My thanks to writer and coach Sharon Zink for interviewing me.
Sharon: When did you realise you were a writer?
Jane: When I was eight. I wrote a story for my younger
sister Caroline about Sally Dumpling, a fairy with curves, who lived in a
yellow rose and whose best friend was a robin. My sister loved it!
Are there particular symptoms you think people should look out for if they
suspect they may be coming down with Writer Syndrome?
One definite symptom is lusting after nice notebooks
and buying a new one at any excuse. I always buy a new notebook when I’m going
on holiday and I have a shelf of half-filled notebooks. In one of these I had noted down details of my Central American holiday: the landscape, the
food and the wildlife I saw. This became the setting for AFTER THE STORM.
Can you tell us about your latest project?
I am putting the finishing touches to BEHIND HER BACK which is my fourth novel and is out 10 August 2017. It features Liz Lyon
and the StoryWorld TV station from WOMAN OF THE HOUR. It was good to get an
opportunity to develop my characters further in a second book but it also works
as a stand-alone novel.
Behind Her Back is about backstabbing colleagues at
work! A new Head of Sales arrives at the
TV station and she joins forces with the News Editor, who hates Liz, to
undermine her at every turn. Meanwhile at home Liz has started to date again
but her fifteen year old daughter deeply resents the new man in her life. So
there is lots of conflict which drives the story.
What inspired you to write it? Where do you generally draw your ideas from?
What inspired both WOMANOF THE HOUR and BEHIND HER BACK was a desire to explore the pressures facing
women at work. Many books depict women’s emotional and family lives but I’ve
seen much less fiction about a woman struggling with the pressures of work. Yet
that had been my life: a lone parent and a working mother, trying to keep all
the balls up in the air, feeling conflicted about competing pressures.
The ideas for my four novels have come from different places but what unites them is a focus on strong women, who also have their lows and their vulnerable moments. They battle adversity whether it’s a jealous colleague at work or self-doubt or a holiday from hell!
What is your writing process? Are you very disciplined or are you more of a flying by the seats of your pants writer?
My writing process has changed. My first book had a
long genesis. I wrote it at weekends and when I was on holiday and so it grew
organically. I did more planning with AFTER THE STORM. I created a sheet for
each of the four main characters and thought about their back story before I
started writing. I also had my holiday journal to draw on to help me create a
vivid setting.
With the two Liz Lyon books I was asked to submit
treatments to my publisher Head of Zeus so I had to plan them out more, though
still with plenty of room for the characters to take me in unexpected
directions. You know a book is going well when a new plot line emerges that
feels entirely in keeping with your character.
Do you write longhand or on a computer or both? Do you believe that writing
method makes a difference to style?
I do most of my drafting straight onto my laptop and
I work standing up. I have rigged up a tray-on-legs on top of the desk to get
my laptop high enough. If I’m away from my laptop I make sure I have a notebook
or some sheets of paper in my bag so I can jot ideas and lines of dialogue down
as they pop into my head. Does it make a difference which method you use? I’m
not sure.
How do you deal with autobiographical elements in your work? Do you worry about offending people or baring your soul too much?
I deal with stuff that has happened in my life but
it is transformed when it is told through fictional characters and situations.
That said, friends and family have said to me ‘oh you’re Liz Lyon and Flo is
Amelia’ my daughter. This is not strictly speaking true but I certainly drew on
the feelings I had when I was a stressed working mum.
When it comes to other people’s lives I am more
careful though I do get my revenge on people I don’t like by naming my bad
characters after them!
What advice would you offer to writers just starting out?
I would say that the most important thing is to create characters your reader will believe in. It
doesn't matter if they dislike a character or adore them, but it does matter if
your reader doesn't believe in them. And do not bend a character out of shape
in order to deliver a dramatic plot twist. Stay true to how your character
would behave.
Who has offered you the most encouragement and support in your writing career?
Two people get large bouquets here. My partner Barry
Purchese, who is a TV scriptwriter, reads my novels at draft stage and has
given me masterly feedback plus lots of understanding. As a writer he knows I
need to retreat from time to time. My agent Gaia Banks of Sheil Land has been
immensely supportive from day one. She is the best champion I could ask for.
I also have a wonderful writing buddy in the writer
Kerry Fisher. We try to meet regularly to have a rant and or celebration of the
ups and downs of the writing life.
Where can people find out more about you and your work?
I love to hear from readers and have a Facebook
account Jane Lythell Books where I write about what I’m reading and
writing and stages on the road to publication.
https://www.facebook.com/janelythellbooks/?ref=bookmarks
I am also on Twitter @janelythell and I write this blog - The Chronicles of Chloe Greene.
My novels are published by Head of Zeus.
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