Bonfire night is such a magical time of year, and a perfect day for A Snow Garden & Other Stories by Rachel Joyce to be published as it is a book that is truly special and beautiful, unlike any Christmas book I have ever read before.
I am delighted to be a part of the blog tour for A Snow Garden and I will post a review later on, but for now I am very honoured to get to know Rachel that little bit better, and discuss things that sparkle and the festive season...
I am delighted to be a part of the blog tour for A Snow Garden and I will post a review later on, but for now I am very honoured to get to know Rachel that little bit better, and discuss things that sparkle and the festive season...
A massive warm welcome, to my blog, A Journey Through Worlds, Rachel. Would you like to begin by introducing yourself?
I've been writing since I was little, but I started professionally about twenty years ago when I moved from a career in acting to writing plays for Radio 4. Since then I've written many afternoon plays and dramatised classics for Woman's Hour. (I've just finished 10 episodes of Jane Eyre.) My first novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, came out in 2012. After that came Perfect and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy. I am always writing.
I've been writing since I was little, but I started professionally about twenty years ago when I moved from a career in acting to writing plays for Radio 4. Since then I've written many afternoon plays and dramatised classics for Woman's Hour. (I've just finished 10 episodes of Jane Eyre.) My first novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, came out in 2012. After that came Perfect and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy. I am always writing.
I just adore the cover for A Snow Garden as it is wintry and seems like the perfect book to curl up next to a fire with. Could you tell us a bit about A Snow Garden?
I am glad you like the cover. I do too. This is a series of seven short stories, set on different significant days in the festive period - Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, the last day of school, etc. - and each interlinked. I wanted to explore what Christmas means in a contemporary setting. Personally I love that period between Christmas Day and New Year. I read a lot, and think a lot. I like to think this is the sort of book you could (as you say) curl up with in that time.
In your foreword, you mention having a "caravan stuffed full of characters", is it difficult to know which characters will get their stories heard?
I write about the people who spring out at me. It's like having something in my way; I can't really see past these characters until I write about them.
A Faraway Smell of Lemon (a short story that has been included within A Snow Garden; although previously published), reinforced to me how important it is to live in the moment. How do you retreat from the busyness of everyday life and just focus on the moment?
I have four children. My life seems very busy. Funnily enough, it is through writing that I escape and live in the moment and play. Otherwise I do pretty simple things. Go for a walk. Stare out of the window.
If you had to choose one character from the collection of short stories within A Snow Garden to delve into their story further, which character would you choose?
When I begin to work on a story (or a novel, or a play,) I write far too much. But that is part of the process of finding the character and once I feel I know everything, I can start making cuts and edits so that the reader knows as much as I do, without my needing to spell it all out. So I know everyone in the short stories very well. Even the people who come and go. I have a soft spot for the children that pop up, but if I were delving into another story, it would be Sal's, the young woman for whom Oliver leaves Binny in 'A Faraway Smell of Lemon' and 'Trees'. She's an unsympathetic figure in the stories but I'd like to write more about a young woman who finds it hard to be a mother and ultimately decides to escape. I like focusing on the people who fall through the cracks.
As you explore the theme of Christmas within A Snow Garden, what is your favourite thing about the festive season?
I am a sucker for things that sparkle. I start playing Christmas music in mid-November. Actually, now you mention it, I may start today.
Within all of your published books, it is evident that humanity and the differences in people's lives are one of the main focuses for your writing. Has this made writing any of your books difficult?
It's never hard to write about those things. If you watch, and try to understand, you can't help but be moved by other people. The thing I find hard is discovering how best to tell a story. It can take me a long time and many mistakes to find that.
Can you tell us a bit about your publication journey?
My journey into publication seemed very swift when it came - although I had been writing prose for years and years. I wrote the first draft of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry in about nine months and I gave up everything else in order to do it. I decided I needed to give myself a serious chance to write a book.
What interests do you pursue when you're not busy writing?
I love reading. I also spend a lot of time doing laundry and picking up items of clothing; I'm not sure that it qualifies as an interest, but I do it a lot.
Who are your favourite authors and what books have influenced you?
I am so bad at this question! There are many books and writers that have influenced me. I am always trying to learn more. I'm a huge fan of Penelope Fitzgerald, Graham Greene, Marilynne Robinson, Anne Tyler, Alice Munro, William Trevor... The Brontes were doing something groundbreaking in their time... My list could go on and on.
And finally, are you working on anything new that you could tell us a little bit about?
I am working on my new novel, The Music Shop. It's set in a record shop in the 80's, just before the rise of the CD. It's about a man who loves music and a woman who's running away from it. I'm listening to all kinds of music as I write.
I really appreciate the time that you have spent answering these questions Rachel, and I can not thank you enough.
Aimee xx
I am glad you like the cover. I do too. This is a series of seven short stories, set on different significant days in the festive period - Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, the last day of school, etc. - and each interlinked. I wanted to explore what Christmas means in a contemporary setting. Personally I love that period between Christmas Day and New Year. I read a lot, and think a lot. I like to think this is the sort of book you could (as you say) curl up with in that time.
In your foreword, you mention having a "caravan stuffed full of characters", is it difficult to know which characters will get their stories heard?
I write about the people who spring out at me. It's like having something in my way; I can't really see past these characters until I write about them.
A Faraway Smell of Lemon (a short story that has been included within A Snow Garden; although previously published), reinforced to me how important it is to live in the moment. How do you retreat from the busyness of everyday life and just focus on the moment?
I have four children. My life seems very busy. Funnily enough, it is through writing that I escape and live in the moment and play. Otherwise I do pretty simple things. Go for a walk. Stare out of the window.
If you had to choose one character from the collection of short stories within A Snow Garden to delve into their story further, which character would you choose?
When I begin to work on a story (or a novel, or a play,) I write far too much. But that is part of the process of finding the character and once I feel I know everything, I can start making cuts and edits so that the reader knows as much as I do, without my needing to spell it all out. So I know everyone in the short stories very well. Even the people who come and go. I have a soft spot for the children that pop up, but if I were delving into another story, it would be Sal's, the young woman for whom Oliver leaves Binny in 'A Faraway Smell of Lemon' and 'Trees'. She's an unsympathetic figure in the stories but I'd like to write more about a young woman who finds it hard to be a mother and ultimately decides to escape. I like focusing on the people who fall through the cracks.
As you explore the theme of Christmas within A Snow Garden, what is your favourite thing about the festive season?
I am a sucker for things that sparkle. I start playing Christmas music in mid-November. Actually, now you mention it, I may start today.
Within all of your published books, it is evident that humanity and the differences in people's lives are one of the main focuses for your writing. Has this made writing any of your books difficult?
It's never hard to write about those things. If you watch, and try to understand, you can't help but be moved by other people. The thing I find hard is discovering how best to tell a story. It can take me a long time and many mistakes to find that.
Can you tell us a bit about your publication journey?
My journey into publication seemed very swift when it came - although I had been writing prose for years and years. I wrote the first draft of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry in about nine months and I gave up everything else in order to do it. I decided I needed to give myself a serious chance to write a book.
What interests do you pursue when you're not busy writing?
I love reading. I also spend a lot of time doing laundry and picking up items of clothing; I'm not sure that it qualifies as an interest, but I do it a lot.
Who are your favourite authors and what books have influenced you?
I am so bad at this question! There are many books and writers that have influenced me. I am always trying to learn more. I'm a huge fan of Penelope Fitzgerald, Graham Greene, Marilynne Robinson, Anne Tyler, Alice Munro, William Trevor... The Brontes were doing something groundbreaking in their time... My list could go on and on.
And finally, are you working on anything new that you could tell us a little bit about?
I am working on my new novel, The Music Shop. It's set in a record shop in the 80's, just before the rise of the CD. It's about a man who loves music and a woman who's running away from it. I'm listening to all kinds of music as I write.
I really appreciate the time that you have spent answering these questions Rachel, and I can not thank you enough.
Aimee xx
A Snow Garden and Other Stories is officially published today and you can get your copy from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Waterstones and all other good bookshops.
Greatest thanks to Alison Barrow and Becky Hunter at Transworld Publishers and Rachel Joyce for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful blog tour.
Join the fun with the other wonderful blogs that are involved on this magical tour.
Greatest thanks to Alison Barrow and Becky Hunter at Transworld Publishers and Rachel Joyce for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful blog tour.
Join the fun with the other wonderful blogs that are involved on this magical tour.