Is there anything more wonderful in this world than a freshly made cup of tea and a good book? Imagine my delight when I was invited to review Katherine Blessan’s novel, Home Truths with Lady Grey. The lady in question being the wife of the 2nd Earl Grey. Her tea is flavoured with oil of bergamot, like her husband’s, but has additional lemon and orange peel running through it.
The story of two women, Jennifer and Mona and how their lives intertwine, it’s a great read about friendship, however unlikely, how our past impacts our present and the unlikely places where joy can be found.
So boil the kettle, make the tea and take a seat as I find out more about Katherine’s latest novel.
How long did it take you to write this book?
I started writing it in September 2015 and completed the first draft a year ago. However, the actual writing process didn’t take as long as that because I took big chunks of time off in between - in order to write screenplays or do long ghost-writing projects with a deadline for example.
Do you have a routine for fiction writing, or does it just come as and when? I’m always fascinated by other writers’ processes.
I always have a basic outline and then flesh out my story as I go along. It took me a long time to figure out what my ending was going to be for Home Truths with Lady Grey and if I’m honest, I only completed the final chapter at the beginning of 2022, when I figured out how to end my novel with more of an emotional punch. Other editing took place in stages, for example from a writer’s group that I was part of, from a few beta readers and from guidance given from Fay Sampson, a brilliant editor and writer.
Your heroine, Jennifer, is a woman who’s been felled by illness and who is struggling with being dependent upon others. You write in such an empathic way and she’s totally believable. Have you based her on anyone you know, or is she completely made up?
She is completely made up. She was the first character who sprung to life in my mind when I got the initial idea for my novel.
I really liked the way you introduced us to Jennifer, tetchy and a little bit rude which is understandable, then took us back in time and sketched out her less attractive qualities. How much did you know about your protagonist when you originally sat down to write her?
I knew that she was very physically fit, and independent. I also wanted her to be a little bit racist as that would be the basis of the conflict between her and Mona. But many of the details of her life emerged as I wrote so I certainly didn’t have all the answers at the beginning.
‘I deliberately chose the first person to write Jennifer’s voice in as I knew that I wanted readers to understand her and empathise with her as she goes on this journey from prickly independence into vulnerability.’
I like the way you travel between different times and spaces. This can be confusing, but I found it added to the readability. What did you want your readers to think about Jennifer? Her spikiness is understandable as you learn more about her.
I deliberately chose the first person to write Jennifer’s voice in as I knew that I wanted readers to understand her and empathise with her as she goes on this journey from prickly independence into vulnerability. I also knew that she might be more difficult for readers to warm to than Mona, but the more I wrote from her perspective, the more I enjoyed her and actually found her easier to ‘spend time with’ than the more likeable Mona!
I love the relationship between Jennifer and her carer Mona and the way Jennifer gradually starts to soften and become a nicer person. How hard did you find writing that gradual change in her?
Actually, this is something that emerged from the editing process! At first, the novel was very much Mona and Jennifer’s two separate stories and they didn’t really meet until the end of the novel. It wasn’t working and I had to figure out a way to weave the two stories together more effectively. I did that by inserting little vignettes of Mona and Jennifer’s time together throughout the novel in a way that linked to the themes of each chapter. By already having that basic shape in place, I was able to see the change in Jennifer as a more organic, natural thing.
I liked the way you wove faith into the narrative – how hard was that to do?
A great question. Interestingly, I had a bit of pushback from some readers regarding the faith journey that Mona’s husband, James, goes on with the criticism that it was too overt, but I decided to stick to my guns and I’m glad I did as I feel like it’s authentic to his and Mona’s character arcs. If you worry too much about what your readers will think, you’ll never write anything. Because of some of the content in my novel, I knew it wouldn’t be taken on by a Christian publisher and in fact I wanted a secular publisher anyway. Yet I knew there was always a risk that a secular publisher wouldn’t want it either because of the faith elements. Thankfully, at least one did, and I’m grateful to James Essinger for his open-mindedness and willingness to publish my novel.
Will we be hearing any more about your characters? Do you plan a sequel?
It feels to me like a stand-alone novel, but I have in fact left it open-ended in terms of some of the character relationships, so you never know. I might change my mind!
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You can buy the book at Katherine Blessan’s website, online and at all good bookshops from 20th April