Clare Mackintosh replies to Zeta

A very beloved author accepted to reply in our blog in Greece, so that we can get to know her a little more. She is the award-winning author of the bestsellers I let you go, I see you and Let me Lie. I am really honored than I’m hosting ClareMackintosh! A good friend of mine, Veny, first introduced me in her writing and I really loved her, so I want to thank her very much.

ClareMackintosh worked as a police officer for 12 years, until she decided to share her experiences as stories. She has also worked as a social media consultant and journalist, and was the founder of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. She is now one of the most successful crime writers, as her books have surpassed 2 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 35 languages.

Her new book, After the End, is already being translated into 17 languages and is being published in Greece by Metaichmio Publications. It is a deeply moving social novel, very different from the detective novels that have established her. Powerful and full of hope, is the most moving book you will read this year! See more about her and her books at https://claremackintosh.com/.

I want to thank her very much for this very beautiful interview and I wish her good luck both in her new book and in everything else she is up to!

  If you were not so famous, how would you introduce yourself? Who are you?

I’m Clare Mackintosh, mum of three, gardener, wild swimmer, writer.

What’s your motivation in life?

Writing is a huge driving factor in my life, and I’m not good at taking time off. When I go on holiday I love the break for about a week or ten days, but then I’m itching to start writing again. I write because I have stories to tell, but I also write because I have a family to support – ultimately, they’re the reason I work so hard.

 

  Where you get inspiration for your books?

From all over the place… Sometimes it’s a real life incident (as it was for I Let You Go and Let Me Lie) and sometimes it’s a concept (as it was for I See You: the realization that routine makes you predictable, and therefore puts you in danger).

 

  Tell us about your last book “After the end” and is there something new in progress?

After the End came from a very difficult time in my life. My son was critically ill, and the doctors asked us to make a decision. Did we want to fight for his survival, accepting that he would be severely brain-damaged, or did we want to remove him from intensive care and let him die? I asked the doctor what would happen if my husband and I disagreed, and she said ‘you have to agree: the alternative is unthinkable.’ After the End is a book about the unthinkable. It’s about a couple who love each other very much, but who love their son more, and what different futures for him. It’s also a book about learning to live again, after a crisis, and finding a new way to be happy.

My next book is completely different. It’s a locked-room thriller, set on a non-stop flight from London to Sydney. I’m very excited about it.

 

  Success has no secrets. Hard work, consternation, persistence.  What is your version of success? What did you do to achieve your goals?

I work very hard and I’m very goal-focused, which means I regularly take time to work out what my aims are and how I’m going to get there. I also believe strongly in giving out what you’d like back, which means spending a significant amount of my time reading books by new writers, mentoring or championing them. Creating a strong, supportive industry is a good thing for everyone – including readers!

 

  Has been there a time when your «bad» self tried to prevent an important step and how did you deal with it?

I’d love to have a dramatic story to share with you, here, but I don’t have one! I’m a big believer in trusting your instinct when it comes to making decisions, and I’m comfortable with the choices I’ve made.

 

  What’s your future plans or dreams?

I plan to continue writing books. I don’t want to restrict myself to any specific genre (I think a good story is a good story, whatever shelf it sits on), and I’d love to try some screen writing or maybe even a play. I’d like to achieve a better work life balance, but if my life in ten years’ time looks the way it does now, I’ll be very happy.

 

 

  What is your personal motto of life?

Be nice.

 

  If you had one advise to give to your younger self, what would that be?

Do exactly what you’re doing.

 

  Tell us something optimistic that helps you face the difficulties of your life, that might be helpful to someone else too.

Whenever I find myself at a particular low point, I find the best possible thing I can do, is to do something for someone else. Write a card, buy some flowers, drop a cake on their doorstep. The act takes you outside your own worries, which immediately makes them smaller.

 

And a reader’s question:

  Your books always have twists that you really don't expect. Literally your jaw drops. How easy/anxious it is to find the upheaval that will "drive" the reader crazy?

It’s really hard! I don’t want any of my books to follow the same structure, so I generally look at the ‘shape’ of them first. Next, I develop my characters, and some of the twists come at that stage. Always, between the first draft and the second, I think of something else that will surprise the reader, and I keep playing with the story right up to the moment it goes to print.

K.K.