Guest Interview with Kirsten Hesketh

The second guest interview in my series of 'Firsts', I'm very pleased to welcome debut novelist, Kirsten Hesketh, to talk about her novel, About Us. I got to know Kirsten when we shared a flat at the 2017 RNA Conference in Harper Adams, Telford.

Kirsten, welcome! It's good to meet up again. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your writing.
Hello Jan. Thank you so much for inviting me onto your lovely blog. My name’s Kirsten Hesketh and I’m a writer (it still seems strange to write that!) My debut novel, Another Us, was published last Thursday by Canelo so it all seems very new and slightly unreal.

What was your inspiration for ‘Another Us’?
My son was diagnosed with mild Aspergers when he was about ten. A few years later, I stumbled across a statistic which claimed that eight out of ten marriages with a child on the spectrum ended before the child was sixteen. Whilst that didn’t reflect our experience at all – or those of families we knew in the same situation – I did wonder how I might have reacted if I’d known about the statistic several years before. And so the idea behind Another Us was born …

On your website, you tell us that your son’s request was that your ASD character is neither a hero nor a victim. How did you go about achieving that?
I’m not sure I have to be honest! I mean, the little boy with Aspergers in the book – Jack - is not the main character and nor is he an obvious victim, but I’m sure there are elements of both in him, as there are in all of us. I kind of wanted Jack to be a constant – sailing on and doing his thing – whilst, around him, other people are changing. He’s a catalyst, I suppose.

Can you sum up your novel in a few sentences?
I hope it’s a funny, poignant and compassionate story about love, family and Aspergers as we follow Jack’s mother, Emma, on a journey of self-discovery after his diagnosis.

Perhaps, you’d like to tell us how you got the book published.
I went a very traditional route. I submitted my book to agents, got signed by the fabulous Felicity Trew who, in turn, sold the book on to Canelo. Of course, that makes it sound very easy, which it wasn’t at all; there was rejection a-plenty and lots of twists and turns along the way.

Which came first the characters or the story you wanted to tell?
It’s interesting this one. At first, I thought the two had arrived together, fully formed. I wrote the first draft and realised that I wasn’t at all sure what story I was trying to tell. Was it a story about a marriage at breaking point? Playground politics? Parenting an ASD child? A journey of self-discovery? Whilst there are elements of all these in the book, I needed to sit back and think about what was main story I wanted to tell and then start rewriting. Only then did it all start to come together into a coherent whole (I hope!)

How much planning did you do for the novel?

Ha! None. For the first draft at least. I just ploughed in and started writing and about two thirds of the way through, I ground to a sticky halt. I soldiered on to the end, and then I had to revisit everything and more or less start again. The trouble was, I had spent ages polishing and wordsmithing passages in the first draft that didn’t make the final cut. I won’t make that mistake again!

I know you have an agent. How important is your relationship with her?
I do. I know lots of people have incredibly successful writing careers without being represented, but I love being signed to Felicity. As well as opening doors that I simply couldn’t open on my own, she is also advocate, editor, co-conspirator and – on occasion – therapist! I wouldn’t be where I was without her.

In these unprecedented times, can you tell us how you’ve been able to prepare yourself for publication day? Have you altered your plans for a celebration?

It is a very weird time, isn’t it? But, being a debut writer, I haven’t got anything to compare the build up to publication and the launch to. So, for me, it is just how it is. I did have plans for a little tea party launch in a swanky London hotel and I had to pull the plug on that several months ago – but, apart from that, not much has changed. And the little launch Zoom party I held instead – and which you were kind enough to come along to last Thursday – was fabulous! Overall, I think it is more difficult for my agent and publishers who are suddenly working from home. I always work from home!

Zoom Launch Party for Another Us

What is the best piece of advice you’d like to give to a new writer?
Well, I could give advice, but I think most of us learn the hard way, don’t we? But learn your craft. Surround yourself with like-minded people – writers are the friendliest and most supportive bunch I’ve ever met.  Persevere. Persevere. Persevere. And try not to take rejection seriously! It’s just the name of the game! Oh, and learn to ignore bad reviews!  I’ve just had my first scathing 1* and it’s haaaaard …

Thank you very much for having me on your blog, Jan. I’ve really enjoyed answering your questions.

It's been a pleasure finding out more about you as a writer, Kirsten. I wish you much success with your novel. Thursday was another 'First' in itself for me. Attending my first Zoom Book Launch and it went so well for you, too. There were more screens than the one above. Congratulations! 

Links to find out more about Kirsten and her book:

Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Us-uplifting-emotional-family-ebook/dp/B084ZFYT2B/

Twitter - @Kirsten_Hesketh

Facebook Author page - Kirsten Hesketh - author page

Website - https://kirstenhesketh.com/

Thank you for reading. If you're a writer and had/have a book being published during lockdown, how did/are going to celebrate its launch? I'd love to hear your story. Thanks.

You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.