Please tell us a little about yourself
I always wanted to be a writer. As a little girl, I
used to spend hours writing stories and turning them into books, even using
flour and water as paste to bind the pages together. I spent hours
writing poetry and plays as a teenager and I wrote short stories my spare time.
It is this need to write and a love of reading that led me to take a degree in
English and European Thought and Literature, and later a Masters Degree in
Creative Writing. It wasn’t until my children were older that I had the time to
devote to full-time writing. I admire those authors who can juggle both. I love walking, travelling, good food, family
and my dogs!
Please tell us about Journey to Paradise and your inspiration for the book
I have lived in various places, including
Singapore, where I was based for three years. It was while living in Singapore
that the first seeds of my debut novel, Journey to Paradise developed.
The crumbling buildings and the modern high-rises popping up almost overnight
seemed to be a metaphor for the social diversity and change in Singapore at that
time. However, as a young mother living there, I wondered what it must have
been like as a post-war colonial wife living miles away from the familiarity of
home. Despite the gloss and glamour of colonial living, women were frequently
stuck in unhappy marriages, often unable to follow careers or have the
independence to divorce if things went wrong – which they inevitably did.
My writing, although set against
exotic backgrounds, is set on the cusp of change – the shift from colonial
dominance to independence. I like to dig into a variety of issues, and my main
protagonist is, in many ways, a metaphor for the events surrounding her at that
time. It isn’t always an easy journey, but in the end, success comes her
way.
What are you working on next?
My second novel, The Forgotten Promise will be released
as an eBook in September, then a paperback in December. It is set in Malaya
during the Japanese Occupation.
The Forgotten Promise
Malaya, 1920: Two girls make a promise in the
shadows of the jungle. A promise that life won't let them easily keep.
Malaya, 1941: Ella is running her late father's
tin mine in the Kledang hills, while Noor works as her cook.
When the war that felt so far away suddenly arrives on their doorstep, Ella is
torn apart from her family. Her daughter Grace is left in Noor's care as
Japanese soldiers seize the mine.
Ella is forced to make an impossible choice that takes her to England,
thousands of miles from home. She is desperate to be reunited with her loved
ones. But will the life she returns to be anything like the life she left
behind?
I’m so excited about this book and I can’t wait to share the cover! (It is available for pre-order). I’m working on my third novel, which has some overlapping characters, but is set in the late fifties and early seventies. It is still very much a work of progress.
What was your journey to publication like?
I was very fortunate to find an
amazing agent relatively quickly and I was then offered a two-book deal by two
publishing houses. The difficult thing then was to decide which one to take.
Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?
Just write and believe in
yourself. Celebrate in every success.
For some it is a long hard hike to get published, but never forget why you
write, never forget enjoying it. I find
it helps to have a routine and to just write, even if what I write feels as
though it is rubbish. The important thing is to get your ideas out – you can go
back and polish it later. I think many new writers aim for perfect prose then
get stuck because their inspiration has run out. Go on as many courses as you can, read, join
a writing group. Most of all, just enjoy it!
Thanks, Paula. Journey to Paradise is out now.
