World Book Day
09 March 2009
I’m a historical novelist, not a children’s author, but as I have four young children, I am sometimes approached (or kindly nominated by my kids!) to visit schools and talk about writing…or history, when the syllabus happens to focus on one of the periods in which my novels are set.
Last Thursday, being World Book Day, I was invited to the local secondary school to talk to an English literature and language class of pupils from Years 9 and 10 (which I think makes them about 13-14). They’d all prepared questions beforehand and since the questions of children are famous for being direct (sometimes brutally so!), wide-ranging and for coming at thing from a fresh angle, the answers seemed as good a theme for an introductory blog as any.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be Kate Bush or Emily Bronte – knew I wanted to write ‘Wuthering Heights’ but wasn’t sure if it should be as a pop song or a novel! My husband is a musician, and reliably informs me that I’m tone deaf, so song writing was a bit of a non-starter.
How old were you when your first book was published?
29. But I started writing my first book, ‘Isabella’, when I was 25. It is about the Mutiny on the Bounty and I loved the story so much that I kept re-drafting it until it was good enough.
Where do your ideas come from?
Real events or people form history are usually my starting points. My latest novel, ‘Lady of the Butterflies’, is the story of Lady Eleanor Glanville, who lived in the seventeenth century. She was mentioned in a footnote of a book I was reading about butterflies – all it said was that she had her will overturned by her family on the grounds that she was insane for being interested in butterflies. And that she found happiness from natural history in the midst of great personal sorrow. I knew immediately that I had to write her story.
Do your family ever appear as characters in your books?
Not as themselves exactly. But I think most writers use elements of people they know as the basis of characters for their stories.
Roald Dahl wrote in a shed. Where do you write?
In a shed also. But it’s nowhere near as pretty as Roald Dahl’s. Literally a garden shed, and for a long time I shared it with the kids bikes and scooters.
How many hours a day do you write?
Normally about 8, but if I’m feeling particularly inspired I have been known to do 17! My children kindly bring food and drink to the shed to keep me going.
How important is a first line?
Very. Mainly because it gets you over that scary situation of having a blank page. But from a reader’s point of view it can hook you straight away. One of my favourite books has a really famous first line. Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ …..’Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again.’
Do you judge books by their covers?
I think everyone does, which is why publishers are so keen to get the cover just right. Book jackets need to let readers know what kind of book they are going to be reading. My new novel has the most beautiful cover, dramatic, romantic and mysterious.
What is your favourite novel?
I’d have to name about ten. ‘Rebecca’ would certainly be one. And ‘The King’s General’, also by Daphne Du Maurier. ‘Wutehring Heights’, ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘Katherine’ by Anya Seton too.
Do you write in silence or listening to music?
In silence. But I listen to music for inspiration and every book I write has a kind of soundtrack of music that I listened to constantly while thinking about scenes. I used to work for Radio 1 and am still a bit of a rock chic. There’s a Scandinavian symphonic rock band called Nightwish who I find particularly inspiring as their songs are extraordinarily dramatic and powerful.
Have any of your novels been made into movies?
Not yet sadly. But two of my books have been optioned by Leonard Goldberg (who produced Charlie’s Angles) so here’s hoping.
How much money have you made? (Told you kids were blunt!)
Not enough to mean I can retire!
How do you do your research?
Reading books, online, visiting places where scenes are set, talking to experts.
Do you do a story plan before you start and do you know the ending?
I try to. But my plans are very flexible. I change them as I go along.
Why do you write?
Because there’s nothing else I can imagine doing and because it makes me a much nicer person to be around!
Do you have to be interested in the subjects you write about?
Definitely. I couldn’t have written ‘Lady of the Butterflies’ unless I was interested in butterflies and the seventeenth century. You have to love your characters too.
Does your book have any passion and death in it?
Lots of passion. Death by poison and from ague (seventeenth century name for malaria which killed loads of people in England during this period.)
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