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| Jan Baynham - Author |
Hello
Jan – And thank you for taking time out from your busy writing schedule to join
me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat today. It was lovely to connect with you
through the Romantic Novelists’ Association where a plethora of experienced
authors and affiliates are often ready and willing to assist those in
need on their writing journey. But
before we discover more about your debut release, Her Mother’s Secret, here
are a few questions which will hopefully give your readers and followers an insight
into some of the things that matter to you…
Arabella: Authors can
release books, making them available to readers in various ways…via an agent,
or working directly with a traditional publisher, or they can even go the
self-publishing route. Which method of publishing do you prefer, and why?
Jan:
When I started writing, I could only dream of becoming
a published novelist. By the time I’d joined the RNA’s wonderful New Writers’
Scheme and completed my first novel, I knew from the very start I wouldn’t have
the confidence to self-publish and am full of admiration for those who do so successfully.
That left two options available to me if I was going to fulfil my dream. At the
RNA Conferences I have had one-to-ones with both agents and editors of publishers
where you submit directly to them. When two editors gave me very encouraging feedback
on the first 5000 words of ‘Her Mother’s Secret’ and asked for the
complete manuscript, that was the route I took. Neither offered a contact in
the end but I worked on the helpful detailed advice for improvement I received
from them before submitting again. I was delighted when Ruby Fiction offered me
a contract for three books shortly afterwards. Working with my editor there has
been a very positive experience and I love the support that working with an
editor has given me.
Arabella: A slice of
Chocolate Cake, a piece of Fruit, or Burger and Fries?
Jan:
I eat a lot of lovely fruit but if there’s a piece
of chocolate cake on offer, as a self-confessed chocoholic, it would be my
choice every time. Mmm!
Arabella: Who or what
inspired you to write your debut release, ‘Her Mother’s Secret’?
Jan:
The novel started out as a short story, entitled ‘Whispers in
the Olive Trees’. At the time, I’d been reading a novel where the rustling
in trees sounded like whispers and inanimate statues took on the form of ghosts
of the people they represented. Combining both ideas, I asked myself what if
the whispering could show the presence of a past family member. Always
fascinated by family secrets, I knew I had the basis for a story. In both the
story and the novel. I leave it to the reader to the reader to decide what the whispering
represents. I believe that bond between mothers and daughters is a very special one and often continues after a mother has passed away.
Even if there is no such thing as a ghost, I think a mother’s presence can
still be felt. I liked the idea of my main character writing all her secrets
and thoughts down in a diary and locking them away.
Arabella: If the person
of your dreams, (husband/wife/partner/or superstar), were to take you out for
the night, where would they take you and what would you do?
Jan:
If I could go out for the night with anyone, it
would be with my husband. We first started going out with one another in
grammar school and he would know exactly where to take me. It would be to a gourmet
restaurant where we could sample a range of beautifully cooked food and
different wines with each course. Like the one in Madeira that we love, there
would be live music from a classical pianist and soprano singers. After our
espressos, we would finish with double amarettos with lots of ice. It would be
a balmy evening and our table for two would be outside the restaurant
overlooking the sea.
Arabella: Currently,
what is your most favourite T.V. programme, and why?
Jan:
I enjoy a cosy crime series, especially those with
stand-alone stories each week. For me, ‘Vera’ fits that bill. The wonderful
Northumbrian setting, the quirkiness of DCI Vera Stanhope played so brilliantly
by Brenda Blethyn and a murder that’s always solved in the end make it easy
viewing without giving me nightmares. Not many actors can pull off shambolic and effective, but
Blethyn can do it with a single, penetrating glance from beneath that hat. Guardian Review.
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| Crime Series - Vera |
Arabella: When writing
a book or chapter, which do you concentrate on first: plot, character, or
setting?
Jan:
I try to plan my novel in as much detail as I can.
It often changes as I write but I do like to have mapped out the main events
and know roughly how it will end. However, after that, I concentrate on getting
to know my characters, writing character sketches and outlines. For example, I
knew I wanted Elin to be an artist from the beginning in ‘Her Mother’s
Secret’ and so I spent time working out her back story, what she was like
as a person, what she was like as a daughter, a wife and a mother. Most of this
hasn’t gone into the novel itself but I wanted to get inside her head in order
to know why she acted the way she did. In this novel, the Greek setting plays a
very important role, I think, so although it wasn’t the first thing to
concentrate on, when I was actually writing I did try to bring the setting
alive. I hope I’ve succeeded.
Arabella: How do you
research your novels and characters?
Jan:
I
tend to make notes as I write the first draft and come back to trying to
resolve those issues later. In ‘Her Mother’s Secret’, there was a part
where I needed details of taking LSD and the effects of a bad ‘trip’ so I used
Google to start and found personal accounts from people who had experienced them.
A friend also supplied me with interviews she’d done with students as a project
back in the 60s which was helpful. I first visited Greece in the late seventies
and could draw on my own experience of that but I had to check that any ‘facts’
were relevant ten years earlier. However, my next two novels go further back in
time. For novel two, I researched the black market, prisoners of war and conscription
using archives, newsreel footage and personal accounts. A visit to the country
house in mid-Wales on which Greystone Hall is based was particularly useful.
Now open to the public, it gave me the layout of the house especially of the kitchen
and servants quarters where my character, Rose, worked. Once the present
situation is over, I’m hoping to undertake some first hand research in Northern
France before creating one character who worked for the French Resistance in
novel three.
How
would you describe your style of writing or your chosen genre?
It’s
women’s historical fiction; I seem to be going back further in time with each
novel I write. I like to explore the way the past often informs the present in
family relationships and how social history has changed. My novels are not time
slips in the way that two narratives are woven together throughout the book but
they tell two stories that are linked in some way.
Arabella: What advice
would you give to someone who is starting out on their writing journey?
Jan:
My main advice would be never to give up on your
dream. Get yourself a pair of broad shoulders and learn from any feedback you
get. Be open to all the help you are offered. Members of the writing community
have been incredibly supportive and I would advise becoming active on social
media. I’ve learned so much from being with other writers, attending events and
workshops, especially the annual RNA Conferences.
Thank you for joining
me on Arabella’s Blog and Chit-Chat, Jan. I’m sure your readers enjoyed
discovering a little more about your personal life. Your research sounds
daunting and also adventurous. Travelling to Greece, Wales, and Northern France
all in the name of research! Amazing…
Good luck with your
debut release - ‘Her Mother’s Secret’ and wishing you lots more happy-ever-after writing.
Arabella
About
Jan Baynham
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| Jan Baynham - Author |
After retiring from a career in teaching and
advisory education, Jan joined a small writing group in a local library where
she wrote her first piece of fiction. From then on, she was hooked! She soon
went on to take a writing class at the local university and began to submit
short stories for publication to a wider audience. Her stories and flash
fiction pieces have been longlisted and short listed in competitions and
several appear in anthologies both online and in print. In October 2019, her
first collection of stories was published.
Her stories started getting longer and longer so that, following a novel
writing course, she began to write her first full length novel. She loves being
able to explore her characters in further depth and delve into their stories. She
writes about family secrets and the bond between mothers and daughters. Set in
the last year of the 60s, ‘Her Mother’s Secret’ takes you to sun-drenched
Greece, her favourite holiday destination.
Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in
Cardiff with her husband. Having joined the Romantic Novelists Association in
2016, she values the friendship and support from other members and regularly
attends conferences, workshops, talks and get togethers. She is co-organiser of
her local RNA Chapter.
You may find out more about Jan here:
Book
Blurb
Her Mother’s Secret
A secret left
behind in the summer of ’69 …
It’s 1969 and
free-spirited artist Elin Morgan has left Wales for a sun-drenched Greek
island. As she makes new friends and enjoys the laidback lifestyle, she writes
all about it in her diary. But Elin’s carefree summer of love doesn’t last
long, and her island experience ultimately leaves her with a shocking secret …
Twenty-two years
later, Elin’s daughter Alexandra has inherited the diary and is reeling from
its revelations. The discovery compels Alexandra to make her own journey to the
same island, following in her mother’s footsteps. Once there, she sets about
uncovering what really happened to Elin in that summer of ’69.
Buy
Link:
‘Her Mother’s Secret’ was published on 21st April and is
available on Amazon:
Amazon UK:
Amazon US:
Thank you so much for having me on your wonderful blog, Arabella. I enjoyed answering your questions very much.
ReplyDeleteHi Jan - It was lovely to have you on the blog and I'm sure your readers enjoyed discovering how much planning and research was involved when writing your debut novel - Her Mother's Secret.
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