Jessica Redland interview
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
A little introduction:
I’m Jessica Redland and I live in Scarborough, North
Yorkshire, with my husband, our almost 15-year-old daughter and a 5.5-year-old
sprocker spaniel called Ella who still thinks she’s a puppy. I’ve nearly always
worked in HR, specialising in recruitment and training, but fulfilled my dream
of becoming a full-time author in summer 2020 thanks to my amazing publishers,
Boldwood Books, who have completely changed my life.
I’m a stationery addict with a notepad obsession who loves chocolate (although it doesn’t love me), hedgehogs, 80s music, collectible teddy bears and lighthouses. Many of these feature in my stories!
I’m a stationery addict with a notepad obsession who loves chocolate (although it doesn’t love me), hedgehogs, 80s music, collectible teddy bears and lighthouses. Many of these feature in my stories!
When did your love of books begin?
I’ve been a keen reader for as long as I can remember. As a
child, I devoured Enid Blyton books, particularly the Faraway Tree, Famous Five
and Malory Towers series, reading them all over and over again. I used to love
trips to the library to borrow more books although I kept coming back to my
favourites
When did you start to have the wish to become an author?
So many authors talk about it being something they’d always
wanted to do but it never entered my head until quite late on. I loved reading
and I loved writing stories in English but I never put the two together. Being
an author never entered my head as an option; it was something other people did
for me to read!
When I was 30, I was a Graduate Recruitment and Development Manager and had to write reports quite often. My manager once joked that they read more like stories and I should write a book. It was a lightbulb moment. I knew at that moment that I absolutely wanted to write a book and couldn’t believe I hadn’t considered it before. Big problem, though – I had no ideas for a story! Something then happened in my personal life that made a great premise for a book and I spent the next decade, on and off, learning my craft while writing my debut book.
When I was 30, I was a Graduate Recruitment and Development Manager and had to write reports quite often. My manager once joked that they read more like stories and I should write a book. It was a lightbulb moment. I knew at that moment that I absolutely wanted to write a book and couldn’t believe I hadn’t considered it before. Big problem, though – I had no ideas for a story! Something then happened in my personal life that made a great premise for a book and I spent the next decade, on and off, learning my craft while writing my debut book.
What would you say to those wanting to become an author?
Ooh, so many things! The biggest is that, if you want to
write a book, write it! It’s so easy to make excuses, particularly around lack
of time, but you have to make time. I had a demanding full-time day job, a
family and other responsibilities when I started writing but I stopped watching
TV and wrote on my train commute to gain back as much time as I could.
I’d say read avidly within your chosen genre but with a critical head on. Think about which books you’ve absolutely loved, which you’ve found average, and which you’ve struggled to gel with. Why was this? What worked/didn’t work?
Being a good writer in everyday life and being a good fiction writer isn’t the same thing so you do need to study your craft. There are so many ways of doing this from how to blogs/books/videos to night classes to degrees so find what works for you. You don’t need a degree in English or creative writing to be an author but you do need to understand how to write.
And the final thing I’ll say for now is to build your resilience because you will need it. I secured a publishing deal after going through the rounds of rejections but they sadly ceased trading. With my rights back, I became an indie author but failed to make much impact. It was draining holding down a full-time job, writing around that, and hoping the next book would be the one which would finally make the difference. Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to find my home with the fabulous Boldwood Books and everything completely changed. Phew!
The ‘j’ word and ‘r’ word have become a bit of a cliché but they’re perfect for describing becoming an author – it really is a journey and a rollercoaster ride full of highs and lows – so strap yourself in because it’s going to be bumpy! But it is so worth it!
I’d say read avidly within your chosen genre but with a critical head on. Think about which books you’ve absolutely loved, which you’ve found average, and which you’ve struggled to gel with. Why was this? What worked/didn’t work?
Being a good writer in everyday life and being a good fiction writer isn’t the same thing so you do need to study your craft. There are so many ways of doing this from how to blogs/books/videos to night classes to degrees so find what works for you. You don’t need a degree in English or creative writing to be an author but you do need to understand how to write.
And the final thing I’ll say for now is to build your resilience because you will need it. I secured a publishing deal after going through the rounds of rejections but they sadly ceased trading. With my rights back, I became an indie author but failed to make much impact. It was draining holding down a full-time job, writing around that, and hoping the next book would be the one which would finally make the difference. Two years ago, I was fortunate enough to find my home with the fabulous Boldwood Books and everything completely changed. Phew!
The ‘j’ word and ‘r’ word have become a bit of a cliché but they’re perfect for describing becoming an author – it really is a journey and a rollercoaster ride full of highs and lows – so strap yourself in because it’s going to be bumpy! But it is so worth it!
Tell us about your books:
I write uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and
community set in Yorkshire. So far, I’ve had two key settings – the North
Yorkshire seaside town of Whitsborough Bay and Hedgehog Hollow, a hedgehog
rescue centre in the Yorkshire Wolds.
There’s always a romance in my books but it isn’t always central to the story. Readers will meet new friends who’ll raise a smile and perhaps draw a few tears. I adore my characters so, if they do find themselves reaching for the tissues, never fear as I promise they’ll always be left with a heart warming happy ending.
I have 13 books out so far, 10 of which are set in Whitsborough Bay. Some of these are in a series and some aren’t a series but are connected. Prolific readers who love to devour a backlist are best to read them in a particular order to avoid spoilers. Those who just want to dip in will find that they all work as standalone stories with no cliff hangers although it’s a much richer experience reading the ‘Welcome to Whitsborough Bay’ series of four books in order as they feature the same characters and the story builds across the series.
For Hedgehog Hollow, there have been three books released so far in a six-book series. Each book is a complete story but they do have cliff hangers as a tease for what’s coming in the next book. I would very much encourage readers to approach them in order as they are a proper series where some themes will build across the six books and won’t be fully resolved until the end.
There’s always a romance in my books but it isn’t always central to the story. Readers will meet new friends who’ll raise a smile and perhaps draw a few tears. I adore my characters so, if they do find themselves reaching for the tissues, never fear as I promise they’ll always be left with a heart warming happy ending.
I have 13 books out so far, 10 of which are set in Whitsborough Bay. Some of these are in a series and some aren’t a series but are connected. Prolific readers who love to devour a backlist are best to read them in a particular order to avoid spoilers. Those who just want to dip in will find that they all work as standalone stories with no cliff hangers although it’s a much richer experience reading the ‘Welcome to Whitsborough Bay’ series of four books in order as they feature the same characters and the story builds across the series.
For Hedgehog Hollow, there have been three books released so far in a six-book series. Each book is a complete story but they do have cliff hangers as a tease for what’s coming in the next book. I would very much encourage readers to approach them in order as they are a proper series where some themes will build across the six books and won’t be fully resolved until the end.
What do you love about the writing/reading community?
It’s such a supportive community. Bloggers and reviewers are
so passionate about what they do and can be instrumental in helping an author’s
visibility. I get so many gorgeous messages from readers which make my day and
I particularly love it when a reader tells me how a book has resonated with something
in their own life.
I’ve come across so many amazing authors and I love how eager the writing community is to support and promote each other’s work and congratulate each other on success.
I’ve come across so many amazing authors and I love how eager the writing community is to support and promote each other’s work and congratulate each other on success.
If you could say anything to your readers what would it
be?
Thank you so much for reading or listening to my stories. I
am so incredibly grateful to anyone who has taken a chance on them and has
embraced the world of Whitsborough Bay and/or Hedgehog Hollow. Thank you for
kind reviews, lovely messages, and recommendations to friends and family.
Recommendations are the most powerful gift a reader can give an author and I
appreciate every single one. You’re all superstars xx
Where can people connect with you?
I’m most active on Facebook but even that fades when I have
a deadline, but here’s all the socials:
Website: https://jessicaredlandauthor.com
Redland’s Readers (Facebook group
exclusive for fans of Whitsborough Bay and Hedgehog Hollow): https://www.facebook.com/groups/409519133635791
Twitter: @JessicaRedland
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