Louise Walters
Mrs Sinclair’s Suitcase is a novel with two women at its heart, a grandmother and her grand-daughter, both of whom are governed by their quest for ... love, I suppose. It moves back and forth in time between wartime Britain and 2010.
This is your debut novel, so was novel writing anything like you first imagined?
I've written on and off for many years, but it took me a long time to knuckle down to write a full-length novel and to actually stick with it. What surprised me was the collaborative nature of writing after I had an agent, and then an editor. It became a lot less solitary, and in many ways much more enjoyable, once I was working with publishing professionals.
Please tell us about the two central characters, Roberta and Dorothy.
Dorothy was the first character I conceived of when I started thinking about the possibility of writing this novel. The story was always going to be her story. I've slowly got to know her over about seven years, and in my mind she's a real person. Roberta came along a little later, but she kind of took over, and now I think of her almost as a friend. Neither of them are based on real people, although I think it's honest to say they are extensions of me, my personality, as are all the characters in the novel.
Where did your inspiration for the story come from?
I used to work in an independent book shop, and I used to love finding things inside the books, and reading inscriptions. I found a letter in a book written by a Polish airman right at the end of the war, to English friends, I think. I also have a suitcase at home with a label inside that reads "Mrs D Sinclair". Oddly, I can't remember where the suitcase came from, or how long I've had it. But I found myself wondering about who Mrs D Sinclair was and what kind of life she might had led. Then I linked the letter from the Polish pilot to the suitcase and my imagination started churning.
Which authors do you believe have helped you get to this point?
I have many favourite authors but the one who really got me going with my own writing was the American author Joyce Carol Oates. I read one of her novels on holiday, in 2010, and was so impressed with it, I read it again when I got home. I was just amazed by her story-telling and her unique style, and I thought, OK, now I'm going to get on and write my own novel, and that is when I seriously began to work on Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase.
What advice do you have for first time novelists?
Read a lot. Read some more! Write your early drafts with abandon, have your creative hat on, and don't worry about changing anything, just get the story down; and then go back over it, wearing your analytical hat, and edit, probably many times. At this point you have to get real and be ruthless with yourself and your work. It's also a good idea to get your work professionally critiqued, or read by an experienced reader of fiction, for an honest opinion. But don't do that too soon in the process. Wait until you get to the point where you feel you've run out of steam.
You studied with the open university, so please can you tell us about this experience.
I studied for my Honours degree in Literature with the OU over twelve years, while raising my children. Some years I didn't study at all, but would pick it up the following year. The last two courses were in creative writing and I finally got my degree in 2010, which I think also spurred me on with my novel.
Who are your favourite reads?
Joyce Carol Oates, Maggie O'Farrell, the Brontes, Jane Austen, Rumer Godden, Raymond Carver, John Steinbeck, Penelope Lively, to name a few.
What is next for you?
I am working on my second novel.