SCARLET by Leigh Marsden – An Interview

Hello, readers! How is that drum roll going? My apologies for taking so long to post this interview. Before I go ahead, why don’t you grab yourself a cuppa and a snack, sit back and enjoy the next five minutes or so. My guest Leigh, talks to me about her novel, self-publishing, books and more.

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Leigh Marsden grew up in Taupo on a farm and attended Auckland University where she earned a BA in English & Linguistics, and later, a Masters in speech and language therapy. After travelling overseas she settled in Geraldine – a small town in the south island of New Zealand – with her partner and their two-month-old baby girl. Her novel Scarlet published by Penguin NZ and released last month, is currently sitting at No. 2 on the NZ bestseller list for fiction.

Hi, Leigh. You’re my first guest author so a big welcome to my blog A Certain Book.

Thank you for the invitation to be part of your great blog.

We’ll start with the question most readers will ask first: What is your story about? Can you give us a short synopsis of your novel, Scarlet?

Writing a short summary of one’s novel is almost more difficult than writing the novel itself. Every detail seems important. But here goes:

Scarlet is a spicy relationship drama about free-spirited waitress, George, who falls for her beautiful colleague Cass during their wild nights out together. George believes she loves Cass with all her heart, but her feelings soon turn to obsession and jealousy.

“I want her, all for myself. To keep her in a pretty gilded cage in my bedroom, just to look at, to talk to, to kiss and make love to. But always safely locked away afterwards. All mine….” SCARLET p. 63

But who is Cass, really? Is she a friend, a lover, or something else altogether? The truth that George soon discovers is more sinister than she ever imagined.

As George struggles with her infatuation with Cass, further relationships begin to blossom, one complicated; with her married flat-mate, and another with a breezy university student that seems too good to be true. But who should she choose?

But first George must face her traumatic past; an affair with an extended family member, her callous father and a brutal murder. Only then will she recognize the path to true happiness.

Underlying your story are some serious social themes? Can you tell us what they are and why you chose them? How much research did you have to do?

Sex is such a big part of Scarlet so it’s no surprise that the main themes are related to sex.

The main character, George, hides behind her promiscuity using sex to draw people to her but also keep them at a safe distance, avoiding true intimacy. However, that sort of behaviour always backfires and she is dragged down into the seedy Auckland nightlife, into a dangerous world of greed and manipulation with the sex industry at its core.

Wider than George as an individual getting caught up in the world of pornography, Scarlet calls on the reader to think about the sex industry as a whole; the danger of needing more and more explicit and shocking material in order to gain that illicit thrill.

Another major theme in the novel is fatherhood, particularly the importance of a strong and healthy relationship between fathers and daughters. George’s father is callous and distant throughout her childhood, and betrays her trust terribly with his treatment of her beloved dog, Uno. This shapes the style of George’s interactions with men as an adult and something she must overcome before healthy relationships are possible.

I didn’t find myself specifically choosing or planning to incorporate these themes, I just told the story as I felt it should be told. I also haven’t personally researched the underground sex industry in New Zealand (!), although I’m sure that a lot of what I describe in Scarlet goes on every weekend in towns and cities all around the world. The novel makes you wonder about it anyway…

How have readers and reviewers received your novel? Did you write for a specific audience?

I have received some wonderful feedback from readers, mostly praising my willingness to tell such an edgy story.

Reviews have been mixed but generally positive. Reviewers have praised my characterisation and story-telling, but their response to the sexual elements of the story has been mixed. Some have recognised it as an integral part of the story, but others feel that it did not need to be so explicit or so much in the forefront.

The sex in Scarlet has certainly generated discussion, which is always a positive thing!

I didn’t have a particular target audience in mind as I was writing and I would like to think that it appeals to both men and women. Scarlet is certainly not classic ‘chic-lit’, it is in a genre all of its own.

I noticed that you’d written and self-published a novel titled Beauty prior to Scarlet. Why did you self-publish and can you tell us your experience or the differences between being self-published and published by a multinational company?

I decided to self-publish Beauty after several failed submissions to publishers. I wanted to make my work stand out from other manuscripts and show that I believed enough in my work to back it financially.

I found a wonderful woman, Adrienne Morris of AM Proofreading and Editing through the NZ Society of Authors website, who not only edited Beauty but did the layout and design and had contacts for printing.

On the positive side, the whole process of self-publishing was a good lesson for me in how books are produced. Also, whilst Penguin were not interested in Beauty, it did draw attention to another manuscript I had completed, Scarlet.

Self-publishing is very expensive. If I look at the project in isolation, it has not come close to paying for itself with sales. One of the difficulties is that self-published books are generally not well thought of. Often authors don’t do the job properly in terms of editing and layout, leading to an unprofessional looking product. As a result it is very difficult to find bookstores that are willing to stock a self-published book, regardless of what your particular book looks like. It is also extremely difficult to get reviews and publicity in general without the contacts that the big publishers have. I would encourage people to think very carefully what they are hoping to achieve if they plan to self-publish.

In contrast, my experience with Penguin has been absolutely wonderful. The whole process since the time I received my contract has flowed smoothly from editing to publicity, with endless offers of support in between. The contrast to being out there on my own with self-publishing has been stark. I feel very lucky to be involved with Penguin NZ.

Can you share with us your daily writing schedule and whether you’ve had to make adjustments now that you’re a first time Mum?

Whilst I am working on a novel I like to treat it like a full-time job, working nine till five with lunch and coffee breaks. I just make myself sit there and do it. However, that was before I had a baby girl, Neena, two months ago. I am allowing myself a three-month break to focus on her before getting into the second draft of Crush. (I wrote the first draft late last year.) I am lucky enough to have great family support in Geraldine so I hope to have one or two full days a week, which I can dedicate to writing. I will also try to fit in hour or so each day, to keep in touch with the particular section I’m working on.

Do you write according to a plan or do you write organically, let it flow or the characters drive your story … ?

I make a very loose plan of the key events that will happen, about an A4 page length at most with just a few words to describe each incident, and that’s it. I then tend to write several of the ‘fun’ chapters/scenes first; I’m a bit naughty like that. Then they start to all link together and often go off in strange and unexpected directions. I like that randomness, which is why I don’t have a strict plan to begin with. I find that plans can be a bit stifling.

However, before I start writing I do spend a lot of time getting to know my characters. I want to know their hobbies, what makes them happy/sad/angry, their favourite drink, how many siblings they have… all those things that make them human and interesting. It’s amazing how many of those details make their way into the story. The characters make the story, so perhaps that’s why I don’t worry about planning the story too much – the characters lead the way.

Did you always want to write? Many writers say they grew up with parents who encouraged them to read or were surrounded by walls covered in books. Was this the same for you?

I have always enjoyed playing with words and found language based courses easy and enjoyable at school and university. Choosing to do a BA in English and Linguistics felt the natural thing to do, although there was always the pressure of ‘what are you going to DO with it?’ playing in my mind. This question led me to the decision to continue with a Masters in Speech and Language Therapy; there was an obvious career path at the end of it. I will always have this qualification to fall back on, although I much prefer being a writer!

My parents are not particularly bookish people but I have vivid memories of my Mum reading to my brother and me as children, especially Roald Dahl stories. My Grandma had the whole Anne of Green Gables collection, which was a favourite. My Nana was a poet and my Uncle writes fabulous short stories, so perhaps writing ability is in the genes too.

What is your favourite book of all time? Who are your favourite authors? Is there any one author who has influenced your writing?

It’s so hard to name an absolute favourite.

The Thief of Always by Clive Barker was the most influential book of my childhood/teenage years. It is dark, moving and its message of living and enjoying life in the moment makes the book relevant to both adults and children. I still have a phobia of goldfish that harks back to Barker’s gory description of giant goldfish that were actually metamorphosed children.

I studied Kate Grenville’s Joan Makes History at university and have read it dozens of times since. The story weaves together effortlessly and is so relatable to every woman, even though it’s investigating key points in Australian history. Kate Grenville’s skill makes those momentous occasions like the first European landing on Australian shores accessible and relevant even today.

Others? I can’t go past a Philipa Gregory historical novel and Nick Hornby’s dry, clever humour really appeals. I am also making an effort to read more NZ fiction at the moment. My favourite so far is The book of the film of the story of my life by William Brandt. Superb and not unlike Hornby.

While I was writing Scarlet I was reading a lot of Charles Bukowski. His willingness to write what is often utterly shocking was definitely an influence on me when writing the sex scenes for Scarlet. I didn’t censor myself; just let the story be as it needed to be.

Are you working on another novel at the moment? Can you give us a hint what it’s about?

I am contracted to deliver another novel to Penguin for release in around June 2012, in the same genre as Scarlet. It is called Crush:

Would you give up everything for a fantasy, a crush?

Crush tells the story of small town chef, Philipa, who has lusted after Cam for as long as she can remember; a childhood crush that has failed to release her from its intoxicating grasp.

But, Cam left town long ago, and a fresher prospect recently wandered into the kitchen: Ben, a local beekeeper and volunteer firefighter, with sexy legs and traditional values. He seems to be the perfect man and Philipa quickly falls in love with his masculine style and charming estate in the country. But things that seem too good to be true usually are…

Crush is going to be a bit of fun, but it will also have an undercurrent of more serious issues, including attitudes towards homosexuality in a small town.

Do you have any advice for aspiring novelists?

Be disciplined. Don’t wait until you feel in the mood to write, do it every day regardless, a minimum of 100 words.  That way you stay in touch with the manuscript.

I would love to ask you a dozen more questions about books and writing, but there is only so much room on a blog. It’s been a pleasure interviewing you, and thank you for your generosity and time. I enjoyed reading Scarlet by the way and look forward to your next novel.

Great, thanks very much!

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For more about Leigh and her novel, click on the highlighted links. You can purchase Scarlet by Leigh Marsden at all good bookstores, both physical and online. It is also available as an e book from Kobo Books.

• Leigh Marsden’s Facebook page and Website.
• Radio interview with Lynn Freeman of the Arts on Sunday Radio NZ.
• Radio interview with jason Gunn on Classic Hits Christchurch. 
• Katarina Filipe reviews in the Timaru Herald
• Professor Lawrence Jones reviews in the Otago Daily Times.
• NZ Women’s Weekly article

Thank you for tuning in. Any comments welcome.