Hi Theresa! It's lovely to have you return to another visit on my blog - I am looking forward to catching up. Wishing you all the best with your latest release, let's kick off with my questions...
What is your favourite thing about yourself?
I
presume you don’t mean in the physical sense?! I like really feeling that I’m a
writer - if you see what I mean? It
wasn’t until fairly recently I could say that with any conviction. Now, with my
fourth book published, ‘Meet Me at Low
Tide - Poems and Drawings’ my self-confidence has grown. So when people ask
me: “Are you working?” I can say proudly, “Yes, I’m a writer.” You wouldn’t
believe how hard that has been. When I was a child, my father was a passionate
and prolific artist. He sold very few paintings and struggled to support our
family working as a barber. However, on every form, under “Father’s
Occupation:” he would write: “Professional Artist”. I admire him for that.
What do you wish you’d known before you started
writing?
How
hard it is, even when published, to be successful. The day my first novel was accepted
by Robert Hale Ltd. I almost exploded with excitement! I still appreciate that
great moment, holding my first hardback copy, and seeing my books on the
shelves in the library. But the work doesn’t stop there. Publicity and
promotion builds success these days, mostly done through social media. I have a
website, Twitter, Facebook and Amazon Author page, but it takes up the hours I could
spend writing.
Share a romantic moment in your life.
It
was a cold autumn evening when my boyfriend Graham and I attended the Harvest
Festival Supper at our village church. Seventy or so people were enjoying their
meal, sipping wine and talking excitedly. The volume rose to a roar as the
lights went out and someone appeared in our midst carrying a birthday cake
glowing with candles and everyone started singing. Then I remembered - it was
my birthday! But the surprise didn’t end there…when I blew out the candles
Graham got down on one knee and said, in front of everyone: “Theresa, will you
marry me?” It was wonderful, completely unexpected and when I said “Yes!” they
cheered and clapped!
Is there one subject you’d never write about as
an author? What is it?
Cruelty
and violence. I can’t bring myself to write about things which are too dark. I avoid
watching thrillers on TV and I don’t read anything in that genre. However, my
poetry collection covers some of the saddest times in my life. During my first
and failed marriage, I endured abuse which I would prefer to forget. Often the
emotion is real and raw but I wrote about how I felt, not what had happened. Poetry offers a door of escape. To quote from
my latest book: “My tears have become poems that splash onto the page…” I feel
I can write about things in poetry which I wouldn’t cover in a novel.
In 2001 my youngest son was caught
up in the September 11th tragedy in New York. He was working in a nearby building and saw
the planes hit the twin towers. He survived, but when I visited him there soon
after, and went with him to his office in Manhattan, stood at his office window
and heard him describe how he saw this huge black cloud rushing towards him and
the terrifying ordeal of them all escaping from the building…well, it makes me
shiver, even now. I wrote a poem that day.
Do you have any suggestions to help someone
become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Read,
read, read! I can’t stress enough how important it is to read good quality
writing. I would even go as far as saying don’t read anything which is poorly constructed,
full of clichés, or obviously produced for purely commercial purposes. When I
first started, I read lots of ‘How to write’ books and I can recommend, ‘How to write a novel’ by
John Braine and also (don’t laugh): ‘Writing a Novel and getting Published’ for
Dummies. It worked for me!
If you could be the original author for any
book, what would it be? Why?
‘Sons
and Lovers’ by D.H. Lawrence. It’s the
realism which I find so strong. I read a lot when I was younger – I was forever
reading while walking to school and kept bumping into lamp-posts. I admire
Lawrence in particular for his passion, his spiritual and social awareness.
When considering characterization, go to Lawrence; for burning intensity and romance,
go to Lawrence. His heroes are real people, flesh and blood on a page and I’ve
learned a lot from his writing.
What did you do growing up that got you into
trouble?
I
hated school. I often got punished for saying I didn’t want to go. Attending a
Catholic Convent school in London, I travelled by train and was often late –
something I got the cane for, more than once. Even now I still can’t see the
true benefit of compulsory schooling for children. (What? You mean every
day?) If I’m interested in something I like to take on the task of teaching
myself but not everyone thinks like that.
If I came to your house for dinner what would
you prepare for me? Why?
You
would be very welcome Rachel! To start: a nice glass of - what will it be? Red
or white? I hope you like old-fashioned English cooking? I will be preparing roast
lamb with new freshly-dug potatoes, served with loads of vegetables (all grown
on our allotment). Dessert will be blackcurrant and apple crumble (fruit from
the garden) served with Cornish ice-cream, my favourite! Graham and I both
enjoy growing our own food. It’s a constant battle with slugs and pigeons
though. I’m a great believer in organic food so I’m always studying the small
print on packets. We’ll be having plain honest food with no additives other
than herbs and pepper – hope you enjoy it!
Thanks so much for inviting me onto your blog
today. It’s a treat to be asked about my
life. I’ve really had to think hard about the answers to some of the questions
you’ve given me. Digging deep into the past is a challenge. Memories filter
through the gaps in my fiction sometimes, but to be asked directly is
difficult! But you’re still welcome to come for that Sunday roast, Rachel!
Thank you, I’ve enjoyed the interview enormously.
Links:
Recently
published: Meet Me at Low Tide: and other poems
Website:
https://theresaleflem.wordpress.com/
Twitter:
@TheresaLeFlem
No comments
Post a Comment