Interview with Liz Fenwick - Author of The Secret Shore

Interview with Liz Fenwick - Author of The Secret Shore

Link to my review with bonus comments from author Amanda Geard!

Novel release date: May 11th, 2023

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Liz is an award winning author of ten novels, dubbed ‘the queen of the contemporary Cornish novel’ by The Guardian. She was born in Massachusetts but now lives in Cornwall with her husband and two mad cats. She made her first trip to Cornwall in 1989, bought her home there seven years later, and found her muse. Her heart is forever in Cornwall, creating new stories.

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I”t’s a gorgeous, sweeping novel, impeccably researched and threaded with mystery and romance.” Amanda Geard

INTERVIEW

What seed of inspiration brought about the writing of The Secret Shore? Please share a short burst on the book—with a piece of info not provided in the publisher’s blurb.

Two seeds in truth. The first being the secret flotillas themselves. It is a part of history of the Helford River that hits me every time I go on the river or walk its banks. The second seed is that I knew from the start that Meredith Tremayne would be a cartographer. This fact took me on an unexpected journey as I researched just what this entailed in the 1930s. Putting the two seeds together allowed me to weave together a tale of intrigue, espionage and love into the empty spaces of actual history. Hopefully creating a story that shines light onto two little known aspects of WW2. 

The Secret Shore is mostly set in your beloved Cornwall during World War II. Merry’s dilemma as far as marriage/study/work are concerned, reveal the challenges women faced back then. What has changed and remained the same for women today?

Women no longer have an ‘either-or-decision’ - many thanks to the women like Merry who came before and challenged the ‘norm’. Sacrifices still have to be made to have both a career and a marriage but most things are now possible as society has changed for the better.

It appears you’ve drawn upon your experience and knowledge as an American – English woman. How have you used this info in the writing of The Secret Shore?

I think mostly I have used it in looking at society here in the UK from the viewpoint of an outsider. It frees you to see things from a different angle and with fresh eyes. It also provides tension in my writing as Americans were not always well liked in the UK during the war years.

Describe characters Merry, Elise, Jake, Oliver in three words each.

Merry – clever, determined, ambitious.

Elise – vital, creative, undaunted.

Jake – steady, thorough, honourable.

Oliver - rash, enthusiastic, and loving.

Give us the story behind the ‘mouse’ in the novel.

The mouse, Albi, is based on a true story that I first learned of from the son and daughter of Tom Long who was one of the men participating in the secret operations. They have a recording of Tom talking about his experiences, and Mo and the mouse feature in his recollections. I wish I knew Mo’s real name and what his fate was but maybe some things are best left as a mystery. But the second little mouse sent over did keep him company while hidden in a chateau.

This book showcases mapmaking. Please share a bit about its importance in WW2 and why you chose this profession for Merry. Also, include how her brother Oliver influenced the use of her skill and interest in mapmaking.

I always knew that Merry would be a mapmaker, but it was only doing my research into what would be involved in becoming such that I discovered that so many women, the map girls, worked in all aspects of geography during the war. Personally, I have always loved maps. They take you places physically but also mentally. Therefore, digging deeper into cartography was a huge joy for me. Before I began the research I knew that maps would play a key role in war, but I hadn’t realised what would be put on those maps. It wasn’t just a case of roads and towns and train stations. The maps had to provide the map reader with all sorts of information like terrain and even transient features. Maps were used to plan, to locate and to orientate. Merry’s key role was knowing what information needed to be on the map – based on who would use it, what conditions they would be working under, and why they were using it. Merry’s brother Oliver was a pilot in the RAF and during the fight for Norway the pilots were forced to use the 1912 Baedeker’s Guide maps. This was not much help. Merry learned from Oli that they needed large print and simplified maps that could be read in low light. As Merry says in the book, it’s not just what you read on the map but what you read into it.

How does mapmaking work or fail from a romantic perspective? Can we ever chart the path of love ahead and know the secret coves and outcomes?

Tricky. I don’t think you can chart the way to love but in the past people have tried. There are marvellous maps of the way to love. Here’s an example. Merry of course would have seen these in her studies.

Describe your writing process of The Secret Shore. Such as: did it require a lot of research, how long did it take to write, was mapmaking a difficult topic, which character was your greatest challenge and who was your favourite?

My writing process begins with only enough research to write the first draft with many ‘XXXX’s’ denoting more research required. This book proved challenging! When I begin to write I always know the end but rarely know the middle. I wrote 45,000 words initially but knew in my gut it wasn’t working so I deleted them. I then began again and hit 55,000 words and knew that the character of Merry appearing on the page wouldn’t have the ending I was writing towards. Cue dark night of soul. Did I change Merry to fit the ending or did I write her story? I ditched all but five thousand words and instead wrote Merry’s story, not knowing what her end would be. That was a very different writing style for me. Once the first full draft was complete, the deep dive into research began which in the end involved reading over forty books, countless academic papers and visits to the Imperial War Museum archives. So Merry was in one sense the toughest to write because of the false starts she gave me, but I’d have to say Ian Fleming was in some ways even harder, trying to hit the right tone with such a public figure. My favourite character though is a tie, between Mo and Jake.

There’s an intriguing mystery at the heart of this novel that creates a mesmerising plot in how it is wrapped around Merry’s personal life. How difficult was the mystery to develop? How long did it take to map out (pardon the pun!)? Which came first: the mystery, the mapping concept or the romance?

I always knew that Merry was a mapper. She arrived in my head that way. The mystery was there right at the beginning but was more a product of the need of the story. As for the romance, I live for the love story in any novel I read, even if it’s a crime story! So Merry was always going to have a love interest but it was more a question of what would Merry choose – love or career?

What do you hope readers take away from The Secret Shore?

Courage, courage to follow your heart, or as Mo says, ‘be brave’.

Please share an overview of your writing history. How many novels have you published? Name one thing that has changed in your writing process since early days?

I have always wanted to be a writer but it wasn’t until I was in my forties that I developed the perseverance to complete, edit, edit and edit again a book. I signed with an agent when I was forty-eight and my first book was published when I was forty-nine. The Secret Shore will be my ninth full novel. Times have changed. When I first landed a two-book deal and had to write a book a year (and did that for the first six books) I didn’t have the luxury of time anymore. Gone was the time to get the story wrong, time to enjoy the plot holes, time to enjoy the side trips down research rabbit holes. The lack of this time really focuses the mind.

Name five authors who inspired you and five favourite books you’d recommend?

Authors? - Maeve Binchy, Kate Atkinson, Jill Mansell, Daphne du Maurier and Rosamund Pilcher.

Books? - Any Human Heart by William Boyd; Life After Life by Kate Atkinson; Book Lovers by Emily Henry; This is How We are Human by Louise Beech; and The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.

Do you have any words of wisdom for young writers (not necessarily in age but rather experience) that you would like to pass on?

Read, read, and read. But also listen to your work. I’m dyslexic so it’s truly vital for me but all writers benefit from hearing their work. I have the computer read it to me. There is no emotion in a computer voice. The words have to do the work and it makes it far easier to edit.

Are you working on a new writing project and, if so, please share a little about what we can expect?

For the next novel, due out in 2025, I’m working on a dual timeline set in the present day and the 1930’s. In the present day it involves the estate of an artist and in the 1930’s a love story that begins on the Orient Express and blossoms in Venice before returning to the reality of Cornwall and the war. Forgive me, I don’t want to give away too much more at this stage!

Thanks so much Liz for being my guest today! I wish you much success on your new novel that is out May 11th, 2023.

Readers: pick up a copy of this mesmerising novel and you’ll be hooked to buy more of this author’s wonderful stories that are both captivating and enriching. Visit Liz’s website for more info on her writing and for communication details.