Jane Jackson combines the grittiness of Catherine Cookson with the romance and period detail of Georgette Heyer in her novels set during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are all set in her native Cornwall, that enchanting and mysterious land in the southwest of England. Below is an interview with this author, giving insight into what goes into crafting her delightful novels.
Rachel A Hyde: When did you first want to become a novelist? How long have you been writing for?
Jane: I have been writing
for 25 years. I began reading when I was four-years-old, and haven’t stopped
since! I enjoy books of every period and genre. At school I loved English
and drama, and enjoyed writing essays and stories. (I was considered odd!)
I first thought seriously about writing books when I was in my twenties,
a single-parent with two young children and an ulcer following a difficult
marriage and traumatic divorce.
Rachel A Hyde: Your historical romances seem to fall midway between the British saga-type as typified by Catherine Cookson and the more romantic style associated with Georgette Heyer, which are more popular in the States. Is this deliberate, and do your books have transatlantic appeal?
Jane: I have not read Catherine Cookson, so I’m not familiar with her style. But I am a devoted admirer of Georgette Heyer. In developing my writing style, I have aimed for high standards of technique and construction, coupled with a dramatic storyline and strong characters with whom the reader can identify and empathise. I’m thrilled to be able to say that my books do appear to have transatlantic appeal, as ten of my earlier contemporary novels for Harlequin Mills & Boon, written as Dana James, sold over ten million copies in the US and have been reprinted three times, most recently during 2001 in Large Print format.
Rachel A Hyde: Eye of the Wind is your latest novel, published by Robert Hale and a review of this appears here. What else have you written, and how much is still available?
Jane: I have written twenty novels altogether. My first book was a thriller, Deadly Feast, written as Jane Collier, and published by Robert Hale. This has been reprinted twice and is currently available in Large Print. My four medical and ten contemporary romances for Harlequin Mills & Boon, written as Dana James, are currently being reprinted in the UK and US in hardback and paperback Large Print editions. Two longer (100,000 word historical romances, Harlyn Tremayne and The Consul’s Daughter written under the name Jane Jackson and originally published by William Kimber are now out of print. Two more historical novels, A Place of Birds and The Iron Road, written as Jane Jackson, and published by Robert Hale sold out in hardback within respectively four and two months of publication. These also appeared in Large Print format, and will be published by Pan Macmillan as a two-books-in-one-volume paperback in February 2002.
My most recent historical romance, Eye of the Wind written as Jane Jackson and published by Robert Hale has also sold out within two months of being published in October 2001. Discussions are underway concerning a reprint, so fingers crossed!
Rachel A Hyde: Which authors have influenced you the most and why?
Jane: There are so many authors I admire, and for so many different reasons, it would take pages to list them all. But three favourites are: Georgette Heyer for her superb command of English, her lightness of touch, and her understanding of human nature. Dick Francis, who made the world of horse racing so fascinating, and who is a master of the thriller genre. Terry Pratchett for his incredible imagination, and his ability to make the outlandish seem perfectly feasible. These are authors I return to again and again, and in whose books I always find something new.
Rachel A Hyde: Why did you select to write romances, and set them in the 18th and 19th centuries? Are you planning to write any other type of fiction (or non fiction)?
Jane: I chose romance because I believe in it. I believe that loving and being loved brings out the best in people. I also believe that finding someone to love and be loved by is one of the most fundamental human drives. That said if my characters are going to be rewarded with deep, abiding, passionate love, then they have to have proved themselves worthy of it. They have to earn their happiness. So they have to surmount all kinds of difficulties and conflicts. Choosing the 18th and 19th centuries as the period of my books offers opportunities for numerous conflicts. Some of these may be geographic or environmental hazards. Others relate to men and women’s perceived roles. Also the price paid for breaking society’s rules then was very much higher than it is now, all of which adds to the drama and tension of the story.
Rachel: You live in Cornwall and all your books are set in this county. Do you need to do a lot of research, and how do you go about it? Would you consider setting a book anywhere else?
Jane: Of my twenty books, seven have been set in Cornwall. The others have been set in places as diverse as Madagascar, the Andes, Hong Kong, Egypt, Iceland, and the West Indies. Though I know and love Cornwall, for my historical novels I do still need to do a considerable amount of research. For example, the background of two of my historical novels was the schooner trade. So it was necessary for me to know about shipbuilding and shipyards, about cargo-broking and which cargoes were carried to and from different countries at various times of the year. I also needed to find out about life aboard a trading schooner, the layout and sail plan, the chain of command, about clothes and food. This applied particularly in A Place of Birds, in which the story started in Falmouth but moved to Shanghai.
But as I adore research, for me it is never a chore. In fact, I have to be very strict with myself, as I find it all too easy to be sidetracked into following up fascinating discoveries and bits of information that, while not vital to the story, are just so intriguing. Because I have used a seafaring background in several of my books, I already possess an extensive library acquired over a period of years. I am also a devotee of my local library, whose staff have been incredibly helpful ever since I first started researching and writing 25 years ago. I do occasionally use the Internet. But I have to say I much prefer books as sources of information.
Rachel A Hyde: What future books do we have to look forward to? Can you tell us anything about your next novel? Do you have any plans for different books?
Jane: As for my future books: the first in a proposed series of four historical novels (written as Jane Jackson) featuring Nicholas Penrose - first mate aboard a Packet ship braving enemy warships and privateers to carry mail over the world’s oceans during the Napoleonic wars – is currently under consideration in the US.
I am currently working on a big novel set in Cornwall in 1902 and featuring the once-wealthy Damerel family and the villagers who work at Wheal Providence, the Damerel tin mine. As this is a new venture in a different style, it will be published under a different name, Rachel Ennis.
Rachel A Hyde: When readers enjoy a book set in a particular period they often want to read others. Can you recommend any other books about this period of history, given that there are a lot to choose from?
Jane: If your readers enjoy Cornish-based historical romance with an extra dimension of tension and mystery, I can heartily recommend: A Vein of Richness, A Silver Flood, Clouds Before the Sun, and Patterns of Life, all written by Janet Wright Matthews.
Rachel A Hyde: In your experience, how long does it take for an author, once they've finished their manuscript, to sell it and see their work in print? What advice do you have for would-be writers?
Jane: This is a difficult question. There is a large element of luck involved in selling a manuscript: (I am assuming that the author has written a well-crafted story about characters with whom the reader can care about, and who have to contend with realistic and dramatic situations that force them to change and grow before finally achieving their goal; and having written such a story, presents in double-spaced, clear typeface with numbered pages held together by two rubber bands and submitted with a brief covering letter in a padded envelope accompanied by a self-addressed label and return postage.) If, having done all this, the author is fortunate enough to have their manuscript read by an editor who recognizes the potential in the writing (no publisher wants a one-book author) likes their approach to the subject, and has not already scheduled another book on the same subject, then on average it takes 12 months from acceptance to publication. I was particularly fortunate with Eye of the Wind, in that the journey from acceptance to publication took only 6 months. But that doesn’t happen often.
My advice to would-be writers is simple: learn your craft. Play to your strengths and work hard to improve any weaknesses. For example, writers who are really good at plotting may need to work harder on characterization, and vice versa. Study technique: go on courses, read How-To books. No one would dream of picking up a golf club and expect to win the Masters Trophy on their first game.
Writers write. So write every day. And read as widely as possible. Read your favourite authors for pleasure and comfort, but at the same time try to pinpoint exactly what it is about their work that so appeals to you. And try to read a wide selection of new books being published. But remember; what is on the bookshelves today was actually begun two years ago. Rather than follow trends, write what you really want to write. Write what moves you. Because if it moves you, the chances are it will also move a publisher’s reader.
Rachel A Hyde: Do you have any final words for your readers, and how can fans contact you? Do you have a website?
Jane: Final words for my readers? Thank you so much for your interest. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be doing a job I love, one that offers people an opportunity to escape for a while into another world and, hopefully, gives them pleasure. If I have achieved that then I am inspired to even greater efforts.
I don’t have a website. But if readers
wish to contact me they may do so through Robert Hale, at Clerkenwell House,
45-47 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0HT.