Hidden Treasures
1. What can you tell our readers about your current novel Hidden Treasures?
I loved writing Hidden Treasures. It's a simple story of a woman embarking on her new life after divorce. She leaves her smart house in London and goes off to Cornwall to but the perfect cottage. She doesn't want or need a relationship, she just wants to find new friends and discover who she is. Of course, it doesn't work that way. Romance and complications soon entangle her.
2. What made you want to move your protagonist to Cornwall, is this somewhere that is important to you?
I love Cornwall. It is my favourite place in the world and I want people who don't know it to come and visit. The coastline, food, sunshine (sometimes), surf and people make it very special.
3. Where did your inspiration come from for the novel?
I am at an age where life’s chapters are changing. Friends are coping with a different dynamic in their well established marriages or are embarking on a single life after divorce. It’s a point in life where you discover a new you with a desire to experience new things.
4. What was the attraction to country life for Helen Merrifield's new home?
Helen had had enough of London life. Chiswick is a busy villagey part of West London but her it held too many memories of her cheating husband and faithless friends. She desperately needed to find out who she was after a long time as wife and mother. Cornwall was somewhere she loved as a child and felt she could settle there.
5. In 2008 you released your autobiography, so at what point did you feel that you wanted to write both fact and fiction?
My autobiography was something I had been asked to write for some time. It took me a couple of years to agree to it. I wanted to be very honest and open. It was easier to write than a novel because at least I knew the plot! When I was asked to write my first novel, New Beginings, I really wasn't sure I could do it but a story formed in my head and my publisher at Harper Collins held my hand through the whole venture. Fortunately it went well so for Hidden Treasures, I was allowed to go away and get on with it without any hand holding.
6. Given your background in television, is this why you chose Penny's job in TV production?
Yes! My editor felt it appropriate to put a television story line in because behind the scenes is always quite fun to watch. I loved Penny and was very glad when she found her happiness in Cornwall too.
7. How are you enjoying your expereince of Strictly Come Dancing?
Strictly is another huge challenge! I don't know one end of my chasse to a cuban break! Scary, exhilarating, a privelege... all these things. I love it!
8. How does writing compare to television presenting for you? Do you have a preference?
Television presenting is great fun. I have been doing it since 1980 and have learned the trade from some amazing people. At the beginning I was a raw 22 year old novice but the apprenticeship I had from great producers, journalists and cameramen was priceless. Presenting live television is all about flying from the seat of your pants and being ready for unexpected mood changes at any time. Writing is the same. When I sit down at the laptop I might have an idea of where the story is going but the characters often pull me in a different direction and I have to respond.
9. What is next for you?
I am now writing novel three. It's called The Holiday Home and is again set in Cornwall. This is a story of two sisters , their parents and their husbands and children. Families are complicated at the best of times and what looks good on the surface is rarely what lies beneath. This family is no exception. Old grievances, lies and betrayal are all explored.
10. After a long career of interviewing, those who interview you, do you put them under a lot of scrutiny?
Being interviewed is an odd experience for me.I don't think I'm particularly good at it. I ramble a bit and take up too much time. I admire interviewees who get their story across with pace. I don't judge young interviewers at all. I remember doing some excruciatingly bad interviews! The important thing is to engage your guest in a proper conversation. Always ask questions that start with who, what, why, where and when because they can't give a yes or no answer to those.And remember they are the focus, not you.
Click here to buy Hidden Treasures by Fern Britton
Female First Lucy Walton
Tagged in Fern Britton