Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Gail Aldwin for supplying splendid author/book cover photos and the cover reveal mini video. All other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images.
It is with pleasure I welcome Gail Aldwin back to Chandler’s Ford Today. Gail is a prolific writer. As well as writing her coming of age novels including the lovely This Much Huxley Knows, Gail has written flash fiction. Her book, Paisley Shirt, was published by Chapeltown Books.
Gail has had pieces on CafeLit. Her latest book, The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell, takes a different direction. This psychological suspense novel will be published by Bloodhound Books on 3rd July. Gail will be holding a Twitter book launch (which is something I’ve not come across before and want to know more about!).
But first the blurb for the new book…
Blurb for The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell
A true-crime podcaster investigates a decades-old suspected abduction, in this powerful psychological suspense novel.
1979 Sixteen-year-old Carolyn Russell grows increasingly infatuated with her school mathematics teacher who is also giving her private lessons. Then she disappears.
2014 Struggling journalist Stephanie Brett creates a true-crime podcast focused on the disappearance of Carolyn Russell.
By digging deep into this mysterious cold case, her confidence and flagging career are boosted.
But after she confronts the suspects—and talks to a potential witness—the trail goes cold. However, Stephanie refuses to let the story rest . . .
Can a small-time journalist with a shoestring podcast really hope to reconstruct the ultimate fate of Carolyn Russell after all these years, or are some secrets best left buried?
‘Takes hold of the head and the heart and simply does not let go,’ Jacquelyn Mitchard, No.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Good Son.
‘Captures the zeitgeist for each period with telling accuracy,’ Suzanne Goldring, bestselling author of My Name is Eva.
The blurb sounds intriguing, Gail. Welcome back to Chandler’s Ford Today.
Psychological Suspense
Psychological suspense can be defined as a story where mental activity drives the story. Other kinds of suspense focus on the physical actions by the characters driving the story. With psychological suspense, the mood is often edgy and there can be a sense of foreboding throughout.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (famously filmed and starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster) is a great example of psychological suspense so this leads to the obvious starting question.
1. Gail, what drove you to change writing direction here? Why this kind of suspense especially? What books/films in the genre have inspired you here?
There were elements of suspense in my previous novels, but The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell has been branded as psychological suspense by my publisher Bloodhound Books. I don’t see it as a change of direction although there is more focus on internal struggles and exterior menace.
The main influence in writing The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell was neither books nor films but an interest in podcasts. I became hooked on true crime podcasts in early 2020. At the time, I was living in a remote town in the north west of Uganda and volunteering with VSO at a nearby refugee settlement. The power supply was erratic and cuts happened regularly. With no light to read by, I was often in bed and under my mosquito net by nightfall. My evening’s entertainment involved listening to the podcasts I’d downloaded during daylight hours at a local hotel.
As in the podcasts I’ve listened to, The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell includes gems of detail, serendipitous findings and interviewing techniques which have added colour and texture to the story. The real-life motivation to commit crimes has caused me to reflect on what drives my characters. Podcasts detailing cases set in the 1970s/80s have helped me to re-imagine the norms of the time and give voice to Carolyn Russell.
The Teacher’s Pet podcast created by journalist Hedley Thomas of The Australian was a great starting point. He investigated the case of a missing woman, Lynette Dawson, who vanished in 1982 from the home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches she shared with her husband Chris and two young daughters.
Another podcast I found fascinating was Finding Cleo hosted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) with Connie Walker. She follows a search for a young Cree girl who was taken by child welfare workers in the 1970s as part of a programme of adoption into white families across North America.
2. Do you outline your characters? Stephanie, your heroine, comes across as someone many would sympathize with. Did you plan her character arc or focus on the plot first?
Character always comes first. I had a clear idea about Stephanie when I started the novel. She’s buttoned-up but hopefully a relatable character. Unlike many protagonists of psychological fiction, she’s not a bright young thing but a mid-lifer struggling with the menopause and being side-lined in her career.
3. You’ve used a prologue. Why did you find this a useful route to take rather than incorporate it as part of Chapter 1?
The prologue began as a whole chapter from Carolyn’s point of view. When I studied other dual timeline books, I realised the protagonist’s story needed to take centre stage and this is why chapters one and two are firmly rooted in Stephanie’s viewpoint before Carolyn’s voice is introduced. The prologue helps to establish why the novel exists – it’s a clipping from a 1979 newspaper report (penned by Stephanie) which outlines the disappearance of 16-year-old Carolyn Russell from a West Country school.
4. I like your use of years as chapter headings. It is a good way to show the passage of time to a reader without spelling everything out. I liked references to things like telephone tables, Chelsea Girl etc. Those of a certain age will remember these well. Which years did you find easier to write up? What led you to pick what I call the “telling details” you did?
The 1979 timeline uses Carolyn’s 16-year-old voice. To create the character and setting I used my memories of the period and listened to Radio 4’s My Teenage Diary to help develop the teenage logic that dictated her behaviour and attitudes. Other novels set in the seventies were useful reading. I love including product placement into my novels and couldn’t resist references to Vesta Chow Mein and Fry’s Turkish Delight. The 2014 timeline was trickier. I needed to double check many things such as popular makes of mobile phones at that time.
5. How easy or otherwise did you find controlling your two timelines in the book? Did you focus on writing one of them up first and then the other or was it not a problem to switch from one to the other during the first draft? Also, how easy or otherwise did you find writing the blurb? Have you tips about blurb writing you’ve found useful?
I drafted each timeline from beginning to end separately and then wove the two storylines together. When I had a complete draft, I was then able to dip into either timeline as the story progressed. It was a great relief for this novel I wasn’t required to write the blurb. It was produced in-house by Bloodhound Books and after consultation, we came up with the blurb above. I think questions in a blurb are crucial – they prick the curiosity of potential readers.
6. Have you found your short form writing, especially, flash has fed into your longer form writing? Do you find you are more selective with your word choices? I find flash kind of forces that on you but it is not a bad thing.
I’ve honed my editorial skills by writing flash fiction where any unnecessary words are weeded out. I have the usual problem of repeating words such as just, when and for this book once featured heavily. Thank goodness for the find and replace facility which helped me to slim down the repetitions.
7. I understand you’re having a Twitter book launch for the book. Why choose that medium? Can you explain more about how a Twitter launch works? (I’ve used Facebook).
The Twitter launch for The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is scheduled for publication day, 3 July 2023 at 3pm BST. I’ve invited several writing friends to join me online to answers questions I’ll pose from The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell account. As Carolyn is sixteen when she goes missing, the Twitter launch will celebrate being that age. By using the hashtag #TheSecretLifeOfCarolynRussell any interested Tweeters will be able to follow the chat and join in by answering the questions posed. If you’re free, drop by and join us!
8. How many drafts do you write? Do you get the story down first, then edit? Or do you get each chapter right and then move on? How long did it take you to write the book?
I don’t edit until I have a complete draft – this may take several attempts as the plot is the hardest thing to nail. Only when there’s a robust story arc do I attempt to make improvements through editing. One redraft will check for consistency of voice, another will add colour and sensory detail, further drafts improve pace and others seek to heighten jeopardy.
I hate to think how many drafts I write – at a guess, I’d say at least twenty. I started writing the book when I returned from Uganda in March 2020. It’s taken over three years to get the manuscript from first draft to published novel.
9. Would you write further psychological suspense books? What do you think are the strengths of the genre?
I’ve completed another psychological suspense novel which is almost ready to submit and I have an idea for another book. I find psychological fiction playful – you have to work out when to reveal information and how to keep the reader guessing.
10. What other events are you having to celebrate the launch of The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell?
I’m spending the summer in South West London and will host a small launch party in the communal room of the block of flats where I live. Guests will include family and friends. It’s a simple way to thank everyone for their patience while I’ve been preoccupied with the work. As one of the timelines is set in the 1970s, I shall be creating a cheese and pineapple hedgehog and serving vol-au-vents.
11. Where do you think your writing journey will take you next? Would you ever return to short form story writing, for example, or go to non-fiction?
I often think about writing a memoir as I’d like to write about the two years I spent living in Papua New Guinea during the 1980s. I still write short fiction (often taken from excerpts I’ve cut from my novels). I’m working on a piece at the moment. I’ll also read a poem I’ve written at my daughter’s wedding this summer.
12. What would you say have been the highlights of your writing journey so far? How have you coped with the inevitable set backs, rejections etc? Can you say what you are working on (or planning to be) next?
While working on my coming-of-age debut The String Games, I enrolled on a Master of Philosophy creative writing programme and was eventually awarded a PhD. It always makes me laugh whenever I’m called Doctor Gail. It has been a great pleasure to be invited to talk at literary events including sessions at Bridport Literary Festival, Stockholm Writers Festival and the Mani Lit Fest in Greece. My earlier novels have been shortlisted in competitions although I’ve never won a top prize.
Like all writers, I’ve experienced many rejections but I’m in a good place at the moment with a new novel coming out and another completed. The manuscript I’ve been working on is psychological fiction. I’ve used my experience of living in Uganda to imagine and populate an African island. Here’s the elevator pitch:
“When Ashley’s controlling husband books a holiday, she finds the tropical island empowering. Tensions exist between the African population and rich tourists but Ashley is determined to build friendships with locals, unaware that her husband stokes the conflict.”
Conclusion
Gail, it has been wonderful chatting with you again on Chandler’s Ford Today. Many thanks. Good luck with the Twitter launch.
Gail’s Social Media links/Purchase Link
Gail is active on social media and loves connecting with readers and writers. Do get in touch.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gailaldwin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gailaldwinwriter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gailfaldwin/
Blog: https://gailaldwin.com
The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell – Purchase link: loom.ly/N2ow-gU
Related Posts:-
Travelling by Bus around the World and Inspirational Flash Fiction – Introducing Gail Aldwin
Writing Tips and Character Creation: Interview with Gail Aldwin Part 2
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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