#Interview with Jennifer C. Wilson, #Author of The Raided Heart - @inkjunkie1984

About the Author:

Jennifer C. Wilson stalks dead people (usually monarchs, mostly Mary Queen of Scots and Richard III). Inspired by childhood visits to as many castles and historical sites her parents could find, and losing herself in their stories (not to mention quote often the castles themselves!), at least now her daydreams make it onto the page.

After returning to the north-east of England for work, she joined a creative writing class, and has been filling notebooks ever since. Jennifer won North Tyneside Libraries’ Story Tyne short story competition in 2014, and in 2015, her debut novel, Kindred Spirits: Tower of London was published by Crooked Cat Books. The full series was re-released by Darkstroke in January 2020.

Jennifer is a founder and host of the award-winning North Tyneside Writers’ Circle, and has been running writing workshops in North Tyneside since 2015. She also publishes historical fiction novels with Ocelot Press. She lives in Whitley Bay, and is very proud of her two-inch view of the North Sea.

Jennifer on the Web:
Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Interview with Jennifer C. Wilson

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?

I’ve always loved making up stories, ever since I was a child. I used to have a lot of Playmobil, and would spend hours creating little histories for the family who lived in the big-house, and adventures that they could get into. I never wrote them down, but I absolutely loved it, and I don’t think that ever left me.
When I moved back to the north-east for work after university, and realized I knew nobody in Hexham other than one or two colleagues, I decided to join a creative writing evening class, and never looked back. I made great friends that I still see today, over ten years later, and it showed me that I wanted to take my writing seriously.

What inspires you to write?

It can be the smallest thing. In the book I’m currently working on, a historical romance, just one scene struck me, and an entire synopsis built up around it.
The most common inspiration though, is a place. I can be walking through the ruins of a castle, or sitting at the side of quayside, anything, and just thinking about how things used to be usually sends me off into the world of ‘what if’. I love nothing more than strolling around historical sites or buildings, and thinking about who might have been there before, and what they would have been doing. In my Kindred Spirits series, which follows the ghosts of historical characters in contemporary settings, I also start to think about who would get along with who (and who really wouldn’t, which is far more fun!).
Once I have a location, then everything else begins to fall into place.

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?

The Raided Heart is a strange one. I wrote the first draft when I was just thirteen, having spent an afternoon wandering around Carnasserie Castle in Kilmartin Glen, near Oban. The place is just a ruin, but something really clicked with me, and after a couple of hours (my poor parents gave up and went to wait in the car), the whole thing was plotted out. Originally, it was set in the 1530s, in Scotland, and featured an entirely imaginary King of Scotland, as I didn’t understand back then that you couldn’t really do that, but when I rediscovered it a decade ago, I rewrote it for NaNoWriMo 2009. It was still awful though, so I rewrote it AGAIN throughout 2019, finally creating a version I’m happy with.
The story is now inspired by the hardy border reivers. For anyone who doesn’t know, the reivers were groups of families along the English/Scottish border, from around the 1300s to the end of the 1500s, and they were a violent, but intriguing group. It’s thanks to them that we have the phrases ‘blackmail’ and ‘bereaved’, so you can see what sort of life they led!
It’s a story very close to my heart, and I’ve been blown away by the lovely reviews its received.

Tell us about your writing process.

I like to plan, mostly. I don’t have too much of a ritual, other than needing some distracting music or background noise to cancel out the silence / traffic / general ‘outside’ noise. Usually this is either some classic nineties boyband albums (Boyzone or Westlife more often than not), or musical soundtracks.
When I begin a new project, I like to draft a synopsis quite early on, just to make sure I’m not wasting my time starting to write something which isn’t going to go anywhere. I don’t necessarily stick rigidly to the plan, but at least having one to begin with helps. I work full-time, so don’t have as much time as I’d like to write in, and knowing where I’m going with each writing session also helps me get the most out of the limited hours I have in the evening or over the weekend.
I’m also not great at editing, preferring to edit as I go, rather than do full-scale second or third drafts. Another reason for needing that plan!

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?

I love the work of historical fiction authors like Philippa Gregory, Elizabeth Chadwick and Anne O’Brien. The ‘problem’ with most historical fiction, is that we usually know the ending before we start reading the book, in terms of who ends up marrying, who dies when, etc. The fact that these writers are able to make a story you already know into such a page-turner is incredible to me. I remember reading The Other Boleyn Girl, and honestly, for a moment, I thought Henry was going to send Anne to a French convent. Given that Anne Boleyn’s execution is one of the most famous events in British history, that’s pretty fantastic writing.
In terms of their influence, I think everything you read influences you in some way, even if you can’t exactly put your finger on it. Certainly, reading so much great historical fiction helps you simply by absorbing the skill shown on the page.

What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?

To keep writing – you can’t edit a blank page, after all. It was when I was about to dive into writing the first Kindred Spirits novel, during NaNoWriMo 2013, but I wasn’t sure exactly where it was going to go. At a writing workshop, we got talking about writing practices, and when somebody said that, it was like flicking a light on.
I read somewhere that writing was a bit like going to the gym, working the muscles; if you don’t do it for a while, you can get a bit ‘flabby’, both in terms of ideas and skills, so I try to write at least ‘something’ every day, even if it’s only a draft of a post for my blog, or a response to a prompt, to keep my brain busy, and keep learning.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

If you can, get along to as many writing workshops as you can. It’s all very well saying ‘keep writing’, but at the start, doing this off your own bat can be really difficult, and having a) somebody to tell you what to write about, and b) a group of people to write with, can be incredibly motivating and encouraging. I’m a member of the Elementary Writers in Newcastle, as well as a co-founder and host of the North Tyneside Writers’ Circle, and I just love being in the company of other writers.
Being part of the community also means you have people around to cheer you on when you get success, and of course, pick you up if you start to struggle, or receive the dreaded first rejection.
I completely appreciate that financially, it isn’t always possible, or physically, depending on where people are based. Thankfully these days, there’s also plenty online, which for me isn’t exactly the same, but can actually be better in some ways, if you write in a fairly niche genre, as you can connect with writers all over the world, not just your home town.

How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?

I don’t get there as much as I’d like, but I love heading north whenever I can, and tend to get up to Scotland three or four times a year, usually just a long weekend in Edinburgh if nothing else. I’m never happier than when I’m pottering around a historical building or site, and Edinburgh Castle is one of my favourites.
Closer to home, Tynemouth Priory, right on the coast, is gorgeous, and I’ve often taken a notebook along there to just sit and write.

Tell us three fun facts about yourself.

These are always so hard!
I was bitten by a shark as a child (technically, stingrays ARE sharks, and when you’re feeding one a sandeel, they don’t always know when to stop!)
I attended part of the funeral of my main leading man (not bad for a historical fiction writer!)
I may be addicted to stag memorabilia.

What do you have in store next for your readers?

I’m currently working on a couple of things, in both ‘strands’ of my writing life. Kindred Spirits: Ephemera was released in early June, a collection of short stories from within the Kindred Spirits world, and I’m enjoying researching what I hope will become a second collection. This time, we’re heading into Scotland, and they have some excellent haunted castles in Scotland…
The other thing is a second novel in my Historic Hearts series, again set in Scotland (I’m having withdrawal symptoms, having not got north this year!), and again in the borders, but from the other side of things this time. It’s a more traditional historical romance, and I’m really enjoying writing it, mostly using prompts, which is always a fun approach.

About the Book:

Check out the Book on Amazon

Meg Mathers, the headstrong youngest sibling of a reiving family on the English-Scottish border, is determined to remain at her childhood home, caring for the land and village she’s grown up with. When an accident brings her a broken ankle and six weeks in the resentful company of ambitious and angry young reiver Will Hetherington, attraction starts to build. Both begin to realise they might have met their match, and the love of their lives, but 15th century border living is not that simple, as Meg soon finds herself betrothed to the weakling son of a tyrannical neighbour, Alexander Gray. When tragedy strikes, can Meg and Will find their way back to each other, and can Will finally take his own personal revenge on Gray?

"The Historic Hearts" is a collection of historical romantic adventures set in Scotland and the North of England.

Winner of the Bronze Prize for Historical Romance, and a 5* review, from the Coffee Pot Book Club Award.

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