Interview
with Jacqueline Winspear
Interview by Ane Mulligan
Jacqueline Winspear is the author of three previous Maisie Dobbs novels,
Maisie Dobbs, Birds of a Feather and Pardonable Lies.
Maisie Dobbs won the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity Awards, and Birds of a
Feather won the Agatha Award. Originally from the U.K., Winspear now lives
in California.
What new book or project
would you like to tell us about?
My new book, Messenger of Truth, will be published on August 22nd--
I am very excited about it. You can read more about the book by going to the
following link:
http://jacquelinewinspear.com/messenger_truth.htm
Tell us about your
publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How
did you find out and what went through your mind?
Maisie Dobbs was my first novel, started in Spring 2000. I was working
full-time and also had a life-coaching practice as well-- but I did have a
flexible schedule which allowed me time to write. I stopped work on the novel
completely at one point, mainly because I moved, got married, and generally had
many other life issues to deal with, including recovery from a serious
horse-riding accident.
It was during my convalescence that I completed Maisie Dobbs-- at the end
of August 2001. I bought a copy of Jim Herman's book-- A Guide to Book
Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents-- and read through the section on
agents. I made a list of 30 agents whom I thought might be interested in my
work, then I divided that list into three groups of ten-- groups A, B, and C. I
could only afford to send out ten proposals at a time, so I thought that by the
time I had received all the refusals from the first ten, I would be ready to
send out the next lot.
I sent out the first batch of proposals during the first week of September
2001-- and at that stage I had only a first draft of the manuscript, mainly
because I was still only half-way through my physical therapy rehab and didn't
have the energy to revise. I had calls from three agents within two weeks of
that mailing going out and within two months had signed with one of those
agents. I worked on some suggestions made by my agent, and also made my own
changes. She went out to publishers a couple of months later, and the book was
sold within another month. That takes us up to spring 2002-- and Maisie Dobbs
was published in June 2003.
At every step of the way, I thought to myself, "At least I made it this far." By
the time I knew I had an agent, I was thinking, "Now I'm in the game, I've got
an agent." And all the time I felt so grateful, so fortunate. And I still do,
nothing is taken for granted. I feel so lucky to be doing something I love to
do.
Do you still have
self-doubts about your writing?
I wouldn't trust myself if I felt completely confident. The only thing I don't
doubt is that I will meet my deadline-- I am good with deadlines. They're there
for a reason, so I always make them.
Was there ever a time in
your writing career you thought of quitting?
No, never. But then I have never thought of writing as a "career" or a "job."
It's work I would do whether I had another job or not. I have only been a
full-time writer for two years. This is something from which I will never
retire-- writing is what I do.
What mistakes did you make
while seeking an editor or agent?
I don't know that I made "mistakes" as such-- I had a plan and it bore fruit, so
I don't think I would have changed anything.
Do you have a pet peeve
having to do with this biz?
No. Publishing is a business, and that's the first thing you have to keep in
mind as an author. As a business it has to make a profit to remain viable and it
has to pick its winners to back and it has to keep a raft of shareholders happy.
I think authors who familiarize themselves with the business will have an easier
time being part of the team working to bring a book into the market-- because
the fact is that when you are writing your book, you're on your own, but as soon
as the book is submitted to your editor and it goes into production, you are
part of a team, although obviously you have the strongest connection to what is,
in effect, a product.
I know that seems a tough perspective, but it's no secret that the publishing
industry runs on some pretty tight margins-- it's not oil or pharmaceuticals.
When you think of the hundreds of thousands of books published every year, I
think that shows a real leap of faith-- as does the emergence of new, small
publishers, which keep a balance in the marketplace to counter the influence of
the big monolithic "media" organizations.
What do you wish you'd known
early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in
writing? In publishing?
I believe that everything happens at the right time, even if that right time
means a long wait. I'm happy with the manner in which events have unfolded in my
work as a writer.
Was there ever a difficult
setback that you went through in your writing career?
Not really. I think I have to answer this in such a positive manner because I
didn't know what to expect when I began writing fiction-- so even if there was a
setback, I wouldn't have known it then.
What are a few of your
favorite books?
This is a smattering from a cast of thousands:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck; USA by John Dos Passos; A
Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway; everything ever written by Jane
Austen; Tender is the Night and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald; The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico; Precious Bane by Mary
Webb; As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee; Of Human
Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham; the works of Graham Greene; White Teeth
by Zadie Smith; And generally, I love anything by the following authors: P.D.
James, Susan Isaacs, Susan Howatch.
What work have you done
that you're especially proud of and why?
The work I am most proud of has nothing to do with any of my books. It was the
part I was privileged to play in getting someone else's book published. There's
an instructor at UCLA Extension that I really admire, and I try to join her
classes whenever I can-- her name is Barbara Abercrombie. A core group of us
have come back to Barbara's classes time and time again, and together we played
a part in publishing a book of which we are all very, very proud. I can only
tell a small part of the story here, but I hope it will inspire people.
Nancy Davenport came along to The Illuminated Writer as a beginner. At
seventy-two years of age, she was past retirement and wanted to tell her story.
Each time Nancy read her work in class, that story unfolded-- and we were all
absolutely captivated. She made us laugh, cry, shake our heads in disbelief and
ask when the next piece was coming. I was just thrilled to see her back again at
the next class, and the next. She already had emphysema, so when she began to
have trouble speaking, we thought it would pass. We took it in turns to read her
work, often penned in her beautiful handwriting.
In spring 2005 Nancy was diagnosed with ALS-- Lou Gehrig's disease ("And I've
never even held a baseball," she said). As she lost the ability to speak, so her
voice on the page became louder-- and still she came to class until she could
walk no more. We knew she was dying, and knew, too, that her dearest wish was to
have her work published, to hold her book in her hands.
As soon as Nancy delivered the final chapter at the beginning of February 2006,
we set to work along with the amazing people at iUniverse, who pulled out the
stops so we had early copies one month later. Barbara Lodge, one of our
classmates who was helping to care for Nancy, placed a copy in her hands in the
first week of March and we had a "publication party" at her bedside on March 12.
Nancy died three days later.
Her memoir is called, Eternal Improv, and is available at
www.bn.com.
You will see that my name is listed there too-- I had nothing to do with the
writing of the book, but when you put a book into production with iUniverse, all
the contact names are published on the webpage.
When we walked into Barbara's memoir class in April, I felt as if Nancy would
come though the door at any time, leaning on her walker, ready to sit down and
read another of her stories, or offer words of encouragement to someone else.
Her book sits on my desk at home, as if the title itself were there to remind me
that life, like writing, is an eternal improv.
I should add that I am often asked why I go to the classes-- the assumption
being that because I'm already a published author, I wouldn't need such a thing.
My answer is always the same-- creativity is a muscle, and if you don't use it,
it'll atrophy; if you don't cross-train, you'll never go beyond the plateaus
that come along time and time again. There's an athleticism with words to be
gained in writing exercises, along with the camaraderie and encouragement of
other writers. There are many ways to exercise that creativity muscle-- this is
just one of mine.
Do you have a scripture or
quote that has spoken to you lately in regards to your writing?
God grant me the fear to keep me succeeding.
(and most of the time, that "succeeding" means actually finishing a book!)
Can you give us a look into
a typical day for you?
When I am writing a novel, I like to get to my writing as soon as I can in the
morning. Once I have finished writing for the day, I have many e-mails to deal
with, along with the administrative work that goes along with being a writer.
And I have to leave time for research, which represents an investment of several
hours per day. But I also have to fit in walking my dog and riding my horse, so
I am a busy person each and every day.
Do you have a word or page
goal you set for each day?
Minimum 1,500 words
Are you an SOTP (seat of
the pants) writer or a plotter?
Probably a bit of both. I mean, I like to have a map, but the great thing about
having a map is that you are more likely to wander off the beaten track in
search of adventure.
What author do you
especially admire and why?
There are many, many authors for whom I am filled with admiration; however, one
in particular always comes to mind. Though she is a long-established author, I
think it has been during the past seventeen years or so that Susan Howatch has
demonstrated her extraordinary gift for combining a depth of scholarship with
commercial fiction in a way that is witty, intelligent, insightful, and
thought-provoking.
Starting with her "Starbridge" series, and now with the series based upon the
fictional St. Benet's healing ministry, Howatch has proven herself to have a
wonderful gift in writing for the broadest readership in novels that show both a
depth of compassion and academic endeavor. Her work is complemented by an
understanding and empathy for the human condition, along with a religious
scholarship. I think she writes really, really good books.
What is your favorite and
least favorite part of being a writer?
Bottom line-- I love writing and I feel blessed that this is now my day job as
well as something I love to do, but I do not like the actual business of travel,
because I do a lot of it in connection with my writing. And when I say I dislike
the travel, I mean the flying, or driving or whatever-- I'm fine once I get to
my destination, as it is always just great to meet the people who read my books.
But I am also rather scared of flying now, so that adds to the pressure.
Do you have any parting words of advice?
I really believe that if you can see something, you can make it happen. Call it
the power of visualization, if you like. I never saw my first novel as anything
but a published book-- it was never just a manuscript. For example, I'm no
artist, but I designed a cover, stuck it on a ring binder, and each day I added
my finished pages so that at the end I had a "book." The extraordinary thing is
that the cover design for the first edition of Maisie Dobbs was along the same
lines as the amateurish design I had come up with.
Author
Ane Mulligan has lived a varied life: from legislative affairs director to
playwright and drama director-- her lifetime of experience provides a plethora
of fodder for fiction. To date, she's published more than fifty scripts and five
articles. She won second place at the 2005 BRMCWC for an unpublished novel and
is a 2006 ACFW Genesis finalist. www.anemulligan.com
Interview reprinted with the kind permission of
Novel Journey.
