A heartfelt novel about the connections that bring people together.
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.
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.
Hi Lynda, a warm welcome to Dreaming with Open Eyes! Thank you for participating in this interview, would you like to start by introducing yourself…?
Hi Isabell, thank you for having asked me to participate in this interview and for your very warm welcome to Dreaming with Open Eyes! It’s an absolute pleasure to be joining you here today. So a little bit about me! I’m a mixed media artist who mainly works with fabrics, colours and recyclable items and bits and pieces which are all incorporated into my work. My passion for colour, my fascination with texture and my love of recycling have all found expression in a large body of work that includes textile design, latch-hooked rugs, needlepoint cushions, mosaics, painting and sculpture.
Congratulations on being a published author! How was your publication journey?
Thanks Isabell. I can barely believe it myself that I am now a published author of a novel that I have written. How was my publication journey? It has been a massive learning curve! Both an interesting and exciting one. And exasperating at times too! But overall it has been an incredibly positive experience.
What were your 1-2 biggest learning experience(s) or surprise(s) throughout the publishing process?
My biggest learning experience was most definately realising that I absolutely love writing. Getting my thoughts down and using my imagination. That I was able to put my thoughts down on paper and create a story out of them. On a more practical level I learnt the process of how the author, editors, and publicists all work together to achieve the final product. I have loved the teamwork aspect of it all. The biggest surprise has been how welcoming the community has been – especially on mediums such as Twitter. It has been a lovely environment to enter.
There is Always More to Say was released on 18th of April, 2016. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
I can tell you that 18 April 2016 was not only the publication date of There Is Always More To Say. But it was also my 57th birthday! The book was supposed to be released a month or so earlier but certain deadlines were missed. I was pleasantly surprised when I was given my birthday as the publication date. It felt like a good omen for me. And so far this has proved to be right. So let me tell you a little bit about the story. 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. “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances. If there is any reaction both are transformed.” C G Jung.
What inspired you to come up with the storyline for There Is Always More to Say?
I was inspired by my own experiences. And those of my friends. And of course my imagination played a huge part in the storyline of There Is Always More To Say.
What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?
I hope my readers paint their own picture after having read my book. I would like them to posit their own questions, possibly interpret their own relationships and to place themselves in the story’s narrative after having read the book.
Have you ever considered self-publishing?
I self-published There Is Always More To Say. I was anxious to get the book released.
Have you always wanted to be an author?
Not really. 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. I’m a firm believer in fulfilling your ambitions and I really wanted to conquer fiction. I’ve previously written a non-fiction book called Latch Hooking Rugs which was published by A & C Black.
Talk about your characters: Is there any particular character styled after a real person? Do the characters have personal meaning for you in some way?
Yes the characters do have personal meaning for me in many ways. And in very different ways too. Whilst writing the book and as the story developed the characters became clearer to me. As I got to know them better. Except I don’t want to reveal in which ways! The only thing I really want to say about my characters is that I intentionally didn’t reveal their genders, other than that of the narrator and her husband. I wanted to leave it for the individual reader to make their own decisions.
Talk about the writing process. Did you have a writing routine? Did you do any research, and if so, what did that involve?
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. The only research I did for the book involved looking for quotes to bookend the individual chapters. I really enjoyed doing this. And I knew immediately where to put each quote when I found an appropriate one for the relevant chapter. I wrote the whole book and then I sought out the quotes. Originally I was only going to put a quote at the start of each chapter. But I found too many that seemed so right that in the end I ‘topped and tailed’ the individual chapters.
As an author, what would you say you find most difficult about bringing together a plot?
I had many ideas that inspired There Is Always More To Say. However, my biggest challenge was putting all of these ideas together to create the story. I wrote the novel as individual pieces. I then placed them in order afterwards. I know it seems crazy. But it’s how my mind works!
Is there a specific author who inspires you?
I love anything by Mitch Albom. But specifically his book Tuesdays with Morrie. I love the relationship between the young Mitch and the elderly Morrie and what they learn from each other.
Lastly, what can we expect of you in the future? Are you working on something right now? If so, can you tell us anything about it?
I’m working on a couple of different projects. I have a lot of ideas going around in my head at the moment! Things are slowly beginning to fall into place. I find the less I think about what I want to write the easier the writing comes to me! I have also started writing lyrics. Something that I have never considered doing but something that just happened. I recently entered the lyrics for ‘You Tell Me’ into the UK Song Writing Competition. Having been named a semi-finalist I am now awaiting the next stage of the competition. The finals! I’m also spending quite a lot of time promoting ‘There Is Always More To Say’ which I am really enjoying.
Thank you so much for answering all my questions! I wish you loads of success with There is Always More to Say.
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. Her 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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