About the Author
Julie Highmore was born in Surrey. She spent a nomadic but happy childhood at various RAF stations, attending fourteen schools, and finally settled in Oxford. She has taught English and been a publisher's reader, and has three grown-up children.
An interview with the author
1. Was your childhood ambition always to be a writer? If not, what inspired you to start writing?
At five I wanted to be a ballet dancer, and at fifteen I wanted to go to art school, so I can’t say writing was a childhood ambition – although I did win a class poetry competition, aged eight. I can still recite the poem now! I definitely had leanings in my twenties, when I wrote a few poems and joined a creative writing class. However, it wasn’t until my thirties that I began to take writing more seriously, after winning a radio short-story competition. I went on to study creative writing with a great teacher, Philip Pullman.
2. What was the inspiration for THE MESSAGE?
I was writing a book about two childhood sweethearts meeting up thirty years on, but decided the woman, Jen, should currently have a big traumatic thing going on in her life. I’d recently sent a text to the wrong person, and began thinking how easy it would be to leave a voicemail message on the wrong phone. I added a little twist and there was my storyline!
3. Who was your favourite character to write about? Or did it change as the novel progressed?
I think I enjoyed young Jen the most. Having not written anything set so far in the past before, I found it both refreshing and challenging. I also liked Kit more and more, as he slowly shook off the solitary, urban life he’d been living, and learned to enjoy both nurturing his nephew and living in a remote spot.
4. What do you enjoy most about writing?
Where do I begin? Mostly, it’s the creative process that’s so enjoyable. It feels almost as though I’m observing the characters and storylines develop, rather than making them do so. I’m always amazed, when I finish a book, that it all came from inside my head. The flexibility of working at home and at times that best suit me is also wonderful, of course.
5. Which writers do you admire?
There are many authors I love to read, across different genres – Chimamanda Adichie, Bill Bryson, John Steinbeck, Henning Mankell, Andrea Levy, Robertson Davies, Marilynne Robinson and Lawrence Block, to name a few.
6. Which authors have influenced your writing the most and why?
This is a difficult one to answer because I studied English and I read a lot, so I’m sure I pick up ideas and techniques from a wide range of writers. I admire the tight ‘muscular’ style of many American fiction writers, and do try to keep my prose relatively spare.
7. What was the last good book you read?
East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It’s taken me all this time to get round to reading it, but it was certainly worth the wait. It’s a vast and gripping tale, beautifully written. While producing this novel, Steinbeck kept a journal that gives an insight into the highs and lows of such a huge project, along with details of everyday family life going on around him. It’s a great accompaniment to the novel.
8. Where and when do you like to write?
At the moment I write at the dining table, where I have a fabulous view of treetops and the distant Wytham Woods. If I’m still there in the evening, the sunsets are stunning too. But I tend to be a morning person, and bash away from around nine until one or two, when I try to get out for a walk, or to see family members or friends. I’ll often look over the morning’s work later in the day.
Go to www.juliehighmore.com to find out more
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