An Interview with Katie Fforde

A Perfect Interview Proposal

An Interview with Katie Fforde

When I first started up the Literary Project, Katie Fforde was on my list of dream interviewees. A prolific novelist and also chair of the Romantic Novelists Association, I thought she'd be a great person to offer advice and information to aspiring writers. It also helped that she's active on twitter, and came across as very lovely.

Well, I was right, Katie was approachable, friendly and full of good advice - but she was also insanely busy with her RNA duties and unable to be interviewed at the time. She asked me to get back to her at the end of 2010 and said she'd be available around then. Little did she know I makred the date on my calendar and surrounded it with hearts and flowers, waiting for the day when- *cough*.

Um. I meant, she tweeted that she had a few free moments, so I nabbed her before anyone else found something for her to do.

Hello Katie! Thank you so much for fitting us in for an interview! Can you tell us if you always wanted to write?

Not really. The thought of it dawned on me quite slowly, in my twenties. I became addicted to Mills and Boon novels when my babies were little and I was very sleep deprived. Eventually I thought, may be I could write one of these...

Can you talk us through your path to publication?

My path to publication was very much helped by the Romantic Novelists Association (RNA), of which I'm currently chair. They have a scheme for unpublished writers to have their work assessed by a published writer. One year the organiser of the scheme passed my work onto an agent. She talked me through the book I was thinking about, read it a chunk at a time, and found a publisher before it was finished.

You describe yourself as a romantic novelist – for the uninitiated, can you define romantic fiction?

Romantic fiction is a very broad church but there has to be a romance in there somewhere. It could be the traditional boy meets girl, or a married couple finding each other after years of separation or anything in between. Sagas, Aga sagas, chick lit, hen lit, lit fic - it can all qualify.

Can you tell us about the RNA? What is it, how did you get involved, who should consider membership, and what are the main advantages of joining for both aspiring and established authors?

I've been a member of the RNA since before I was born - or so it seems. I read about it a book called To Writers with Love, by Mary Wibberly, and joined. The first event I went to I knew no-one and came away with friends I still have.

For unpublished writers, it is a wonderful way to meet other aspiring writers and if you're lucky enough to get on the NWS, the scheme whereby unpublished novels get read and commented on by published writers, its a bargain.

For published writers its a wonderful way to meet other mad women in the attic, network with agents and publishers and have a good time. There is also an advantage in knowing what other writers get in the way of money and attention. Writers of the world, unite!

In terms of your writing career, what is your proudest moment to date?

There have been many proud moments, but I think an early one was meeting a Mills and Boon editor at a party and she knew my work when she heard my name. I was never published by them but I got very good rejections. The fact that this girl (she was!) remembered my work was wonderful. They get so many submissions. But of course being chosen to be part of the WH Smith's 'Fresh Talent' promotion was wonderful and gave my career a terrific start.

What is your ultimate goal in the literary sector?

My ultimate goal? Hard to say! I suppose being a number 1 best seller, although I doubt this will ever happen.

Is there anything about the publishing industry that you know now that you wish someone had told you in the early days?

I've had a very positive experience with the publishing industry. I've only been with two publishers and they've looked after me very well. I can't think of any inside secrets.

What are you working on right now?

I'm currently just starting my 18th novel. Every one is hard although before you start writing it, it's always going to write itself. At least I know this now!

What do you think is the most common mistake made by aspiring writer?

I think the most common mistake aspiring writers make is to try and write like someone else or 'writing'. You need to find your own voice and trust it. On the other hand, don't, when people who know what they're talking about make suggestions say, 'oh but I want it to be like that.'

You are active on Social Media outlets, such asTwitter, Facebook, etc. Do you think social media is important for writers, both aspiring and established? What advice would you give on using these tools correctly?

I'm afraid I dipped out of Facebook as I felt so guilty about all those friends I didn't know or care about. I love Twitter!

I do think social media is important for writers and there are two sorts of users. I use Twitter as someone to chat to, (there's always someone in) as a research tool (and they know everything!) but I don't use it to promote myself much. I will say if I'm doing an event I think followers might like to know about, but I don't put links to good reviews or retweet compliments. I can't decide if this is intrinsically wrong, or just not what I do. I do shrink from people I follow when they do this. But may be it is what Twitter is for?

And finally, can you sum up a key piece of advice for aspiring writers in one sentence?

If you are prepared to persevere, listen to good advice, recognise bad advice, read a lot and accept it may take many years, you probably will get published, eventually. (Long sentence!)

Huge thanks to Katie for answering my questions and getting them back so fast! Katie's books can be perused over here, her website is here and she tweets a lot, too. In fact, jump on twitter and say hi and that I sent you. And if you're bored, you can say hi to me, too. :-)