Friday, 12 August 2016

Q&A with Lynda Young Spiro

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1.    Did you always dream of being a writer? 

     No. But apparently I did tell a friend thirty years ago that I was going to write a book. And that I would include them in it.

2.    How did your writing career develop?

     I starting reflecting, reminiscing, remembering about my life when I turned fifty-five. When I had been married for half of my life! I wrote these thoughts down. I read snippets to a friend one afternoon and she recommended that I turn my writings into a book. And that is what I did! My story came from within all the words on paper that I had accumulated.

3.    There Is Always More To Say is your debut novel, what is it about?

     Thirty years ago two people met by chance when fate intervened and drew them together. Their lives collided. And both were changed forever. The time they shared together was too brief. The friendship was abruptly disrupted and became restricted. Separated by circumstance and long distance. The communication was always sporadic. But the memories and the feelings have lingered for decades. For both of them. I chronicle the lives of the couple through friendships, marriage, fleeting moments and snatched time. It is a passionate account about a connection between two people that never dies, even when tested by distance and when life throws the unexpected at their feet.

4.    What was your inspiration for the book?

     I have drawn on my own experiences. And those of my friends. And of course my imagination.

5.    Can you tell us more about the main character(s)?

     The only thing I want to say about my characters is that I intentionally didn’t reveal the gender of them, other than the narrator and her husband. I wanted to leave it for the individual reader to make their own decision. I left it open for the reader to paint their own picture, posit their own questions, possibly interpret their own relationships and place themselves in the story’s narrative.

6.    How would you describe your style of writing?

     My style of writing has been described as poetic. I’m afraid that I can’t describe it. Although people who know me say that I write in the same fashion as I speak! Whatever that means!

7.    Where and when do you write your stories?

     I like to write either very early in the morning or very late at night when there are no distractions and I can be my most creative and imaginative.

8.    What do you do and enjoy when you’re not writing?

     I love dancing. Belly dancing and tap dancing in particular. I love travelling and exploring new places and countries. Experiencing new sights and sounds. I love walking. It clears my head always. People watching is a favourite past time of mine too. It’s incredible what conversations you can overhear when sitting in a cafe which often inspire the characters and events in my book.

9.    If you could switch places with a characters from a book, who would it be and why? 

      Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I would so love to go down that tunnel.

10.   What books have most influenced your life most?

     I love anything by Mitch Albom. He has inspired me to write about themes that seem difficult for some. Like Time, Death, and Nostalgia. I love his work. I’ve read all of his books.

11.   What are you working on at the moment?

     I’m working on a couple of different projects at the moment. I have a lot of ideas going around in my head at the moment! Things are beginning to fall into place. I am also spending quite a lot of time promoting ‘There Is Always More To Say’ which I am really enjoying.

12.   What do you enjoy most about writing?

     That I can write whatever I want.

13.   Pick three authors you want to have dinner with and tell us why.

     Judging by their work, I would love to have dinner with CS Lewis, Mitch Albom, and Enid Blyton. I love their ideas. And the way they present these ideas to their readers. I’m sure we would have a lot to talk about!

14.   Imagine There Is Always More To Say would be turned into a movie, who would you cast for the main characters?

     What a great question! This is definitely a fun idea. I think Tilda Swinton would be great. She’s so versatile. I like the idea that at the moment fashion models are not defined by their gender as to what they model. So men model women’s clothing and women model men’s clothing but you can’t tell the gender of the model. And I would like the person going to the film to decide for themselves as to the gender identity of some of the characters in the book. I would like to see the book made into a play also.

15.   You also have a blog, what kind of posts do you publish?

     I’m extremely new to blogging. I’m trying to get my readers to know more about me. My way of thinking. My likes and dislikes. What led me to publishing my first novel. I’m trying to bring them along with me during this adventure.

16.  Coffee or tea?

     Coffee. Nescafe Gold Blend when I’m at home and flat white when I’m at a café.

17.  Paperback or e-reader?

     Definitely a paperback. I love to feel the pages of a book.

18.  Mountains or the sea?

     Oh the sea. I love the power of the sea. The sound of it. It’s magnitude. It’s strength.

19.  Summer or winter?

     Would I be allowed to say autumn? I don’t like extreme temperatures. I neither enjoy being too hot nor too cold. I also love the autumn colours as well as the temperature. If not, English summers will have to do!

20.  Sweet or salty?

     Sweet. All the way. I love chocolate. Particularly those Cadbury’s Dairy Milk £1 bars.


There Is Always More To Say - the blurb

Soho 1984: Two people meet and their worlds are changed forever. An unexpected meeting – a look that means their lives will never be the same again. In “There Is Always More To Say”, Lynda Spiro chronicles the lives of the couple through friendships, marriage, fleeting moments and snatched time. It is a passionate account about a connection between two people that never dies even when tested by distance and when life throws the unexpected at their feet.
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances. If there is any reaction both are transformed.” C G Jung

Author Bio

Lynda Young Spiro is a mixed media artist whose love of textiles, found objects and recyclable materials are incorporated into her colourful work. Lynda was born in 1959 in Hampstead, London, where she now lives with her husband and two sons. Lynda’s previous book Latch-Hooking Rugs is published by A & C Black. There is Always More to Say is her first novel.

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