Kitty Neale Interview

4 months ago 29th Aug 09:41

In fear of her life she flees Drapers Alley, going to live with her cousin, but a horrific secret is revealed, forcing her to return home, and what she has to tell her mother, will break her heart.

You grew up in south London what was is about this area that has inspired so many of your novels?

All my childhood memories are of the area, and as an adult I remained in or around Battersea until I moved to Surrey in the 80's. However, when I get an idea for my next book, my next plot, it's always Battersea or surrounding boroughs that spring to mind.

There was such a rich mixture of characters and I find it easier to write about an area I knew so well - that I can conjure up in my mind - though I do deviate from the topography at times, such as with Drapers Alley.

Apart from growing up in the area where the novel was set what other research did you have to do for the book?

As my books are set in the 1950's and 1960's, I do a lot of research on the Internet regarding events of those times, along with fashions and prices. I also have several books on the subject, along with my own memories.

The Drapers very much rule the streets of London were the characters based on anyone that you remember when living there?

No, the Drapers weren't based on anyone I knew. But of course there was a lot of gossip about villains; the Krays in East London, and the Richardsons in South London, so I found it east to conjure up the Drapers up in my mind.

And how does the ideas and writing process work for you?

This is difficult to quantify. Sometimes a character comes to mind, a situation they are in, and a story evolves from there. In other instances it might be a place, such as Drapers Alley. It doesn't exist, but I remember an alley, not the same, but it became my inspiration. I do try to write a synopsis, but find it impossible to keep to.

Once I start on a new book, the characters seem to evolve, some becoming more prominent and their story going off in a direction I wasn't expecting. It's the same when it comes to routine. I start writing in the morning, and find that I get so engrossed that I forget to eat.

My lovely hubby will appear, usually with food in hand along with a cup of tea, and there have been occasions when he has had to ask me if I'm ever going to cook dinner. So far I've been fortunate, and at around the halfway point of the book I'm currently working on, another character, place, or situation pops into mind.

I then make a few hasty notes before putting it on the back burner. When I was writing Family Betrayal, the idea came for a woman who had been so badly hurt and betrayed by a man, that she wanted revenge. She recruits other women in similar situations, and together they carry out their plans, but for one of them revenge isn't sweet and she loses everything.

Many of your books such as Sins of the Father and Outcast Child very much focus on the hardships of family life, quite often seen from the perspective of a young child, is there any reason for this?

My background is working class, and as a child I saw a lot of hardship with friends and family. Both my parents worked in local factories, and I was a latchkey kid. I can't say my childhood was a happy one and I suspect this is why some of my books are from a child's point of view.

In my early ones I found that some of my own painful experiences came out in the lives of my characters, but none have been based on the story of my own life.

And growing up the working class environment of South London how much of you and your experiences are in these characters?

I don't consciously use anyone I knew, or now know, as characters in my books, but I think memories of quirks or personalities come through. I'm afraid I like to get into peoples minds, to understand them, the way they think - to gain some understanding of why they act in certain ways.

There are so many layers and I find it fascinating, using what I've learned, if I can, in the portrayal of my characters. I find people's struggles inspirational, how sometimes they rise above it, how they grow and learn from their mistakes.

You lost your son in 1998 why did you turn to writing and how did it help you through?

When my son died it was a dreadful time. I was devastated and couldn't cope. I didn't know anyone else who had lost a loved one to suicide - who would understand how I felt, so eventually wrote a letter to our local newspaper asking if anyone who had suffered this bereavement would be interested in setting up a support group.

Six woman answered, and between us we set up a telephone help line and a meeting place where others could join us. We would talk, cry, let our feelings out with others who could empathise with what we, and they, they were going through.

I chaired the group for two years, but then had to have major surgery, after which I felt burned out. It was then that a friend suggested starting a writing circle, and needing something else to fill my mind, I agreed. I knew nothing about writing and had an awful lot to learn, but I found it cathartic, a way to distract my grief while I buried myself in the lives of my characters.

Until then I had no idea that I could write, but I'm not a literary writer, and with my education it isn't something I could aspire to.

I'm a story teller, but now I love writing and can't imagine a day when I'm not tapping away on the keyboard.

Why did you decide to write under a pseudonym?

It wasn't my choice. My agent and publisher felt that my real name wasn't quite right, so Kitty Neale was born.

Finally what is next for you?

I've just finished writing the book with the revenge theme, Desperate Measures, and it's due for publication in Feb 2009. Now its on to my next book, this one about a woman who is completely controlled by her husband. With two books a year to write, it's a full time job, but living in Spain is lovely and I do manage to take a bit of time off to enjoy the local culture.

Kitty Neale's Family Betrayal is out now.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

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