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On The Table Read, “the best book magazine in the UK“, author Pauline Tait talks about her writing career and the inspiration behind her new book, A Life Of Their Own.
Written by JJ Barnes
I interviewed author Pauline Tait about her life and career, what inspires her writing, and the creative work that went into her new book, A Life Of Their Own.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
Hi JJ, I am a novelist and children’s author living in Perthshire, Scotland with my husband and two dogs. After twenty something years working in pharmacy, I retrained and began working in Primary Literacy Support. This was a job I loved, but as my writing career took off, I had a decision to make, and I now write and promote my books full time.
When I’m not writing, travel and photography are amongst my passions.
When did you FIRST want to write a book?
For as long as I can remember. I first scribbled the plot to the first book in The Fairy in The Kettle trilogy in my early twenties. I’m now in my fifties, so a long time ago!
But my necessity to write emerged alongside a profound passion to engage and inspire our younger generations to become great readers. I feel strongly that our children are our future, and reading is the fundamental basis of their learning. If focus and encouragement are given during their early years then the building blocks, which are the foundation to the rest of their learning, are in place. Giving every child the chance to flourish and excel.
My years of experience in working with and assessing children from Primaries one to seven, who needed extra-curricular support, then creating and delivering individual learning plans to meet their specific needs, has only fuelled this passion.
It’s for this reason that the first few years of my writing career were dedicated to my children’s books.
Now, I write both children’s picture books and fiction for adults. Two completely different genres, but I’ve found a way of incorporating both into my writing schedule.
When did you take a step to start writing?
Having initially scribbled away in my early twenties, I set writing to the side for many years. Occasionally I’d dip in and out, but it took me just over two decades to go from plot scribbler to published author. I had allowed life to take me down a more secure path. A path I knew I would succeed in, a path that was acceptable in the world I had grown up in. But, in my mid-forties, my husband convinced me to submit my first manuscript and I have not looked back.
How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?
If we discount the twentyish years in between, it took me six months to take my first manuscript from scribbles and character notes to a completed manuscript. It took me quite a few months more though, to pluck up the courage to send it off to a publisher.
How long did it take you to complete your latest book from the first idea to release?
I have two on the go here…
My latest picture book is not out yet as I am currently writing the next two in the trilogy. But it is another picture book, and it took me around four months to write. I then put it away for a couple of months so that I could edit it again with fresh eyes and then spent another month honing it and ensuring the text flowed as I wanted it to. Picture books are mostly read aloud so they need that certain rhythmic flow, whether they are rhyming books or not.
And then there is my fiction for adults. A Life of Their Own was just bursting to escape my brain and land on paper. I had 60,000 words down in three months giving me a solid first draft. There were then the numerous edits where we lose and gain words and, all in all, I’d say it was about eight months in total before I was happy to send it off to my publishers.
Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write A Life Of Their Own?
I have a drive with my children’s books to make a difference and the same appears to be the case with my fiction for adults. It was a conscious decision to write about a mother fleeing the family home with her two young children. I needed to tackle a serious subject. I needed to find a way of helping or inspiring others, and I chose to do it through domestic abuse.
Purposefully not a traumatic read, this is a story of hope and inspiration for anyone suffering in the same way as Kate. Any abuse is dealt with through Kate’s emotions and reactions to those she meets along the way, as she compares their reactions to those of her husband.
What were your biggest challenges with writing A Life Of Their Own?
My research for this novel was harrowing at times but it was essential that the emotions and fears I brought to this novel were authentic and credible. It would have been an insult to everyone who had found the strength to tell their story, otherwise.
And, although, my novel focusses on moving forward, Kate’s reactions to others are driven purely by her years of living with an abusive husband. She must learn to trust again, to no longer look for the ulterior motives in the actions of others and to have confidence in her own decisions.
I was determined to carry my readers through the story, both emotionally and physically, without opening them up to the violent side of domestic abuse and reviews and feedback state that that’s exactly what I’ve done.
Purely to emphasise the fact that no matter how many miles are put between the abuser and the abusee, the abusee never stops looking over their shoulder, my novel opens in New York and ends in Colorado.
But it was essential to me that when writing A Life of Their Own, the setting, surrounding landscape, and the senses and emotions the countryside stirred, were truly authentic to the state of Colorado. I had an extremely helpful and serendipitous moment when I contacted the Colorado State Forest Service asking if they would give me advice on trees, shrubs, wildflowers and the landscape of the area. Ryan Lockwood, their communications manager, replied within hours with an abundance of invaluable information. As a published author himself, he understood the need for in-depth research and was happy to answer any questions I had.
Who or what inspired you when writing your Protagonist?
Kate was very much inspired by a conversation I overheard. However, my character is intentionally the opposite to the person in the conversation. People forget that abuse comes in many forms, often starting with financial control, but Kate (my character) realised she was being abused long before it became physical. I was determined that she would fight for the freedom of herself and her children.
And to give others the same opportunity, I have included the contact details to various charities around the world. They are there, ready to be the first port of call for anyone suffering from domestic abuse.
Who or what inspired you when writing your Antagonist?
Given the structure of the story, my antagonist makes short sharp appearances throughout the novel. And to that end, these chapters had to be impactful.
It is well documented that some who abuse come across as strong and controlling, people to be feared, not to be crossed. But equally, there are others who keep that side well and truly hidden. To the outside world they are calm, confident, often professionally successful and hold the ability to command a room and progress themselves forward.
My antagonist is the latter, this allowed me to give him more depth. It is obvious to the reader from his quirks, the signs that often go unseen to the outside world, that he has issues. I also hoped that focussing on his controlling behaviour would help others to recognise the signs.
What is the inciting incident of A Life Of Their Own?
My novel jumps straight into this. The opening chapter sees Kate and her two children huddled together in the first of many buses as it carries them across state lines and further away from their past.
What if the main conflict of A Life Of Their Own?
The novel spans a year. Having fled an abusive marriage Kate initially struggles to start afresh with her children, but through the kindness of others her emotional scars begin to heal. Moving on, building a new life, however, isn’t easy when she is constantly looking over her shoulder. Constantly checking she hasn’t dropped her guard, hasn’t left a trail that would lead her husband to them.
Did you plot A Life Of Their Own in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?
To be honest, a bit of both. I am a planner; I know the arc to a story before I begin writing. But I do give my characters more freedom. I find that although I am keeping to the overall structure, as my characters grow and develop through the plot they are often taken in unplanned directions, feeding and enhancing the story.
For instance, with A Life of Their Own, Alice was a minor character throughout my entire first, second, and third drafts. I had stuck to my plan for her, and she was there serving her purpose in the earlier part of the book. But as I worked on the fourth edit, she began to sneak back in further through the story. She is now a seed left to flourish if I decide to write a sequel.
Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did A Life Of Their Own need?
Yes, absolutely. I strongly feel that no matter how much an author edits their work themselves, they must hand it over to be professionally edited. It’s not just about our punctuation, tenses and grammar, another pair of eyes are always needed to spot plot holes or discrepancies. As authors, we know our manuscripts inside out, often word for word, and we can become word blind.
Personally, I go through various phases of editing. Once I’ve got the crux of my novel down, I edit, edit, edit to ensure it’s as structurally sound as possible. Then I move onto the next phase, where I ensure my characters are solid and they are as beefed out with emotions and characteristics as is needed before finally moving onto the final phase of editing, punctuation, layout and presentation. The it’s off to the professional editor.
What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone who is inspired to write a story?
Write!
Get something down. Write every day. Treat your brain as a muscle, the more you write the better you will become.
Can you give me a hint about any further books you are planning to write?
Yes. I have two exciting projects on the way.
Firstly, I have written another picture book introducing a brand-new character and this book will form part of a trilogy. I’m excited about this character and can’t wait to introduce her to the world.
Secondly, I am in the middle of writing Abigail Returns, a suspenseful romance. This will be the first in a six-book series, and again, I’m excited about what’s to come with this series.
And finally, are you proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?
Yes, absolutely! As I mentioned earlier, I had been scribbling away for years before I attempted to get published. I always felt that writing a book was for authors, never thinking that someday I would be sitting here as a successful author in my own right.
Social media links:
Website: www.paulinetait.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ptauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PTait_author
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauline-tait-author-70ab93191/
Instagram main account: https://www.instagram.com/tait_pauline_author/
Instagram purely for my children’s books: https://www.instagram.com/pauline_tait_childrens_books/
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