February New Release Feature Author: Esther Campion, A Week to Remember

February 2021 New Release Feature Author

Esther Campion, A Week to Remember

Pam: [00:00:00] Welcome to Writes4Women a podcast, all about celebrating women's voices and supporting women writers. I'm Pamela Cook, women's fiction author,  writing teacher, mentor, and podcaster Each week on the Convo couch, I'll be chatting to a wide range of women writers. Focusing on the heart craft and business of writing, along with the new release feature author each month, you can listen to the episodes on any of the major podcasting platforms or directly from the Writes4Women website, where you'll also find the transcript of each chat and the extensive Writes4Women backlist.

 On a personal writing note, my current release is All We Dream. If you'd like to know more about it or any of my books, you can check out my website at pamelacook.com.au For more information. Before beginning today's chat I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the Dharawal people, the traditional custodians of the land on which this podcast is being recorded along with the traditional owners of the land throughout Australia and pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging, and a quick reminder that there could be strong language and adult concepts discussed in this podcast.

So please be aware of this if you have children around.

Now Let's relax on the couch and chat to this week's guest.  

Pam: [00:01:29] Esther Campion is my guest today on Writes4Women and it's a real pleasure to have, Esther back on the  podcast. We had Esther with her first book and it's great to have her back now with book number three. Esther is actually from Cork in Ireland, originally, and currently lives in Northwestern Tasmania.

Her debut novel Leaving Ocean Road was published in July 2017 by Hachette Australia. And it's a story set across the landscapes of Greece, Ireland and small town coastal Australia. It follows the life of Ellen O'shea  as she struggles to deal with her husband's death and an unexpected visitor from her past . Following Leaving Ocean Road, Esther published the sequel, which was The House of Second Chances in 2019. And her new release, which is actually out this week is A Week to Remember. It's standalone, but it does feature some of the characters that we've grown to know and love in Esther's previous two books, as well as some brand new ones. Esther and her family live in Tassie, with an overindulged chocolate Labrador and two horses, which Esther family believes are living proof that dreams really do come true. Esther, it's so good to have you on the podcast. Again, welcome to Writes4Women.

Esther: [00:02:41] I'm absolutely delighted and honored to be here with you Pam. It's great.

Pam: [00:02:46] Lovely to see you too. We had a little bit of trouble getting everything connected, but we did connect finally, so that's great. Before we start with launching into talking about your book and I deliberately didn't give a blurb or anything for the new book, because I'm going to ask you to do that for us. I did recently see a photo of you on Instagram, where you were jetty jumping, and it really intrigued me and I'm imagining it would be quite chilly jumping off the jetty down there in Tasmania. But can you tell us a little bit about that pastime?

Esther: [00:03:14] Well I've been jetty jumping since I moved to Australia about 13 years ago now. I lived as you know, in Port Lincoln, in South Australia. And it was a great pastime there. And of course I've been a swimmer all of my life and, you know, we would do sea swimming. So, you know, tank swimmers, but in the summers, we love swimming together in the sea. My family would go on, you know, holidays by the seaside and all that. As teenagers, we used to cycle to the beaches and stuff. So when I came to Australia and I saw these people doing this, jetty jumping, I felt my word. This is for me. So in Tassie now the water is absolutely fabulous. It's like the Mediterranean. I was in again last night now, not jetty jumping, but just a dip and it's surprisingly warm. And it's probably not a good thing, but with global warming and everything, but I mean, I must say I'm taking advantage of it. a little jetty jump.

Pam: [00:04:12] Oh, that's great. And you had some really great pics on Instagram. I loved it.

Esther: [00:04:17] That's good stuff. It's a bit mad like, but you know, sometimes you've got to do something a bit mad.

Pam: Absolutely. I love it. I think it's fantastic. Well to begin with Esther before we get into A Week to Remember, could you tell us just a little bit about your writing history and your publishing journey, how you got to be where you are today?

Esther: I will. Of course. Yeah. I mean, I wasn't writing anything until I moved to Australia. Well, no, I tell a lie. I was living in Norway and I tried a correspondence course in creative writing because  I had at the time firmly in my mind that writing was something that you, you didn't just sit down and do you have to, you have to go to a class and a course and that sort of thing.

Which of course is completely untrue. I've learned since. But I didn't like the correspondence course. Cause you know, there's no interaction. There was no cup of tea boring as all heck.. So anyway, I came to Australia and then I thought right, what'll I do with myself now? I was getting the kids into kindy and the schools and that, and I thought, well, I want to go to a creative writing course. I was wanting to do that. Maybe there's one with Tafe in Port Lincoln. Unfortunately, the course wasn't still running. It had run years before, but out of that course, a lovely writing group closed Eyre Writers had formed. So I rang them up to find outwhere would I do this kind of course.

And they said to me, Oh no, there's nothing. But look, come and join us. So I didn't want to be rude but I said, look, I'm not a writer at all, you know, but it kind of was a bit fascinating and the lady on the phone was saying, Oh, I'm writing this novel. And then, Oh, it's great fun than I thought, holy living God like, I couldn't hardly write my own name. But they said bring something to the meeting. And all I had was an email I had sent to some friends once I got to, you know, within the first week of arriving in Australia and I was really telling them about the, the madness of the transition from, you know, minus nine in Norway to thirty six, the weekend I arrived in Australia, so, and a few other incidents. And I was last to read at that meeting and you know, what writer's groups are like with anyway, they went around the room and you had the award winning short storytellers, and writers and you had the poets, the published poets, and the people that were you know, novelling away and getting very close to publication.

And I read this email. Anyway, at the end the president of the club, like the group, she nudged me and she said, you can stay. And I thought, great, I'll be making the tea. But they were the nicest group of people to me. And just, I kept going once a fortnight meeting. You know, they put up a challenge, write a poem, I'd wrote a poem. Write a short story. I tried to write a short story. They're very hard to write, I take my hat off to anybody who can write them. And then they had these retreats for week-long retreats at a place, outside Port Lincoln, and I was so envious of those people, but of course I could never go on a retreat, A. Because I wasn't writing a novel, it was only for novelists and B, because my children obviously needed to be minded. But my lovely husband said to me, why don't you go for a couple of nights? And I'll hold the fort like, it'll be fine. And I thought, Oh, isn't that lovely. And I thought, there's only one problem.  I'm not writing novel.

So I started throwing down an idea, had just come to me in Norway. And I started writing for all my life to save myself. And I was accepted and I got the place on the retreat. And I went with 11 pages and by the end of the first day I had about 22.

But it was the peace. And you know, that silent sort of time in a writing retreat where you know, it's just you and the page, but you know, people doing the same thing behind you and the company and talking over things at night. And I just loved. And you know, I'm sure that that first novel, wasn't much good, like, but I started putting it out to publishers, getting my rejections.

And I think somebody recently I heard, on a webinar or something, talking about your apprenticeship. And I thought wasn't that the idea you might agree with me Pam, it does take, it can take years.

Pam: [00:08:42] Absolutely. Yeah. And it's something you never stop learning about, isn't it?

Esther: [00:08:46] Nope. You don't, you don't because every book then is a blank canvas.

So, you know, I'm writing another one now and I'm terrified. There's no guarantees like just cause you have three published novels. So, you know, you're, you're onto the next one but you keep going. If you love it, you keep going.

Pamela: [00:09:04] And was that book that you started there at that retreat? Was that Leaving Ocean Road?

Esther: [00:09:09] Nope, that was my next one. I sent, I sent that one now too about, I think I might've had about 10 or 12 rejections, but I got a beautiful rejection from,  do you remember the book PS I Love You  by Cecilia Hern. I brazenly sent that first novel to her agent in Dublin because I kind of didn't know where I was. I thought, Oh, well, I'm only, you know, I'm only off the boat here now, like I'll send back home. And she gave me the most beautiful rejection. She said: this isn't for me, but it is good women's fiction and keep writing. Good luck. I have that email printed it out and nearly framed. I have it in a notebook!

And you could, you know, you can take it two ways. You can kind of go all well, you know, it's not good enough. Or you can say, well, who am I to argue with Marianne O'Connor? So that was kind of the attitude I took and I kept, I started another one then, because I suppose I was just into it.

You know, another idea came to me and became Ocean Road. Then what I did, I mean, there are people listening now. Like I listen to your podcast, they are listening and hoping to glean and the kind of helpful tips and tricks and things. But I tell everybody who wants to know my sort of pivotal moment really was my mother had given me money and, you know, made me swear. I'd spend just within a year. She'd given it to me on writing and I got to the end of the year, in the December, I went to self-publishing workshop. I found out it wasn't for me at all, because I couldn't even log onto the flipping Twitter thing they wanted and I was hopeless, really hopeless, and they got to the point like the two facilitators in the workshop where they were avoiding me. I think I was that helpless. So anyway, I just talked to myself, you know, life, I suppose, throwing the towell, like nothing's going to work for me. But that evening there was a man there who gave a bit of a talk, and we had dinner with them afterwards - John Sheehan, he's a Tasmanian. And he mentioned manuscript assessors that he'd heard, or that he'd heard speaking at the Festival of Golden Words in Tassie the year before or whatever and it was Irina Dunne. And I contacted her and she's a manuscript assessor, and I guess she'd been head of the, one of the writing centers and one of the writer's centres…

Pamela: [00:11:45] She used to be involved with Varuna I think, and also Writing NSW.

Esther: [00:11:50] Yeah. Yeah. And that was the bit that it was money well spent. It was, she wasn't cheap, but I just got to the point where I thought, if I don't give this over to somebody in the know. And I needed somebody to tell me whether this was good enough or not, because I was losing faith. And she, she came back to me. She said, it is good enough cut 10,000 words out and it would be grand. So I do that. And then I said, what do I do now and she said, Oh, you know, for another load of money, like I'll send it out to a few people I know.

And she did that. And I sort of invested myself and my husband, you know, it was a decision that are we going to invest in this? And he said, you've come this far now keep going. That's what I did. And luckily it landed on the desk of the lovely Rebecca Saunders at Hachette threw a bit of a round about thing. And that was, you know, I got the phone call and that was the break. The lucky break. 

Pamela: [00:12:50] And I love that idea of perseverance Esther and backing yourself, you know, like believing in, in what you've got and just trying another avenue, you know, when one doesn't work, try something else.

Esther: [00:13:02] Yes. And, you know, as well as anybody with your own books, it's, it's a fairly lonely road. Like, you know, and it's, I don't know about anybody. I can only speak for myself, but like you said doubt and the imposter syndrome and that all weighs fairly heavy like so I suppose part of what we do is trying to ignore the inner critic and just keep going.

Pamela: [00:13:28] Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. Well, let's move on to talking about the new book A Week to Remember I've been reading it. It's lovely. And it's just your beautiful sort of cozy style that draws the reader in. But can you tell us, what it's about? Give us the blurb.

Esther: Yeah, I'll give you the blurb if I can remember it! Well it is set, I suppose, mostly in West Cork and the Southwest of Ireland and also in the Northwest of Tasmania where I'm currently living.

But there's a newly renovated guest house called Lizzie O's and it's taking in its first guests for a week in the Irish winter, that none of them would forget. So I, as usual, I've got a bit of an ensemble of characters sort of main characters and supporting characters in the community. And I've got a couple Mick and Aisling Fitzgerald who are going to celebrate a wedding anniversary they've been gifted by their family. They're Irish, but they're living in Tasmania and they go along and then his mother comes to Tassie to look after the children and kind of house sit. And so her storyline develops sort of alongside that of her daughter-in-law and son.

Esther: [00:14:52] So then I have a dentist, Declan, who is probably this, the grumpiest . Someone described him as grouchy actually, she had early copy and she said:  love your grouchy characters. But I was a bit challenged by writing them. Cause you know, it's quite easy for me to write nice.

Pam: You did a great job of making Declan grouchy.

Esther: Thank you. Yes. So he's there and he's had a marriage break up and his practice manager thinks it's a good idea if he sort of has a bit of holiday (probably trying to get rid of him) for a week. And he goes down there, but he has roots down there, which he has probably forgotten. And then, who else do I have?

Oh, I have Katie Daley. She's a very important character. She's been away from the village far about 35 years, after a traumatic time. And she's returning home because her sister begged her to mind the mother, the ageing mother, because the sister has the opportunity to go to Spain for a week.

So Katie sort of begrudgingly agrees to return to look after the mother. And has to face this past that she's run away from in the first place. And who else do I have then? Mia. Mia Montgomery. She hasn't told her husband she's there. So she slips away for a bit of an escape of her own to sort a few things out about her marriage and without telling Harry.

Pamela: [00:16:33] So you put the characters into this almost like a pressure cooker, isn't it? You know, they're all thrown together, these people that don't know each other. Some of them like Aisling and Mick have their own problems going on without even dealing with the other characters who are there - well, they all have their own issues. And then putting them all together, it almost accentuates their own conflicts, doesn't it? But it also allows them to play off each other and to share things and learn from each other in this beautiful setting of this guesthouse that you've created.

And I could really visualize it: it's newly decorated because it's just been renovated. And I love the way that you describe all that, but the characters are really forced together aren't they?

Esther: [00:17:25] They are definitely. And the thing about it is when they get there first they're not there to make friends really, and to kind of have the power of change. But of course, the way it's set up is there's a conservatory which has the dining area and it's got the communal dining table. So that's where they have to sit of an evening to have dinner prepared by the lovely Ellen and Gerry. So I suppose they're all holding back and trying to sort out their own stuff. Yes, inevitably. There are connections made between the different people around the table.

Pamela: [00:18:07]. It's very relatable, I think, because we've all been in that situation. It could be a weekend away at a guest house, like you say, or a motel type setup, or it could just be a restaurant and you walk in and there's only the communal table left…and sometimes you just don't want to have to talk to people! And then you're forced to sit down and be sociable and be friendly. And you find that I your barriers do generally break down. So it's interesting to watch the way the barriers break down for these characters to a greater or lesser extent as well.

But Esther you have got quite a lot of characters and storylines going on in the writing of this book. How did you manage that? Do you just start with one character and go and see what happens and then introduce the others? How do you do that structurally?

Esther: [00:18:53] Yes. That's exactly how I do it. I mean, I'm very much a pantser, writing by the seat of the pants sort of technique. I actually started the book with Mia Montgomery. Even though I think the book opens with Aisling on the beach walking with her friend in Tassie. So it started with Mia and as it went on, I just moved kind of scenes and people around and stuff like that. But the editing was brilliant from Hachette the publishers, you know. But of course you've got to have a bit of a thick skin. In my case I remember going to a writing retreat and, and my friends there were saying: what are you writing Esther? And of course I was saying: well, you know, I've got this jumble of characters and they were saying: but that's okay, you always have the jumble of characters, you know? And I was like, but this is a real jumble!

I think I ended up killing a couple of darlings because there was a lot going on. But to be fair, in my imagination, I like that kind of buzz and having all the supporting characters. You know, different characters. Like a couple of teenage girls belong to the neighbor up the road in Tassie, you know? They're all part of it for me.

Pam: It's all a world-building,  isn't it?

Esther: But the editors were very much like, come on Esther, there's a limit to what the reader can take! But I suppose you're better off do you know, having more and being able to cut back in the rewrite than, than adding on.

Pam: [00:20:56] It reminds me of a tapestry. You have your big, main pieces, which are your characters and then you've got all these little smaller interconnecting pieces, but it's all part of one whole. I enjoyed that about the book.

Esther: [00:21:10] That's really good because I definitely I love writing the kind of community that we ended up with, like, you know?

Pam: [00:21:16] Yeah. Yeah. And of course it's set in, as you say, both Tasmania and Western Cork. And we've been to that particular setting in, Cork before, because it's the guest house that Ellen and Gerry did up isn't it?

Esther: [00:21:31] Exactly right. Yes. Ellen and Gerry. Ellen's friend, Collette Barry, is an interior designer and Ellen's brother Aidan O'shea renovate the house which is now called Lizzie O's in memory of the grandmother.  So this is where the action is set.

Pam: [00:21:58] Do you love going back into that setting each time? And even revisiting some familiar characters. Is it like meeting up with old friends again for you?

Esther: [00:22:11] It is. And like, you know, last year when COVID hit like I was really grateful that I had this imaginary kind of story going on because I think it's important as a writer  to kind of fall in love with your characters. Really invest in them and I suppose we do that as well.

Covid was a weird for everybody. And I felt that some people were busting a gut, like the essential workers were doing over and above. And then you would have other people that didn't know what to do with themselves. And then you have people that were like doubling up at home, working from home. But with the writing, I just felt very fortunate because it was a bit like business as usual. I could keep on with the writing. It was a great comfort. You know, when you unzip a tent, you get into the tent and then zip it back up behind you? And you're in a bit of a cocoon. So yeah, I loved that. Somebody asked me recently if I get home very often. I actually don't. I'd love to just get home more often but nobody's going  anywhere at the moment. But it's very important to me to tap into these places and visit them even in terms of imagination.

Pam: [00:23:40] And that setting Esther, in Ireland where the book is largely set, is that where you come from yourself or a place that you're very familiar with? I'm guessing so.

Esther: [00:23:48] Do you know what? I don't come from there. And I'd say they'll absolutely murder me if they find out, you know, I'm writing about their place like, because I tell you how exactly I fell in love with that place…

When I was in university - I'm from Cork city, right and it's very important when you're in Ireland to kind of say you’re from the city because you'd be very proud to be from the city, you know? I don't know if it's a universal or an Irish thing, but anyway... so I was in uni and this friend of mine there, her parents had a caravan in West Cork, in this place that I write about. And she invited me down for a weekend. Now it was bedlam in the caravan because there were five kids. She was the eldest so they were all going down from her. They were all probably first or second year uni students and the parents in the caravan - a big, long thing, (we call it a mobile home in Ireland, but it doesn't go anywhere because it's on the load of bricks and it stays there).

But anyway, that's another story. So I went there and oh, I thought it was the best thing ever, like, cause there's only myself and my sister in my family. So there’s this big family and the caravan. It was like all a bit hilarious for me. And I thought it was brilliant. And I'd say I was never so quiet you know in my life because there was so many talking then, so much going on. I loved it. So then the parents were kind enough when myself and my now husband had our first child, they said to us one time, would you like to go down to Crookhaven and take the caravan for a week? And they had renovated a house in the town in the village. So of course we packed, we went down with our baby and had a beautiful time. And every time I go back home, I take a trip down there. I've introduced my sister, my mother, my nephew to the place, and my own children. And we might just go down and, you know, sit down on the pier on a nice day, buy a sandwich and look out to sea. Might have a dip to have a dip, myself and my sister.

But yes, I absolutely love the place. It's very special to me.

Pam: Well, it comes through that love of the place, in the setting and in the way you write. And I think you've got a little piece you're going to read for us Esther? I wanted everybody to be able to hear you reading this in your lovely accent because your Irish lilt definitely comes through in the writing. It's beautiful.

Esther: Okay. So I'm actually reading from chapter six. I'm trying not to give anything away. This just little piece about Katie Daley one of the main characters.

Ms. Daley? Katie opened her eyes and dragged herself up straight and out of her slumber in the backseat of the car where she must have nodded off soon after she'd been picked up at cork airport. With her eyes adjusting to the weak, afternoon sunlight she took in the farm house with the green door and mused over the old myth as to what secrets lay beyond. Her spine tingled. The house didn't need to have secrets. She had enough of her own. As her driver got out, a woman appeared in the doorway, wrapping a loose fitting sweater around her, holding it together with one hand while giving a friendly wave with the other.

If she thought this was cold Katie thought, she should try one of their winters in the States. The smell hit her at the moment the driver opened the door, a salty mix of freshness and the spoils washed up from the ocean. Her head spun at the assault on her senses. Between the naked branches of the tree line garden she glimpsed the slate, gray sea. Tears smarted at the corners of her eyes, unexpected tears. Perhaps this was a mistake coming here after all these years almost unraveling within the first 30 seconds. No, she was stronger than that. Planting her feet on the driveway she took a deep breath and vowed to get through this week unscathed by memories from a lifetime ago.

 'You've got the best room of all,' the friendly woman in wool was telling her. I'm Ellen.' Yes, they'd corresponded by email. As they shook hands, the woman touched Katie's elbow.

'You must be exhausted,' she said looking at her as if she were about to fall down. 'Come on in I'll show you where you are.' Katie smiled inwardly. She knew exactly where she was, but Ellen O'Shea didn't need to know.

She let her lead the way, acknowledging a certain intrigue as to what had become of the old O'Shea family home.

Pam: [00:28:59] Thank you Esther. That was a really great piece to select too. I found Katie a really poignant character actually. She's in this situation where she's in a place she really doesn't want to be, but she's got this family obligation. And when you were writing - we did say there's a lot of characters here for you to write and develop - did you have any that you were drawn to more than others and any that were difficult for you to develop the way that you wanted to?

Esther: [00:29:24] Well, Katie would be a case in point, definitely. Because of some of the themes around her character development. As I got to know her and worked out what had happened to her, why she had been away for so long, I found that challenging, but also quite interesting to explore. So without giving any spoilers away, I was reflecting on something that had happened to Katie in the eighties and things that were happening in Ireland at the time to do with cultural mores and norms related to the Catholic church. The sort of stranglehold that it had over  people,  and the way it treated women and girls. So that was important to me to grapple with.

And when I began the book, I had read around these issues and, you know, took that very seriously on the journey through the book. Because I like to write humor. I like to write funny things and nice sort of scenes and things. But definitely I found myself drawn to that this time round definitely (and in previous books as well) the kind of heavier side. Somebody said to me, the dark with the light. That's what life's about really, you know, it's not all sweetness and light.

Pam: [00:31:03] I think it helps the readers relate to the characters too. And like you say, having those secrets or something in the past that you don't reveal up front, you've got to keep reading to find out what it is that they're keeping secret. What it is that they're hiding or feeling uncomfortable about. And I think that's part of drawing the reader in too, isn't it?

Esther: Hmm, definitely.

Pam: Declan. You mentioned him before as maybe not such a nice character. He’s a bit sleazy, isn't he, at times? Likes to ogle the women and things. How did you go writing him because  he does come across as a really interesting character?

Esther: [00:31:37] Well, I'm so glad you say that because he appeared in the previous novel in The House of Second Chances, and he was one of the ones that one of the editors recommended I cut. And I thought: I'm just going to see what I can do with him.

He's an awful eejit in the beginning, you know. He is misogynistic and always has a desperate lifestyle, you know, ordering UberEATS and drinking too much red wine. As you say, a bit of a sleaze. But there's a heart in there, you know, like he’s not all bad.

So I definitely loved writing him and in particular he's one of these people who shows up and can't be bothered with people. He's not into the deep and meaningfuls or anything like that. That's not what he went there for, but he just strike a bit of a connection with Mick the guy who comes from Tasmania and I loved writing that relationship.

Pamela: [00:32:36] Friendship between two men.

Esther: [00:32:40] Yes. I don't think I had it before or as in depth anyway.

Pamela: [00:32:46] Did you feel that you were exploring different sorts of issues or going deeper into some issues in this novel Esther than you have in your previous ones?

Esther: [00:32:53] I think probably the particular issues that I chose challenged me more for sure. And I feel there's a kind of a braveness required, a kind of courage required, when you're writing about these issues because … you were talking about the relate-ability of books and characters. Well, I think there is a responsibility to deal with issues in a certain way as well. In a kind of careful way I suppose. I just enjoyed the opportunity of writing about things close to my heart at times and things that are important to me. I think that's one of the privileges of writing. Well, I mean, I only write fiction, but you know, just teasing out some of those issues and how painful it can be for people, but also the themes around reconciliation and in particular forgiveness, and human kindness. These sorts of traits that I suppose somewhere we all have.

Pamela: [00:34:01] Yes. And for some people you have to dig a bit deeper to find them, but they're there.

Esther: [00:34:05] Yeah. Some people you're mining for them J

Pamela: [00:34:09] I think you do a lovely job of that. I wanted to ask: you have a cover quote from Cathy Kelly who is one of the most popular women's fiction authors probably going around, and has been for some time. And your stories have been likened to those of Maeve Binchey and Monica McInerney. How do you feel about those sorts of comparisons?

Esther: [00:34:28] A bit terrified to be quite honest! I mean, you know, I don't think I read a Monica McInerney until I'd moved to Australia, but certainly I love Monica McInerney's books, in particular The House of Memories. Oh I just love that! Anyway Maeve Binchy was a household name of course in Ireland. I remember my mother having a copy of Light a Penny Candle which came out in 1982 when I would have been in my teens. So she was pretty much like a larger than life character in Ireland. So, to be in my forties, and now my fifties and for my writing to be compared to hers, I just find that phenomenal.

I mean, I absolutely will say, there will never be another Maeve Binchy, but to come anywhere close for readers in terms of the enjoyment they get out of the book, is absolutely amazing.

Pam: [00:35:41] It must be a huge honor to be in put into that box with those authors who you've read and loved. And a great way for you to see where your books fit too, in terms of readership.

Esther: [00:35:58] Absolutely. Yes. And I was talking earlier on about the blank canvas and being terrified every time you start a new book…

But you know, kind of beside that is that kind of encouragement, and that is the honor of being mentioned in the same sentence as these people. The encouragement  that you can take from that. You  mentioned Cathy Kelly earlier. I flipped her an email this morning just to say, thanks a million for staying with my books - you know she's on the cover of this one again. She’s just a phenomenal writer. Her 21st book is coming out in April and this is my third. And I just think, wow!  It just feels very unworthy.

Pamela: [00:36:49] Just keep going, keep going.

Esther: I have some catching up to do definitely!

Pam: But it's great. As you say, it's sort of inspiration, isn't it for us to keep going.

Esther: [00:37:03] I think you just have to keep going. I mean, like, you know, you can look at it two ways. Is it inspiration or is it desperate pressure to get there? But yeah, it's lovely. Lovely.

Pamela: [00:37:11] Let's go with the inspiration.

Esther: [00:37:12] I think definitely

Pamela: [00:37:14] Before we start wrapping up, what have been for you the best things about having your books published and what have been some of the challenges, if any, that you've found in being a published author?

Esther: [00:37:27] Well the best thing ever about being a published author is the connections to people generally, but in particular people that I would have been close to, you know, maybe when I was in my teens and my twenties and that kind of thing. You know, we've got this thing to kind of connect us (not that we ever needed that really  but I just love that). And even people I don't know, people say nice things about you. I think the world needs the kind of encouragement that we give each other, you know? I guess the nicest thing is connecting with people above everything.

You know the conversation we're having now…. you and I met at a Romance Writers of Australia conference a few years ago. And it's those kind of moments, touch points, where you meet somebody that you connect with. You're kind of like-minded, you're doing a similar thing.

And then this is giving us an opportunity to reconnect with each other which is great. So any particular challenges of being a published author? I think definitelythe kind of the pressure to produce another book. I mean, as I was saying earlier a lot of that is in your own head. I think the most important thing about writing is to just sit down and do it really  and I get over yourself.

Pam: J And you said you are working on another book at the moment?

Esther: Fairly early stages I'm, you know. And this is the other thing about comparing yourself to other people. I mean, I could sit here and say: Oh well you know, it's terrible, I should have another one just drafted by now or whatever. But that doesn't help you. It doesn't help me anyway. So I am chipping away as ever. I am contracted for another  book, I'm very happy with two two-book deals so far and this fourth novel is in the works. It's in the pipeline.

Pamela: [00:39:37] Brilliant. That's exciting.

Esther: [00:39:39] Not saying too much about it, probably because I don't actually know too much about it. J

Pamela: [00:39:44] Early days, for sure. Well Esther, I've really enjoyed reading A Week to Remember, and I know that people who have loved your earlier books are going to love it. And anybody who loves a lovely, warm, cozy read with great characters and interesting life situations and seeing what happens when you put a whole bunch of strangers together. I think it's a wonderful premise.

Esther: [00:40:10] Thank you. Thanks a million for the opportunity.

Pamela: [00:40:14] It's been lovely to chat to you. Where would you recommend people find the book?

Esther: [00:40:21] It's actually out tomorrow.

Pamela: [00:40:23] Okay. So we're recording Monday the 22nd,so it's out on the 23rd February. Is it on audio as well?

Esther: [00:40:35] Well, I'm absolutely thrilled because this is the first book (of mine) that will be on an audio. So it's on Audible and it's on something else, on Kobo or something. But anyway have a google  and it should come up. Also the Hachette website is a good place to go or my Facebook page, or Instagram.

Pamela: [00:40:53] Yeah. Okay. And you haven't been hit by the Facebook gremlins?

Esther: [00:40:56] Listen that's a ridiculous debacle. Well, I'm touching wood really because it could have could be any of us.

Pamela: [00:41:04] The Writes4Women page has gone on Facebook. So I'm just in the process of trying to retrieve that. And hopefully they will realize it's not a news broadcasting page as such. So we will see what happens.

Esther: [00:41:17] Well good luck Pam because it's fabulous site. I've got a lot of encouragement really and tips and just the kind of: oh yeah, that happens to me sort of moments. And, and the lovely insights into books that you like in particular, Monica McInerney's interview about The Godmothers.  I haven't read it yet, but I love that interview.

Pam: [00:41:48] Thanks. Esther, I'm glad that you're getting so much out of it. And of course the podcast itself hasn't been affected, it's just the disseminating of information via the Facebook page. But it works on Instagram and the website of course is great to have.

So it's been fabulous to talk to you. Where can people can find you on Facebook? Are you also on Instagram?

Esther: [00:42:12] I'm only on facebook and instagram.  I find it's probably enough for me.

Pam: [00:42:18] Plenty to manage. Okay. Well, all the best with the book. I hope it just goes flying off the shelves for you.

Esther: [00:42:26] Thanks a million. Thanks so much, Pam. Thank you. Bye.

Pamela: [00:42:31] Thanks for listening to Writes4Women. I hope you've enjoyed my chat with this week's guest. If you did, I'd love it if you could add a quick rating or review wherever you get your podcasts, so others can more easily find the episodes. Don't forget to check out the backlist on the Writes4Women website - so much great writing advice in the library there. And you can also find the transcript of today's chat on the website, too.

And you can connect with me through the website at Writes4Women.com  on Instagram and Twitter at @w4wpodcast,  or the Facebook page Writes4Women .

Find me and my writing at pamelacook.com.au.

Thanks for listening. Have a great week.

And remember every word you write your one word closer to typing the end.