Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of The Lost Girls!

(Australian readers only – sorry) Draw closes midnight (Eastern Standard Time) Friday 7th March

Draw closed: Winner chosen by Random.org. Congratulations Meryl!

It’s one of those eerie days you sometimes get at the height of summer. Not a breath to stir the trees or a cloud to soften the sun’s bite. Even the gulls are silent. I’m glad I arranged to meet my guest at Ferber’s corner store – one of those old-time shops tucked among the homes of suburbia. Longer than it is wide, every wall is lined with pocket-money goodies and necessary household items, and way down the back, behind the magazine racks, where it’s cool and dark and private, is a pinball machine. Join me as I chat to today’s guest, award winning literary suspense writer Wendy James.

RH: Wendy James, Welcome to Writers’ Block. Your newest offering, The Lost Girls, was released on 28th February. Congratulations! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your thoughts with us. Besides gripping me from the first page, The Lost Girls made me nostalgic for the 70’s, so I hope you like my re-creation of Ferber’s corner store complete with pinball machine and cold bottles of coke. I did think about taking us to BragBar, but thought it best to avoid it in case we run into that dubious creature, Dustin. So do you feel like chatting over a coke and game of pinball?

WJ: Thanks so much for the invite, Rowena. I might have to forgo the Coke, as it seems to play havoc with my sleep these days. And I hope you’re not expecting any sort of a pinball wizard… Actually, how about a cup of tea and a crossword?

RH: Of course, no diet or sugar free coke in the 70s! *what was I thinking?* I’m sure Mrs Ferber will scare us up a cup of tea and she might even treat us to a few Monte Carlo’s *eager to discover if they did taste better in the 70s*.

RH: Your books have received many accolades. Out of the Silence won the 2006 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Crime fiction and was shortlisted for the Nita May Dobbie Award for women’s writing. All of your books are consistently rated four and five stars by reviewers. Your 2013 novel, The Mistake, held me until the very last page when you made me gasp in shock! And now you’ve released another gripping tale, The Lost Girls. Congratulations on your success. *raises dainty teacup in salute* Tell us a little about your latest novel.

WJ: I’m really finding this novel weirdly difficult to summarise satisfactorily – it seems to be about so many things. But here goes: The Lost Girls is about the murder of two teenage girls, and the terrible aftermath of their deaths – about the way ordinary families can be broken by such tragic and terrifying loss.  As well as revealing the story of the victims it also tells the story of those who were left. It’s a story of suspense, but it’s also a story about adolescence, and midlife crises. It‘s a story about the way our lives continue to be shaped by past events – and the way secrets have a habit of coming back to haunt us….

RH: That seems to cover it! *laughs* I loved the way you revealed the ripples of Angie’s murder. Who Angie was and what happened are central to the story, and the emergence of her character is almost wraithlike. It’s not until all the various memories of her are stitched together that we really understand her. Share with us why you decided to reveal Angie in this way? Did you have a clear idea of her when you began writing, or did her character develop as you wrote?

WJ: I’m always really intrigued by the way all our individual narratives of our lives work – where they clash and where they overlap – and why. When those narratives involve people who aren’t around any more – especially those who, like Angie, have died young – you assume the narratives are all going to be rose-tinted. I wanted to play around with a complex character like Angie, who could be viewed as both a tragic heroine and an adolescent ‘femme fatale’ – and show how these perspectives might not be simple or innocent or objective, but might be projections of others’ desires. I think each of those character’s impressions and memories of Angie tells us as much about the characters themselves as they do about Angie…  I didn’t really have a fixed idea of Angie when I began – all I knew was that she was young, pretty, and that she died right at the age where you begin to discover who you might be.

RH: The wound of Angie’s murder is reopened by Erin, a journalist exploring the impact of murder upon families. There is a great sense of rising dread when Jane opens up to this virtual stranger about something of which the entire family has never spoken. Jane must feel it too because she doesn’t admit to her family what she is doing. Erin is an enigmatic figure but as Angie’s character is revealed so is Erin’s and we discover there is much more behind her questions than simple curiosity. Tell us a little about Erin and why you decided to use her as a way into Angie’s story.

WJ: Ah. Erin was one of those fantastic characters who just appear without warning, take over the narrative, and end up being crucial in every way. Initially the interviewer was going to be very marginal, just there to provide the questions, a catalyst for memory. Fortunately for everyone, Erin became quite insistent that HER story – the story of her family tragedy – be told.

RH: Erin grew to become one of my favourite characters. As did Michael. *still a sucker for those who need rescuing* As the family opens up to Erin we are drawn into their past and their present. Some of their memories of Angie and what happened are told looking down through time. Others are told as if we are back in 1978. You’ve also used newspaper articles and verbatim transcripts of Erin’s interviews. It comes together well and you manage to create vivid images, sometimes with very little description. Why did you choose this structure, and how did you decide between scenes of hindsight and those that took us right there?

WJ: The idea for the transcripts came from my day job – I’ve spent some time as a research assistant typing up interviews with various people for biographies and histories. I love the way spoken narratives loop back and forth, gradually building up a never-quite-complete picture, and it seemed like a great way to quickly get different versions of a story told while subtly revealing character. The flashback scenes are there as a foil to the transcripts – showing in more depth, and of course less partially – what actually happened.

RH: The way you played with point of view was a real lesson for me – so your novel isn’t just a great read it’s also instructive!

RH: The story takes place in Curl Curl, New South Wales, both in the present day and in 1978. The scenes in the late 70s are alive with the feel of that time – pinball, Angie’s surfer chick look, the boys sneaking cigarettes when the parents weren’t around, the lazy school holidays when time seemed endless. When Jane mentioned Sounds Unlimited it rocketed me right back to my lounge room on Saturday mornings! You’ve really captured the feel of beachside adolescence in those days. How much research did you need to do to bring this time alive, and what type of resources were most helpful?

WJ: I did a bit of research – reading old magazines and newspapers – but for this era I actually relied on my own memory quite a bit. I was pretty much Jane’s age in 1978 – and I think for most of us the era of our own adolescence remains indelibly imprinted in our memories.  In particular, I can remember desperately admiring those girls who were just that little bit older: girls who had boobs and boyfriends and string bikinis.

RH: *remembers those heady days of longing to grow up* Actually, I’m still envious of those girls in bikinis…

RH: At the heart of The Lost Girls is a shocking crime. Rather than show Angie’s death as the opening scene, you weave her disappearance and the aftermath of her death into family drama. I loved this way of telling Angie’s story. We get to know the family, particularly Jane, who worshiped her cousin and still feels her loss. It could have been easy to lose Angie among the present day concerns of Jane and her family, but you manage to keep her central by marbling clues to her throughout the story, which also heightened the tension. How did you manage to find the balance between family drama and Angie’s murder? When do you add those hooks to raise the tension – do these emerge organically with the story, or do you need to consciously add them once the first draft is done?

WJ: They generally emerge organically. My writing is rarely chronological – I write a whole bunch of scenes and then stitch them together when I think I’ve got it all and then add in the missing parts. There’s usually quite a bit of shuffling and reordering involved, as well as rewriting. It’s a very messy (and sometimes terrifying) process – but it seems to have worked for me so far.

RH: I’ll say! Jane Griffin is the primary narrator, yet we learn about Angie through multiple points of view as Erin interviews each family member. For me one of the most emotive – perhaps even harrowing – scenes is when Jane relates Michael’s reaction the night Angie vanished. Jane hero-worshipped her older cousin, but adolescent Michael loved her. Why did you decide to have Jane show this rather than put us inside Michael’s head at the time? How did you manage to capture Michael’s emotion and still stay true to Jane’s point of view?

WJ: I’ve given Jane’s perspective for most of the flashbacks, and it seemed logical to give her perspective of this terrible time, rather than Mick’s. I hoped that Jane’s fear and confusion, in addition to her grief, would add to the pathos of the scene – she still has that feeling of somehow being left out, of not quite getting it, of not knowing the whole story. The reader, too, should be left feeling that there’s something else going on, something that the child Jane didn’t – couldn’t – see, and that the adult Jane still can’t quite grasp.

RH: Yes, Jane’s bewilderment, even as an adult, is very evident. I really felt sorry for that little girl she’d been. For me, the title of this book sums up the theme. Within the story of The Lost Girls is another young girl, murdered in a similar way, yet because of Angie’s death, Jane, her mother and Angie’s mother are also lost. In her own way Erin, too, is lost. How much was it a conscious decision to explore this theme? Can you share with us a little about what prompted you to explore such a theme in this novel?

WJ: I guess we all fear, not crime necessarily, but having our lives, our happy, safe, family lives, shattered by some terrible cataclysm.  Murder – and in particular a murder that remains unsolved – is about as shattering as it gets. From the outset I was very interested in examining not just the victim of the crimes, but the lives of those left behind. I wanted to see how or whether they could piece together their lives after such tragedy – in fact the novel was originally titled “The Aftermath”. The novel is set thirty years after the terrible events, and as the novel progresses it becomes more and more apparent that the impact of Angie’s death has continued – even before Erin starts asking questions. All of the characters in The Lost Girls are lost in some way, though by the end, with the bones of the mystery finally unearthed, I hope they’ve got a better chance at finding their way.

RH: I’d like to ask you about the periods in which your books are set. Out of the Silence was set in the early 1900s yet your more recent books are more contemporary. Why did you shift from historical to contemporary fiction? Did this change your approach to writing in any way?

WJ: I think I just get taken in by a story – my short stories, for instance, are set all over the place – some contemporary, others historical. I haven’t had a past era grab me of late – apart from the 70s, which my kids assure me is the dark ages – so I’m pretty sure the next few will be contemporary.  The Mistake, Where have you Been? and The Lost Girls were definitely written with suspense as an objective, and that certainly effects the structure and pace of the novel. But my two historical novels also involved revelations of plot and character … so I’m not sure that I’m doing anything that’s all that different.

RH: *makes mental note to check out those short stories* You are not the only talented writer in your family. Your sister Rebecca James is also a writer of note. From my perspective, it must be nice to have someone so close who shares your passion. Does this shared interest help your creativity? For example, do you discuss your writing project with each other, or read early drafts?

WJ: It’s wonderful to have a sister in the writing game. We constantly read one another’s work and give each other numerous plot ideas (actually, she currently owes me one, I think).

RH: *laughs* Nice to know you’re not keeping score. Very sisterly!

WJ: We’re also very good at being honest with one another – if an idea is shit, or the writing’s not up to scratch, she’ll tell me, and vice versa. I also feel free to bore her with numerous drafts – which is something I wouldn’t subject anyone else to. 

RH: Honesty and a high tolerance for boredom – what more can you want? *grins* With your book just released your schedule must be hectic, and I imagine your publisher is eager for your next idea. So what’s next for Wendy James?

WJ: Another novel of domestic suspense. This time I’m setting it in Newcastle (where I live) and it involves children, bullying, and the nature/nurture debate.

RH: You certainly pack a lot into your novels – which is what makes them such a great read. *offers more tea and a Monte Carlo* After all this I hope you still have some energy left, Wendy, because it’s time for your …

RH: What is your all-time favourite book/movie?

WJ: Persuasion (today)

RH: What are you reading now?

WJ: I’m rereading some of Dorothy Eden’s gothic mysteries. I loved them as a teenager, and am interested in her very pared-down structure. I have to say that they’re feeling a little bit too pared down for my current taste *smiles*

RH: What is your favourite word?

WJ: Misled (but only when it’s mispronounced)

RH: *chuckles* What is your worst writing habit?

WJ: Not writing!

RH: What is the best bit of advice you ever got (about writing or life in general)?

WJ: Small steps. Keep walking.

RH: Thanks for joining us today, Wendy. Where can we find The Lost Girls and your other works?

WJ: The Lost Girls should be available in all good Australian bookstores, virtual and real. I have links to all my available books on my website: wendyjames.com.au

See Wendy James ‘in person’ talking to John Purcell of Booktopia about The Lost Girls.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of The Lost Girls!

(Australian readers only – sorry)

Draw closes midnight (Eastern Standard Time) Friday 7th March