1--What is the title of your latest release?
The Telegram
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
How one terrible experience can influence the rest of your life
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
That’s easy – the story is effectively a true story about my husband’s family, so I set it where they lived at the time – Clarendon Road in Holland Park, London. The flat where the central characters live in the novel is exactly as I remember it when I first met my husband.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Well, effectively I did hang out with one of the main three protagonists – my mother-in-law - who inspired the character of Violet. She was a splendid woman – a linguist, a brilliant musician and mathematician. Sadly, I never met my father-in-law, because he died when my husband was only sixteen. But he always says that his father and I would have got on. He was a very gregarious man, a great raconteur, and a novelist in his own right. I like to think, that by telling his story, I have honoured his memory and tried to make sense of his life.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Secretive, heroic, ashamed.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Imagining how my husband’s family dealt with the fall out of his father’s secrets enabled me to understand them all so much better. What is more important is that my husband finally understood so much about his family too. He was nice enough to say that I had managed to explain so much about his father and grandparents and he was now able to empathise with the terrible situation they found themselves in.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Bit of both really. I write and then re-draft the following morning. But I’ll often re-write again a day or two later. Writing for me is a constant process of polishing and finessing. If I didn’t have an actual publishing deadline, I suspect I’d re-write forever!
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Carrot cake. If I see it in a café I can’t resist it.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
When I started writing I needed a space where I could be separated from the house and the demands of home life. We had an old summer house in the garden – very decrepit and full of old deckchairs and spiders. I cleared it up and wrote my first book in there - spiders and all. Since then, I’ve had it extended and insulated. It’s now my perfect hideaway. It’s painted a very pale grey green inside, has a pale oak floor, a kelim covered cane sofa, a couple of cane armchairs for visitors, bookshelves, nice lighting and a simple Ikea desk. I love being there and everyone who visits me says what a lovely vibe it has – very peaceful and calming.
10--Who is an author you admire?
That’s so hard, because I admire so many authors. But I think I’ll plump for Robert Harris. Like me, he was a journalist at the BBC. He writes about such a wide variety of subjects and manages to span the centuries from ancient Rome to the modern day. His stories are always page turners and we share a desire to write from a journalistic perspective – always focusing on a real life subject and then elaborating a little – as only a novelist can do. I heard him being interviewed the other day, and he mentioned that he wanted to become a writer because he didn’t like having a boss. I feel the same way; writing is the ideal job for someone who wants to set their own agenda.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Yes. Fortunes of War by Olivia Manning. It’s actually a set of 6 novels outlining the extraordinary wartime story of Guy and Harriet Pringle. Based on the author’s own life, it follows their journey through war torn Europe. I read it in my thirties and understood for the first time how exciting and immediate historical novels could be. Manning demonstrates how to make major historical events integral to the lives of her characters. It was her novel that inspired me to start writing historical fiction.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
This particular novel has been on my mind for a while, and my editor knew how important it was for me to write it. So it’s been in the ‘works’ for a couple of years. I began to write it over a year ago. Most of my novels take me at least a year to write.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I don’t really have a favourite genre. Instead, I tend to get into one particular author and read everything they’ve ever written. I have quite a collection of paperbacks all arranged in alphabetical author order... it reads like a literary history of my adult life. As a teenager it was the great romantics – Jane Austin and Thomas Hardy. At eighteen I was mad for Edna O’Brien. After her came some of the literary greats like Graham Green and Iris Murdoch. As I got older, I hoovered up Kate Atkinson and Maggie O’Farrell. Nowadays I often go back to old favourites like John Le Carre and Evelyn Waugh – his book Scoop is one of the funniest I’ve ever read.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
That’s tough – because I love so many different types of films – comedy, romance thrillers. I adore Some Like it Hot, for example. It always cheers me up when I’m feeling a bit down. But I also re-watch Jane Austin movies – Emma Thompson in Pride and Prejudice is just wonderful. But if I could only watch one movie it would have to be The Godfather.
15--What is your favorite season?
I genuinely love them all, and find something to celebrate each season, but if I have to choose it will be Summer.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With friends, family and food. I like to cook, and ideally, I’d have everyone I love round the table for an evening of fun.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I recently read On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan. It’s an intimate story with a tiny cast of characters, and a masterclass on how to write a really elegant, tight story. I loved it.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Again, tough question as I love so many different styles of food – Middle Eastern, French, traditional British food... but if I could only eat one style of food for the rest of my life it would be Italian.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I’ve created a large garden over the last thirty-five years and it’s my passion. It’s also a huge amount of work!
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I have a few projects “on the go” - one more historical novel is in the wings, and I’ve started a crime series set in the 1950s. It’s a bit of a departure for me, but I’m looking forward to the challenge!
Shaking, she takes the telegram and reads the printed words. In one moment, her whole world is turned upside down and she knows she will have to keep this secret forever…
1943, London: Elizabeth Carmichael is rushing to work in her smart army uniform, worrying about her fiancé in the RAF, when she collides with a tall man in the middle of the street. She instantly recognises him from a faded photograph on her mother’s mantlepiece. This chance meeting will change everything Elizabeth thought she knew about herself and her family.
1960, London: Violet Carmichael wipes the dust from her husband Charles’s antique writing desk, and is amazed to find a hidden compartment with diaries nestling inside. As the story of Carmichael’s war years unravel, she is led to an old telegram. Will Violet finally understand the mysteries of her husband’s past – or will the discovery of a tragic secret shatter her family forever?
Inspired by a true story crossing two world wars, this is a heart-wrenching, page-turning and unforgettable story of family secrets, forgiveness and loss. Fans of Kathryn Hughes, Kate Quinn and Kate Morton will be utterly gripped by this incredible historical fiction novel spanning WW1 and WW2.
Women's Fiction Historical [Bookouture, On Sale: October 15, 2024, e-Book, / ]
Debbie Rix tells the stories of real women that history has overlooked. As an ex-journalist, she believes historical accuracy is key and she strives to weave her stories around real-life events. Her novels have been published in several languages, including Italian, Czech, and Russian. Debbie spends a lot of time in Italy, but when not travelling, she lives in the Kent countryside with her journalist husband, children, chickens, and four cats.
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