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Interview – Judith Arnopp
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When did you start writing novels, what moved you to start writing?
I’ve written since I was a child but I never showed anyone until I was in my forties. I never imagined anyone would find it interesting. It wasn’t until I went to university that I realised I had any sort of skill. After I graduated with my master’s, I had to find a proper job but I lived on a smallholding and couldn’t be away from the animals for too long, so I decided to try to do something with my writing. My first attempt at a full length novel was pretty awful and will never see the light of day but when I finished Peaceweaver in 2009 I decided it was ok enough to test the water. I haven’t looked back since.
In what genres do you write? Do you plan writing in other genres?
I only write historical fiction. History is all I know. I am more at home in the Tudor world than I would be in a modern office environment. I live on the very edge of Wales, where life is completely different to the city. Standing on my cliff edge, looking across Cardigan Bay to the mountains of North Wales, it is easy to imagine I am in another time, another place. The environment I live in lends itself to history.
Tell us about your novels. Why should everyone buy them?
I am interested in character and perspective. I don’t tend to concentrate on the glitz and glamour of court but try instead to internalise the narrative. I want to know how it felt to be a Tudor queen facing execution, or a prostitute scratching a living. How did it feel to be a fourteen year old widowed mother in a hostile world? How did it feel to know your father took his own life while awaiting the displeasure of the king? How did it feel to be a tiny woman and take on everything in your path and make your son the King of England? In my books, I take you inside the character’s head, show you their innermost thoughts, the ones they would never dare to speak aloud. If you fancy a different perspective of the wars of the roses, then these books are for you.
What is your all time favorite novel/book? What makes it special?
Wolf Hall. I love Hilary Mantel’s work and can only dream of every being so brilliant. I think Wolf Hall had more impact on me than Bring up the Bodies (although I love that too) because I wasn’t expecting it to be so good. As soon as I turned to page one I was there in Thomas Cromwell’s head, seeing the world as he saw it. Mantel makes you feel it.
Tell us a bit about your writing process.
I write in the mornings for as long as my eyes allow. I review the work of the day before, editing and smoothing it as I go, and then I crack straight on with the next part. In the afternoons I either research, or go for a walk on the beach or cliff top to blow away the cobwebs and set myself up for more writing the next day.
What author would you love to have dinner with?
Oh my goodness, there’s a question! There are plenty of dead classicists but I suppose I should stick to the living. I’d be overawed by the likes of H M and I’ve met so many brilliant authors on social media that I’d rather have dinner with them. Since I don’t travel well, there is little hope of me really meeting them in person and I’d need a huge table! If I narrow it down to four then I’d choose Paula Lofting who has been my FB buddy since we both began writing. Mary Anne Yarde, who has helped me immensely so I’d not only like to share dinner with her but I’d pick up the bill too. Tony Riches who writes in a similar era to me and also Cas Peace who is not only an author but my editor too and we’ve never actually met. My books wouldn’t be as good as they are without her input so a meeting is long overdue.
Tell us about your hobbies and passions other than writing.
I have loads of hobbies so will mention the main ones. I am a keen gardener and love nothing more than being on my hands and knees among the flowerbeds. I also sew Tudor gowns and French hoods that I sell in my little Etsy shop. In the summer I enjoy dressing up in my fancy Tudor clothes with my besties and swish around castles. And then I read of course, and draw a little bit. I spend a lot of time with my grandchildren, but that is less a hobby than a way of life.
We have many followers who would like to start writing a book or who are already writing their first novel, any advice for these brave people?
Just turn off your phone, sit down and do it. Write from your heart. The first draft doesn’t matter, because all errors can be fixed later. It takes a lot of courage to jump in but once you’re in the water is fine.
How often do you write, daily, every other day or?
I try to write everyday but life is tricky sometimes and doesn’t let you. This year, we had such a fabulous summer that I spent far too much time on the beach or in the garden – I had to really knuckle down in September and get the first draft of The Heretic Wind finished but I think I am back on track now.
Do you keep a notebook with ideas for your novels? If so do you carry the notebook with you so you won’t forget any ideas?
I used to keep a notebook but other people (mentioning no names) kept high-jacking it and I’d find telephone messages and shopping lists scrawled over my notes so it wasn’t very successful. Most of my notes are stored in my very leaky head, but I do have some messy scraps of paper floating around my desk but can rarely find them when I need them. So, a notebook is on my wish list but before I get around to buying one, I will probably lose that too.
How important is it to have your facts right and are there any instances when you bend history to fit your story?
This is very important to me. I stick to the historical timeline and known facts as closely as possible. It is the unrecorded bits in between that I embellish. Sometimes in history, we know that an act was carried out on a certain day but we don’t know why. Since I am writing fiction I am at liberty to invent that reason. It is the same with personal relationships; we don’t really know the ins and outs so I expand on what we do know. In The Beaufort Woman for example, we know very little about Margaret’s relationship with her third husband, Thomas Stanley, apart from the fact that they were on good terms and together for a long time. Rather than a conventional romantic attachment or a negative political arrangement, I provide them with an edgy, love/hate sort of marriage with many disagreements and reconciliations. Margaret swore a vow of chastity while still married to Stanley and I’ve provided an explanation for that too.
At the end of every book is an author’s note detailing where I have diverted from history and suggesting further reading.
What are you reading at the moment?
I love Historical Fiction but rarely read it because I am afraid of tainting my own voice. At the moment I am reading a dystopian book by Terry Tyler from the Project Renova Series which is way out of my comfort zone. I am on Book four and loving it – it all seems so credible she had terrified me.
How is it to be an author in your country? Do you have a good support from the local public?
As I said earlier, I live on the very edge of Wales in the UK. If I walk 100 yards north I’d be in the sea. Locally there are more authors than you’d expect in such a sparsely populated area. We have our own local SOA group now which meets monthly and we are holding our first author meet and greet later this month. There are quite a few book fairs etc. but I do have to travel to them, sometimes fifty miles or more but that is the price I pay for the solitude I need to write.
I am terrible at approaching people and asking for support. I tend to offer my assistance to others and hope that they will reciprocate but this doesn’t always happen. Mostly it is a case of you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours which works very well.
Certainly you have had some interesting episodes as an author, fans related or others, share one of them with us.
My book The Winchester Goose was number one bestseller for quite a few months so that gave me a buzz and last year (2018) The Beaufort Woman was voted the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year. There was some very stiff competition so I walked on air for months after that.
Also Author related, While dressed in my Tudor best, I was escorted to a banquet by Henry VIII and later decapitated during a (thankfully) mock execution at Raglan Castle a couple of years ago. It was so much fun – I am sure Anne Boleyn would have felt differently though.
A final message for our circleofbooks.com readers.
Thank you so much Circle of Books for interviewing me and thank you to all who have stopped by to read it. I’d love you to follow me on Twitter or Facebook or sign up to my webpage or blog. See you again soon. x
Thank you Judith Arnopp. We at circleofbooks.com wish you much success!
Click here to visit the author page here on circleofbooks.com