Today we go 'behind the scenes' as Jeanette (Jenny) O'Hagan interviews Nola Lorraine (aka Nola Passmore) about her upcoming release of her debut novel, Scattered.
Jenny: Congratulations on your upcoming release, Nola. What inspired you
to write your debut novel ‘Scattered’?
Nola: Thanks Jenny. The novel has been a long time coming. I first got the idea when my husband Tim and I visited the Canadian Maritimes in 2012. I heard about Sable Island, which is famous for its colony of wild horses. It’s about 300 km from Halifax and is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic because more than 350 ships have been wrecked on its shores. Then when we went to Prince Edward Island, we came across a sign dedicated to John Willoughby, a volunteer at Avonlea Village who had helped many descendants of the British Home Children reunite with their families. I’d never heard of the Home Children, but I later discovered they were part of a migrant program that sent poor and orphaned children from Britain to Canada from the 1860s through to about 1930. The seeds of my novel had been planted. My heroine Maggie is on her way to Halifax to search for her brother and sister who had mistakenly been sent to Canada, but she’s shipwrecked on Sable Island and develops a special relationship with one of the horses. It took several years to get the rest of the plot in place, but I had my beginning.
Jenny: Tell us about the main character, Maggie. What drives her?
What keeps her going despite the obstacles in her way?
Nola: Maggie is a 19-year-old Englishwoman who had been working
abroad when her mother died. She has already lost her father and a brother, so
when she discovers her two younger siblings have been sent to Canada, she’s
desperate to find them. For a long time, I thought her love of family was
enough to drive her search. As I got to know her better, I learned that there
were also some deeper issues of abandonment that she had to deal with before
she could move forward. A lot of obstacles are thrown at her, but her faith
keeps her going, as well as the love and support of a dashing newspaper
reporter and her new Canadian friends. If she has a flaw, it’s that she can be
impulsive in her desire to speed things up, and that sometimes causes her
problems.
Jenny: You’ve written an impressive number of poetry, short fiction and non-fiction pieces. How is writing a novel different?
There are some obvious things of course, like the length and
complexity. However, I think one of the main things is the perseverance you
need to complete a novel. I set myself a difficult task by writing an
historical novel set in 1882 in a different country. I knew it would involve
research, so I started by reading books on Sable Island and the Home Children.
However, I was amazed at how many little things I had to find out to make it
authentic. For example, it’s wasn’t enough to know that the telephone was
introduced into Canada in 1880. I had to know what types of people would have
had some of the earliest phones and how long it took for phonelines to be laid
in different areas. The research was never-ending. Then there were the
rewrites, some of which involved taking out huge chunks of the plot and totally
rethinking some scenes and chapters. If I’d known how much work would be
involved, I may not have started. But I have a very supportive husband and
writing group who kept me going. I also prayed a lot about the trickier aspects
and there were many times when I felt God gave me insights as to how to proceed.
Jenny: What do you know now about the craft and business of writing that you didn’t when you started?
Nola: This book has been a seven-year journey, so I now know about
a hundred things I didn’t know before – LOL. I think one of the biggest ones is
that it’s so important to have a good plot before you start tinkering with the
prose too much. When I started, I had a general idea of where the story was
headed, but it changed so much as I went along. Some of my most beautiful,
gut-wrenching scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor because they didn’t fit
the evolving plot. A lot of craft books and workshops will teach you the
‘how-to’ of creative writing (e.g., show-don’t-tell; snappy dialogue; good
imagery), and all of that is important. However, if you don’t have a good
story, you could end up with beautifully written rubbish. So my advice would be
to work hard on your story, then polish it up.
You also really need to be thinking about marketing well
before you finish your book. I highly recommend Iola Goulton’s Kick-Start
Your Author Platform (https://christianediting.co.nz/kick-start/
) online course. It’s a great way to get you started.
Jenny: Now you’ve finished your first novel, what plans do you have for the next one?
Nola: I’m in the early stages of plotting the second novel. It
will be set in 1896 in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and features one
of the characters who was a child in the first novel. I can’t say more due to
spoilers. (Wink wink!) I’m also working on a small devotional book and have
been blogging some of the material for that on my website.
Thanks for chatting with me today, Jenny. It’s been fun.
When she’s not engrossed in her own writing, she’s helping
other writers through The Write Flourish, a freelance editing business
she runs with her husband Tim. She is passionate about faith and social justice
issues, and loves weaving words of courage and hope. She would love to connect
with you through her website and social media platforms.
Author Website: https://www.nolalorraine.com.au
Editing Website: https://www.thewriteflourish.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nolalorraine
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nolalorraine1
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/nolalorraine1
Scattered is currently available for pre-order from
Amazon, Koorong, Breath of Fresh Air Press and Book Depository.
I'm so excited to see your experiences, dreams, emotional investment, and persistent pursuit of excellence in this evolving story come to fruition (and to finally meet the intrepid Maggie and the horse!). Great interview, Nola and Jenny and some great advice, hard won. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, Mazzy. And of course you were one of the main cheerers along the way. I think we've all learned so much through our experiences. Looking forward to reading your novel. Not long now :)
DeleteGreat interview and advice ladies. And this is why I write devotions and not books like you both do. 😁
ReplyDeleteJanelle, after considering how long it took me and what was involved, I think I might be joining you. But the devotions you write are really heartfelt and touch a lot of people. It takes just as much dedication to write good devotions. Looking forward to your book hitting the shelves soon. :)
DeleteI wonder if the time one spends immersed in a style or genre creates or perpetuates a certain addiction ... whether it's the long haul novel or the brilliance of a daily moment imbued with God-given wisdom, once it's gotcha, you're hooked! As for writing devotions - Janelle and Nola, you both have the talent and passion to bless greatly in that area. I
DeleteThanks Mazzy. You have lots of wisdom to offer. Looking forward to seeing each page of your novel imbued with your brilliant insights.
DeleteYou are too kind Nola!! Quirky Quills will have to open our own bookstore soon 😂
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be something? You shouldn't give me ideas like that :)
DeleteThanks for this interview, Nola and Jenny. It's lovely to see some of your own history of this historical novel's conception, Nola. You've also given a great incentive (or warning!) about the Herculean task of writing a novel which takes so much creativity like imagination, along with so much study and research. I've started reading Scattered and am enjoying it a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paula. I should have interviewed a few seasoned authors like you before I began so that you could tell me how much was involved. I was constantly amazed at how many little things I had to check to make it authentic. For example, I couldn't even have people eating in a restaurant without checking what people in that location would have been eating in 1882, and some of it had to be guesswork because you couldn't find the exact thing. But I just loved the era so much, that I had to keep going. Glad you're enjoying it so far. Thanks for commenting :)
DeleteYah! Can’t wait to read. Did you know they had a program for sending British children to Australia as well, children of single parents.
ReplyDeleteYah! Can’t wait to read. Did you know they had a program for sending British children to Australia as well, children of single parents.
ReplyDeleteSooo glad your baby has been birthed, Nola....if not yet meeting the world! Yes, who ever thought writing a novel was so educational? I'm continually learning things about an era I'm writing in now. But it's so rewarding isn't it? Anyway it's getting closer and looking forward to it with much anticipation!
ReplyDelete