Together with Ruth Leigh - An interview to inspire by Tracy Williamson

For my blog I am privileged to interview Ruth Leigh about her just published,  novel: The Trials of Isabella M Smugge which follows on from ‘The Diary of Isabella M Smugge.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading it and wanted to ask Ruth about what went into her writing such a sequel.  I found her answers really inspiring, making me want to try writing a novel myself (my lifelong dream!).  I hope you’ll find the interview inspiring too.

Ruth you’ve just published your 2^nd Isabella M Smugge novel! Well done, that is a wonderful achievement.  I was so excited to receive my copy and got stuck into it straight away and loved it! How does it feel to hold book 2 in your hands and know that thousands of eager readers will be devouring it?

 It was just as exciting as holding the first book! Although I was considerably calmer and less sleep-deprived the second time round. I was feeling a bit nervy, to be honest, as even though my husband, the first readers and the editor had been positive about Trials, I wasn’t sure if all the Smugge-ers would like it as much as the first one. Fortunately they did, and I am still trying to get my head around the fact that I have now produced two novels which people want to read.

They really do want to read it Ruth! As someone who is an avid reader and always wonders ‘what happens next’ when a book comes to an end, can I ask if you always knew as you wrote ‘The Diary of’ that there would be a book 2 (and maybe even books 3 and 4 . . .?)

 When I first started writing the Diary, no. I thought I was so incredibly fortunate to have been given the opportunity to write one that I didn’t think ahead. However, as Isabella’s world took shape and I realised I was rapidly running out of words, it occurred to me that a massive cliff hanger would be a great way to end the book and ensure that people wanted a second one. I didn’t have enough room to fit in the outcome of Claire’s dangerous illness so in went that shock horror ending. Once I’d finished, I immediately wrote the first four pages of the next one while I still had Isabella’s voice in my head. Now, I think there will be at least three and maybe four. Why not?

 Yes, you finished ‘The Diary’ on one of the greatest cliff hangers I’ve ever read. I even asked you if I could be missing some pages! But no, it was the correct ending.  So did you plan that especially so that you would have a thread in a new book that would make readers eager to find out what happens?

 So you did! I’d forgotten that. Yes! I did. “Give the people what they want” and “Always leave them wanting more” are two of my mottos. I’d loved writing the first book so much that I wanted to keep going, and that ending had everyone asking when the next book was out. So I suppose it was quite a good marketing strategy.

 

That’s a great motto! I’ll have to remember that, Ruth.

I can get myself in a pickle sometimes by going into too much background detail when sharing a personal story.  How did you deal with the need to be creating a new story and a new season in Isabella’s life while being aware that some readers may not understand what had already happened in book 1?

 That was really hard. I blithely carried on with book two and submitted it, only to be reminded by Sheila the editor that while this needed to be a standalone book, I also had to tell new readers what had gone on in the first one. That was quite difficult to weave in, but I’ve learned the lesson for book three.

So did you plan the twists and turns of the story beforehand? If so how much before and did you find you were able to stick to your plan or did it change and take off in unexpected directions as Isabella’s character and choices evolved?

 I planned some of them. The way it seems to work for me is that I have several plot devices and narrative threads in my mind already. I note them up and every so often, I’ll read an article or watch something on TV which will give me another idea. Then from time to time, on a long drive or when I wake up in the morning, a huge chunk of story will fall into my mind and have to be written down. I end up with a Word document about 3 pages long with random notes and links. When I start writing, I weave them in and more things come to mind as I write. With Trials, there were certain things I knew would happen, but I’d say that although I stuck to the original plan, there were so many twists and turns as I wrote that I ended up with lots of things I hadn’t planned out. For example, I always knew that Isabella would go to a nightclub with Liane Bloomfield and be a fish out of water, but the fight in the toilets evolved from that. I had no intention of writing a hen night or a wedding into the story, but in my other job as a caterer, I met some particularly delightful brides, grooms and venue owners this season, so in they went!

That’s really interesting and wonderful how all the details of our lives can become part of a story.  One thing I love is the way Isabella grows in her self-understanding and goes deeper in her awareness of her own foibles and motivations.  Would you say that has come out of your own personal experiences?

 Once upon a time, I would have said no. I would have told you that I made all that up. But as time’s gone by, I’ve realised that actually there’s a lot more of me in Isabella than I realised. Painful lessons which lead to better self-awareness, realising that friends aren’t really on your side and don’t want the best for you, struggling with difficult family members – that’s all me. But a lot of it is made up for comic or pathetic effect too.

I found it really challenging to see how Isabella deals with huge issues like shame, fear, hurt, loss and the need to take life changing sacrificial steps.  Is this a motivation and vision for you in writing these stories?  That we will all become more self-aware and enabled to see life differently?

 It’s really important to me that my writing is real and authentic. My favourite writers are those who reflect life back at me in a truly inspirational way. Even Jane Austen’s “happy ever after” endings aren’t really that. I recommend “Jane Austen: The Secret Radical” by Helena Kelly for a new reading of those novels. There are no neat resolutions in real life. It’s messy and painful with shafts of light slanting across the difficult times to keep us going. That’s how I see it, anyway. So dealing with those huge issues you mention is important to me. If reading Isabella encourages or strengthens just one reader, I’m happy. I’ve had a couple of people tell me that the book helped them through a difficult time which is wonderful. So yes, although that wasn’t my motivation in book one, it certainly is now.

Who is your favourite character to write and explore in The Trials and who do you find most difficult?  Why?

Tough question, Tracy! I’ve probably got more than one favourite character. I really loved writing the horrible ones! Mummy, Mimi and Lavinia are loads of fun, I think because I’ve spent most of my freelance career interviewing truly good, kind, compassionate people and to be able to create characters who are nasty was a lot of fun. As to exploring, I enjoyed finding out a bit more about Davina and Toby in book two. Isabella is quite dismissive of them in the first book but to write them as real characters and to see her start to change her mind was challenging, but very rewarding. I did find them quite difficult to write. Davina struggles with a string of miscarriages and just wants a child of her own in book one, and as the creator of this world, it was lovely to be able to give her her heart’s desire. I don’t really know a couple like them, but once I had the language right (“I feel like such a chump”, “a smashing wife” etc) they began to come into focus.

Do you have any tips for those who would love to write a sequel to a first story?

Yes! Make sure you give yourself plenty of scope. Agatha Christie always said she regretted creating Hercule Poirot as an elderly man. Readers had to really commit to a willing suspension of disbelief as he carried on solving crimes well past his hundredth birthday! If you even suspect that there is more than one book in you on the same topic, create a sizeable family. Isabella has got three sisters-in-law and four brothers-in-law, plus her sister and family so that’s enough to keep me going for a bit. Drop in hints about characters, even if they’re dead. If you look back to book one, you’ll find a deeply embedded future plot line about Bishop Smugge. No one has noticed it thus far but I know it’s there. Don’t close doors on yourself. Even if your character is struggling with or doesn’t speak to another character, leave yourself wriggle room for the future. A reconciliation (Suze and Issy). A full-on face-to-face confrontation and possibly fist fight (Issy and Lavinia Harcourt). Create a broad canvas even if you only apply a few brushstrokes to it. Isabella has family all over the place and often alludes to events and people off the cuff. That’s not an accident. I am now thinking about relatable, believable narratives and characters for future books.

‘Relatable’  I think Isabella is speaking!

Ruth I have absolutely loved both books as you have such a gift in enabling us to see ourselves through the lives of your characters.  I found The Trials both very entertaining and relaxing to read as well as being extremely thought provoking and spiritual.  What was your aim in writing it and dare I ask if we can look forward to more?

 Thank you! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. I’ll answer your second question first. Yes, most definitely! I’m noting up The Life and Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge as we speak and hope to negotiate a contract with Instant Apostle soon. Now I’ve created Isabella’s world, the sky is the limit. I envisaged a trilogy, but why stop there? My aim was to entertain but also to touch on themes in a gentle and relatable way. One of my particular bugbears is books which tie everything up in a neat bow at the end. I want to make people laugh and relax, and for them to lose themselves in a world they love. Being able to do that has been my strength and stay throughout a long and eventful life! I also wanted to touch on faith, but again in a real way. People don’t just start going to church then say, “Gosh, this is fabulous! I shall become a person of faith immediately! Where do I sign up?” It’s a journey and churches are just as full of confused, conflicted people as anywhere else. I wanted Isabella to meet people who don’t pretend, but who aren’t ashamed of their faith, like Claire, Tom and Lauren. Nothing easy, nothing convenient. I want to shine a light on ordinary life, much of it drawn from my own experience at toddlers, on the playground and negotiating village life. I live in Suffolk now, and I love it. I wanted to make the novels very much a part of this wonderful county which is why I drop little nuggets in which perhaps only local people will “get” but which can be unpicked by those who want to know more.

Thank you Ruth, a wonderful interview and I hope The Trials of Isabella M Smugge’ finds its home in millions of hands and hearts in the coming weeks.

Tracy Williamson reads, eats and devours as many books as she can get her hands on and enjoys novels of all genres but especially what she calls 'people stories,' hence her love of Isabella! Tracy has written several Christian spirituality/devotional books and last year published her and her co worker, Marilyn Baker's memoir, A Beautiful Tapestry.  As well as anything to do with words, Tracy loves dogs, chocolate and relaxing with friends.  She shares a home and ministry with Marilyn Baker in Kent.