An Interview with Author, Clare Mackintosh
I am delighted to welcome author and writer Clare Mackintosh to my blog. I am
especially excited and grateful that Clare has joined us on her “Publication
Day”! Her début novel, I Let You Go, is out NOW as an
ebook. It will be available in print, April 2015.
Firstly,
‘Happy E-Publication Day’, Clare. You
must be so excited?
I
am hugely excited! I first had the idea for this novel in 2011, so although I
didn’t start writing it until the following year, it’s been around for a while.
Have
you already cracked open the champagne to celebrate?
Absolutely.
Although to be honest I never need much of an excuse to drink champagne… My
main launch party will be for the paperback in April 2015, but I couldn’t let
this first publication date pass without a bit of a knees-up!
Good
for you. You most definitely deserve it.
Will
you introduce us to your novel and give us brief insight into the story?
The
story begins with a terrible accident that kills a five-year-old boy. We meet
Jenna Gray, as she struggles to come to terms with what has happened, moving
away from her home town in an attempt to move on from her grief. Jenna is
deeply traumatised, and eventually her past catches up with her – with
devastating consequences.
It’s
definitely a thought provoking theme. The characters seem to go through such an
emotional journey. How did you cope with your own emotion whilst writing it?
Any
story that involves the death of a child is always going to be emotional. My
own son died as a baby, and I found certain scenes incredibly hard to write. I
knew how Jenna felt because I’d been there myself. I was very careful about
when I wrote those sections: making sure I was in the right place emotionally,
and that I had enough time to pull myself back out of the story.
I
must say, I was up at ridiculous o’clock this morning so I could start reading
as soon as it was downloaded onto my Kindle. You portray Jenna’s emotions with
incredible dignity and sensitivity. It touched my heart.
Jenna
runs off to Wales to try to forge a new life and overcome her grief. Why Wales?
Does this place have a personal connection?
I’d
love to tell you that there was a deep reason for her choosing Wales, but Jenna
heads blindly towards the West of England, not knowing or caring where she was
going. For my part, I needed Jenna to be somewhere rural and isolated, but
within a relatively manageable drive of her home town, which is Bristol. South
West Wales fitted the bill perfectly, and while I was researching it I fell in
love with Three Cliffs Bay: a stunning beach on the Gower Peninsula. The
fictional places in I Let You Go are based on this area.
I
know that your previous career was with the police services and you spent some
time in CID. Did this influence your story or your writing in any way?
I
was a police officer for 12 years, including some time as a detective, so it’s
not really surprising I’m writing crime now. My background enables me to add
authenticity to the police scenes in I Let You Go, and in fact the whole story
was inspired by a case which really affected me when I first joined the police.
A nine year old boy was killed in a hit-and-run in Oxford, and the case was
never solved. I couldn’t get it out of my head – how could the driver live with
what they’d done?
It
sends a shiver down my spine, Clare.
When
I develop characters, I tend to draw on some of my own traits, negative and
positive as well as the characteristics of people I’ve met in life. Did you do
that when developing DI Ray Stevens or is he purely created from your
imagination?
That
would be telling! Ray is a really lovely man, and a tenacious detective, but he
spends far too much time at work, and not nearly enough time with his family.
Those qualities could apply to dozens of my former colleagues, but that’s as
far as it goes – he’s completely fictional, I promise. That said, I ‘collect’
characteristics from everyone I meet – I think every writer does – and most end
up in my writing at some stage.
Ooo,
I wonder which one of my characteristics you collected…..
I
must say, from what I’ve learned so far I really like Ray, faults and all. Will
he be appearing in your next novel?
Thank
you. I like Ray too, but I have no plans to write series crime, or indeed to
write straight police procedurals. I love writing psychological thrillers, and
I’m more interested in the ‘why dunnit’ than the ‘who dunnit’.
When
is the next novel out?
I’ve
just finished the first draft of book two, which has a working title of Do
No Harm, and I’ll be working on revisions
for the next six months or so, at the same time as planning book three. It’ll
be out in ebook and trade paperback in autumn 2015, and in paperback the
following spring.
Sounds
like you will be extremely busy over the next years.
It's definitely a good reason to drink champagne - cheers!
ReplyDeleteThanks Patsy!
DeleteIt certainly is, Patsy. Thank you for your comment.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your e-publication day, Clare. Lovely interview. I can imagine how difficult some of those scenes must have been to write x
ReplyDeleteThank you for your well wishes, Teresa. I'll pass them on. I do hope Dusty is making a speedy recovery.
DeleteThanks so much, Teresa. They were, but I'm sure I'm not alone in finding writing a very therapeutic process.
DeleteBelated congratulations! (I was on deadline, so couldn't drop by before.) And good luck. I'll certainly be looking it up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane!
DeleteHi Nicola...thanks for visiting my place. Nice to meet ya :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for popping by :)
DeleteI love the cover too, Nicola. And I think it's a great title.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great cover, Sally. I know that Clare was thrilled when she saw it for the first time.
DeleteI was! Although I've just seen the paperback cover and it's VERY different! All to be revealed in the next week or so…
DeleteCongratulations, Clare. I Let You Go sounds both moving and gripping. x
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Joanna!
Delete