TALK: Siobhan Curham

#author #interview #kindle

Siobhan Curham is an Award-winning author, speaker and coach. She spoke to StoryWorld about her latest book editing and inspiration.

Award-winning Author, Coach and Speaker

Award-winning Author, Coach and Speaker

Hi Siobhan! Tell me about your latest book!

My latest novel for adults, TRUE LOVE ALWAYS, is set during the 1980s Miners' Strike: a time when fashion crimes were committed on a daily basis and it felt as if the whole country was at war. It tells the story of a teenage girl from London who falls in love with a young striking miner from Nottingham and how a tragic twist in their relationship changes her life forever. It's perfect for fans of Billy Elliot and Pride. Excitingly, it recently became a Kindle bestseller, reaching the heady heights of number nine in the Women's Romantic Fiction chart!

How much research did you do?

It's loosely based on my own experiences as a teenager during the Miners' Strike so that really helped. But I had to do a lot of research when it came to the music of the time, making sure I got the dates exactly right for the songs that were in the charts back then. I love 80s music so that part of the research was a lot of fun. The research into the fashion was extremely embarrassing!

You’re also an editorial consultant with Hothouse Fiction. How do you divide the time?

I only work for Hothouse two days a week on a freelance, consultancy basis so it's actually quite easy to divide the time. And I love the contrast between the two sides of my work. I find that my editorial work has really helped me to hone my skills as a writer.

What books/TV/films inspired you to start writing?

Jimmy McGovern (Brookside, Cracker, Hillsborough and many other TV dramas) is probably my biggest inspiration as a writer. I met him in Liverpool when I was twenty years old and having a crisis of confidence about whether I'd ever make it as a writer, coming from a poor, council estate background. Meeting him and discovering that he was from a very similar background - and then watching him go from success to success - was a massive inspiration to me. He made me see that not only could people achieve success writing about gritty, working class issues, but that there was a real need for this kind of writing too.

What’s your work schedule like? Do you have regular times, places, etc, or can you work anytime, anywhere?

I try to keep to a normal work routine, writing during the day and keeping my evenings free for friends and family and fun. I tend to write my DARE TO DREAM blog in more public places like cafes but when I'm working on my books I have to be in the peace and quiet of my bedroom. I set up camp with my laptop balanced on a cushion on my bed and tap away for hours on end.

Any nuggets of advice for emerging writers?

Loads! But mainly to write from your heart. If you try to write what you think publishers and agents want to see it won't have nearly as much passion. Publishers are always looking for that fresh new voice - and you've got way more chance of being that if you're writing about things that really matter to you. Things that make you angry, or happy or sad or alive. When I'm going through a submissions pile with my editorial hat on, I'm not looking for the most grammatically correct sample or the most perfectly laid out. It's the ones where you can tell that the writer has really let the words flow through them that stand out a mile. That's the writing that stays in the mind long after reading. And those are the writers who get the job - when I'm commissioning anyway. And I'm sure most other editors would agree with me. When I was disillusioned with the publishing world a few years ago, I decided to write a young adult novel purely for the love of it and self publish it so that I could give away the e-book for free. That book, DEAR DYLAN, went on to win a national award and book deals in the UK, France and Germany. It was such an important lesson to me. Always, always write for the love of writing first and foremost. Your writing will be so much better for it.

Are you working on new anything at the moment?

Yes, I'm lucky enough to be working on lots of things right now. I've just started writing a middle grade series for Egmont and a new YA series for my French publisher, Flammarion. I also have a non-fiction book being published by Faber & Faber next spring. It's called 'TRUE FACE: Be real. Be Fearless. Be You' and it's all about the pressure on young women to look and be a certain way and encouraging them to forget the fake and keep it real. It's a subject I feel really passionately about and a really good example of how writing from the heart can really bring amazing results. There isn't really a non-fiction genre for young adults so this is a first for Faber too. And Random House, Germany, have just made a pre-emptive offer for the book, which is hugely exciting.

I love encouraging other writers over on my blog  Dare to Dream  and you can find out more about my books here: Siobhan Curham's writing home: novelist, freelance journalist and writing coach

Twitter: @SiobhanCurham

Facebook: Siobhan Curham Author

Thanks Siobhan! Get click with the links and pics above to buy Siobhan's books, and visit her sites to say hello!