Many thanks Sue for welcoming me onto your esteemed blog. I do hope my answers to your questions prove of interest to your readers.
Welcome,
Olga! What prompted you to first start
writing? What was the first thing you wrote?
I lost my parents and both siblings fifty years ago, and since then I’ve
been desperate to continue our (unusual) family name by writing under the nom de plume of Olga Swan (an anagram of
my late brother’s name.) My first book was Lamplight,
which brother Alan originally typed out for me on a small typewriter.
Can you
summarise your latest work in just a few words?
A humorous look at how the British and the Americans view each other. The cover image below gives a snapshot of what lies within.
What was the inspiration for this book?
Growing up in the ‘50s, I couldn’t understand why four of us (my mother,
2 brothers and myself) were all shy and introverted, yet my father was loud, extrovert
and so large as life in everything he did. Eventually I understood. He’d lived
a considerable time in America. Should I then follow his lead and move to
America? Would that make me more outgoing?
Did you do
any research for the book?
Yes. Lots of it. From immigration tomes to other
works in the genre to personal holiday diaries and precious travel memoirs from
my father to internet sources.
What does
a typical writing day involve for you?
I don’t really have one. I tend to do everything on the hoof. As soon as
inspiration hits, I head out to our tiny conservatory, which has plenty of
light – particularly from above which helps my SAD – wait an interminably long
time for my laptop to get going and then start typing. My problem has always
been that I write too quickly and too much, meaning there are lots of deletions
to be made later!
How do you
decide on the names for your characters?
Well, it’s different for NF, where so many names and places have to be correct
to be a true account. When I’ve finished, I then change just the names of family
members so they aren’t cross with me!
Do you
plot your novels in advance, or allow them to develop as you write?
For non-fiction, such as the one above, I find it helps enormously to
include a Contents page, with chapter headings and chronological years listed. In
this way, I’m forced to keep to the itemised structure. However, as far as the
main ‘factional’ narrative is concerned, I just let it develop as I write. I do
find, though, that having written both fiction and non-fiction, that I use
different parts of my brain: the back of my head for the former, but the front
for the more observational needs of non-fiction writing.
Which
writers have influenced your own writing?
Leon Uris and Simon Sebag Montefiore.
What has
been the best part of the writing process…and the worst?
Being accepted by a publisher and seeing the
first sales graph rise like a phoenix from the ashes. The worst? Not being
accepted by leading literary agents – not because of the quality or otherwise
of your submitted work, but because you don’t already fit today’s need for
‘celebrity’ status.
Now the
book is published and ‘out there’ how do you feel?
I hope that, at last, I have made my late family proud of me.
Is there a
message for the reader?
I hope that, when reading this non-fiction work, I have introduced themes
and ideas that perhaps they wouldn’t have thought of.
Do you
have any advice for new writers?
Always find a good editor: someone who has
been trained in elementary English grammatical techniques… Can’t think of
anyone better than you, Sue.
Aw, thank you! What can
we expect from you in the future?
My hope is that, following the success of this book, I can progress onto
other similar tomes, each starting “An Englishwoman in……” The sky’s the limit
really.
For now, though, I do hope that your readers will come to the online launch party on Tuesday 11 June. On the day click here. Then under Discussion, say Hi and enjoy guest author spots and entertainment, read exclusive excerpts from the book, and enter two free quizzes about American cars and music to win a prize. Easy. Looking forward to welcoming you on the 11th.
Pre-order your ebook now or buy the paperback here.
Many thanks Sue for having me!
For links to my other 9 books: Olgaswan.blogspot.com
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