Author Interview – Lynne Hackles – Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemma

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, Lynne Hackles discusses her new book, Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemmas, a story full of friendship, hidden letters, second chances, and late-blooming love—proving you’re never too old to chase your dreams.

Written by JJ Barnes

www.jjbarnes.co.uk

I interviewed Lynne Hackles about her life and career, the inspiration behind her new book, Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemma, and her creative writing process.

Tell me a bit about who you are.

I’m the girl who was asked to leave school at fifteen so the rest of the class could concentrate. The teachers didn’t appreciate my sense of humour, or me standing on my desk impersonating pop stars. I entered the working world without a single qualification, unless you count a Brownie badge for ironing.

Now, I’ve had over 700 short stories published, have written articles, greeting cards and comic strip stories. I have worked for a local newspaper, been a ghostwriter, have had three non-fiction books published, a pre-teens novel, had stories included in many anthologies, and won, or been placed, in many short story competitions.  I call myself a butterfly writer because I flit from one thing to another. When asked what I write the easiest thing to say is  ‘everything except poetry and pornography.’

I live in Malvern, Worcestershire, with my husband and a cat called Budgie. The cat’s previous owner left him behind when he moved house, saying he was feral and could look after himself. I said he was about as feral as a budgie and the name stuck. He’s starred in several stories for the now defunct Your Cat magazine.

There’s a view of the Malvern Hills from my study window, but my desk faces the wall so I’m not distracted.

I have been writing now for over forty years. Apparently, I get irritable if I don’t write for a day or two. (My husband just read that and laughed.)

When did you first WANT to write a book?

I have a school diary in my desk drawer. It was written when I was ten years old. Teachers expected us to write something each day, and add a picture. Most of my pictures were of what I’d had for tea, drawn in wax crayon and with each item labelled as my drawings weren’t brilliant. If the pictures weren’t of food, they were of book covers, including the titles and authors’ names. I would borrow books from the library at least twice a week and knew I wanted to be a writer one day.

When did you take a step to start writing?

I sent a letter to a magazine and it was published. Seeing my words and name in print gave me the confidence I needed. In fact, it gave me so much confidence that I visited the local freebie newspaper and asked to see the editor. I told him I was a freelance writer (freelance after thirty words in print) and he gave me a part-time job. Within weeks, everything that wasn’t an advertisement was written by me. I then went on to write short fiction and articles. The money for women’s magazine short stories was very good back then and my aim was to sell two stories a week.

How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?

My first fictional book was a novel about cycle racing. It was for pre-teens and took me six weeks to write. I had seen a series of books about sports in the library. I read a few but there was nothing about my husband’s and son’s sport of cycle racing. I contacted the publisher asking if they would be interested in that subject and they said yes. I counted the words in several of the books so that I’d know what length was needed and then I did some research by taking part in several ten-mile time trials so I’d know what it felt like. No, I didn’t enter a road race. I had no designs on riding the women’s Tour de France. Then I typed the story – on a typewriter. Yes, it was that long ago. I waited around eight months for a reply and when it came I was shaking too much to open the envelope. My husband did it for me. The answer was yes. I was invited to their offices in London to go through a few questions they had. Another year later Racing Start was published.

My first novel for adults was written twenty years ago but didn’t sell. It was when decluttering paperwork during lockdown that I rediscovered it and realised that although I’d attempted a novel for grown-ups I’d not had one published. During those intervening years I’d gained a lot more experience and decided to do a complete rewrite. It was returned from a major publisher so I sent it to an independent one and Gail Lockwood and Her Imaginary Agony Aunt was accepted. It’s a romantic comedy for the more mature reader.

How long did it take you to complete your latest book from the first idea to release?

My latest book, Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemmas is a sequel to Gail Lockwood and Her Imaginary Agony Aunt. As I already knew all the characters, it took me less than six months to write the first draft. Then came the second, and the third drafts. I’ve often heard other writers say that the second novel is the hardest. It wasn’t for me. I enjoyed every minute of writing it. Then I started the third and that was the tricky one.

Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemma?

I liked Gail and the characters in my first book, but had left Gail’s best friend and partner in a cleaning business, Dilys, with a problem that needed solving. She’d also not been lucky in love and I really wanted her to be happy so I set about doing that, but in a very roundabout way. She had a frog before she found her prince.

What were your biggest challenges with writing Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemma?

In a short story every word has to count. There’s not a lot of space for descriptions. At first, I didn’t know what was wrong with my novel writing but a friend told me I could spread myself out in a book and add the frocks and food. I could indulge in writing about the weather and scenery, inside and out.

Another challenge was that when writing about Gail I had never made any notes about the plot or characters so often found myself having to refer back to my first novel when writing about Dilys.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?

I wanted a feisty woman who was over fifty. So many novels had beautiful, young heroines. I wanted to write about a real woman with real problems, like being made redundant, having family problems, wanting love… Not all the cast of characters were over fifty. One is over seventy, several are young, plus there’s a little boy and some cats. Lots of cats.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?

Do I have an antagonist? Perhaps it’s life itself and the challenges it throws at us. The nearest character to an antagonist must be Gladys Cooper, the new recruit to the cleaning company who is desperate for a man, and anyone’s will do.

What is the inciting incident of Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemma?

It’s the morning Dilys wakes up to find an airmail letter on the doormat. It has to be from her daughter, Anne, in Australia, but they haven’t spoken since Anne married Gail’s ex-husband. Dilys doesn’t want to know the contents of the letter so she hides it away.

What is the main conflict of Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemma?

It’s the secret stash of letters from Dilys’s daughter. One letter turns into two, then three. They remain hidden, and unopened. Will Dilys ever read them? And what does Anne want?

Did you plot Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemma in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?

I am a discovery writer, also known as a pantster. I have no idea where my story is going. If I knew what was going to happen, I wouldn’t bother writing it. I write to discover what happens next. It’s a method that means trusting your instincts and believing in yourself, but there are many times when I doubt myself and have to give myself a good talking to. ‘You can do this, Lynne. Just get on with it.’

Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemma need?

My publisher provided an editor who went through my chapters thoroughly, making some changes and suggesting others. I learned a lot from the experience, and surprisingly there wasn’t as much editing to do as I’d thought.

What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?

After twenty-seven years, I have just given up my job as a creative writing tutor. What I have always told students is to study the market they are aiming for, just as I did with Racing Start. Know how many words your market requires for a story, and which age group the market is aiming at.

Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?

I have completed the third book to follow on from Gail Lockwood and Her Imaginary Agony Aunt and Dilys Lloyd’s Dilemmas. It’s currently with my publisher. It doesn’t have a title yet. I am not good at coming up with titles. I am now working on something completely different. It could be classed as comic crime, and is loosely based on some Elvis conspiracies but the protagonist is British. For once I have come up with a title I am really happy with.

I have also entered a competition for the opening chapter of a saga and am now wondering if I could write a whole saga – something that isn’t all about humour.

And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?

Remember that girl who was asked to leave school? The one with no qualifications whatsoever. I wish that headmistress could see what I’ve achieved. Yes, of course I’m proud of how far I’ve got so far, and I have so much more I want to do. I hang on to the fact that you’re never too old to have a new dream.

Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:

Apple Book: https://apple.co/4r9XO9t

Kindle: https://amzn.to/4kQlf5D

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4kCtrq0

https://lynnehackles.com

https://lynnehackles.com/Fiction.html

Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/4rRnpnL