Interview: Maggie Le Page
When did you know writing was for you? I’ve always enjoyed writing—even as a kid, but you probably don’t mean that, right? 😉 Fast forward…
Interview with Sue Watson
Q: Why is writing a passion for you?
That’s a really good question and I have a theory on this. I always wanted to be an actress and as a teenager spent a great deal of time involved in drama groups and studied English and Drama for my university degree. However, for some reason I gravitated towards the writing side of drama and ended up working in TV writing scripts and developing programme ideas. When I left my career to write I suddenly felt alive again and escaping into each character’s life was just like acting. There’s a great deal of me in Stella the heroine in Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes, so it was easy to get inside her head, but I believe my drama training also enabled me to get inside the other characters too. I like to think as a result of this the dialogue and actions are real and the people in my books are fully developed and believable.
Q: What gave you the idea for Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes? And how did you come up with the hilarious title?
The idea had been in my head for years. A friend once told me she felt she was wasting her life and would love to leave the corporate world she worked in to stay at home to look after her kids and bake fairy cakes all day. She never did make her escape …life got in the way as it usually does… but she planted the seed for Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes. I was working long hours away from home and I completely related to my friend’s desire to chase her dreams before it was too late. For me the idea of being in a warm vanilla scented house waiting for another batch of cakes to come from the oven filled me with calm. It made me realise that there must be more to life than struggling on a daily basis to give an impossible 100% to everyone and everything. This made me think about the possibility of a different life – so when I left the frantic world of television I realised my dream to write. At the same time, I’m just like Stella in the book and I find deep comfort in the bottom of the mixing bowl and I always write at the kitchen table so I can be near the oven!
The title Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes came to me one day while I was having lunch with two friends. We were talking about cake and weight and it just amused me that three curvy ladies were worrying about how fat they were while obsessing about which cakes to choose for dessert!
Q: Are you currently working on another novel?
Yes, I have almost finished The Terrible Truth About Tanya Travis – my second novel, which is about a daytime talk show host with a dark secret. It’s written in the same style and is funny like Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes – it’s also set in the crazy world of television but it deals with slightly darker themes and is partly set in the hauntingly beautiful Nepal…. where a woman’s secret can stay hidden for many years.
Q: Do you have a certain writing schedule you try to stick to?
I do have a writing schedule – but I rarely stick to it! I have terrible self-discipline and ideally I should sit at my desk and write from 9 in the morning until 5 in the evening, but I don’t. I find all kinds of excuses to leave my desk – I bake, clean the cooker, call friends, blog, Tweet, text, FB – in fact I do any kind of writing other than the novel! It’s mad because once I sit down to write I can’t stop, I completely love it and immerse myself in the places and people I write about. It’s just the initial sitting down to start the process that I find hard. I am discovering a lot about myself through writing – and one of those things is that I am a deadline junkie. If my publisher gives me a date they need the book finished, I’ll do it – but will probably work 24/7 through several nights to get it done.
Q: Who are some authors that you would love to work with?
I would find it difficult to actually collaborate with another author as for me writing really is a solitary pastime. But there are authors I would love to have around while I’m writing. If I could share a desk with anyone it would be Jen Lancaster, whose book Such a Pretty Fat is one of the bravest, funniest books I’ve ever read. I think her ‘don’t give a damn’ humour, obsession with trashy reality shows and love/hate relationship with fabulous food must make us writing ‘twins!’ Yes, Jen is welcome to join me with her laptop at my kitchen table where we could share jokes and doughnuts while we write (though the commute between Chicago and Worcestershire in the UK might be a bit much and I think she’d miss her doggies!)
Q: Did you use any critique partners or beta readers during your writing process?
I was very lucky and have a lovely editor, Jo Doyle, who guided me through the whole re-editing process and I learned so much from her. Jo selfishly went off to have a rather gorgeous baby girl to match her delicious little boy, but I think she’s realised her priorities and will be back by my side shortly to turn Tanya Travis into a work of art!
I asked a very good and honest friend to critique my book in the final stages, and my best friend helped with the ending over a few glasses of red. For the next book I have asked a couple of friends if they’d be kind enough to get involved in the early stages (ie read the first draft) for me and I am delighted to say they’ve agreed. I think early input from honest friends/readers will be really useful as they will bring a fresh perspective to the writing and perhaps come up with solutions for any knotty plot problems.
Q: What is your favorite desert- be specific!
Now that’s a tricky one because I have a short list of about 700! I adore Chocolate fudge cake, Raspberry Pavlova and homemade strawberry shortcake – but my favorite is a really chocolatey mousse with a consistency so thick it sticks to the roof of your mouth and fills your heart with melted chocolate. AND it’s a pre-requisite that all the above have to be steeped in heavy cream.
Q: Can you share any of your favorite recipes with us?
I have lots of favorite recipes, but the one I love the most is my white chocolate and cranberry Christmas Fairies which are in the book. Stella creates the most amazing cakes and tarts from Chocolate Chilli Cha Cha Fairies to Inebriated Christmas Tarts and when you’ve finished the novel, you’ll find all the recipes at the back. The recipes are my own original ‘designs’ and have been triple tested to be utterly fabulous!
Q: Where would be your dream vacation?
My family and I LOVE the US. We have holidayed in Florida several times (my husband is now a big Rays fan) and in April this year we visited New York which was amazing – especially the bakeries … and the cupcake possibilities were endless. However, we’re hoping to go on our dream destination next Summer and visit California – I’m dying to see LA and San Francisco. I may even set the sequel to Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes somewhere around Hollywood – I think Stella, Al and Lizzie would just LOVE a little bit of film star fairy cake action.
Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Never give up.
I have written about my own rocky road to publishing on the Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes Blog and I have been very honest. Writing a book isn’t easy, it can be fun and wonderful, but it’s not easy, but the hardest part is sending it to publishing houses and agents and receiving the inevitable rejections…. then starting all over again. It’s important to fight the natural instinct to give up because it’s so hard to keep believing in yourself when it seems that nobody else does. Around the time the millionth rejection comes in your friends (and even family) will probably start to question what you’re doing and why you are doing it. This makes you question yourself. Go through this process and don’t blame anyone for giving up on you, it’s human nature… just never, ever give up on yourself. I never gave up because deep down I believed I had something special and I just needed to convince everyone else and in order to do that I HAD to keep sending my book out and live with the hurt of more rejections.
Several years down the line with a three book deal the secret is – I never gave up, and that really is the key. To hold that book in my hand and be asked to do lovely interviews like this one is worth all the effort and the doubts and the pain – honestly.
Ask questions about your work, show everyone, anyone. Attend writing classes, edit and re-edit your work – even start again – but if this is really what you want then just stay focused and keep those three little words in your head. DON’T GIVE UP.
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Interview with Marybeth Whalen
Q: Have you always known you wanted to be a writer?
I always knew I was a writer down deep. It took a lot longer for me to admit I wanted to be one to myself– and especially to other people.
Q: Are your stories inspired by your own life, or lives of people you know?
My stories are always inspired by my own life. I have heard it said that novelists have good “what iffers.” We see something and we start the “What if?” game. Pretty soon we have the core of a novel. That’s what happened with my new novel, She Makes It Look Easy. I asked myself what if a woman who has it all together finds herself in an unavoidable situation. How does she respond and does she keep it all together or willingly lose it for something that looks better than the life she thought she wanted? And what if a friend who admired her watched all this transpire? What would that do to her illusion of perfection?
Q: When you are in the writing process, is there a specific time of day that you get most of your writing done? Do you have any set schedule you follow?
I try to write every day when my youngest is in Transitional Kindergarten. I really try to guard that time, which means no errands, fun lunches, with friends, volunteering at my kids’ school, etc. That means I write from 9-1 M-F. During huge deadlines, I will also go off on Saturdays for the day to a coffee shop and my husband will hold down the fort so I can get a chunk of work done. I have also been known to check into a hotel for a weekend and work round the clock, sleeping only when I have to. Whatever it takes.
Q: Your second novel, She Makes It Look Easy, will be available in June. Can you tell us about this book in twenty words or less?
This book is for every woman who has ever looked at another woman and thought “I want what she has.”
Q: Can you talk to us about the process of finding a publisher. Did you have an agent, how did you query, etc.?
I do have an agent that I connected with through a friend. That’s how I sold both my novels– through agents who sold to a publisher. I would encourage people to make those wonderful writing connections through conferences, online, etc. Don’t do it to gain something, but also be ready for those connections to benefit you in surprising ways!
Q: What was the most challenging part of the writing process for you?
Revision kicks my butt every time. I always claim I hate the book, should’ve never written the first word, etc. I also always go to my husband and ask if we could give the advance back. He always says no. We have six kids. It’s gone. Now get to work. 🙂
Q: You have six children! I’ll ask the obvious- how do you keep up with everything?
Because of the way my husband and I have chosen to raise our family, my family has to come first. At this stage of my life, the writing has to fit into my family life– not the other way around. However as my kids are getting older I am seeing that there will be more pockets of time to write. My ability to write will grow with my kids. So for that reason I really try to enjoy what I have with them now while I have it. But for now I am comfortable with doing a book a year, Lord willing! That seems to work for my family.
Q: On top of your writing and your family, you run a fantastic blog! I love that you have a category for each day. Do you think having blogs and social networking accounts are a must for authors these days?
I think having some sort of presence on the internet is expected by readers at this point. I know now when I read a new author, I go look up her blog, twitter, etc. because I want to know more about her. It’s rare I see an author not have one. Of course I am not talking about all authors because there are some who just don’t play the game and they are good enough to get away with that. But for mere mortals like myself, I think a blog, a twitter account, a facebook page, etc. are all good things to invest some time in. Having the daily categories has helped me a tremendous amount. It’s taken away that “what in the world do I write about today??” question. I am all about making things as easy and simple as possible in all areas of my life. If it’s not easy and simple, chances are I am going to shy away from it.
Q: Where would be your dream vacation?
An extended trip to the UK where I got to see both David Gray and The Blue Nile perform. But coming in a close second is a month at my beloved Sunset Beach, where my first novel The Mailbox is set.
Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?
Write regularly. Write the novel of your heart. Don’t worry about publication right now. Just write the novel you want to read. Someone said that to me once and it’s what ultimately got me to write The Mailbox. Boy am I glad I did!
Interview with Fiona Cassidy
Interview With Fiona Cassidy
Q: Why did you want to start writing?
I’ve always been a passionate reader so for me it was a natural progression to want to write my own novel. My parents were both primary school teachers and fostered a love of literature in me from an early age. I had ambitions to become a newspaper journalist and had actually been offered a place to complete a journalism degree at one of the most prestigious universities in Edinburgh, Scotland but unfortunately wasn’t in a position to accept it as I got pregnant with my son Colm when I was eighteen. The ambition never went away, however, and continued to bubble under the surface whilst I raised my family and held down a full-time job. I think the catalyst for me was when I read a book about adoption several years ago. It annoyed me as to my mind the author had no idea about what they were talking about regarding the feelings and emotions experienced when embarking on a search for birth roots as I had done myself so I decided to write my own fictional story about it (with no research required) and it’s now being published in August!
Q: You received a three book publishing deal in April 2009. How did you celebrate the fabulous news?
I celebrated with friends and family but to be honest was so completely shell shocked at the beginning that I could hardly absorb it fully! Getting a publishing deal for me was a dream come true and although we all have dreams and aspirations we never really expect them to come to fruition! I am in the very privileged position of having an extremely supportive partner, Philip, who always shared the dream with me and continues to do so in whatever I do! He took me away for a lovely (child free) weekend to Dublin several weeks after I secured my deal and it was pure bliss!
Q: Your first novel, Anyone for Seconds? is all about broken families. What can we expect from your second novel, Anyone For Me?
Anyone for Seconds? is a humorous look at modern family life and explores the trials and tribulations of single parenthood and step-families. As a step-mother to Philip’s children I am able to write confidently about the subject although I do have to stress that the horrendous teenage step-daughter in the storyline wasn’t based on any of our daughters!! Anyone for Me? is the story of Ruby Ross (who is one of the main characters in Anyone for Seconds?) and how she goes on an adventure when she embarks upon a mission to trace her birth mother. The book is of a comedic nature but deals with some serious topics. I like books that make me laugh out loud but provide solid storylines about every day issues which is what I try to achieve with my writing! As with Anyone for Seconds? (which reached no. 6 in the Irish Fiction book chart) readers can expect more laughs and appearances from characters they got to know in the first book along with lots of thrills and suspense!
Q: You’ve said you write want you know, and you’ve lived the life as a single parent. What do you think was the hardest part for you in being a single mom?
I think it’s hard to watch your children growing up and feeling somehow different from others who’ve come from the typical ‘nuclear’ family where both parents are together and involved in their children’s lives. In my own personal circumstances my husband and I separated when I was four months pregnant with my daughter Úna and I found the experience of going to ante-natal appointments and scans alone and having no doting father in the labour ward very difficult to deal with. It’s also very hard to admit that you’ve obviously made a mistake. I was very young when I got pregnant and married and had to return to my parent’s house after I gave birth which I found very hard after living away from home for several years. Thankfully, however, I wasn’t on my own for very long. My partner Philip and I have been together now for ten years and he has been the best father my children could ever have wished for! We’ve since had a daughter of our own, Áine, and it’s wonderful to be bringing her up together in a stable and happy environment and knowing that she won’t have to deal with issues that the older children have had to deal with.
Q: What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t writing?
As I love working with the public and am very outgoing and sociable I suspect I would be doing something within marketing or public relations. I already have a scant working background in this area but recently gave up my job as I want to concentrate more on my books! I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else other than writing, however, and would love to make a full-time career out of it. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen!
Q: What character would you say you are most like from Sex in the City?
I don’t think I can pigeon hole myself into being one particular character. I can see myself being a combination of Carrie with her creative writing side and witty observations on life whilst displaying similar traits to feisty Miranda with her constant juggling between work and life as a single mother. As for Philip he’d probably like me to be more like Samantha!
Q: Any guilty pleasures you can share with us?
I don’t have much time to indulge in many pleasures but I have to say I love getting away with Philip on our own. He has taken me several times to a spa hotel in Westport, Co. Mayo who provide reflexology and Indian head massage as part of their weekend package! Obviously this doesn’t happen very often as we have commitments to our children and also as finances simply wouldn’t allow it but it is something I really enjoy and think that every couple need! As for me on my own I just adore eating chocolate, having bubble baths and reading when I can! In fact I’ve been known to do all three at once!
Q: If you could trade lives with one other person- anyone!- for one day, who would it be and why?
I’d love to be in government for a day! I’d relax taxing laws, give better benefits to single parents and couples with young children and put a large dent in third world debt! I’d also make myself chief executive of a worldwide publishing conglomerate and give a new author from Northern Ireland called Fiona Cassidy the opportunity to make all nationalities laugh!
Q: What is your best advice for aspiring writers?
I would advise anyone who is interested in writing to go along to creative writing classes and surround themselves with people who have similar ambitions as you can learn from each other and pick up writing tips! There are also plenty of online forums and websites that would provide support and advice in this area! I would advocate reading as much as possible and ask them to familiarize themselves with publisher’s guidelines if they wish to submit manuscripts for consideration! It’s also useful to have an agent but not essential as I got my publishing deal first and had to choose an agent afterwards as I had three offering to represent me at one stage! An agent is a Godsend when it comes to negotiating contracts and understanding what way the market works. They also give invaluable editorial support! Above all I would advise people not to give up on their dreams. If writing is something you really want to do I would continue. It’s all too easy to get disillusioned as I myself was on many occasions but it’s about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and tackling every rejection with a steely determination to succeed the next time!
Q: Where would be your dream vacation?
I’d love to take the whole family away on a holiday perhaps to Disneyland or to Australia as we have relatives there who we haven’t seen in a number of years! However any holiday with the family where everyone is happy and relaxed would be a dream for me!
