Interview

Hello Poetry Lovers

Welcome back to the talk show studio, and we are honoured to have writer Alice Fowler on our show today….

Welcome to the show, Alice. Now fill us in a bit on your background ….

Hi Heather, thanks for inviting me on your blog. Well, for me it’s always been about the words.

While at university, I did work experience at a local paper, which I absolutely loved. After university, the paper offered me a job. I stayed there for a couple of years and then moved to national newspapers, where I worked for many years. I did everything from interviewing Victoria Beckham to carving up biographies for serialisation.

 What a great start to a great career. When did writing become a part of your life?

The honest answer is at primary school. I attended a very small and old-fashioned primary school, which I realise now had barely changed since Victorian times.

We chanted times tables, sat silent with our fingers on our lips and were schooled in the ‘three Rs’ in a very traditional manner! Amidst all that, the headmaster – an austere figure in a three-piece suit – taught a subject called Composition: which really meant,writing stories.

I still recall some of the strange tales I scratched out in my red-covered exercise book, under his stern eye. Perhaps being taught by the headmaster convinced me creative writing was a higher calling. Certainly I formed that view early on, and haven’tchanged it since!

I’ve been writing fiction, both short stories and longer fiction, since my sons were young. Ten years ago we moved to Guildford and I was able to attend some local creative writing classes. I began entering short story competitions, just to see how I’d get on. Winning some competitions and being listed in others gave me fantastic encouragement to keep going.

I also review theatre for the Guildford Dragon website. That keeps my journalistic hand in, as well as ensuring my ‘artist’s well’ is kept topped up. I’ve been lucky enough to watch and review many productions by the wonderful Guildford Shakespeare Company and other theatre groups.

That is such a rich field, Alice. Fascinating. How did you conceive of The Truth has Arms and Legs?

There are twelve stories in the collection, written over around five years. Though I conceived the stories individually, there are certain themes running through them: for example, love, loss, reinvention and the complex relationships between parents and children. The transformative power of education is another theme, which resonates with my own life.

Overall, I’d say the collection explores resilience, and our ability as humans to expand and grow.

I submitted the collection to Fly On The Wall Press last summer, and was delighted when it was accepted.

 That’s fantastic, Alice, and such a classy publisher too. Which story is your personal favourite?

That’s a good question. I think it has to be ‘Becoming Your Best You’, in which a woman resets the course of her life and marriage, through a conversation that takes place in a make-up artist’s chair. Though it takes place in a confined setting, the story travels very deeply through the woman’s life, to show how she’s reached this point. I had a lot of fun writing that story.

I’ve been lucky enough to receive some wonderful endorsements for my collection, including one from the acclaimed short story writer Wendy Erskine. Wendy did let slip that this was her favourite story too.

I know you had a successful reading at the Surrey New Writer’s Festival recently, which I was proud to attend – but what is the best reading you’ve had – and the worst?

I can’t answer that – because my recent reading at the Surrey New Writers’ Festival was actually my first! The festival’s ‘Best of Surrey’ theme struck a chord with me, and I was very pleased to be asked to kick-off the open mic.

I read a story called ‘Fight or Flight, April 1916’, which is a darker story than the one I’ve just described. It’s hard to tell what effect you’re creating as you read, but afterwards, several people told me they enjoyed it, and even mentioned it on social media.

I really enjoyed doing the reading, as it’s such a direct way to connect with readers. I sensed the poets who read that day – including you, Heather – were much more practised at reading aloud than I was.

I’d say generally there are fewer opportunities for short story readers to perform their work. I’ve been thinking for some time I’d like to stage a Short Story Showcase, inviting the many talented short story writers around Guildford to read aloud their work. Watch this space!

Well Alice, that story was truly absorbing and I look forward to reading more. Thank you so much for coming on the show. And good luck with your launch on the 6th.

There’s details below to get a copy of this fascinating collection, Poetry Lovers, and I can thoroughly recommend it.

The Truth Has Arms And Legs can be pre-ordered from Fly On The Wall Press here, or from Amazon or Waterstones or your favourite local bookshop. And you can use the app below;

Find out more about my work at www.alicefowlerauthor.com, Twitter @alicefwritesand Instagram @alicefwrites.

Thanks very much for having me on the blog Heather, I wish you all the very best for your writing too.

Thank you so much, Alice.

Wasn’t Alice a wonderful guest, Poetry Lovers. I’m looking forward to getting a copy of The Truth Has Arms and Legs.

Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry adventures real soon…..