Rosie Garland WSR Interview
Rosie Garland Interview
Photographs of Rosie by Holly FaircloughInterview by – Phlis
Rosie Garland is an established performer in the UK and the rest of the world. She is also an award winning author. I got chance to have a brief glimpse of her latest work The Palace Of Curiosities. She manages to conjure up the story to perfection and when you read it you find yourself emerged in the world she creates. As we read we find ourselves reading with the accent of the characters in our heads. WSR got a chance to catch up with Rosie and ask her about novel. Here is how it went
WSR – Hi Rosie, thank you so much for giving Wicked Spins Radio this interview. May I first ask you what was it that gave you the inspiration to write?
Rosie – As far back as I can remember, I’ve always written stories. I was one of those geeky kids who I loved reading, and being read to. It was the excitement of being swept away into different worlds, which were always more interesting than the one I lived in. yeah, I lived in my head a lot.
WSR – Was the writing talent something that was just inside or did you need a little help for the talent to truly bloom?
Rosie – I’m not a huge believer in the idea that ‘some people are born talented’. I was lucky to have people around me who encouraged me to be creative, write stories, and draw pictures. But it takes effort for anything to develop and bloom, sure. It’s like any form of exercise, the more regularly you practice your craft (whether it’s painting, music or baking cakes) the better you get.
WSR – Where do you get ideas for the novels and stories you write?
Rosie – people have this idea that writers lurk around parties, taking notes! Not me. I’m interested in outsiders, whoever they are. People who don’t fit. I’m fascinated by the tension that occurs when they rebel – or when they try to fit into the tight little moulds that society offers. I’m sure that’s because I’ve been a square peg all my life.
WSR – You have won many awards for your writing but which award are you the most proud of winning?
Rosie – thanks! Yes, I’ve won a few… The DaDa Award for Performance Artist of the Year, the Diva Award for Solo Performer, an Erotic Oscar for Performance Art and a Poetry Award from the People’s Café, New York! I have to admit, the one I’m proudest of right now is the most recent. I’ve just won the 2011 Mslexia Novel Competition and that has led directly to my debut novel being picked up by HarperCollins. It’s very very exciting.
WSR – How hard has it been to become a published author and if there has been any big stumbling blocks how have you eventually overcome them?
Rosie – it’s been a long haul. I’d been with an agency for twelve years, and had given them four novels. But however hard I tried (and did I try), however hard I worked on editorial suggestions, nothing seemed good enough. Twelve years of can-you-make-it-more? Can-you-make-it-less? No-one could accuse me of not trying.
WSR – How long did it actually take you to write The Palace Of Curiosities?
Rosie – I don’t write in a linear start-at-chapter-one-and-keep-going sort of way. I start with the main characters and build from there. I reckon it took about 18 months for the first draft – and then another 6 months/year to ‘get it right’?
WSR – How has it been viewed so far in the media?
Rosie – it’s bizarre. Six months ago, no-one wanted to look at it and now all of a sudden, publishers are falling over themselves to have a gander. But it’s the same novel, with the words in the same order… what’s changed is getting a spotlight shone on the novel because of winning the Mslexia competition.
WSR – Do you think that the invent of the e-book reader is a bad or a good thing?
Rosie – neither. It’s a piece of machinery, like a car. Cars get you from A to B. If e-readers get people to read, that’s got to be a good thing. And e-readers are here to stay, just like cars.
WSR – Have you ever used any of your own life experiences as a base for any of your stories?
Rosie – No. There’s a perception that writers are always watching you, lurking in dark corners and taking notes. No, we’re not. It’s a bit like the straight bloke who thinks that all gay men fancy him. No, they don’t. Really.
WSR – Who is your favourite author and what is it you like about their work?
Rosie – Too many to list. I like writers who make me work a bit, make me think. I like a square meal of a book, not a flimsy snack of a thing that doesn’t satisfy. So you won’t find me reading Wayne Rooney’s latest ghost-written ‘opus’.
WSR – What is in your mind the best book you have read?
Rosie – Again, does there have to be a ‘best’? Best crime? Best historical? Best fantasy? Best this year? This week? It wouldn’t mean anything, as it’s only my personal choice. I get pretty frustrated at so-called reviews where critics puff their mates’ latest. Mind you, if anyone out there wants to rave about my novel, pull up a chair and feel free! See, I never said I was consistent.
WSR – Thank you so much for this interview Rosie, is there anything you would like to add?
Rosie – Yeah, buy my book when it comes out! It’s called The Palace Of Curiosities, it’s set in Victorian England and is crammed full of weird people doing weird stuff. What’s not to like?
