Interview with Laura Barnard

When did you know writing was for you?
From a very young age. My mum says even as a small toddler I was obsessed with books and the minute I could put pen to paper I was coming up with all sorts of stories. I used to bore my mum senseless making her listen to them. As I got older I started to pester teachers with marking extra stories, but then hit my teens and got a bit shy.

How would you describe your books?
I would say they are a portal for you to enter into another woman’s hilarious life. There are laugh out loud moments, but also serious, tender moments. There’s a romance (the amount of people that refer to Ryan as a real person is hysterical!), but really my book is centered around friendship. It shows with the right love and support you can get through and laugh about anything.

Why was The Debt and the Doormat a book you wanted to write?
A lot of my friends started struggling with debt and they’d always come to me embarrassed, as I’m normally so careful and organised with money. I would try to help them, but realize that unless you totally take control over someone there is no way you can change them. That’s where the idea came from. I still get phone calls from friends, frantically asking me ‘Am I Jazz???’ However, without these friends I would be a total bore! I’m such a Poppy! They’re the ones persuading me to get another bottle of wine in or treat myself to a new outfit. I think opposites suit each other as they can both bring out the best in the other.

What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
The beginning! I have so many ideas, its sometimes hard to focus on just one. I like to have a rough idea of the story and then work on characters. I go so ridiculously in depth – I write interview questions for them, find similar looking celebrities, even find what sort of clothes they would wear and what kind of vocabulary they would use. Once I have a set of solid characters they seem to guide me on where the book goes and sometimes its in a totally different direction!

What are your favorite genres to read?
I love reading chic-lit and my favorite authors are Madeleine Wickham (writing as both herself and Sophie Kinsella) and Lindsay Kelk. However, while writing this I tried to broaden my tastes and wondered around my local library selecting books I wouldn’t normally bother with – crime thrillers, erotic and heavily romantic Mills and Boon books. It was strange going outside of my usual comfort zone but I loved them and feel each one taught me something different. I learnt how to write tense, edge of your seat scenes and I learnt how to write a love story the reader completely goes head over heels for.

What do you want readers to take away from your story?
Mainly I just want them to have a good laugh and when they finish the book feel like they’ve lost a friend. A great book is one you keep thinking about and wish was a bit longer. If you can remember a scene from it a few weeks later and have a giggle its a good one.

How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
I think its hugely important, especially for self-publishing. Before social media there was really no other way of mass-promoting your work on such a huge scale. You can also hear up to date information from reviewers and receive comments from the public. It’s like skipping the messenger and having everything to hand.

What would be your advice to aspiring writers
Keep writing! Sometimes it can feel like you are getting nowhere but if you carry on you’ll be surprised at how you can pull something together. The best advice given to me was by my college Tutor, Ian St Peters, who said ‘Writing is a craft. You have to perfect it over time, but if you don’t enjoy it don’t bother.’ I genuinely love writing and if only a handful of people also enjoy my story that really is enough satisfaction for me. If it isn’t maybe you’re in the wrong game.