Writer Of The Week: Gwen Rollinson
This week Tracey from the Fiction team chats to Gwen Rollinson whose pocket novel, “Return To Paradise” is out this Thursday.
Tell us about your pocket novel, “A Family Secret”.
Firstly, thank you for publishing it. It’s a real delight to have it in print. My starting point was to combine the elements I enjoy reading, namely, mystery, the supernatural, nature and a will they, won’t they? romance. Having Welsh heritage, and having lived in Wales for the majority of my childhood – in a town very similar to Tregerryn – it felt the natural setting for my story.
Without giving too much away, Nia rents a holiday cottage and after encountering a few, seemingly-supernatural events, finds herself plunged into a mystery regarding her family. There are moments of heartache, soul-searching and joy during her quest to discover the truth and she is ably helped by Rhodri but will café-owner, Simon, be a problem for him?
The character of Annie, a matriarchal figure, is a mixture of aunts/great aunts whose conversations would, quite naturally, jump from one topic to another in one sentence! She plays a key role in the mystery. Parts of the novel are anecdotal – Simon describes his sister’s encounter with a horse and that really did happen to me!
Many years ago, I remember visiting a textile museum. Its atmospheric rooms, old, creaky floorboards and the smell of polished wood and musty textiles left a lasting impression – the perfect place for enhancing the supernatural aspect of the story. I learned to play the harp when I was young and have always loved the instrument so it was inevitable that this would feature in the story and, of course, it ties in beautifully with the Welsh setting.
As with most of my writing, it’s generally an upbeat novel which I just hope provides a little escapism for the reader, from the problems of the world.
How long have you been writing fiction?
To be honest, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing. Certainly by the age of five I was writing very simple short stories or poetry. I was able to read a bit before I started nursery school so my love of words and their sounds was ignited at a very early age. Over the years I won various prizes for writing – including a story in Welsh for the Urdd Eisteddfod.
Although I’d had bits and bats published, I think turning forty was the wake-up call! I suddenly realised that, with studying, career etc, I hadn’t actually achieved my ambition of having a story published so I started getting up early and writing for an hour or so before going to work. It paid off because I’ve now been published in “The People’s Friend” for almost twenty years! I can still remember the joy of receiving my first acceptance. It came the same week as my acceptance from your sister magazine, “My Weekly”! So it was a double celebration!
Gwen’s pocket novel is out on Thursday.
Do you prefer writing longer-length stories?
The simple answer is, yes. I think longer stories are my forte as they enable me to create a fuller story with a sub-plot or two. I did write a couple of 1,000-word stories – which you kindly published – in response to a “Friend” blog, to try writing a different word count to your norm – but I always gravitate back to longer lengths. It gives the characters room to grow and develop. They seem to take on a life of their own and so take control of the direction of the story. I may have a starting point and a vague idea of plot and ending but, I never quite know what will actually happen in between until I start writing and hear the characters’ voices. It often feels that I am just the scribe for their words flowing through me.
Which authors do you admire?
I have quite an eclectic taste but a few of my favourites include Kate Mosse, especially her Languedoc Trilogy. The settings are so vividly described and the way she juxtaposes different time periods whilst maintaining the tension, is incredible. Claire Douglas and Gillian McAllister also write well-plotted novels – real page turners and Susan Howatch’s, “Starbridge” series has wonderful, supernatural/psychological elements.
For lighter reading I love M C Beaton’s Agatha Raisin books and Alexander McCall Smith’s “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” and, of course, Terry Pratchett for laugh-out-loud moments. I re-read Lewis Carroll’s, “Through The Looking Glass”, from time to time. I loved this book as a child – the idea of stepping into that strange world! Hence it is woven into my pocket novel! I’ve just finished reading a suspense novel by Shari Lapena and am on the lookout for more of her books.
Finally, I have to mention Rosamunde Pilcher whose novels were a great inspiration to me when I started to write ‘proper’ short stories.
What are your future writing plans?
I think I will always be writing something. I can’t envisage not doing! Whether that be short stories, poetry or a novel, I’m sure I will be tapping away at my keyboard. I keep meaning to re-visit a novel I wrote many years ago but never did anything with but I think it would probably need a lot of updating now! I like the idea of writing a full-length, supernatural mystery so, who knows..?
What advice would you give someone trying to get a fiction acceptance with us?
I know it’s the advice given by a lot of writers, but persistence is key. How many authors have we heard say, “It’s taken twenty years to become an overnight success?”
The main thing is not to become disheartened by rejections. Instead, analyse the content of fiction which is being published, in terms of character, language and themes and see how they compare with your own writing. You might write a good story which just needs tweaking to be a good fit. Keep going!
Thank you, Gwen! You can read interviews with more of our writers here.
