An Interview with DJ Kirkby

Secrets & Lies

An interview with DJ Kirkby

There are times when my work, family and writing commitments can seem a little overwhelming, and I wonder if I'll ever be able to pull it all together long enough to achieve my goals. I get very irritated at people who say things to me like, "oh I wish I had time to write like you do!" when I know full well that they spend the better part of five hours glued to the TV every night.

Then you get to chat to someone like DJ Kirkby, and somehow she makes everything alright. A busy mum with a full time job, Denyse still managed to find the time to craft a beautiful debut novel, Without Alice. People like Denyse give me hope, because they remind me that I can make the necessary time available and still do a storming job in the process. Oh, and I don't have to give up twitter.

DJ Kirkby is stopping by the Project today as part of her second virtual book tour to chat about her debut novel and hand over some very sound advice about getting yourself published.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? What made you put pen to paper and complete your novel?

I can remember writing my first story when I was six. I'm sure it wasn't very good but I do wish I had kept it so I could read it now. Without Alice grew from many different scenarios that I messed about with trying to see how little it would take in terms of miscommunication before my characters went off into unexpected places.

Can you talk us through your path to publication?

To say that the path to publication for Without Alice was rocky would be an understatement. The original publisher went out of business and I was lucky enough to find out in time (just) to terminate my contract with them. Then I lost a lot of confidence and decided to pay for it to be professionally edited before submitting it to another publisher. Kevin Mahoney from Punked Books made me very happy when he offered me a contract for Without Alice at the London Book Fair last year.

What type of writer are you?

I am very much a member of the pant flying club. The only time I plot is when I am preparing for NaNoWriMo and then I use the Snowflake Method to help me plot.

Do you use any type of feedback system to help you with your work? If so, what are the benefits of the approaches you use?

I work fulltime, have a family and absolutely no time to be a member of a writing group although I would love to be able to indulge in such a thing as I think there is massive benefit to be gained from membership in a writer's group. I do use beta readers for feedback though and comments from readers of my published work as their feedback helps me know whether I am getting it right.

How do you manage to balance the writing with all of your other commitments, such as working full time, your family life, etc?

I write in the dark hours when I should be sleeping mostly, though I do slip in the occasional hour in the evening after our youngest son has gone to bed. There really isn't enough spare time to do all the writing I want to do though. I find myself lying awake at night writing in my head and hoping I'll remember it when I get up in the morning.

Tell us about Without Alice

Without Alice is a novel about very normal people, about the problems we all can have when we don't communicate properly. It is a story about love and loss, forgiveness and redemption.

What inspired you to write Without Alice?

I wanted to see if I could begin with the reader thinking one thing about a character and completely turn their opinion around by the end of the novel. I'll leave it to the readers to decide if I managed. I'd love to hear what you all think about Without Alice and have a forum set up on my website – http://djkirkby.co.uk – so please come and chat with me and other readers. The more, the merrier!

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a non-fiction book and two novels at the moment. I have a low boredom threshold and this is the best way I know of the keep writing. When my interest in one fades, I move onto one of the others.

What is your ultimate goal as a writer?

I would like to be able to earn a living writing full time.

And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?

• Believe in yourself


• Develop an online presence through a blog and open social networking sites such as twitter – this will give your readers a place to find you and an opportunity to get to know you.


• Always remember that publishing is a small world and as an author it's important to behave professionally at all times


• Write something worth publishing


• Have it professionally edited by a reputable firm such as BubbleCow


• Submit it with a catchy tag line, robust blurb, a synopsis that meets their requirements and concise cover letter.


• Have any publishing contract vetted by the Society of Authors


• Sign the contract


• Drink champagne with loved ones to celebrate.


• Begin writing your next novel.


• Be prepared to do a lot of self promotional work


• Don't expect to earn a living from writing for a long time.

Many thanks to Denyse for that fabulous advice. You can watch the video preview to Without Alice over here, or just go buy it now. Her official website is at this location, and she also tweets.