Even happy families have their secrets. Read our interview with Sunday Times bestselling author, Erica James to find out more about her new novel – a sweeping family drama of old secrets and new beginnings.
How did your writing career come about?
The catalyst was unhappiness! Picking up a pen and notepad was a way to escape the emotional fall out of my marriage going wrong, although at the time I didn’t consciously realise that’s what I was doing, it was only later with the benefit of hindsight that I understood what I’d done. Interestingly, the first book I had published is perhaps my most light-hearted but written during a period of great anxiety. My route to being published came about as a result of going on several writing courses and learning how the publishing industry worked. I was then extraordinarily lucky when a writing tutor gave me an introduction to an agent. I’ve been with that agent ever since, for twenty-four novels!
Is there any advice you would like to pass on to aspiring writers?
Do it because there’s nothing else you would rather be doing. Don’t be half-hearted about it! Throw yourself in at the deep end and just create a story in which you can lose yourself. If you do it right, odds on readers will also lose themselves in the story and as an author you can’t ask for more.
Can you tell us a little bit about Mothers and Daughters, for anyone who hasn’t been lucky enough to read it yet?
The story revolves around widowed Naomi and her two grown up daughters, Martha and Willow. Martha is the eldest and has decided it’s time to take her mother in hand and persuade her to downsize from the family home. But Naomi has plans of her own which she fears will shock and upset her daughters.
What message would you like readers to take from your book?
Ooh, good question! Perhaps one message might be to question how honest we really are in our relationships, whether that’s a relationship with a friend, a partner or our children. Do we all inevitably keeps things hidden that we find too shaming or embarrassing to admit to, and if so, what harm does that do? Another message might be to wonder how resistant to change we are. I know from experience that once I’ve accepted that a situation has changed, I’m happy to move forwards.
We find ourselves in really challenging times right now and many people turn to books for escapism. What helps you escape from it all?
Books have always been an intrinsic part of my life, especially so for the last two years. But really the best form of escapism for me is to focus on the book I’m writing. I’ve always been that way, if something is upsetting me, I concentrate even harder on putting words on the page and disappearing into the world I’ve created. I also love to garden and losing myself in weeding, pruning or digging is always a happy distraction. A more recent hobby I’ve discovered is the world of doll’s houses and creating miniature worlds of perfection, something we can’t do in the messiness of the real one.
Competition
Enter our competition to win a copy of Mothers and Daughters.
Just tell us why you would like to read the book on twitter using #MothersandDaughters and tag @ReadingAgency and @HQStories.
If you don’t use social media you can email your entry to [email protected] Competition closes on Friday 1 April UK residents only.
