Thursday 24 May 2012

Interview: Author NANCY GARDEN



Interview by Natascha Scrivener


How did you feel about the Kansas City School ban of 'Annie on My Mind' in 1993? 

I had just gotten home from a writers' conference when I got a phone call from a man from PEN, which is a well-known writers' organization. "Do you know that your book has just been burned in Kansas City?" he asked. 
I didn't know, and I was stunned. At the conference, someone had asked me if I'd had much trouble with ANNIE, and I answered that I hadn't. I had anticipated trouble when ANNIE was first published, but for the most part it was was received enthusiastically, at least as far as I knew. I did get a hate letter from a woman who, quoting Scripture, said I should be "drowned in the depth of the sea," but that was about all! 
The man from PEN asked if I'd like to see a fax of the newspaper coverage of the burning, and of course I said I would. I don't have a fax machine, and my partner and I were at our place in Maine, so I had to drive to the library in the next town to get the fax. On the way, still stunned, and thinking, "Only Nazis burn books!" I pictured my book in flames, the nice cover of its new paperback edition curling with the heat, turning black, and probably smelling horrible. 
The fax told me that a fundamentalist minister had burned ANNIE ON MY MIND on the steps of the building housing the  Kansas City School Board. (Much later I saw a video of the TV news coverage of the burning and saw that he'd also burned the picture book HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES by LeslĂ©a  Newman. ) 

What had prompted the burning?

Well, ANNIE and a book called ALL AMERICAN BOYS by Frank Mosca had, unbeknownst to me, been donated  by a gay organization to 42 schools in and around Kansas City, in both Kansas and Missouri. The organizarion was trying to ensure that accurate information about homosexuality was available in the schools. Some of the schools already had ANNIE on their shelves, but those that didn't either kept the book or removed it--and removing it amounted to a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. 
How did I feel after I saw the fax?  Still stunned, but not really surprised. As a former gay activist, I'd often run into homophobic slurs and threats; they go with the territory.  But even so, it certainly was shocking and unsettling to think of an actual book burning here in the US! 
The rest is a long story with a happy ending.   In Olathe, Kansas,  a group of brave students and their parents sued to have ANNIE returned library shelves in their school district. And in 1995,  after a trial in federal district court, the Olathe district was ordered to put ANNIE back.  During the two years of struggle before that, my partner and I made three trips to Kansas and Missouri, and met many people on both sides of the issue.  Many of them were embarrassed and sad that a book had been threatened in their community. And although some people seemed to be reacting solely out of anti-gay prejudice, others seemed genuinely afraid that reading about homosexuality can actually harm children or make them become gay.  That belief, when it's geniune, can be helpful to keep in mind when one is fighting censorship attempts! 

How do you react to a bad review of one of your books? 

It depends on whether the criticism is fair or unfair. If the reviewer seems to think I should have written a different kind of book, which is sometimes the case, or if the reviewer's criticisms are otherwise unfair, then I'm angry!  But if the reviewer points out legitimate flaws, I'm both grateful and embarrassed.  Bad reviews are disappointing and hard to read, but they can be helpful and one can learn from them. 

Are the names of the characters in your novels important? 
Absolutely!  Often the right names pop into my head right away, and that's wonderful. But sometimes as I write, I realize a name is wrong, so I have to change it. And sometimes I can't think of the right name for a character. I've been known to look in "name the baby" books for first names, and in phone books for last names. 

What about the titles of your novels? 

Yes, they're very important, too. Since the title and the cover are the first things a prospective reader sees of a book--and the title is the first thing an editor sees when an author or an agent is trying to sell a manuscript to a publisher.  First impressions are vital, so both title and cover are enormously important. 
Titles often spring to my mind the way characters' names often do. But when they don't, finding the right one can take a long time. I don't remember what I wanted to call my first novel, but I do remember that the editor wanted a different title and she and I tried hard to come up with a good substitute. Finally, after an informal in-house contest in the publisher's office, we all agreed on WHAT HAPPENED IN MARSTON. 
 I wanted to call my second novel, whose main character is a boy, THE MONDAY NEST; a bird's nest seen on a Monday is mildly important in the story. But my editor pointed out that boys wouldn't be attracted to a novel with that title.  We ended up calling the book THE LONERS--a much better title, although it's close to one belonging to another book: THE LONER. 

Are there any occupational hazards to being a novelist? 

I guess the main ones are problems that stem from using a typewriter or a computer for hours on end. When I was using a typewriter--first a manual, then an electric, and finally an electronic (an electric typewriter with a computer-like  ability to make corrections and to store a small amount of copy and type it out automatically when needed)--when I was using those machines, I developed a pinched nerve in my neck which led to my having carpal tunnel-like symptoms in my hands and arms.  (I've never been a gentle typist and I suspect that my banging on the keys also contributed to those problems!)   Now I use a computer, but  like many writers, I feel some effects stemming from that or exacerbated by it--some eyestrain, and various aches and pains. 
I adored 'Annie on My Mind', 'Good Moon Rising,' and 'Nora and Liz' when I was a teenager (I still do in fact), which of your books do you feel the most attached to, or the most proud of? 
I really don't have a favorite, and I often answer that question by saying it's similar to asking a mother which of her children is her favorite; many moms say they love all their kids equally but differently. 
ANNIE is one of my favorites, though, as is GOOD MOON RISING.  But I'm especially fond of ENDGAME and HEAR US OUT as well, plus DOVE AND SWORD, and a book for younger kids called PRISONER OF VAMPIRES--all for different reasons--plus PEACE, O RIVER, which has been my partner's first choice and that of a bookstore owner friend, too. 

Did you have a favorite chapter (or part) to write and why? 

That's an interesting question, but again, I can't really answer it in terms of one book.  While I'm working on a novel there's often a scene that I enjoy rereading more than the others as I review the manuscript over and over again. But I rarely if ever remember or think of that scene after the book is published. If I reread a book after it's published (which I seldom do unless I have to talk about it in public),  I guess I probably remember particularly liking a specific scene--especially if it turns out to be one that I pick to read aloud! 

Do you work with an outline, or just write? 

How I work depends on the specific book. I do often develop a very informal outline as I'm writing, once I've drafted a chapter or two.  I usually have a pretty clear idea of the ending--of what problem will be resolved at the end, for example--but not necessarily the specifics of how that resolution is going to be reached.  Since I do know that much, once I've begun the book and gotten to know the characters a little, I'm often able to see what should happen in the next few chapters--so I make a list of those chapters and jot down the key things that happen in each one.  But, as I write more, I change the outline and also rearrange and/or add to it. 

Do you ever experience writers block, and if so, have you found a solution to it? 

Although I've certainly been stuck sometimes, I don't think I've  ever had real writer's block. If I'm stuck, taking a walk, doing housework, or running errands--doing anything physical--usually helps "unstick" me enough so I can go back to work. 
One thing I do try to do and that I advise students to do if they're worried about writer's block is always to stop the day's work when you know what is going to happen next in the story.  That usually ensures that you can plunge right in when you go back to work the next day. 
There are a couple of additional things I suggest to students.  One is brainstorming on paper: At the top of your page, write "I want to (or I have to) write about_________, but I can't think of how to begin. I just wrote__________, but that didn't work. Maybe I could say ________________--but that sounds really lame. Or maybe_______________..." 
Keep going with that, or with variations of it, and if you're lucky, you may well find something that works! 
If you're writing a novel, it sometimes can help to move on to a scene later than the one on which you're stuck. Or if you're at the very beginning and can't think of an opening scene but have an idea for a later one, start at a later point in the story. If you habitually get stuck at the end  of a book or story, try working out the end, at least in general, before you write the beginning. There's no rule that says you MUST begin at the beginning! 

What is your writing process like? 
It varies somewhat from book to book, for each book has its own demands. 
If I know before I start that there are things I'm going to have to research, I try to do at least some of that before I begin. 
After I've written a chapter or two, in addition to the outline (if I'm going to make one), I usually write "autobiographies" for my main character and other principal characters. I pretend to be each character writing about himself or herself from early childhood till the time the book opens. If I know what problems or issues the character is going to face, I try to lay the groundwork for how he or she will react to them.  For example, if someone important to the character is going to die, I try to have the character write about his/her felings for that person while the person is still alive.  If my character has already experienced the death of another person (or an animal), I have him or her write about that. I also try to have each character write about other important characters in the book and his/her feelings toward them, plus important events up to the time when the book opens, and his/her attitude toward things like family, school, religion, sports, hobbies; his/her likes and dislikes, fears and dreams. 
Some writers describe the main character's closet or room or house--that's a good idea, too--and it's also kind of fun!  (Be careful, though, of using that description in too much detail in the actual novel, unless it's important.) 
I write first drafts very quickly, and I write the whole book before revising except for small bits that I realize as I progress will need to be different. In that case, I sometimes I go back and change those things roughly, or I just make notes about the changes that I'll have to make more carefully later when I revise the whole book. 
Other writers perfect every page or every chapter before they go on to the next one.  I admire them for being able to do that, but I feel a need to see the whole book before I revise and polish. 
As I write the first draft, I try to keep track of when events/chapters take place, often writing a date or day of the week in the margin.  (These dates and days are not the date or day on which you wrote the material; it's the fictional date or day on which the characters lived that chapter or event.)  I find this technique is helpful later  on, especially if your book covers a longish period of time--or if it's a book, like a mystery, in which when things happen is vital. It can also be a help much later to the book's copyeditor, so I usually try to keep those time notes in the manuscript  as I revise.  (I usually also write a note on the final manuscript explaining what the dates are about and saying that they shouldn't appear in the published book.) 
When I've finshed the first draft, which is usually very rough, I usually go back right away and revise it, sometimes rewriting large sections, adding things, cutting things, honing sentences and paragraphs, trying to solve problems that emerge with timing, relationships, logic--in other words, fixing any flaws I see throughout. I also try to catch typos, errors in spelling and grammar, etc. I continue checking for those things every time I revise. 
And then, after that draft, or perhaps after a third one, unless I already have a specific deadline, I put the book away for weeks, months, even a year or more so that when I go back to it I can (I hope!) see its flaws more clearly. When I take it out again, I revise it some more and polish it--until I think it's just about as good as I can make it, and then I give it to my partner to read. I usually have more changes to make after she's read it and we've discussed it.  After I make those changes, I read the book over one more time, trying to read not as the author but as a reader.  If I can't think of any more to do with it,  I finally send the manuscript  to my agent or editor--and as soon as I can after that, while I'm waiting to hear reactions to it, I usually start work on something else. 
Again, this process varies depending on the book, but that's usually the general outline. 

Why do you write? 

I'm one of those people who has to write.  I'm happiest and feel most like myself when I'm working on a book. 

As the mother of a little girl, I will encourage her to read your books (when she is old enough to read!)  Do you feel it is important for ALL teenagers, whether they identify as gay, straight, or bisexual to read your books? 

I assume you mean my LGBTQ books.  I feel it's important for all kids to read as widely as they possibly can, and I'm of course very pleased when their reading includes some of my LGBTQ books--and those of other authors. 

Are you working on anything at the moment? 

Yes, I'm working on a novel I've been working on off and on for a number of years, and I'm mulling a new one over in my head. That's part of my writing process, too: once I get an idea for a book, I wait to see if it sticks with me, and if it does, I work on it in my head before I put anything down on paper. Then, as I continue to work on it in my head, I usually jot down notes about it until I'm ready to actually start writing. 

Do you get a lot of feedback from young readers? 

I do get quite a bit of feedback from young readers, yes--but not the tons of feedback some other authors get.  With some kids, that feedback leads to a correspondence, sometimes lasting for years. 
Writers tend to find they have a few words that they use a lot. What are your three favorite words? 
I wouldn't call them "favorites" really, except in jest, because I spend a lot of time searching for them and weeding them out!  I'm not sure what the third word is, although I'm sure there is one, but the two I seem to have used the most are "smile" and "grin" in all their forms--oh, and for a while "little," too.  At the time she mentioned that one,  my editor even said that several of her other authors had also been overusing it!  In the last couple of things I've written, though, I seem finally to have reduced the smiles and grins.  Someone who read an early version of the book I'm working on now said I'd used "lame" a lot (lame in the slang sense of  being ineffectual, not in describing difficulty walking). I had no idea of that until I looked for it and found that she was right--so perhaps that's my third "favorite" word now! 

Why do you write for children rather than for adults? 

Why do I write for kids?  The stories of kids' lives, their growth and development, their struggles and their often painful journey to maturity fascinate and move me. Also, kids are often very careful readers; they don't let writers get away with anything!  And kids also tend to be more open than adults to considering new things, new ideas. 
Some people have said that kids' writers concentrate on writing for the age range during which they themslves were least happy. I had a pretty happy childhood, all told, and a pretty miserable adolescence--and most of my books are for kids from 10-14, or older teens. 

Why do you think what you do matters? 
The letters--mostly e-mails now--that I get from kids tell me that ANNIE and other lesbian books of mine have helped them feel better about themselves, have given them hope and courage, and have made them realize they're "not the only one" and that they're okay--not sick,  evil, or doomed to having miserable lives. I've been told ANNIE made at least one girl decide not to kill herself. 
In the few letters I've gotten about ENDGAME, my novel about a school shooter who was badly bullied for years before he took a gun to school and used it, kids have told me their bullying stories, and at least one reader said that the book has made him more aware of the seriousness of bullying. Some  kids who've written me about ENDGAME have told me they "never" read, but that they really enjoyed the book. That pleases me greatly and makes me hope they'll go on to discover other books. 
One of my main goals as a writer is to indicate to kids that it's okay for them to be here, to follow their dreams, and to discover who they truly are. I consider that a great responsibility and a mission that does matter. 

What are the differences between writing for children and writing for teenagers? 

Teens and children, depending on the ages of the children, care about different things, worry about different things, and are interested in different things. I think the main difference in writing for young age groups lies in subject matter. 
HARRY POTTER may be changing this, but most books for children obviously tend to be shorter than books for teens.  Although I don't worry much about "big words" except for trying to make them clear in context, I'm more conscious of them when writing books for younger kids than in writing books for teens. 
I have written one picture storybook, MOLLY'S FAMILY, and that was an entirely different experience, and one that I found both exciting and challenging! Writing for very young children seems to me more like writing poetry than prose; every word counts and has to be perfect, and the overall length has to be strictly controlled.  Sometimes text has to be altered to fit better with illustrations. too. 

What did you read as a child/teenager? 

I read a lot as a child and a teen, and I was read to as well--even when I was old enough to read on my own. 
As a child one of my favorite books was RABBIT HILL by Robert Lawson. I also loved Milne's Pooh books, Kipling's Jungle books and JUST SO STORIES, Hugh Lofting's Dr. Doolittle books, Albert Payson Terhune's dog books and Walter Farley's horse books, Louisa May Alcott's books, and countless others. I loved books about kids and people who were different from me.  I also read a few books about war--I was a young child during World War II. 
As a teen I read a great many plays in addition to books, for I was  interested in and involved with theater. I read plays by Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neil, Clifford Odets, Arthur Miller, and the works of many other playwrights.  I also read older books about war, a few kids' books about West Point, and many adult novels. Young adult literature hadn't really taken off yet when I was a teen; the few books written for teens tended to be series books like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, and career-based books (like SUE BARTON, STUDENT NURSE) and romances for girls. Not much of that interested me. 
The book that had the most lasting effect on me as a teen was Radclyffe Hall's THE WELL OF LONELINESS, one of the first serious lesbian novels (for adults; there were none for teens in the 50s when I searched for them). It was published in England in the 1920s, and tried for obscenity (it is not obscene) both in England, where it was then banned, and in the US, where it was acquitted, if one can say that of a book. It's overwritten, melodramatic, and it ends sadly, but it painted a pretty honest picture of what it was like to be gay back in those days, and it ends with a heartfelt plea for justice and understanding that made me vow to someday write a book for my people that would end happily. ANNIE was that book, after many years, several false starts, and nine other published books. 

Can you tell us about the challenges of getting your first book published? 
Sure. I started out mostly trying to get published in magazines, and finally did get one poem published, and also sold one story. (As I remember, though, the magazine never did publish it!)  I wrote a book for young kids with my best friend; I wrote it and she illustrated it.  We made just about every mistake a young author and a young illustrator can make, so of course it didn't get anywhere, but we both remember it with great fondess.  I wrote a long gay novel that I never tried to have published--thank goodness, for it was full of problems, too--but it taught me a lot about how not to write a book. 
I made many attempts at getting a book published, and I remember having some long conversations with a kind and friendly editor about one of my attempts--but that didn't result in a sale.  Eventually, with my father's help, I got an agent, who tried to sell my work without success for what seemed to me to be a very long time. I finally wrote her a letter saying essentially "Is anyone out there?" because it seemed to me that no one was paying any attention to what I was writing--and not long after that she finally did sell my first two books: WHAT HAPPENED IN MARSTON, which I've mentioned above, and BERLIN: CITY SPLIT IN TWO, which is a non-fiction book about the German city of Berlin and the building and early years of the Berlin Wall. 
When I got my first author's copies, I thought I was really on my way and that I'd never again have trouble selling a manuscript!  Of course that was naive; almost all of us have trouble now and then. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? 

Read, read, read! Read everything, but especially read the kinds of things you'd like to write.  And write, write, write!  Write everything, but especially write and experiment with the kinds of things you most care about writing.  Don't feel you have to have exotic experiences in order to find subject matter; draw on the experiences you have had, your reactions to them, and to life in general.  Write especially about the things you're passionate about. 
Read writers' magazines, read books about writing, take writing courses, join or form a critique group and share your work with others who are trying to write also. (Sometimes writers' groups aren't very helpful, but when they are, and when the members of a group care about and support one another, they can be invaluable.) 
And keep at it!  It's always been hard for new writers to break into the publishing world, but unfortunately today it seems to be harder than ever. (It's often even hard for those of us with many published books behind us.)  Publishing in general has become increasingly commercial, and many publishers are more concerned with the "bottom line" than used to be the case. Consequently, they're less willing to take a chance on new writers and to nurture fledgling ones.  Publishing is going through great changes right now, too, what with e-books and electronic publishing in general.  There are good things about those changes, but they're happening so fast that suddenly there's a brand new world for publishers  as well as writers to find places in.  The more you can learn about the new developments and find ways to adapt to them, the better--for in a sense, there are more opportunties for being published now than ever before, from traditional print book publishing to e-books, enhanced e-books, apps, and various forms of self-publishing. 
Again--if you're a new or aspiring writer, keep on reading and writing and learning--and don't give up! 

Featured Author: JADE KENNEDY

Jade Kennedy is one of the writers that I've 'met' since joining Twitter (after several years of not understanding it, I've finally realised what's going on and seem to be getting the hang of it..)


She writes in a way not dissimilar to the way I write, so it's hardly surprising that I've thoroughly enjoyed reading her work so far and am looking forward to getting my hands on her e-book 'Silver Threads' (Release date: 31st May 2012 published by Valley Press and available to buy from Amazon).


Below is an example of her work:


Orlando

Do not fade,
                 do not wither 
stray not from the Spring gardens
Orlando,
           come sit and discuss the art of fine poetry.
You who wears ambiguity like a fine silk veil.
Whose eyes have seen many phases of the moon.

To live,
         to recite,
                     to remember and bear witness.
After so long, to feel comfort in your own skin.


To be reborn, awakened,

                                    a different sex
Let the Winter become no more
than remnants of the past.

The hereafter can wait,
                                 you are alive.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Book Review: SOME OF HER PARTS


'Some of Her Parts' by Natascha Scrivener (nee Tallowin)
Review by Christina Hoar (www.cherrygrrl.com)


It’s not every day that I find a collection of work that truly speaks to me. In this world of cookie-cutter stories and mindless literature created for the masses, it’s always refreshing to find an author who isn’t afraid to break convention and think outside of the literary sphere. This, however, is exactly what I found in Some of Her Parts by Natascha Tallowin.
A clear reference to “The L Word’s” resident writer, Jennifer Schecter, Tallowin’s work is both inventive and powerful. In this eclectic collection of both prose and poetry, Tallowin weaves through various stories, each narrator recounting a treasured memory, a lost love, a repressed fear, or a journey to self-discovery.  Her poetry is moving, defying character gender and orientation to speak to the heart of the reader, to focus on the experience and emotion rather than the person.
In her ode to Jennifer Schecter, Tallowin unleashes a whirlwind of hatred and admiration for the woman, calling her both a monster and “the demon that tempts me.” The allusion to Jenny’s life and writing is as profound as it is stirring. Tallowin does a phenomenal job detailing Jenny’s downward spiral and the creative outpouring that resulted, as if Jenny acted as her muse and source of her inspiration.
Natascha Tallowin’s anthology doesn’t just focus on Schecter, but also delves into childhood innocence, lost loves, and painful memories. Her writing touches on aspects of life that every single reader can identify with, regardless of gender, orientation, or experience. The raw emotion Tallowin elicits, especially when her writing turns introspective, is deeply moving and left me wanting more.
While Natascha Tallowin’s collection of poetry and prose isn’t long, there’s not shortage of power that comes from it. Some of Her Parts is a wonderful foray into the heart and soul of the author as well as the reader.
Some of Her Parts is available to buy from:
Amazon
lulu.com
Barnes and Noble

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Interview with: Band BETTY





David Bowie famously cut up words from news papers and rearranged them 
to form some of his lyrics, How do you write yours?


-We write individually, then come together to arrange as a band.

How do you feel about the cookie-cutter bands who don't write their own 
lyrics/songs?


-It's hard to say...if that is what people want...but we also think 
there will always be a need (and hopefully demand!) for organic 
bands...people that come together to share writing and performing music 
out of similar tastes and beliefs and true friendship!



 Is there one theme that is written about more, in your music? If so, 
what is it and why does it repeat itself?

-LOVE. FOOD. SEX. BETRAYAL. themes that often repeat in Life as well!


You are well known for your performances at rallies etc for equality. 
What messages do you want to put across with your music?


-change the world for the better. be a part of something big and good 
and just so that people will be treated with respect and kindness and 
fairness everywhere.


The old generic question - 'What inspires you to write'?

- everything. and anything. and sometimes nothing.


Do you have a favourite lyrics of yours?


-it's hard to be objective about your own writing...we like to hear 
what other people think...example...we just performed for the Woodstock 
Film Festival...a DJ upstate said his fave was from our song did you 
tell her:
did you tell her you got on your knees and begged me for less.


What lyric (of someone else's) do you wish you had written?

-joni mitchell 's song conversation:
: she removes him like a ring
to wash her hands...


What is your opinion of music around at the moment?

wow. in a good sense. and not so good sense too. there are amazing 
artists out there...


You wrote the theme tune to 'The L Word', what was the writing process 
like for this? Did you have guidelines?

-we were told to submit something "anthemic"...so we tried to do that...


What advice do you have for song writers looking to break into the 
industry?

-suround yourself with people who are like-minded, and who love 
you...and enjoy the ride or journey...and don't be too hung up about 
the destination...

Interview with: Author ELIZABETH SPELLER





You are an award winning author, poet, non-fiction writer AND a blogger!  You obviously love writing, when did you start?

I started as soon as I could write at all. I was an only child until I was seven and I was taught at home until then too – so because I was quite isolated, I wrote my own imaginary worlds.
Tell us  a bit about you and the journey you have been on to get where you are today?


Well, I had quite lively teenage years – lots of truanting and parties - though I was bright and did well when I was actually at school. I had children when I was very young, living in late cold war Berlin,  was a single mother and then had bad depression. However an admission to hospital made me reconsider my life and my future and I came out determined to get some qualifications and sort out  my own and my children’s life.
I applied and, amazingly, was accepted by Cambridge university and did well so went on to post-grad studies but then sold a book about the subject of my academic work - though written for  a general market.  Even now I think how  incredibly lucky I was getting this chance for a new start.


Which do you prefer, fiction or non fiction writing?


I don’t think they are that far apart really. In travel books and non-fiction history you are trying to recreate a place or a period in history just as you are trying to invent a convincing background in a novel. And I always tended to embroider things - even in non-fiction!


Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so, how did you get over it?


I haven’t – yet!! I do get writer’s inertia and I succumb far too easily to other diversions!

Do you work with an outline, or just write?


I usually have a setting and an idea of the central theme in mind plus a start and an ending, but once I start writing  the story and characters  take off in their own direction and never end up going where I plan! 

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
Like a lot of children I loved the Lion and the Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S Lewis and I also was captivated by The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner. My favourite stories were ones which fed my imagination-even though I was sometimes terrified! I particularly liked Victorian tales like The Little Princess and The Secret Garden where children were orphaned, mistreated and unloved but everything ended happily! 

As an adult there are so many books I’ve loved as a reader but  also learned from as a writer. One of my favourites is Virginia Woolf’s  Mrs Dalloway. But I also enjoy good detective fiction from the Golden Age to the goriest forensic based whodunits.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?


I was writing for various magazines - some more salubrious than others! I was also writing copy for holiday brochures and even television shop labels. But I was introduced to my fantastic agent, Georgina Capel, and she sold my first book. It was non fiction and she said when, after four non-fiction books, I said I’d written a novel her heart sunkl! However it has sold the most of any of my books.

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?
Lots of things I’d do differently-though mostly small things.  As a writer you are always learning. Above all, I‘d try and write a bit shorter in length.

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

I have a very good publicist at Little Brown (my publishers) but I think Twitter has been the real revelation and revolution. When I wrote my earlier books it wasn’t really significant - and I think it does work better for fiction than non-fiction - but now Twitter and a website mean I can promote and get feedback on my books. Also, in a profession where you work alone all day, it’s a way to keep I touch with the world and new friends and not become a total hermit!
Have you written something you love that you have not been able to get published?
Not really. I’ve been lucky. Though I still love writing poetry and of course that is very hard to publish and impossible to live on!

Can you tell us about your latest novel, 'The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton'?

This book is set in a very mysterious, still not really understood, area of Britain, around the prehistoric standing stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury in Wiltshire. Laurence Bartram and William and Eleanor Bolitho, who all appeared in my earlier novel, The Return of Captain John Emmett, are staying in a large traditional country house, helping with its restoration, but in a village where all the men, including the heir to the estate, have been lost in the Great War.  The house has further sad history - the unresolved disappearance of a five year old child from before the war. When a body is found on the estate, Laurence Bartram finds himself drawn into events of the past and discovers a great any current secrets and some strange connections between ancient history, the catastrophe in the war and the fate of the lost child.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?


The events are mostly imagination but the psychology of how people react in certain circumstances: love, loss, fear, secrecy - are not much different to real life! But I know the area well. When I was a student at Cambridge University we stayed near Stonehenge and explored the ancient burial mounds and remains and the place and its mysteries has always fascinated me.

What was your favourite chapter (or part) to write and why?


I liked the end! In fact I liked the ends of both novels.  It would be a spoiler to say why, but I am very keen on endings which leave reader thinking and don’t necessarily tie everything up tidily.

How did you come up with the title?
With difficulty! I had a working title which the publishers didn’t like. Then we settled on Kitty Lytton but late in the day someone said it sounded like ‘Kitty Litter’ (!) so back to the drawing board. 

What project are you working on now?


I’m writing a novel about a single day in the first World War: July 1st - the middle day of the war and the opening day of the battle of the Somme, the worst ever for British military losses. (There were nearly 60,000 casualties.) I follow four quite different men from widely diverse backgrounds: two British, one American, one French, through the day and as their lives cross, the question is who will survive it and how and how the day changes them and others. Laurence Bartram has a small part in this book too.

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
As a side line I do ghost blogging (writing the blogs for a powerful businessman who has neither the time nor aptitude to write his own). This sometimes involves telling him what he should have read or seen at the cinema/theatre, or even what he should have thought about events. I’d love to write a screenplay where a hard-up, idealistic young woman ghost blogger re-creates a tough, insensitive businessman as her ideal man on his blog and he eventually (after much clashing of world views) he tries to become this man. It would be a sort of thinking person’s RomCom.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
Difficult question!  It’s always tough if people don’t like bits an author especially does like!  If people say a book is slow or boring-then I feel I’ve failed-as any book should primarily entertain. If they say it’s not clear whether it’s Literary Fiction or a Whodunit then I want to say, why can’t it be both? Why are we so stuck on labels? Best compliment has been that my settings are an absolutely convincing portrayal of post Great War England.

They say that to see the world with complete honesty one should look to comedians, artists and poets, what do you think emerges naturally from your work?

Probably a strong anti-war conviction. When I was younger I was a pacifist; now I accept war is sometimes unavoidable but believe the damage done to individuals and communities is incalculable and enduring.

All poets have several words that come up over and over again, words or sentences that they just can’t help but use in their work. What are 3 of your absolute favourite words?


Melancholy. Shimmer (of heat). Interstices. 


Name your 3 favourite poets or writers. What about their work are you most drawn to? What about their work are you most inspired by?


I love the poetry of Louis MacNeice and gave the title of one of his poems to my own memoir – “The Sunlight on the Garden”. But I also love the opening to his long poem “Autumn Journal” It is a perfect evocation of the end of a hot summer – in this case written In 1939, so everyone knew another war was about to come. I like the work of John Fowles, especially The French Lieutenant’s Woman, as it made me see how historical novels could be just as innovative as ones dealing with contemporary topics and I’ve just finished Alan Hollinghust’s The Stranger’s Child which also plays with ideas of history and memory.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Always carry and notebook and pen, eavesdrop a lot, and read and read and read.

Thank you ever so much for allowing Magic Cat Press to interview you. Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

It has to be THANK YOU! I don’t think most authors are that driven by money (they’d chose another career if they were!) but being widely read is what we all dream of. And I love hearing from readers.

Thursday 17 May 2012

Interview with: author KATIE WARD


Interview by Natascha Scrivener


Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m married and I have two cats. I’m about to turn 32. I’ve lived in Suffolk for 8 years. I like lots of things, including city breaks, bubble baths and Earl Grey tea.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I was about 20 years old when I first had an idea for a novel and decided that writing fiction was something I really wanted to do. However, I’m not sure I seriously considered myself a writer until earlier this year, when my debut novel was published and I gave up my office job to write full time.

What challenges did you face whilst writing 'Girl Reading' and after you had finished it?
The challenges are forever changing. There’s always some new problem to overcome – and not necessarily just with the creative process. Whilst writing Girl Reading, I often had to find ways of overcoming my doubts about my own ability, in order to carry on. Lack of time to do everything I want is another issue, which I’m sure all writers come up
against. And the silliest things can scupper your writing day, like when your computer crashes!

What inspired you to write it?

I happened to read an article on a newspaper website about a book of portraits of women readers; they had asked some authors to choose their favourite picture from it and to write a short paragraph explaining why they liked it. The piece included contributions from PD James, Joanna Trollope and the poet Carol Ann Duffy. I was really struck by the range of portraits, by the different styles and media. But it wasn’t until several weeks or months later, that I realised I had begun to see female readers in pictures, and in life (on the bus, the train, in a cafe), and I began to think that perhaps there could be a novel in this?

What books have influenced your life most?

In no particular order: Plato’s Republic; The Hours by Michael Cunningham; Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own; Hamlet; The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame; Miss Garnet’s Angel by Salley Vickars; Every Day is Mother’s Day by Hilary Mantel.

What book are you reading now?

The Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama and Howard C Cutler.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Normal stuff like socialising with friends, watching DVDs, playing in a band, going for a swim. I love theatre and art. And I can while away hours on Twitter too.

Why do you feel you had to tell this story?

Girl Reading really emerged out of the fixation I had with the archetype of female readers in art. There is something very beautiful and intimate about watching someone read; and something quite magical – and a bit strange – about the way artists have captured sitters reading over the centuries. The idea became very strong and after a while it took on a life of its own.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Make time to write because the more you do it, the better you will become. Writing is like music or painting; you improve through practice and experience. Choose an idea for a novel which you really believe it, love and are enthusiastic about. When you are ready to approach agents, follow the advice in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, which is excellent; be professional about it; and please don’t feel discouraged by rejection, because all writers have experienced it. Finally, just do it. If you love to write, just do it.
Don’t put it off.

When did you first start writing, what made you feel the need to express yourself in this way?

When I was at university, I started to think about writing a book and I began to read novels more proactively than I had done before. For me, the idea is extremely important; it should grow and grow inside you, until you can’t contain it anymore and you have to write it, because the alternative would be unbearable. But writing without a strong idea would be very difficult for me; if I never had another good idea, I probably wouldn’t write again.

Do you write poetry or non-fiction at all?

I last wrote poetry as a teenager – and it was pretty bad! I like to tweet and I blog from time to time. I’m not sure if I’ll ever write a non-fiction book.

What kind of work are you most drawn to reading yourself? Do you find yourself reading work similar to your own, or completely different?

A safe bet for me is usually ‘literary women’s fiction’, which is what I write, but I like to think that I’d give anything a go. I’m in a reading group, so I regularly read books I wouldn’t automatically choose and sometimes those are the books which surprise you most. One of the best books I’ve ever read was In Cold Blood by Truman Capote –
but someone had to make me. I also read non-fiction for research, which is different again.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

Nothing in Girl Reading is autobiographical, in the sense that it’s about me or my life. The characters and stories are all made up, unless they refer to real historical figures – in which case they are interpretations. However, the most obvious personal experience which did make it into the book was Jeannine’s job as a parliamentary assistant, because my first job out of university was working for an MP. So I was able to write with some authority on how it felt to work in Portcullis House.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

They are all my favourites for different reasons, of course! But I think the chapter set during the Great War stands out because of Gwen – who is a teenager in love and ruled by her hormones. She was just hilarious to write about. Really, she wrote herself.

How did you come up with the title?

It’s a reference to the convention in painting to call pictures of female readers, ‘Girl Reading’, even if the sitter is a fully grown woman.

What project are you working on now?

I’m working on my next novel, which is top secret!

Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

No, I don’t think so. I think that Girl Reading is finished and stands alone. I can’t imagine going back to it.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
Girl Reading is my published debut novel, but it’s the second book I’ve written. My first first novel got turned down by about 20 – 30 agents. Actually that was ok, because I was quite stoic about the fact that rejection is part of being an author. The hardest moment came when an agent expressed an interest in my first novel and requested to see the whole manuscript; I got hugely excited and sent it off . . . and then they sent it back to me saying, ‘thanks, but no thanks,’ they didn’t want it after all! That was very upsetting, because my hopes had been raised and then dashed. The best compliment I’ve ever had was from Hilary Mantel, who was the first person to see a finished draft of Girl Reading – and who recommended it to her own agent as a result. It was absolutely the highest compliment anyone has ever given me about my work.

They say that to see the world with complete honesty one should look to comedians, artists and poets, what do you think emerges naturally from your work?

I believe it’s true that we’re hardwired to respond to art and stories. We’ve been making art since the time of cave paintings and I’m sure our earliest ancestors also told stories, laughed at jokes and made music too – it’s just that we don’t have a record anymore. When I wrote my novel, I had certain ideas in mind that I wanted to convey to the reader. However, I also think it’s the reader’s job to make up their own mind about what emerges from it, and that will be different for different people. Essentially, I think that whenever we read a book or look at a painting, we see what we want to see.

All writers have several words that come up over and over again, words or sentences that they just can’t help but use in their work. What are 3 of your absolute favourite words?

Intuition. Colour. Breath.

Name your 3 favorite poets or writers. What about their work are you most drawn to? What about their work are you most inspired by?

It’s extremely hard to pick just three for the rest of my life – itall depends on the mood and the day! But at the moment, I’m thinking a lot about Evelyn Waugh, whose work is just beautiful and really captures a lost era. His books are very character-led, rather than following the obvious arc of a narrative, so they turn out in unexpected ways. I’ve been listening to Pulp recently, so I’m going to mention Jarvis Cocker’s lyrics, because they’re so dirty, but wonderfully crafted, and very English. And Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who wrote a rather sinister story called The Yellow Wallpaper, which is as near to perfection as you can get.

Do you think that creative writing courses help or hinder the creative process, and do you think creativity can be taught?

A creative writing course wasn’t right for me, but I can see that there are advantages: you get support from your tutor and your peers; you have a structure to follow; you get feedback etc. Clearly it works well for some people, because there are lots of creative writing course success stories. But at the end of the day, I think that writers (creative and non-fiction) improve through practice and experience. That’s the bottom-line.

Thank you so much for letting us interview you, Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for asking me! It was a pleasure. What a lot of thoughtful questions. I hope I did all right?