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February 7, 2008 1:28 PM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Kate Long

Kate Long's debut novel, The Bad Mother's Handbook, was not only a bestseller, it was also made into a TV drama starring Catherine Tate. Kate's latest book, The Daughter Game, is out at the beginning of next month.

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer:

Unhappily married teacher Anna forms an unhealthy attachment to a female pupil under her care.

Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)? 

At long last I have my own computer – no more waiting for sons to get off Bamzooki or husband to finish looking at kit cars on ebay – but I don’t have anything as grand as an office. I work at a desk in our front room, with guinea pigs frolicking round my feet.

Your favourite chick-lit book?

I enjoyed The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus enormously. Blimey, how the other half live! And, for similar reasons, Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada.

Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why?

Esther Summerson in Dickens’ Bleak House. I read the book in my early twenties and found her simple goodness tremendously affecting; the scene where she looks for the first time at her scarred face is the one that sticks most in my memory. And it’s odd, because normally I like my heroines flawed and messy. I guess there’s something very strong about her: I don’t know how else to put it but to say she shines off the page.

What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers?

Read widely and for love; write every day, if you can; be cautious about showing your work too early as the wrong kind of critical reaction can be damaging. Try not to dwell too much on rejections because every writer gets them. Believe in yourself, and in your own voice.

What are you reading at the moment? 

A novel I’ve been sent for review, The Great North Road by Annabel Doré. I’m only a few pages in, but I know I’m going to love it. The way the narrator addresses the reader directly reminds me of Kate Atkinson, and I always love a story based round a family mystery.

What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!)

A novel about a fifty-something woman who’s denied access to her beloved grandson after a row with her daughter. The story follows the grandma’s fight to get her grandson back, and her efforts to heal the fractured relationship she’s always had with her daughter. In a sense it’s about how it is possible redeem the past, if we have the courage to confront our failings head-on.

Do you have a theme song?

What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, without a doubt.

What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!)

I believe your other great passion is riparian wildlife. Tell us why you’re particularly interested in water voles, and what we can do to help these charming but endangered animals. 

(Answer here, if you’re inspired!)

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Posted by Keris on February 7, 2008 in Interviews | Permalink

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