Lorraine Mace: An interview with Jessica Norrie

Today I am delighted to post an interview with Jessica Norrie …

What genre would you say your novels fall into, or do they defy classification?

Oh dear. Contemporary fiction. General fiction. Accessible literary fiction. Book group fiction. Women’s fiction. One acquisitions editor said my second novel “wouldn’t sell at Waitrose”, so that’s a classification of sorts.

What made you choose that genre?

When I wrote my first novel I was just telling a story. I didn’t know genres were so important. I wish I could write to a strict genre because the books would be easier to market. But as a writer I just want a vehicle for exploring themes that appeal to me through compelling events in the lives of interesting characters. And I hope the way I combine those things attracts and entertains others.

How long does it take you to write a book?

I’m getting quicker! Five years for the first, three for the second, two for the one my agent’s currently submitting.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Erratic. When the book’s going well I write until my eyes and fingers are exhausted. When the narrative is stalling I may not touch it for weeks. I’ve had enough writing advice to know that’s exactly the opposite of how a disciplined writer should work.

Tell me something about yourself your readers might not know.

My writing and lots of other ways I present my thoughts and opinions seem confident and clear, but inside I’m full of doubts.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I made books and magazines from early childhood, sometimes managing only the cover, the blurb and “about the author”. Sometimes I achieved several chapters. I co-published a textbook at 51 and my first novel at 56 so it’s never too late.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I stumble through Bach and Chopin on the piano. Before the pandemic I sang soprano with any choir that would have me. My guilty pleasures are snoozing through tennis matches and writing my Booker Prize winning speech in my head.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

The way the story continues always comes as I’m drifting off to sleep. If I don’t sit up and make a note of it, I’ll have forgotten in the morning.

How many books have you written?

I’ve published two novels, The Infinity Pool (2015) and The Magic Carpet (2019). My agent is currently submitting my third novel to publishers. I also co-authored a French textbook in 2009, have published magazine articles and blog fairly regularly about writing and books.

Do you Google yourself? What did you find that affected you most (good or bad)?

Years ago I found an American basketball player with the same name. My PE teachers would roll their eyes at the thought of me as a sports star. Googling myself today for this question was more gratifying because the first 4 pages of results were links to me as a writer. Then I found a veterinary assistant in a Canadian cats’ hospital, which is even odder than the basketball star as I’m allergic to cats.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

Careers information for girls was incredibly limited in the 1960s and 70s: teacher, nurse, air hostess, ballerina, hairdresser. Eventually I did spend many years teaching, some good some bad. I’d have been worse at the others.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have on your computer?

That’s a lowdown question to ask an author! Maybe six short stories, two books for children, 15000 words of a stalled fourth novel, and 15000 words of another novel I tried to write to order when my agent passed on a scenario one publisher had said she was looking for. I suspect the moment for it has long passed. I’ve also started collating and editing my blog posts which I may republish as a book sometime.

May I add: thank you very much Lorraine for interviewing me on your blog. I do appreciate book bloggers and fellow writers who support each other very much indeed.

Bio and links:

Jessica Norrie was born in London and studied French Literature and Education at Sussex and Sheffield. She taught English, French and Spanish abroad and in the UK to ages 3-88, worked as a translator and published occasional journalism. She has two adult children, divides her time between London and Malvern, Worcestershire, and is wondering about a fourth novel.

Jessica blogs about writing, books and whatever else she feels like at https://jessicanorrie.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wordsandfictions/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessica_norrie

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jessica-Norrie/e/B01CEUZF26%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/3270629.Jessica_Norrie

The Magic Carpet http://getbook.at/TheMagicCarpet

The Infinity Pool http://getbook.at/TheInfinityPool

The Infinity Pool is also available in German as Der Infinity-Pool and in French as Infinitude on the local Amazon sites.