Interview with Donna Ashcroft author of 'The Little Cornish House'
DONNA ASHCROFT
Interview with Donna Ashcroft
Author of The Little Cornish House
“Feel-good romantic comedy”
Link to my review here.
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Publisher: Bookouture
Visit Donna Ashcroft’s Website For More Details
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INTERVIEW
Please tell us what inspired The Little Cornish House? And provide an overview of the story?
My elevator pitch for this novel is it’s “The Pottery Throw Down meets Richard Osman’s The Murder Club (but without any murders)”.
I was inspired firstly by watching the Pottery Throw Down, I loved the show and the sense of community amongst the contestants. I started out wanting to set a book around a pottery and the idea blossomed from there.
The novel focuses on Ruby Penhaligon who travels to Cornwall to help her grandmother Lila, run her Pottery business while her assistant is away. While there, Ruby discovers her estranged father has borrowed all of her grandmother’s savings and the Pottery Project is under threat of closure. Ruby also learns the father of her best friend’s baby is not who she thought he was and she decides she is going to track the real father down. She soon meets the hero Gabe Roskilly who has problems of his own as there are some very odd things going on at his family’s brewery. Over the novel the storylines start to connect.
The book is packed with quirky characters, romances crossing the generations and a few mysteries which Gabe and Ruby help to solve. It’s also about family and forgiveness and the power of friends.
The Little Cornish House is told from two viewpoints: Ruby’s and Gabe’s. Which one did you find easier and harder to write and why?
In this novel, I found Gabe’s point of view easier to write. Ruby had so much going on in her world and it took me a while to really understand her and her issues. Gabe was an open book and such a sweetheart from the beginning. He was also a lot more likeable from the start, whereas Ruby took longer to warm to. I think she just had a lot more to learn!
If you could describe Ruby and Gabe each in three words, what would they be?
I’d describe Ruby as: creative, implacable and loyal and Gabe as: dependable, responsible and overburdened.
Who is your favourite character in The Little Cornish House? What makes them special to you?
My favourite character was Ruby’s grandmother, Lila Penhaligon. I absolutely loved her creativity, her belief that everything would work out in the end (although she was inclined to bury her head in the sand a little). She’s quirky, warm and generous and cares deeply for Ruby, her clients at the Pottery Project and the villagers in Indigo Cove. Lila makes the world a better place.
A local brewery is featured in The Little Cornish House. Did you need to do much research on this type of business and was there a model one you followed?
I was very fortune that my local brewery – Tring Brewery in Hertfordshire – gave me lots of brilliant advice when I was writing this book. I did a tour of the brewery to get a sense of the layout, and I also emailed them a number of questions. Mainly about how someone might sabotage a brewery without anyone realising they were doing so! They were amazing and brainstormed lots of scenarios for me. They also answered questions on things like what brewers wear, to whether dogs are allowed on the premises!
Pottery making is also part of this story. Do you have a personal interest in this craft?
I was very inspired by The Great Pottery Thrown Down and devoured all of the seasons on Channel 4 – I love the sense of community on the show and also the fact that the potters never know what the end result will look like once something goes into the kiln. I have done pottery in the past so have a little experience, and I also have a very good friend who has an MA in Ceramics and she helped me with some of the terminology.
What main themes of the novel do you hope your readers see?
Obviously, family is a big one, but also, I wanted to show blood isn’t always thicker than water and sometimes the family you choose is just as important as the one you’re born into. Finally, that people can change if they really want to.
How long did it take you to write The Little Cornish House? Are you a plotter or pantser?
It took me three months to write the first draft of the novel and the editorial process took another two months, although I was working on my next book as well by then.
I’m mostly a pantser unfortunately! I’d love to be a plotter but I get most of my ideas as I write. I always have to know who my characters are, what their internal conflicts are and what they need to learn during the novel (i.e., their character arc) before I start writing. I tend to have a sense of the story, including the ‘black moment’. Once I know that, I discover the story as I write.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing? Do you write full time or juggle it with another profession?
Fortunately for the past year I’ve been a full-time writer. I’m committed to writing three books a year so work every day. I tend to get up at 6.30, do some exercise (Pilates, walk or swim) then I write until 12, have lunch and write again until 6. I set myself a daily word count and try to take weekends off if I can.
10. Tell us a little about your wellspring for ideas in writing your books? Do you draw inspiration from real events, other novels, magazines, movies and/or personal day to day experiences?
This is a real mixture. My books are mainly character driven so if I’m really stuck, I’ll read romance novels, watch romance movies, try to get out of the house and do something different (e.g., go to a museum or show!) until one of these things triggers a character.
My idea/hook can come from anywhere – something I read, a television programme, news story or even a conversation with a friend.
Tell us a bit about your journey to publication and what led you to become a writer?
I always wanted to be a writer. I wrote my first ‘book’ when I was twelve and used to disappear into my bedroom for hours. I studied English at university and worked in publishing for the bulk of my career (although ironically I stopped writing during this period of my life). When I had my children and became a freelance copywriter, I decided it was time to get published. I joined a writers group, became a member of the Romantic Novelists Association (RNA), signed up for their New Writer’s Scheme and began to write novels again. In 2017 I was awarded a Katy Fforde Bursary and I think this was the turning point in my path to publication. I decided I had to take my writing seriously and make it a priority if I was ever going to be published. I went down to four days a week in my day job, pitched my novel to Natasha Harding from Bookouture at the RNA Conference in 2018 and a few months later was offered a contract. I’m now writing my eleventh novel with them.
Who are your favourite authors and how have they affected your own creative path?
I am an avid romance reader, I love Katie Fforde, Nora Roberts, Jules Wake, Julie Caplin, Sarah Bennett, Milly Johnson, Molly Harper, Sophie Kinsella, Julia Quinn, Beth O’Leary, Sally Thorne and am also a huge fan of L J Ross and pretty much all of the Bookouture authors. There are millions more writers I love reading, that’s just a snapshot!
Katie Fforde obviously affected my creative path by choosing to offer me the Katie Fforde Bursary in 2017. I’m very good friends with Jules Wake/Julie Caplin and we talk daily about our writing. I’m sure I wouldn’t be published without her support – she helps to keep me sane, especially when I’m struggling with my novel and I do the same for her!
If you decided to write in another genre, which one would you like to try?
I used to read a lot of Stephen King when I was younger and thought about trying my hand at horror but I think I might be too squeamish!
What book or books are you currently reading that you would recommend?
I’ve just finished Jules Wake’s Wednesday Morning Wild Swim which I absolutely loved! I’m currently reading Nightwork by Nora Roberts which is brilliant. Both authors write characters so well, they just hop off the page.
What foods do you keep handy to keep you energised while writing your novels?
Coffee, buckets of it! Nuts and dark chocolate if I’m hungry or I’ve hit a slump.
Are you currently working on a new project and can you share a little about it?
I’ve just started writing my summer book for 2023. I can’t say much, except that it’s set in Indigo Cove in Cornwall again and I’ll be bringing back many of the characters from The Little Cornish House, along with some news ones! Oh, and there will be some quirky animals too.
Fantastic! Thank you Donna for being a guest on my website and I hope your novel continues to climb the charts! I encourage everyone to drop by Donna’s site as it has lots of lovely things to read there. Then grab a copy of The Little Cornish House from Amazon, Apple Books or other favourite book sellers. Once you begin, I guarantee you will be ordering all her previous books as I have! Great stories that will lift your heart and make you smile.
PHOTO OF DONNA ASHCROFT BY PHOTOGRAPHER VANESSA CHAMPION