Jacqueline Winspear ~ Author Interview

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 10 – groups A, B and C. I could only afford to send out 10 proposals at a time, so I thought that by the time I had received all the refusals from the first 10, 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 emails 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 1500 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 though-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.