so often focus on the romantic relationships that change our lives, but what about the important friends who have made us who we are?

Loll and Cass are two friends who fell out years ago. They became intensely close at university, Loll’s anxiety and shyness made smoother by Cass’ outgoing and wild nature. They evened each other out, knew each other’s traumas, weaknesses and dreams. And they planned to spend their life having adventures together.

But things change and sometimes when you make a close friend at that age, you want to know who you could be without them. Either you’re in the shadow or you’re always the leader, and either can be exhausting. Sometimes you just need a chance to grow apart before you come back to see if you still fit.

Writing friendship could be boring – after all the moments that make our friendships are often gradual, quiet and uneventful. We rarely have a manic pixie dream friend plonk herself in our laps and declare herself our best friend.

But much like with a love story, it’s about how it unfolds, how it falls apart, and why it comes back together. Nostalgia only really works when we bring in all the things our readers relate to – a seemingly carefree younger life. Staying out late, getting in trouble, thinking things were complicated when now you realise they were just so simple.

It’s the complexities and problems that I find the most interesting – the secrets and sore points and things unsaid. And the natural rhythms and waves that can come back into play a decade later. A true friendship, even one that ends (through big fireworks or a slow trudge) has an impact on who we are today. And that’s where the magic is, for your audience and your reader.

We just have to hope readers find friendships as complicated and precious as romances, just as they are in real life. Because sometimes your soul mate is your best mate.

 

Andrea Michael writes books to explore complicated relationships. Having trained in using writing for therapy, she really believes in the magic of stories to change your life. Failing that, sparkling wine and obnoxious sing-a-longs also do the trick.

Follow her on Twitter: @almichael_

 

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: LINDA HUBER ON FAMILY SECRETS

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I’m delighted to welcome the lovely Linda Huber, a prolific author and fellow Swiss resident, to Frost Magazine today, where she’s talking about how family secrets inspired her writing.

It’s always fascinating, talking to older family members and hearing their stories of days gone by. I remember my grandmother talking about her life growing up in Edinburgh with her parents and brothers. The family were keen photographers so we have a wealth of photos ranging from Granny as a toddler in 1890-something, all the way up to her last years, when she lived in Glasgow with her younger brother.

What she never mentioned was either of the wars she lived through, apart from the odd comment about food rationing. Another taboo was the death of my grandfather when my mother was just fourteen. He died in an industrial accident on the railway, where he worked, so Granny was given compensation – a return train ticket to London. It was her first and only trip outside Scotland. How I wish I’d been old enough to know I should be questioning her greedily, saving up her answers for my own children. I was still a teenager when she died, and there was too much Mum didn’t know either.

That’s how it is with family secrets, I think – usually, they’re not so much grisly skeletons in the closet as things that are just too hard to speak about. Or maybe, details are simply forgotten over time, not mentioned because nobody thinks to. When I was researching my family tree, I came across a distant little cousin who’d drowned in a Glasgow swimming pool in the 1940s, aged eleven. I’d never heard of her, and my mother could only just remember hearing her talked of. It was a tragedy lost over generations, though I’m sure little Agnes’s close family still remember.

Other secrets are grisly and terrible. A few years ago, I read a news story where someone had kept something truly awful from his nearest and dearest for over twenty years. I won’t say more because they are real people, but this man’s wife and children had no idea that the person they were living with was capable of what he had done. That started me thinking… and the end result is my ninth psychological suspense novel, The Runaway.

Cass (left) and Linda (right)

In the book, Nicola, Ed and Kelly Seaton relocate from London to lovely Cornwall. It should be a fresh start for them all – teenager Kelly had got in with a bad crowd, Ed had lost his job and Nicola was struggling to keep the family on an even keel. So they moved into Ed’s old family home by the sea. Nicola was determined to make a success of the new life, but little did she suspect what had happened in the house when Ed was growing up. He’d kept his secret well…

This is the third book I’ve set in Cornwall; I’m making no secret of the fact that I love the place! The Seaton family’s new home is near St Ives, which has fabulous beaches and a beautiful old town. It’s years now since I’ve been there, but one day I’ll go back. And meanwhile, I can write about it.

 

Linda Huber grew up in Glasgow but went to work in Switzerland for a year aged twenty-two, and has lived there ever since. Her day jobs have included working as a physiotherapist in hospitals and schools for handicapped children, and teaching English in a medieval castle.

Her writing career began in the nineties, when she had over fifty short stories published in women’s magazines before turning to longer fiction. The Runaway is her ninth psychological suspense novel.

Find out more about Linda at www.lindahuber.net or follow her on Twitter @LindaHuber19

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: KIRSTEN INTERVIEWS WRITER AND TUTOR CHRIS MANBY

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Today I ask the questions of Chris Manby.  Chris was the tutor on my very first retreat and we have since become good friends. Over to you, Chris.

  • First off the blocks. Plotter or pantser?

Definitely a plotter! I used to be a pantser but a series of short deadlines meant I had to get a strategy. I use screenplay principles to work out what needs to happen when though of course I often stray from my plan

  • How do you organise your work?

I’m a real geek.  When I get my deadline, I work out a timetable with daily word count based on the average length of a novel.  I make sure I allow myself weekends off (though rarely take them).  Then I just get writing.  I don’t stick to rigid hours but I do stick to daily word counts.

  • What is the hardest part of writing?

Getting through the mid-section of a book without losing pace and enthusiasm. Plotting helps as it means I can write something from the end instead and often that will inform what needs to happen in the middle.

  • And what is the most rewarding?

Most rewarding is returning to a manuscript after a week or so away from it and thinking “that’s actually not so bad”.

  • How has your writing style developed over time?

Photo credit: Michael Pilkington

I’m not sure my style has developed much at all!  I still think the first short story I had published –when I was fourteen – is one of the most elegant things I’ve ever written.  But I do now avoid swearing in my books. American readers in particular don’t like it.

  • What do you see as the greatest success of your writing career?

In the noughties, I had a few top ten bestsellers. That was wonderful.  But what felt like real success was when my sister said she loved one of my novels! It was The Worst Case Scenario Cookery Club.

  • And what was the deepest disappointment?

Any book that doesn’t sell is a disappointment but after twenty years I’m learning not to equate sales figures with a book’s intrinsic merits. I know my best-selling books are far from my best work!

  • Talk us through how you develop your characters.

In the same way we get to know a new friend.  The more time you spend with them, the better you know their quirks, their hopes and their dreams. Sometimes characters surprise me.

  • Sister Scribes is all about women writers supporting each other. Do you have a ‘go to’ bunch of fellow female writers you value and rely on?

I met a wonderful bunch of women in 2000 when, together with Fiona Walker and Jessica Adams, I edited an anthology called Girls’ Night In for War Child. Lucy Dillon and Alexandra Potter are two great friends from those days.  They’re always up for a glass of fizz and a chinwag.  More recently, through the Place To Write I’ve made some fantastic new friends, who are always ready with a word of encouragement. I don’t often show writer friends my work in progress though. I’m easily discouraged by faint praise. Better not to risk it.

  • Can you tell us anything about your next project(s)

I’ve just finished a ghost-writing project and now have three months to write a novel.  Fortunately, it’s already planned to the “nth” degree.  It’s called “What the Heart Sees” and the hero is… well, he’s small, dark and very, very hairy.

 

 

SISTER SCRIBES GUEST: JAN BAYNHAM ON WRITING HER DEBUT NOVEL

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Jan Baynham is a good friend to all the Sister Scribes and here she provides an insight into writing her debut novel, Her Mother’s Secret: The Summer of ’69. Susanna Bavin asks the questions.

You started out as a short story and flash fiction writer. What made you decide to write a full-length novel?

On retirement, I joined a writing group where I wrote my first short story. Very soon, I could see my stories getting longer and longer. After enrolling on a novel-writing course at Cardiff University, I enjoyed being able to explore characters in more depth and delve further into their stories. I still write shorts but now it tends to be when I’m editing or doing research for a novel. When writing a novel, I love getting to know my characters so well that I miss them when I come to the end and I enjoy visiting new locations with them. The length of a novel allows me to create more involved plots and sub-plots for the characters to experience than I’m able to do in a short story or piece of flash fiction.

What was the initial idea behind the story from which it all grew?

The novel started out as a short story. At the time, I’d been reading a novel where the rustling in the trees sounded like whispers and inanimate statues took on the form of the ghosts of people they represented. Combining both ideas, I asked myself what if the whispering could show the presence of a past family member. Always fascinated by family secrets and the bond between mothers and daughters, I knew I had the basis for a story. In both the story and the novel, I leave it to the reader to decide what the whispering represents. In the short story, Alexandra’s search for the truth was resolved quite quickly whereas in the novel there are many more twists and turns, obstacles and setbacks before the story concludes.

Tell us about the places that feature as the backdrops of the story.

Once I’d decided that my main character Elin would be an artist, I chose a setting where the surrounding colours would be more vibrant and intense than in her home country of Wales. Having visited many times and being struck by the wonderful palette of colours seen in every landscape, Greece was my choice of background. The island is not based on one particular place but is an amalgam of areas I’ve visited. Every holiday has contributed to the whole backdrop where I’ve tried to show the climate, the vivid colours of the sea and the flowers as well as the warmth of its people.

How important is the mother-daughter dynamic to the story?

The mother/daughter relationship is central to the novel. Alexandra is grieving after the untimely death of her mother, Elin. She experiences a whole gamut of emotions from deep loss and its accompanying sadness, through to anger that her mother has abandoned her. When she learns there is part of her mother’s life she knew nothing about, Alexandra goes to Greece with the hope of finding answers.

What have you learned about the writing/editing process? Is there a piece of advice you’d like to share?

Everything suggested by my lovely editor at Ruby Fiction was very clear and straight-forward, but one thing stood out. I hadn’t always got the dates or passing of time issues right. Elin’s story is interspersed with diary entries and these didn’t always tally! The way I dealt with these continuity edits was to have a calendar in front of me and highlight the dates as events happened. Although a diary may not feature in another novel, I will definitely use a calendar to check the passing of time in future.

 

SAMANTHA TONGE ON WINNING THE VERY FIRST JACKIE COLLINS ROMANTIC THRILLER AWARD

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Excuse the pun, but what a thrill it was to win the first ever Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award at the Romantic Novelists’ Association 2020 awards ceremony. First and foremost because it is a huge honour to be connected, even in a tenuous way, to such an amazing person. I loved her Lucky Santangelo character when I was a young woman.

Jackie Collins wrote real page-turners that whilst glamorous and escapist, somehow seemed real. And what an inspiration she was, writing 32 novels and achieving over half a billion sales. She was a funny, feisty woman who created kick-ass heroines and it was an extra honour to have the award handed to me by her granddaughter. I was also thrilled to win as the competition was so stiff, the other contenders being the wonderful Dorothy Koomson, Lucinda Riley, Virginia Heath and Lauren Westwood.

Knowing You is my second dark women’s fiction novel – previously I’d had nine romantic comedies published. It was challenging changing my direction, but with my brilliant agent’s help, Clare Wallace from the Darley Anderson Literary Agency, I learned so much and it felt like a real validation, at the ceremony, to hear my name read out. I still remember that moment. A real whoosh went through me and I think I managed to mumble a few words at the podium, in a daze!

I was also so pleased because I’d poured my heart into writing Knowing You. It is a story about being brave enough not to conform, not to fit in. It’s about taking control of your life in the face of adversity. The main character is kind-hearted children’s editor, Violet. When her partner leaves she seeks the advice of her new flatmate, Bella, whom her old friends disapprove of. However when Violet was a child, her closest confidant and companion was a boy called Flint. Her mother didn’t approve of their closeness and he suffered a terrible end. Therefore Violet is determined that the same thing won’t happen to her new best friend now…

Samantha Tonge (centre) with her husband and her agent

The awards ceremony which took place on March 2nd, in the RNA’s diamond anniversary year, was a glittering occasion, attended by legendary romance authors Sophie Kinsella and Carole Matthews – and Strictly Dancing star Anton du Beke. Yes, I managed to speak to all three! Everyone’s outfits were fantastic and after the ceremony we enjoyed a buffet.

I feel incredibly lucky to belong to such an association that promotes such a popular and wide genre. For some reason it’s been much maligned and romance books rarely get shortlisted for the big industry awards, despite its millions of readers. As Milly Johnson said, at the podium, when she collected the Outstanding Achievement Award: ‘We are the glorious counterbalance to this climate of hate.’ More than ever we need happy ever afters and gripping reads that whisk us away and it’s great to see such stories recognised by the RNA. ​​​​​​

Samantha Tonge

 

Ian Chapman, COO of Simon & Schuster and close friend of Jackie Collins announced the new Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award in 2019 which S&S will sponsor for a minimum of 5 years. Jackie Collins was a creative force, a trailblazer for women in fiction and in her own words “A kick-ass writer!’. Since her debut The World is Full of Married Men in 1968, her books have sold in their millions in more than 40 countries and she is one of the world’s top-selling novelists. She passed away in September 2015 after years privately battling breast cancer.

 

Click below for all category winners https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org/news_article/romantic-novel-award-winners-2020/