Gail Aldwin

Novelist, poet and scriptwriter, Gail Aldwin has been writing for over a decade. Her first two coming-of-age novels were shortlisted in the Dorchester Literary Festival Writing Prize 2020 and 2022. Gail was awarded a creative writing PhD in 2018 and still laughs whenever she’s called Doctor Gail. She has appeared at Bridport Literary Festival, Stockholm Writers Festival and the Mani Lit Fest in Greece. 

Meet Gail Aldwin

Questions on Writing

What is the hardest part of your writing experience?
I love writing and spend many pleasurable hours dreaming up characters and settings. Plot is always the hardest thing to nail.

What have you learnt about yourself when writing?
Writing has reaffirmed some of my core beliefs: the value of intergenerational friendships, our capacity to overcome physical and emotional barriers and the importance of fresh starts and new beginnings.

Do you make yourself write everyday/regularly, or only when inspiration strikes?
I join Writers’ Hour each weekday morning at eight o’clock. The Zoom call provides a fabulous kick start to the working day when writers from around the world gather in our little Zoom boxes to share some words of wisdom and companionship and then we get on with our individual projects for fifty minutes. I’m usually stuck into my writing by the time we’re called back into the Zoom room and leave soon after to continue with my work rather than have a debrief.

What does literary success look like to you?
To complete a writing project is the objective. Anything on top is a bonus.

How much planning/world building do you do before writing, and how much comes along as you write?
It depends on the project. For my coming-of-age debut, The String Games, I wrote by the seat of my pants and did very little planning. This meant a significant amount of material was cut during the various drafts. To save the pain of writing and cutting masses of words, I planned my next novel, This Much Huxley Knows to the nth degree. For my latest release, a psychological suspense The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell, a podcast is used to delve into a cold case and in preparation for this, I listened to lads of true crime podcasts. I also tuned into BBC Radio 4’s My Teenage Diary to develop the teenage logic which drives the 1979 storyline.

What is it that attracts you to a particular genre?
I don’t think about the genre while I’m writing but concentrate on the story. It’s only when I come to the submission stage that I look for titles that are similar to my work and identify the genre.

How do you celebrate when a book is published?
I usually have a book launch to thank family and friends for their forbearance while I squirrel away at my writing. I organise finger food and supply drinks. It’s a very jolly affair.

Questions on Books and About You

Firstly, the most important question, what books are currently ‘on your bedside table’?
Water and Blood by Rik Lonsdale, Cuckoo in the Nest by Fran Hill, and The Little Museum of Hope by Sally Jenkins.

What children’s book would you suggest every adult read?
I love the picture book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. It teaches such a lot about the value of home and family.

What does your writing space look like?
I currently split my time between a house in Dorchester, Dorset where my desk overlooks water meadows and a tiny flat in SW London. We let our Dorset house as a holiday home over the summer, which means I’m currently writing from New Malden. Given the limited space, my writing nook is very cave-like. Situated in the hallway is a bureau, inherited from the previous owner, and this is where I sit and write. There’s no natural light as I’m sandwiched between the front door on my left and the entrance to the lounge on my right. It just goes to prove I need nothing more than a laptop and a desk to be able to function as a writer.

How many books do you think you own?
Very few. I don’t have a Kindle and once read, most paperbacks go to the charity shop for someone else to enjoy them.

Who is your literary icon?
I’ll choose Kazuo Ishiguro, partly because our childhood experiences are similar. He didn’t read much when he was young but learnt storytelling from watching films.

If you could own one rare/1st edition of a book, which would it be?
I live as a minimalist and don’t have many possessions. Perhaps an early copy of Where The Wild Things Are would be nice. If I ever have grandchildren, I could share it with them.

Is there an author who you always read?
I love Anne Tyler’s novels.

And finally, are there any plans for any new books? If so, what teasers can you give us?
The manuscript I’ve been working on is another psychological fiction. I’ve used my experience of living in Uganda to imagine and populate an African island which is visited by rich tourists. When Ashley’s controlling husband books a holiday there, she finds the tropical island empowering but tensions exist between islanders and visitors. Determined to build friendships with locals, Ashley is unaware that her husband stokes the conflict. Following an incident where they’re targeted by youths, Ashley’s suspicions are aroused. Can she get to the bottom of what’s going on?

Thank you for inviting me to appear on your blog, Victoria.  

Thank you Gail 😊 It’s been a pleasure

Gail Aldwin’s Books