Author Interview: Miranda Dickinson
November 11th, 2009 by Leah
Miranda Dickinson’s debut novel Fairytale of New York is released tomorrow and I absolutely adored it. You can read my review here. It truly is a fantastic read and it’s worth the money alone for its fab cover! Miranda kindly agreed to do an interview with us and here it is…
1. Describe your novel, Fairytale of New York, in a sentence.
Fairytale of New York is the story of Rosie, an English girl who has owns a florist shop in New York, her motley crew of friends and customers, a new guy who challenges her resolve to never love again and what happens when her past catches up with her.
2. What, if anything, are you currently working on?
I’m working on book 2 at the moment, which is about one-third written. It’s set in the UK this time and follows the story of Harri, a travel agent who dreams of travelling the world but can’t. She makes friends with Alex, who has been travelling the world for ten years and has recently returned to her village to run a coffee shop. Every Wednesday evening, Alex cooks her a meal from his travels, and Harri gives him advice about his disastrous love life. Then she’s persuaded by his mother, Viv, to nominate him for a magazine ‘recycle your man’ column and all hell breaks loose! So for research, I’m collecting food-related travel anecdotes and researching gorgeous places across the world – but only from books and magazines, unfortunately!
3. What inspired Fairytale to New York, is it based off your own experiences?
I’ve been in love with New York from afar for as long as I can remember – but I’ve never been able to afford to go there. So, seven years ago, I bought a travel guide and started researching the city and the book grew out of that. Anyone I know who has been to New York I’ve grilled for details and I’ve watched countless films and read countless books set there. It’s a bit of a labour of love and I’m even more determined to visit now than I ever was. Hopefully, next year, I’ll get to go! In terms of the themes behind the story, there are lots of things that are loosely based on my own experience – more than I initially realised, actually. When I first met my boyfriend, he read some of the manuscript and he says it gave him a lot of useful information about me, including my favourite flower! [Ed note: You have no idea how surprised I was when I learnt Miranda had never been to NY, her descriptions in the book are fantastic.]
4. How did you get published?
I uploaded the incomplete manuscript – originally called Coffee At Kowalski’s – on Authonomy.com, HarperCollins’ site for unpublished writers, last September. To be honest, I had written another novel (more in the vein of Neil Gaiman and Jasper Fforde) and uploaded Kowalski’s (my own pet project) just as a test to make sure the site worked! I was amazed by the response I received on the site from other writers and even more stunned when, a couple of months later, I received an email from Avon (part of HarperCollins), asking for the complete manuscript. There then followed three manic days and nights of writing to complete it and I honestly didn’t think I’d hear back from them again. Two weeks later, I received an email from Maxine Hitchcock, Avon’s Publishing Director, asking me to call her. We spoke for nearly an hour and I just kept thinking how nice it was of her to chat to me – the penny only dropped that Avon wanted my book when she said, “We do want to publish your novel, by the way!”… I was in shock for weeks and still can’t quite believe that I’ll be seeing my book in bookshops on November 12th. It’s a complete dream come true and I’m still pinching myself.
5. Who are some of your favourite authors/books?
I love Going Home by Harriet Evans and The Gift by Cecelia Ahern – I’m a hopeless romantic, so their writing style is right up my street. Of course, I’m a massive fan of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favourite book. Outside of chick-lit, I love comedy-fantasy books – Sir Terry Pratchett is a genius and The Lost Continent and The Truth are two of my favourites. I’m completely in love with Neil Gaiman (though I don’t think he feels the same!) and adore Neverwhere and Stardust, and Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next novels are wonderful for making you fall in love with classic literature.
6. What is your normal writing day like?
I’d love to be one of those writers who are supremely organised about their day, but I’m not. I currently work for half of the week, so my writing is limited to two weekdays plus evenings and weekends. Consequently, I don’t really know what a ‘normal’ writing day looks like yet! When I write, I tend to try to get something down most days, even if it’s only a few hundred words. I’ll also spend time researching in books, magazines and on the internet (island-hopping in the Greek Islands at the moment) and sometimes I head out to my favourite coffee shop in Stourbridge, where I live, to do some people-watching – invaluable for inspiring characters and events!
7. What’s the best thing about being an author?
Being an author at last! I’ve wanted to write ever since I was a little girl and I never thought I’d ever see my work in print. I was invited to HarperCollins’ swanky summer party at the V&A in London in July this year and I was given a badge with: ‘Miranda Dickinson – HarperCollins Author’ on it. That now has pride of place on my desk, just to remind me that I’m not dreaming! I love telling stories. You can walk down any street and be surrounded by a thousand stories in the people who pass you, and I love that I now have a chance to tell stories like that in my writing. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the thrill of seeing my words in print – it’s the most exciting feeling.
8. Finally, what advice would you give to those wanting to get their books published?
Just get your writing out there – anywhere. There are so many places on the web now where you can showcase your writing – not just sites like http://Authonomy.com, but also writer’s forums like http://www.mywriterscircle.com and citizen journalism sites like http://www.helium.com. You have to raise your head above the parapet and shout about your writing, otherwise nobody will notice. Start a blog – it’s free and it gets you in the habit of writing every day (it also makes it easy for any agents or publishers who are interested in your work to find you on Google) – I started a short story blog at http://www.septembers-cafe.blogspot.com just to get my stories out there. Write something that you love because then your heart and soul will be poured into it – my novel started life as my own little chick-lit story and I never thought anyone else would be interested, but the result is something I’m truly proud of. Lastly, never give up: I am living proof that it can happen to anyone. When I was discovered I didn’t have an agent (still don’t) and was a complete unknown. Keep believing and keep writing!
Thanks so much Miranda.
Learn more about Miranda at her website: http://www.miranda-dickinson.com/
Posted in Author Interviews | 3 Comments »
Great interview! What a wonderful and inspiring story too! (of how she became published)
I’m amazed that the author could write (what I hear is such a great) book about a city she hasn’t been to.
“I’ve been in love with New York from afar for as long as I can remember” Me too!!!! I looked at buying the book on amazon and having it shipped here, but it was $33 and I have a hard time thinking I should spend that on a paperback book. =( But I might change my mind. =)
Hey! Just had to chime in. I truly loved your opinion. Keep up the good work.
Great interview. I’m also from Stourbridge, and New York is one of my favourite places in the whole world. I was lucky to be able to go there in 2008 and am going again later this year. I hope Miranda and everyone else who has ever loved the city from afar gets to go at some point:)
Just found your site, and am loving working my way through your reviews. My wishlist is growing before my very eyes though!!