A Chat with British Novelist Andrea Semple

Recently, Writer’s Break had the honor of speaking with British novelist Andrea Semple, the author of two romantic comedies, The Ex-Factor (Piatkus Books, May 2003) and most recently, The Make-Up Girl (Piatkus Books, July 2004).

Formerly a manager for one of the world’s largest nightclubs, Semple got her start in writing for the PR field, then went on to freelance for publications such as The Guardian and The Independent. Now a full-time novelist, Semple devotes most of her time to fiction.

Chosen as a Cosmopolitan magazine Book of the Month, Semple’s second novel, The Make-Up Girl, has been met with high praise. “A painfully funny debut novel,” says Heat. Company raves: “a red hot talent . . . the new Marian Keyes.”

Semple currently lives in Leeds, in the North of England, very near the village where the Bronte sisters wrote Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. She lives with her boyfriend, Matt, who is also a novelist.

Here’s what Semple had to tell Writer’s Break about her new book, The Makeup Girl, and her approach to writing.
How did you get your start as a writer?

My first job was in PR, which led to freelance journalism. From there I took the big risk of taking three months off work and writing a novel. It was a gamble, but it paid off.

Has your experience in journalism helped you at all with writing or researching your novels?

Yes and no. Journalism has certainly helped on the research side, but personally the fiction writing I do is very different from my journalism. Writing novels is the perfect antidote to writing for newspapers, because instead of having to worry that all your facts are right you can escape into your imagination.

Do you have a writing schedule?

I wish. I’m so disorganised! If my mum didn’t phone to wake me up every morning I’d probably never get out of bed! That said, when I’m in full flow I try and write 2,000 words a day. I try to get it done by lunch as my brain gets a bit foggy as the day goes on.

Describe your writing environment.

I write in a city centre apartment which isn’t perfect because it’s so noisy. Having said that, it’s great to have little breaks going around the shops.

What’s on your desk?

Paper, a computer, bills, a bank statement, a picture of my baby nephew and far too much clutter.

I’d imagine that having a boyfriend who is a fellow novelist would be wonderful. Similar goals. Similar passions and interests. Has this been your experience?

Overall, yes. It’s good because we read each others work and give feedback, but there’s always a little bit [of] competition — ‘my cover’s better than your cover’, that sort of thing!

What is your favorite part about writing? Your least?

The favourite part is when readers get in contact and say how much they enjoyed the novel, because writing is such a private thing that you never know how people will respond. To get emails from people from the other side of the world feels incredible. My least favourite bit is editing — I’m so bad at it because I never know which bits to chop.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so, how do you work through it?

I get writer’s block, because I’m scared of writing bad stuff, but I always try and feel the fear and write it anyway then go back through and cut it later if it’s rubbish.

Did you experience much rejection (with agents and/or publishers) before your first book, The Ex-Factor, was published?

Yes, I got about 5 rejection letters, some of which were positive enough for me to keep trying. Many said that chick-lit was dead, although time has proved them wrong. Anyway, I kept sending out to agents in London and eventually found the right agent for me. Don’t let rejections get you down — every writer you can think of has had a rejection letter at some point.

Tell us a little about your most recent novel, The Make-Up Girl.

The Make-Up Girl is about a young woman called Faith Wishart who makes things up in order to satisfy her mum’s high standards. She pretends she has a top PR job, when she works behind a make-up counter. And she invents a gorgeous lawyer boyfriend called Adam. The novel looks at Faith’s attempts to turn the lies into the truth and the lessons she learns along the way.

How did you come up with your heroine, Faith Wishart? Was she purely a figment of your imagination?

I wanted to write about a compulsive liar because that sort of character is perfect for comedy because of all the awkward situations. I suppose I know a lot of people, including myself, who feel or have felt a lot of pressure to match their parents’ or their friends’ idea of success, before really finding out what they want for themselves. I think a lot of people, especially young women, feel enormous pressure about both their careers and their love lives, and I wanted to look at where that pressure comes from.

How long did it take you to write The Make-Up Girl? The Ex-Factor?

The Ex-Factor took 3 months. The Make-Up Girl was closer to a pregnancy — just over 8 months.

How do you market your novels?

I promote my novels via my website, www.andreasemple.com, as well as with the stuff my publishers organise (book signings, interviews, magazine articles etc.). However, with my website I don’t just want to give people the hard sell so I devote a lot of the site to providing advice on writing and getting published. One way a lot of people hear about me is through my monthly Internet news letter which provides writing tips.

Why do you write?

Because I love it. I think fiction helps people — both writers and readers — make sense of the real world even as they escape it. By identifying with characters or situations, fiction acts as a kind of therapy.

What are some of your favorite writing books?

I think the most interesting book on writing I’ve ever read was Stephen King’s On Writing. I’m not a huge fan of his novels, but the book was the most honest and insightful account of how fiction is created that I’ve come across.

Do you have a favorite quote?

It’s probably the John Keats quote I use at the start of The Make-Up Girl — ‘Beauty is truth; and truth beauty/That is all we know on earth, and all we need to know.’ In the age of Nip/Tick it’s nice to be reminded of true beauty.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a third novel, called The Man from Perfect, which is about a girl who dumps her slobbish boyfriend for forgetting her birthday, then finds her perfect love match via a high-tech dating agency. So it’s Mr. Perfect versus Mr. Belch-during-sex.

What advice would you impart to aspiring novelists?

My main advice would be to write what you know. That doesn’t mean it has to be autobiographical, it just means choose something that you can provide real insight on. Writing is not about long words or groundbreaking ideas–it’s about being truly honest about thoughts and feelings. If you strip away the false stuff–how you would like characters to think or feel–and depict people with their faults, insecurities and contradictions, you’ve found the winning ticket.

Semple publishes Writing Tips, a witty ezine for writers. To subscribe, simply send a blank email to newsletter@andreasemple.com. You can also visit her web site at www.AndreaSemple.com.

Jennifer Minar is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the editor-in-chief of www.WritersBreak.com.  She can be contacted at jminar@writersbreak.com.