Interview With Jane Fallon
Recently I had the chance to have a quick chat with the lovely Jane Fallon all about her latest novel called Skeletons. Here's what we spoke about...
1. Skeletons is your latest novel! Can you tell us a little bit about it?
It’s about family secrets. Jan loves her husband’s big bohemian family as much as she loves him. And much more than she loves her own mum. When she sees her adored father-in-law in the street with a much younger woman and it’s clear they’re more than colleagues she knows that she can’t tell her husband. It would blow her perfect family apart. But can she keep the secret? And what exactly is it?
2. What was the inspiration behind this book?
I had been thinking a lot about families – whether it’s possible to create the ideal family for yourself if your relationship with your own is strained. Or whether it’s just a case of the grass looking greener. I’m fascinated by the different experiences people have growing up if they are an only child or one of many.
3. In all of your books there are always strong women at the centre. Do you feel it is important to portray women in this way?
Absolutely. There’s nothing more boring to me than a female character who is just defined by her desire to find a husband. I write women I would like to be friends with. Or at least have a conversation with.
4. Which of your novels did you enjoy writing the most?
Probably Getting Rid of Matthew because I was writing in a bubble. I hadn’t yet experienced the pressures of publication or of reading reviews or doing interviews. I was just writing. Once I knew that it had a publisher (after I had written about a third of the book) it was a joyful experience.
5. This year your book, Getting Rid of Matthew, was chosen as a World Book Night book. What was it like to find out you had been selected?
I was absolutely delighted. It’s such an important event I think. I can’t imagine not having access to books, especially growing up. I love that each of the givers decides for themselves who they want to give the books to. It’s a proper grass roots movement.
6. Do you have a strict writing routine or write when the inspiration strikes you?
It’s a bit of both. I try to sit down every morning for a few hours but sometimes my brain doesn’t kick in properly and I get distracted by twitter. I am always scribbling notes on bits of paper I can never find later when I have an idea. When I’m writing a book it’s always in my head somewhere even if I’m not thinking about it consciously.
7. Do you have any other novels in the pipeline at the moment?!
I am already well into my next one. The central relationship is a woman and her assistant and it involves a honey trap but that’s all I can say …
Quick-fire:
What is your…
favourite colour? Pink. But not in a girly Barbie way. I love hot pink. It just makes me happy.
favourite song? Changes all the time. At the moment I’m obsessed with a band called Sun Kil Moon
favourite book? In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
favourite word? Don’t have one
favourite food? Fish
favourite season? I love them all
favourite TV show? Recently The Bridge
favourite author? Loads but ultimately Dickens
favourite animal? Wallaby
favourite day of the week? They all blend into one for me
Thank you so much Jane!
You can find Jane on Twitter or on her website.
1. Skeletons is your latest novel! Can you tell us a little bit about it?
It’s about family secrets. Jan loves her husband’s big bohemian family as much as she loves him. And much more than she loves her own mum. When she sees her adored father-in-law in the street with a much younger woman and it’s clear they’re more than colleagues she knows that she can’t tell her husband. It would blow her perfect family apart. But can she keep the secret? And what exactly is it?
2. What was the inspiration behind this book?
I had been thinking a lot about families – whether it’s possible to create the ideal family for yourself if your relationship with your own is strained. Or whether it’s just a case of the grass looking greener. I’m fascinated by the different experiences people have growing up if they are an only child or one of many.
3. In all of your books there are always strong women at the centre. Do you feel it is important to portray women in this way?
Absolutely. There’s nothing more boring to me than a female character who is just defined by her desire to find a husband. I write women I would like to be friends with. Or at least have a conversation with.
4. Which of your novels did you enjoy writing the most?
Probably Getting Rid of Matthew because I was writing in a bubble. I hadn’t yet experienced the pressures of publication or of reading reviews or doing interviews. I was just writing. Once I knew that it had a publisher (after I had written about a third of the book) it was a joyful experience.
5. This year your book, Getting Rid of Matthew, was chosen as a World Book Night book. What was it like to find out you had been selected?
I was absolutely delighted. It’s such an important event I think. I can’t imagine not having access to books, especially growing up. I love that each of the givers decides for themselves who they want to give the books to. It’s a proper grass roots movement.
6. Do you have a strict writing routine or write when the inspiration strikes you?
It’s a bit of both. I try to sit down every morning for a few hours but sometimes my brain doesn’t kick in properly and I get distracted by twitter. I am always scribbling notes on bits of paper I can never find later when I have an idea. When I’m writing a book it’s always in my head somewhere even if I’m not thinking about it consciously.
7. Do you have any other novels in the pipeline at the moment?!
I am already well into my next one. The central relationship is a woman and her assistant and it involves a honey trap but that’s all I can say …
Quick-fire:
What is your…
favourite colour? Pink. But not in a girly Barbie way. I love hot pink. It just makes me happy.
favourite song? Changes all the time. At the moment I’m obsessed with a band called Sun Kil Moon
favourite book? In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
favourite word? Don’t have one
favourite food? Fish
favourite season? I love them all
favourite TV show? Recently The Bridge
favourite author? Loads but ultimately Dickens
favourite animal? Wallaby
favourite day of the week? They all blend into one for me
Thank you so much Jane!
You can find Jane on Twitter or on her website.