This afternoon, I have the joy of welcoming to my blog an Indie Author who has created quite a stirring of my imagination with her Cosy Mystery which bends genres and leads you to think about the particulars surrounding it’s inner core of story even without reading Chapter One! I had a delight in selecting the questions that I wanted to compose for this interview, because as I took a peek round the author’s site; I started to generate a keener interest in knowing a bit more about the background of the story itself and how the writer Ms Smythe set about giving the fullness of it’s depth by creating such a genuine appeal for it’s mystery!
Smythe opens up a door into her writing life and starts to share a personal side of her life as well, as the conversation ebbs in and out of her current releases, works-in-process and a bit of insight into her personal life outside of writing as well. She’s candid and honest, lending her thoughts to the questions whilst giving us a fuller glimpse into how stories can be crafted and inspired by such random moments of inspiration as they tend to spark life inside themselves by a vehicle of motivation that is not always easily able to illuminate.
Whilst we were conversing, I happily saw a woman emerging into a new chapter of her life as she embraced an unexpected avenue of creativity; as writing entered her path after a career, granting her a new route to pursue where the words fuelled her imagination. I hope you will appreciate the conversation as it unfolded as much as I had in sharing it with you!
Sally must deal with the grief of losing her father, a man she knew very little about. After the funeral she takes time out to be alone and reflect on her life.
To find out the truth about him, she first has to make amends with her estranged mother and half-sisters, who she hasn’t spoken to for almost twenty years.
In the meantime, Mr Leriche from Interpol opens a fascinating old case file, about a stolen painting potentially worth millions. Before long Sally finds herself in the middle of a criminal investigation. Having discovered she is the sole beneficiary to her father’s estate, she must decide whether to develop the business or walk away.
Reflections is an emotional journey.
Thank you Jorie for inviting me to interview.
Your questions are certainly in depth and I will do my best to answer them all.
I hope I don’t disappoint.
Quite curious how you became a writer, on the level it was originally a personal challenge; one of which yielded enough content for two novels before sparking a third. As you took on this process of writerly growth, did you see the story knitting together in sequential order as to be stand-alone sequels of each other, or moreso to an evolving series where one story might lend a bridge of sorts (setting, character, central thematic) into the next? Perhaps none of the above, and they are simply being released as one-off stories?
Smythe responds: I am also curious about how I became a writer. I was always in awe of people who were able to write books and thought how wonderful it would be to have that skill and to publish. Although it was a goal I never truly believed I’d ever achieve it. Being semi retired, approximately seven years ago, I decided to attempt a book purely to prove to myself that I could. However I didn’t publish the first book that I wrote. I had shelved the idea for a while. Then two years ago I began writing a very different book The Other Side of Town, which was published March 2015.
I took a character from my original book and expanded on her journey. Judith wasn’t my main character but I did however enjoy expanding on her life story. My second book Reflections, was the result of unfinished business with the first book. I still wanted to tell Sally’s story but chose to look at it from another angle. Instead of her looking for her father, it begins with his death and how she reflected on her life in preparation for her future. I’d never intended either of my books to be a sequel and in many ways they are not. However for anyone that has or will read my second book they will find characters from the first popping up. Although not deliberate to begin with I’ve rather enjoyed linking them in a small way. We get to know what happened next in a particular characters life.
I love how the stories themselves found a way into your mind and heart to compose the lives of the characters who had a story to share with you and readers alike! Writing can spark ideas you did not realise you had to give to a pen until the day arrives where this bubbling inspiration of an idea starts to percolate and right before you realise it’s happening – a manuscript is starting to shape and take density before your eyes!
I also like how you inter-connected your stories – it’s not as easy as it sounds to do, and what is interesting is how your readers will start to smile as they note these inclusions as they will become your trademark style. I believe characters have a way of giving us the heart of what they want us to tell inside a story their being featured inside as we’re writing down the bones of their narrative. First inclinations towards how their story could be told can sometimes give way to a new idea which is either better suited or presents an altogether new vein of thought to explore. Well, done you! Sounds like the writerly life has taken hold of you, lock, stock and barrel!
Despite your hesitation to use your pen-name, I must say ‘Eleanor Smythe’ does have a certain appeal towards it’s simplicity in alluding to a writer who writes either Contemporary Rom and/or Contemporary Rom Suspense. It fits well because the name is creatively tethered together. Have you changed your impression of the name now that you’ve released your first two novels? Have you warmed to it, or wish you had picked another?
Smythe responds: Eleanor is in fact my middle name, it has also been a name in my family for several generations. For me there was no other choice. My grandmother was an avid reader and would have been so proud of me for writing and I’m sure would have loved the fact that I kept the name alive. Smythe just had a better ring to it than Smith, which is both my maiden name and my married name. My name is Christine Eleanor Smith married to Christopher Smith, how’s that for a coincident. Have I warmed to my name? Yes I think I have, and I’m happy that you think the name is creatively tethered together. For sure I will keep it.
I love your response as I love the origins of the names themselves – I love when we can take ancestral or immediate familial points of connection and use them inside our writerly pursuits! Either like you have directly with the usage of a pen name or threaded throughout a novel such as ‘The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley’ which was a recent reading of mine I could not put down easily as it captured so much of the author’s personal journey! Whenever we can make these personal connections, they give new depth of connection to our readers who might pick up on the nuances as they read the stories; such as I had. I am very sure your grandmother is winking a nod at you, even now, and celebrating the path which inspired you to walk! As it’s never too late to discover a new passion that has a way of changing our lives!
How did you develop the back-story of Reflections as a way to show character growth and motivation to seek out answers of Sally’s ancestral past? It’s a character journey arc wherein she is determined to understand more than she does at the beginning; was this enjoyable for you to watch develop or a bit challenging?
Smythe responds: I loved creating Sally’s life, it did seem to flow quite easily for me… thank goodness. Probably because I had already written a considerable back-ground for her when I wrote the first book, Perceptions. I tend to ask myself a whole lot off questions when I write. What if this and what if that? If the answer fits with the character, I run with it and see where it takes me. I have an idea for a character and then allow them to lead the way, I know it may sound crazy and may be it is just a little but I try to bring them to life in my head, like any other friend, we get to know them if we pay attention.
I’m trying to remember how I thought ‘Perceptions’ was a fully published novel,… the only thing I can equate this to being true is there was enough written about both novels on your site where I mistook it’s existence as a proper release. I think you wrote so much about this duology (as if there are only two to the story-line, it would bookend together quite smashingly!) you gave it wings to fly even without a copy on hand for readers! Maybe there is still hope for it – never say never, the order in which connected stories are published is up to the author!
I definitely feel this gives your story the best possible way of being realistic and honouring the lives of your characters if your seeing how they would exist IRL through discussing the whys and hows of their lives. It gives you a foundation which you can grow upon and a great layer of depth which your readers will appreciate as well.
There is an art angle to the suspense is this a real-life passion of yours bleeding into the narrative and/or did you select the art world for it’s high level of built-in intrigue when it comes to art theft and the mysteriously curious ways in which artwork ‘disappears’ from both public and private collections?
Smythe responds: I wanted to introduce a criminal element to Reflections, as I had in my first published book. People seemed to like that and were encouraging. For me it just had to be crime relating to the art world because of her fathers connections with art. Other than a television programme I’d seen I actually knew very little about art theft. I did a fair bit of reading around to get some facts and figures and actually found it all very fascinating.
It’s wicked fascinating to me! I keep finding stories about art heists and/or reproduction forgery’s that I want to read, I should truly block out some weeks where I dissolve inside the world of art and have a go at those stories! I love too, how your interest in the topic of suspense surrounding the art world is what inspired the story out of you! Love how our imaginations can take a seed of an idea and deliver a plot!
What was the hardest thread of Sally’s life to unfold within the novel’s chapters? Her emotional anguish of being disconnected to her own family and/or the resolution of sorting out the paintings provenance?
Smythe responds: This question makes me feel I should have published the first book. That is full of Sally’s anguish and how she coped with the other woman and the break-up of her marriage. Reflections is about her moving on from the past and finding a new future, albeit under very difficult circumstances. I think digging into her family roots was hard and very emotional, creating her mother and fathers life was sad. To think how they had loved and were parted through no fault of their own, the thing is these things really did happened to people. Sorting out the painting I think was a stepping stone to her future and she did it to honour her fathers memory.
Ooh, my! I am so thankful to hear I inspired you to re-consider publishing ‘Perceptions’!! Although, it sounds like you might have to edit a few things – as it would have to lead-in to where her father will pass on whilst giving enough flexible breath for ‘Reflections’ to be anchoured to it. Not that you have to sort this out, but if there is enough to salvage and help readers like me who are inquisitively curious towards knowing the fuller back-story, you could always re-work it and bundle them as a duology.
I appreciated hearing the care you took behind the scenes to truly dig into the heart of where your character was living emotionally at the time she arrives in ‘Reflections’ as the title alone eluded to a deeper meaning than what it rightly appears to inflect.
You eagerly love to hit the road and travel to parts unknown; what sparks such a happy light of joy to take road expeditions and trips vs other methods of travel? What calls you to the open road and an unlimited choice of where to traverse ‘next’?
Smythe responds: This is an easy answer, my husband likes to drive, in fact he loves driving. He finds it relaxing. From time to time we like to just take off, and look for new adventures. We’ve always had an end goal. We either had to return for work, family or home. Now we are both retired and are currently exploring the idea of selling up our home and living in a motor home for a while, that way we can have more flexibility. What sparks such a happy light of joy? The answer to that is death. We are all going the same way in the end, and I have a long bucket list and less years these days (words from my next book). We have to do all the things we can whilst we are able.
Wow! I was not quite prepared for you to bring up mortality as a response to this question! Yes, of course, it’s true – we all have a bookended year between our hours of time on Earth, but I am unsure if anyone else would have been as raw and honest about what motivates their actions! If this is a small fraction of a hint towards your next release, it will surely leave your readers pensively intrigued to see where you take them!
As you have a third novel percolating towards it’s editing and publication stages, can you share a bit of a glimpse what readers can find inside it? Did you carry forward the Contemporary angle or did you select another entrance into the genre you enjoy writing?
Smythe responds: To be totally honest, I understand very little about genre’s. I write what comes into my head and I think little about what category it is going to slip into. Maybe I call it Contemporary fiction because I have little idea what it is. Oh dear that makes me sound really thick. You see my books seem to end up a bit eclectic, bit of romance, life story, crime. Whatever happens seems to happen.
Pink Hair and Murder seems to be shaping up as a thriller. Irene is convinced someone killed her husband and threatens to take revenge. Although the book has a lot of humour between a group of 80 year old people, there is also a sadness about how life moves forward. Once you know that a marriage of 55 years was a farce and that your husband was leading a double life, how do you take revenge. The bungalow has to be sold so that half can be split with the mistress of 40 years, but no-ones giving up without a fight. On top of that Flossy puts Burt’s false teeth into the washing machine and continues to be meek and mild, when everything around her is kicking off.
I take the same approach you do, truly, as a story has to begin somewhere inside us in order for it to broaden itself into the finalised copy of a novel – in the germination stages, it’s hard to consider genres and shelving categories when your simply so hugged thick inside your own imagination and sorting through where you want to take your character’s journey to think much outside this process of crafting the core of the story. I tend to think about it after I have started working on a manuscript, as it helps when I want to be ambiguously chatty about my works-in-progress as a line of reference when others ask ‘What type of story are you penning?’.
I actually write across genres as readily as I dance through genres as I devour the stories which alight in my readerly life. Therein, I can relate to what your sharing about your own writerly journey! And, I must say, the title you’ve selected for your thriller is quite smashing as you just want to get to know more about who is behind the ‘pink hair and murder’!!
What drew your eye originally to Contemporary stories with measures of suspense and a light touch of Romance threaded into their hearts?
Smythe responds: I’ve no idea. I don’t try to emulate other writers or style, I just write what comes up from my own heart. I love true stories about peoples lives and I’m always fascinated with the way in which life is full of twists and turns, shaping us into the characters that we become. Maybe it is the contemporary stories of life its self that drives me forward.
Hmm… I wasn’t inflecting you were emulating other writers, I believe I was hinting at the types of stories you personally like to read and/or explore inside your own writings. More to do with readings than writing, as it simply appeared to me you were drawn towards a particular voice in fiction and it’s styling. When you mentioned you love true stories about how people live, I think you saw what I was hinting at, but I apologise if I left you a bit confused.
Do you prefer writing connective stories or one-offs and what can readers expect to see next in this regard?
Smythe responds: I’ve enjoyed connecting characters from one book to another. Paul Dobson shows his face again briefly in Pink Hair and Murder, just so that we can tie up a story line for him really… and it works in well. However I don’t intend this to always be the case. I would like very much to right a true story, this will take a lot more planning and heart searching. For sure none of the characters will reappear in that book. I have also been approached to do a joint project with someone, I rather like the idea but not sure yet what formate that will take, maybe a novella.
I love how your attached to both types of stories – as your right, it would be hard to always find a line of connection (however small) between your stories, but if you infuse this with some of your releases and then, disconnect others with only one passing, your readers will keep on their toes to find out which story is truly a stand-alone and which one might throw a nod back against another title; thereby increasing their curiosity to read it as well. Whether by design or accident, you’ve set-up a good foddering of interest!
What uplifts your spirit the most whilst your not researching your next novel or penning the conclusion to your current one?
Smythe responds: I have to work very hard at keeping my spirits high. Following the death of our son a Buddhist friend told me that we can choose to be happy, just as we can choose to be sad. What uplifts my spirit is knowing I have choice. I can look at the world around me with my eyes open to its beauty or I can feel sorry for myself and give up. I choose to be apart of this world and its beauty, for as long as I am able. I will dance until I can dance no more, and I will write until I have no more to say. So beware you haven’t heard the last of me.
I am so very sorry about the tragic loss of your son – I cannot even imagine what you are going through but I can emphatic to overwhelming grief and sorrow, as I’ve loved and lost so many of my beloved family members over the years; the fullness of grief can be understood as soon as your heart has to let go of someone you are not ready to part company. My full sympathies are extended to you. Your friend was quite right in encouraging your spirit, as we cannot predict the circumstances of our lives but we can choose how we approach each new day; our attitudes are what we can choose and how we carry forward after tragedy. May your creativity continue to inspire your spirit to soar into as many new directions as you feel you can give your heart.
Thank you for taking the time to read my interview
and for the opportunity to get to know you better.
Ms Smythe you surely did not disappoint me – you gave me so much to think about your stories and openly shared the writing processes you took to bring your stories to life, I was quite grateful for the conversation you gave me to share with my readers!
About Eleanor Smythe
Eleanor Smythe was born in the east end of London but struggles to call it home as she moved away in her teens, and continued to live in various parts of the UK. After raising four sons, she went on to obtain a degree in Occupational Therapy. Although she took the opportunity to work in various medical settings, her greatest passion was working with clients within the community, where she claims real life takes place.
Now retired and living primarily in Portugal Eleanor has more time to pursue her love of writing. Always intrigued by the way in which individuals cope with life's challenges and how they overcome the twists and turns of life, her stories embrace inner emotional turmoil that her characters might feel. They are brought to life by showing humour, tragedy, conflict, betrayal and emotions that many of us face daily.
Her debut book, The Other Side of Town continues to receive positive reviews while her second book, Reflections, was recently released.
Eleanor and her husband’s love of travel has led to the recent acquisition of ‘Dolly the Camper Van’. Dolly will enable them to pursue their individual hobbies of fishing and writing in new and exciting environments. Eleanor will be blogging about their adventures as well as inviting others to share their own.
This interview is courtesy of the blog tour via Brook Cottage Book Tours:
Previously I interviewed Sarah Hughes for her war drama A Kiss from France and Georgia Hill for her war drama While I Was Waiting which were also featured by Brook Cottage Book Tours!
I am blessed to be able to interview the authors who are inspiring my next reads!
Be sure to leave your thoughts, comments and questions in the threads below for Ms Smythe! I welcome your own musings on behalf of why Cosies and art theft stories are such a captivating subject to explore in both Contemporary and Historical narratives!
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers.
{SOURCES: Book Cover Art for “Reflections”, author biography, author photograph of Eleanor Smythe, book synopsis, blog tour badge were provided by Brook Cottage Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Conversations with the Bookish banner created by Jorie in Canva. Comment banner created by Jorie in Canva. Rainbow Digital Clip Art Washi Tape made by The Paper Pegasus. Purchased on Etsy by Jorie and used with permission. Tweets are embedded due to codes via Twitter.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2016.
Comments via Twitter:
#indieauthors convo alights on #JLASbloghttps://t.co/tun7TnuvH8#CosyMystery art heist@authoreleanor1 #amwriting pic.twitter.com/h8yuF64vR7
— Jorie Loves A Story (@joriestory) March 2, 2016
.@authoreleanor1 Your quite welcome, Ms Smythe! had such a blast chatting w/you about your writerly passions! was an honour! :) #randomjoy
— Jorie Loves A Story (@joriestory) March 3, 2016
@joriestory Hi Jorie thank you so much for the interview it was great fun and appreciated
— Eleanor Smythe (@authoreleanor1) March 3, 2016
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