Find Out Friday: Debbie White
11/4/2011 9:56:56 AM
Welcome to my new feature, Find Out Friday, where I shall be interviewing fellow writers and authors about their work, lives and what lies ahead.
My first and extremely welcome guest, is Debbie White.
I met with the lovelyDebbie Whiteat the inaugural Festival of Romance two weeks ago in sunny Herts.
Hi Debbie and welcome to my website. Thank you for agreeing to be my first guest interviewee.
Hello Laura, it’s great to be here. Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to guest. It’s my first time, so I’m sure you’ll be gentle with me. Lol.
We first virtually met on the Aspiring Authors group on the Festival of Romance Online site and then at the actual event. How did you hear of it and what convinced you to attend?
I came across the Festival of Romance site by chance as a result of my online activities and networking. Fate, serendipity, luck (although I believe you make your own luck) – whatever, it was, someone visited my blog who was a member of the RNA and when I returned the visit, I spotted their Festival of Romance Badge and clicked on it. The next thing I knew I had a new network of writer friends, all kindred spirits, who were interested in the Romantic Genre, and from our interactions I heard about the Festival of Romance weekend.
As for my motivation and what convinced me to attend, it was a combination of the lovely support and relationships I developed with my fellow rookie writers before I attended, and my personal circumstances. I’ve had all sorts of health and personal problems over the last year and needed a kick start to get my writing back on track.
When did you start writing and what was the impetus?
Oooh, good question. I had to retire from my career within Lloyds Bank at the tender age of thirty-two due to Behcets disease. At the time I was a Bank Manager and had battled health problems (mainly arthritis) for several years. For a long time after I ‘gave in’ to my health constraints, I felt like a failure and as if I’d somehow ‘lost’ my job. Of course that wasn’t the case. I needed to stop working to be able to manage my illness and control it, rather than the other way around. Living life at a steadier pace meant I could cope with the daily challenges and keep afloat with what was then my young family. The trouble was my brain was still alive, even though my body wouldn’t always let me do what I wanted it to! I tried a little craft business, painting and sewing personalised keepsake gifts, but my health got the better of that too. It was purely a survival instinct and the need to keep going, but I’d dreamed of writing for many years (since a child) and somehow, something made me start writing. I started a blog and began the dream of becoming a published author. You have to have dreams and a goal in life, and having survived almost twenty years in business, despite my health issues, I was firmly of the mindset that ‘the organism that adapts will survive’ and I re-invent myself whenever the need arises…
Do you have a writing regime? How do you find the time to fit writing around family life?
Again, because of personal issues my writing regime has been somewhat sporadic of late, but because I’m fortunate enough to be at home all day, I tend to sit at the laptop to write as soon as the children are off to school, and work until they’re in from school. In addition, I’m often found awake and tapping away at ridiculous ‘o’clock in the morning. You have to write when the inspiration strikes, even if it is when you wake and can’t get back to sleep. I’m like an Eveready battery – always ready to write.
I know you have had a tough few years – you are very open about your situation and feelings in your blog www.gonnabepublishedoneday.blogspot.com To what extent does your health and personal situation affect your writing?
Very much so. To be honest, writing has been my salvation. It provides me with purpose, and great distraction. It’s cathartic in that it allows me to vent my feelings and use some of the emotions in the works that I write. Most of all, it keeps my brain busy and helps stop me from dwelling on negative emotions and things I can’t control. I’m a positive person. And I’ve always worked hard. The one thing you need as a writer is to work hard, but be very, very resilient.
How do you overcome the daily challenges of life?
Most of my day-to-day challenges are health related. To this end, I try to keep as physically active as I can – swimming and walking. I can’t do weight bearing activities as it flares my arthritis but I firmly believe that swimming most days has kept my joints mobile, kept those endorphins flowing, and most importantly kept me out of hospital for much of the last ten years.
Now, we’ll move on to your novel, Mother’s Love. Can you tell me a little about the inspiration behind this story?
MyNanbrought me up from the age of two and adopted me after I was abandoned (so I thought) by my mother and father. I’ve recently found out this isn’t strictly true, but whatever the facts – which are too long to go into on this interview – myNanwas a remarkable, albeit formidable, lady. She made me into what I am today. Much of the novel is based around the character that was myNan. It’s about real life, family secrets – and how families can sometimes hide the biggest secrets from each other- and the games that people play when they love someone.
Then there was the moment of the New Talent Award announcement at the Festival. How did that feel?
Honestly – it was surreal. Completely surreal. Back in the summer when I emailed that chapter of my novel and the synopsis, all I had in mind was attending the Festival of Romance weekend as some sort of attempt to kick start my writing career. I’d had the novel critiqued under the RNA NWS http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/index.php/join/new_writers_scheme and because of my personal circumstances; there hadn’t been any chance to do anything in the way of revisions. When I sat there and my name was called out in the ‘Commended place’ I could not believe it. I don’t know whether it was because I was so not expecting it, or that the title of the novel wasn’t mine, but I sat transfixed to the chair. The people on my table nudged me and had to encourage me to get up. Listening to the other awardees I was so giddy with excitement, I really couldn’t believe it. When it came to the second place, another writer’s name but my title, ‘Mother’s Love’ came out. Our titles were similar – hers was ‘Tough Love’ so I was a little confused but thought no more about it.
That was until later in the evening, I plucked up courage to go and speak with Jane Judd, Literary Agent, knowing if I didn’t say hello and thank her for the award, and the opportunity to submit my full Manuscript, I’d regret it. I shook hands nervously, bumbling that there had been a bit of a mix up with the titles, but thanked her for giving me the commendation for ‘Mother’s Love.’
‘Is that the one about the Grandmother?’ Jane asked.
‘Yes that’s mine.’
‘No, that was definitely second,’ she said.
Second, fourth, I genuinely didn’t care. I’m sure any aspiring author would agree, to reach the top four in any kind of contest when you crave publication is massive achievement and a big boost to your confidence. However to hear Jane’s comments and get the opportunity to submit to her is prize enough.
And how did you celebrate?
Ahh, in customary manner with red wine and with friends – new friends that I’d met just a few hours previous, but I’m sure will now be firm friends throughout – other members of the Aspiring Authors/RNA New Writers Scheme.
I understand you were still a little in shock the next day. What did you do to prove it wasn’t all a dream?
As I drove home toSouth Shropshire, still pinching myself, I decided I would email Jane Judd to thank her for her vote and the opportunity to submit my full MS, any wannabe writer’s dream. Jane replied a few minutes later.
Can you tell me what you plan on doing next?
Oooh, well, there’s LOTS of hard work to do next on the revisions to get ‘Mother’s Love’ up to scratch to submit to Jane. That will keep me busy for the next few weeks at least. I already have a prequel in mind, so I’d like to get to work on that. In addition, for some time, I’ve had plans to do some non-fiction proposals and see whether I might gain publication along those lines – one about living with and adapting to chronic illness and pain and the other about surviving a broken heart. These two things I have experience of…
So, what with these projects and three other novels I have scribbled in notebooks, I think I have a few years worth of work to keep me going!
I have just gone through my To Be Read pile in an attempt to sort them, but it is such a large pile, I have given up and decided to read each one as I come to it.
What is in your TBR pile and which authors get your creative juices flowing?
This answer can’t be a quick one, Laura, and it’s by far my most difficult to respond to as I have a bookcase full of TBR’s! There are at least twenty books. No, I’m not joking! I love books. Any books. Most genres. If it’s well written and has depth, I love to read it and study the craft of writing. In particular, I enjoy reading works that are completely different to the type of things I write. Literary fiction like, ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ by Khaled Hosseini, ‘This Human Season’ by Louise Dean, (having read her, ‘The Old Romantic,) ‘Even the Dogs’ by Jon McGregor (I read his, ‘Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things’) and I have ‘Burning Bright’ by Tracy Chevalier in my pile to read.
On a creative level, I also like to read (and study) some of the authors I aspire to. In particular, I’ve been inspired by the work of authors like Joanna Trollope, Kate O’Riordan, Margaret Forster and Elizabeth Buchan. I enjoy Historical Romantic Novelists/Saga’s by authors like Jean Fullerton orDilly Court, and contemporary women’s fiction from some of the masters like Carole Matthews, Sue Moorcroft, and Katie Fforde.
You see, I told you there were a lot! Honestly, Laura; there are genuinely so many writers who get my creative juices flowing, we could be here all day. And I don’t want to omit anyone, so perhaps we’d better stop now. Lol.
Do you think tree-books will be completely replaced by e-books?
No, never. Too many people love to feel smooth paper of a proper book between their fingers as they flick the pages. And let’s be honest, not everyone is digitally/technically inclined. However I have a Kindle which I love for taking on holiday (with my virtual stack of ten novels, lol) and if travelling, say, on the train. I think there’s a market for both.
Finally, and I am asking this simply because I love pens, what type of pen do you write with or are you a straight-to-pc-person (STPCP)?
When I’m working on the novel I’m strictly a STPCP! However, there’s nothing I like more than a proper pen for when I print out my WIP and want to look through it and work on revisions. For this, and any other ‘important’ work, even signing letters, I like a proper fountain pen and have a beautiful bronze coloured Lamy Fountain that I was given a few years ago and is very precious to me.
Debbie, it has been wonderful getting to know you and thank you so much for taking the time to visit my website.
It’s been a pleasure, Laura, and an honour to be asked. Thank you. And super to have met you in the flesh too recently!
You can follow Debbie via her blog site www.gonnabepublishedoneday.blogspot.com or on Twitter @Bluestockingmum.
Comments:
Celia Anderson:
11/10/2011 6:40:27 AM
New Friends.
Have been meaning to read this since you did it! Great interview, regards to both interviewer and interviewee. Lovely to meet you both at the festival too. I’m really fed up about missing the chance for more socialising at the Winter Party but work and a recent ’90 year old Dad’ health crisis have put paid to it. Hope to meet again soon xxx
Flowerpot:
11/7/2011 5:42:37 PM
Blog.
Great interview – really enjoyed reading that!
Laura E James:
11/5/2011 5:17:27 PM
Thanks.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this interview and also to those who have commented. Debbie was a joy to interview.
Debs Carr:
11/4/2011 8:28:07 PM
Debbie.
Thanks for the fascinating interview and good luck with your submission To Jane Judd.
Rosemary Gemmell:
11/4/2011 7:50:43 PM
Debbie.
Really enjoyed the interview, ladies. Great news about Mother Love and being able to submit it when ready, Debbie!
Talli Roland:
11/4/2011 2:38:12 PM
Find Out Friday.
Great interview, ladies!
Joanne:
11/4/2011 1:25:37 PM
Debbie.
Way to go Debbie!
Joanna Cannon:
11/4/2011 1:02:59 PM
Find out Friday.
Lovely idea for a regular series and some wonderful questions!
Sarah Tranter:
11/4/2011 12:10:23 PM
Debbie.
Brilliant!
Suzannah:
11/4/2011 11:13:16 AM
Find out on Friday.
Fantastic interview and a real pleasure to read 🙂