My second novel, A Year of Awakening, published on 27 October, proved to be great fun to write, and – as with my first book last June – I am feeling very excited about it.
Unlike my first book, The Stamp of Nature, which had been some 50 years in the writing, my second novel is entirely contemporary in origins – even if, for historical reasons associated with the plot, it is actually set five years ago, in 2013.
I started writing the book at the beginning of the year. Virtually unbidden and in response to a ‘What if?” thought one day, the plot and the characters dropped into my head more or less fully formed. It was a pretty extraordinary feeling. It was very welcome, too since it is often said that authors often struggle with their second book, having poured so much hard work and imagination into their first.
Anyway, having had the thoughts, I developed them a little further and then made extensive notes on what I was planning. As a consequence, the book was relatively easy to write. At one point, I had some problems with the pace of the plot, which initially seemed to be moving too quickly, but I managed to solve the problem by adjusting the novel’s timeline.
I decided to write the book with alternating first-person points of view, a decision which I did not regret. After the varying points of view used in The Stamp of Nature, this was a new challenge, especially trying to make sure that the two voices were distinctive. Others will have to judge whether I succeeded.
The book is not autobiographical in the sense of telling a story which I have lived. It is set partly in a small consultancy business. This is an environment which I have known for more than 20 years, albeit in a different field from the environmental work portrayed in the book. There are unique challenges involved in working in small businesses, and I have tried to communicate some of these – not least the risks involved in recruiting new people into a small, tightly knit working group. Expansion brings its own special challenges, not least the need for owners to evolve into running a company as opposed to working solely with clients.
In many ways, the most important lesson I learnt in my business career was the importance of self-confidence, often wrapped up these days with the buzz word of ‘empowerment’. I have tried to bring this out in the story as well, and show how it impacts on both the personal and professional lives of my two protagonists.
Geographically, it is set in two places which I know well and love – the Crystal Palace area of South London and the Yorkshire Dales. Using settings I know well helps me to have a strong sense of place as I write - I only hope that in writing about them I have done them justice!
The characters are all completely fictional, though it is inevitable that writers draw on their own experience of people they’ve met in creating the individuals who inhabit their stories. Thus, some traits way possibly be recognisable to some friends and acquaintances – but equally they should hopefully bring a greater degree of realism to the characters concerned.
Just as a reminder, the new book is called A Year of Awakening, and you can find out more about it HERE. I can only hope that you enjoy reading about Josh and Steve – and their family, friends and colleagues – as much as I did writing about them.
In fact, to let you into a secret, I enjoyed their company so much that I am currently writing another book partly set in the same consultancy firm. Together, the two of them – plus others in future – will form part of a series called Love in a Changing Climate. Look for book two, Governing Passions, in the New Year.