Hi Rose, thanks so much for inviting me!
Congratulations on your latest novel! I'd love to hear all about "Revelation". Can you give us the first line and a little blurb as to what it’s about?
First line:
Yellow tape seals the doorway between the lifts and the east wing
of the halls of residence – tenth floor.
Blurb:
Manchester, 1989
A student, Rick, is found dead in halls of residence.
His friends get caught up in the aftermath: Dan, who was in love
with Rick; and Becky, who is in love with Dan.
Their fraught emotions lead them into dark places – particularly a
connection to a mysterious Kabbalistic sect.
Will Becky discover who killed Rick in time to save her best
friend?
Sounds fantastic! What inspired you to write this
novel?
I was a student in Manchester in 1989, and although nothing like
this happened to me (thankfully), I wanted to capture the atmosphere and some
of the difficulties of the time. It’s often difficult to know what sparks a
specific story though. The idea of mixing Jewish students, a Kabbalistic sect
leader, and a murder, just popped into my head one day.
It's great when ideas just pop into your head like that! Can you tell me about that
moment when you decided to sit down and write your first novel? How did you get
over any hurdles of fear or doubt?
I’d been writing short stories for a few months, but had dismissed
the idea of a novel on the grounds of full time job, husband and kids.
But one
day we were watching breakfast TV amongst the usual morning
stress, when an article came on about NaNoWriMo.
National Novel Writing Month is a challenge to write a 50,000 word
novel in a month.
Surprisingly, my husband suggested I give it a go, so during my
morning break, I started thinking about some
ideas.
When the concept of a woman trapped in a religious sect popped
into my head, I got really excited. I did a lot of planning, so by the time I
sat down to write, the
words tumbled on to the page.
The fears and doubts came out many times over the next 6 years
whilst I wrote, re-wrote and edited – simultaneously attending writing
workshops and joining writing groups to learn the craft.
That first novel was accepted by Crooked Cat on 15th
December 2017 and was published in July 2018. I’m still very proud of it.
That's so impressive! I've never managed to do NaNoWriMo. Please can you tell me about
your writing routine – how do you settle yourself down to write?
I’m rubbish about
routine, but I do try to write before work if I can (my brain is a bit frazzled
by the end of the day). If I’ve got 20 minutes to write, I’ll sit at my desk
with a coffee, order Alexa to play some music (whatever I’m in the mood for –
currently Meatloaf, Adam Lambert, Queen and Tom Odell, and
start typing.
If I've got an hour (usually at weekends or holiday), I'll do the same. I occasionally have to read back through the last chapter if I've not written for a week or two.
If I've got an hour (usually at weekends or holiday), I'll do the same. I occasionally have to read back through the last chapter if I've not written for a week or two.
Do you have any tips for aspiring
authors who would love to write but don’t know where to start?
I would suggest
to start writing the novel that excites you. Some people are planners, some are
pantsers (seat of the pants writers), many are somewhere in between (like me!)
It doesn’t matter. The first draft should never see the light of day, except
perhaps to be read by someone you trust who can give constructive critique. At
some point in the process, do a course in creative writing – it doesn’t have to
be an MA! I attended a series of brilliant workshops, which evolved into
critique sessions, and is now a monthly writing group.
Most important
though is to keep dreaming. Writing a novel is a long process, and requires
persistence and determination. Having an aim or ambition is a good incentive to
keep going.
What do you love doing when not
writing?
I love reading (no surprises there), but also love running and
hiking – both a huge shock, and my younger self would probably not believe it!
I’m very slow at running, but completed a half marathon on the same day as I
finished writing my first book.
Lastly – a fun question:
Can you tell us about a funny/
embarrassing memory
My dad was an
entertainment agent, specializing in lookalikes/soundalikes. One evening, he
invited all the family and some friends along to see a Tom Jones act (this was
about 15-20 years ago).
‘Tom Jones’ asked
my dad if some of the women in his party would throw some knickers at him (he
provided the knickers – all clean, I hasten to add).
Anyway, I offered
to do the business, and when Delilah came on, I walked halfway to the stage (we
were at the back) and threw a lacy pair of red unmentionables towards the
singer – well that was the plan. I’ve never had a good aim. The lace attached
itself to the ceiling. I returned red-faced to my chair. But it didn’t end
there. The audience’s gaze remained transfixed to the knickers, which slowly
detached from the ceiling, finally falling onto the table as Mr Jones hit the
last note.
He confessed to
my dad afterwards that he was so hysterical watching the progress of the
underwear that he almost forgot the lyrics!
Brilliant Jo! I love it! Thanks so much for coming on my blog today and best of luck with your book!
About the author:
Jo Fenton grew up
in Hertfordshire. She devoured books from an early age and, at eleven,
discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer. She now has an eclectic and
much loved book collection cluttering her home office.
Jo combines an
exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very
different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.
When not working,
she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester
with her family and is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups
and two reading groups.
Well done, Jo. Not only have you learned the essentials of novel writing, you've passed on your learning to others. I was impressed by the idea of a victim trapped inside a community from which she couldn't escape. I must get around to reading it.
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