12/10/05 - Freya North
Freya North began her writing career whilst temping at a family run business in Muswell Hill. In her spare time (set aside religiously for this very pursuit) she was allowing Chloe, the heroine of her second novel, to run away with the plot. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, since Freya's approach to writing is to allow the characters free rein of their own lives. The problem lay in Freya's first novel, Sally, a romp to rival Jilly Cooper: 'A primary school teacher from Highgate, Sally's decided to re-invent herself as femme fatale and all-round sex-goddess. Goodbye Laura Ashley: au revoir M & S undies; hello Erica Jong.'
After four years writing, Freya had suffered every rejection she could have imagined. Starting her path with publishers had yielded no results. Similarly, trawling for agents had come up with nothing positive. In fact if it weren't for the fact that Freya is dedicated to her writing something that is most evident; passion ekes from her and is so self-confident that when she was told: 'You can't start a book like this!', She put it in her mind that clearly she could, since she had, and chances were that if this agent didn't like it, then there had to be one that did.
As it turns out, her father has only ever read twenty-one words of Sally well, of all her books actually. He couldn't quite get past the twenty-second, and neither, it seems, could that agent. But with heroes the likes of Jilly Cooper and Jackie Collins, how else should she write?
It is clear that Freya has very little love for the people who can make or break a writer's dream. Regardless of the fact that even were she not published she would still be whittling away the small hours at her keyboard, those first rejections are still with her. She was quite vehement about the fact that in her experience agents and publishers offer new writers no help at all and are far from supportive as they throw back rejected manuscripts with some cryptic or scornful remark. All it seemed, back in early 1996, was lost.
So, it was whilst temping in Muswell Hill (she had long ago made her mind up to work for one month temping and take a week off to write), and whilst she wrote her second novel, Chloe, that she scandalously wrote to the bigwig agency, Curtis Brown and declared, without apology, her arrival. Accompanying her submission was a page of quotes from the Sunday Times, Jilly Cooper and Germaine Greer (amongst others) about her book. None of these quotes were true... ahem. Fate coincided with luck, coincided with confidence, coincided with skill.
She was accepted, though the truth had to come out about those comments since her new agent knew everyone she had quoted. And, it was whilst she temped that Curtis Brown began a bidding war and everything snowballed. Ultimately it came down to the publishing house who wanted to gossip about the characters, not the one that had forked out quite a lot of money on heart-shaped balloons, roses, and, all manner of unnecessaries.
So, where is she now? Seven books down the line, almost ten years on from her debut; this miniature beauty is presenting her history to almost fifty fans. Behind her, Ottakers have a selection of books, waiting to be snatched up and signed; outside sits her personal driver and to the right of where I'm sitting, her publicist, Sophie, is as attentive as the rest of us. This is the tip of an iceberg, behind which the publicising wheels are churning.
Having worked for Waterstones and always wanting to be in the business, Sophie was asked to join an independent literary-publicist company. Working independently from both agent and publisher, Sophie has supported Freya for five years, ensuring transitions and new releases are managed to their maximum potential and with the greatest of ease. As Freya explained, she is presently in a typical position, her last book is just coming out in paperback, she is in the editing stage of her next one, due out next April, and already a new heroine is trying to bustle in through the door and introduce herself. A three week slot of interviews, touring and speaking at libraries all has to be filled and choreographed to maximise the publicity machine.
Freya absolutely blossoms as she discusses her love for her career and also for being able to gossip about her characters. She loves the research, and the blank canvas, the new characters forming in her mind and the tax-deductible travel. What she doesn't like is reaching the end. The end of a book, the saying goodbye to her heroine is so distressing that it leaves her feeling more than deflated, even with more bustling into her mind to be written about. It is clear that when engaged by her readers, she could discuss forever with them the characters, their loves, their choices, their futures.
Freya writes with no specific direction in mind. Letting her characters dictate the plot means that the only way she knows she has written the end is when the story itself tells her. The first inkling she has of the ending is her final full-stop, which, for someone who seems so in control, is quite amazing.
Take research for example. In Chloe, a book in which the heroine spends each of the seasons in one of the UK's four countries, Freya did indeed spend a season in each country. As a temp, and her first book yet to come out, she had a problem… money. Having managed research in England, Scotland and Wales, one country remained elusive. She simply couldn't afford to do it. How could she write about somewhere she'd never been?
A writer friend of Freya's had once written a book based in Coventry and had on more than one occasion referenced the river that ran through the city! 'A large river! In Coventry?' Exclaimed one Coventry based fan during a discussion. The writer hadn't been to Coventry and had simply used a road map to study locations. What she had thought was a river, was in fact the M6 corridor, a nice dark-blue line of motorway.
The release of Sally gave Freya enough money to pay for a trip to Ireland and from there she was able to complete her second novel. Freya will not let research be her downfall. On every project, before the birth of her children, she had her own writing room, now a baby bedroom. This room would be decked from wall to wall in pictures relating to her latest book: in Cat it was the Tour de France (all pulsing thighs and toned calves), in Pip it was clowns. Her friends would crowd around to see the yearly change marked by the start of a new book.
The key to good research, as demonstrated by Freya, is by ingratiating yourself with people in a particular field, or going out on a limb to understand the reality. She undertook pottery classes to appreciate the feel of clay, promised riders on the Tour de France seduction scenes in Cat in return for full access to them throughout the competition. She's even taken a calling card from a phone box and dialled a prostitute all in the name of research: 'I don't want any of your services, sorry. I'd just like to talk with you.'
It isn't all plain sailing however. Just take a peek at the randomness of her book covers. Freya had once taken a job selecting book covers and prided herself on her ability. Coming into the book world from the author's point of view meant that full control would ultimately be passed onto the publishers. But then, Freya hasn't even a clue about what to call her novels that too is left up to the publishers 'It's called Sally! Great!'
The first release of her books came out with the names cut into the cover; a nightmare for the stockists with the amount of characters dropping off or tearing, but Freya admits that the style was more preferable to that currently on the reprints, which are a little more fun and fancy free (dare we say Chick-lity?). Yet, this is all far more preferable to atrocities abound in foreign parts. It is a wonder that some get published abroad at all.
Freya isn't in it for the fame and fortune however, her writing is her all. Asked if she has any wishes for her works to be filmed and her reply is the antithesis of most. Talking of story writers and screenplay writers, Freya sees a distinct difference. You are either one or the other, and there are a few writers who she knows that specifically write in a certain way in order to get it up on screen. Freya has no desire for this, though had no complaints when one television company snapped up Pip and paid Freya £5000 every six months just so that she wouldn't show it to anyone else.
If it is a taste of how easy Freya's books are to read, arriving home with a signed copy of Love Rules (for my wife), she picked it up to have a flick and started reading almost immediately.
Love Rules has just been released in paperback.
Pip was released back in 2004
And, her next one is due out in April, 2006.
- Richard Howse.
Freya North at Whitegrove Library on Wednesday, 12th October 2005 at 7.00pm.
Freya North gave up a PhD to write her first novel, Sally, in 1991. In 1995 she sent three chapters and a page of completely fabricated reviews to literary agents, and met with success: five publishers entered a bidding war for her books. In 1996 Sally was published to great acclaim and Freya was heralded as a fresh voice in fiction. Her next books, Chloe, Polly, Cat, Fen and Pip, were all bestsellers. Freya lives in London with her family. Freya North has been at the forefront of feisty female fiction since 1996. Love Rules, her 7th novel, is her sexiest to date. Her distinctive style, believable characters, forthright approach to sex scenes and stories told with energy and sophistication make Freya stand out from the crowd and give her bestsellers their enduring appeal.
Praise for ‘Love Rules’
‘A sassy, feel-good read’ Cosmopolitan
‘An addictive read that encompasses the stuff life is made of: love, sex, fidelity and, above all, friendship.’ Glamour
‘Steamy, funny and readable’ New Woman
‘Tantrums, tarts, tears and text-sex…. what’s not to love about this cautionary tale for true romantics’? Heat
‘An emotive novel that deals with the darker side of love’ She
This promises to be a most entertaining evening for all fans of contemporary women's fiction. Freya's latest novel, 'Love Rules' is out in paperback in October but is available in hardback in Bracknell Forest Libraries now.
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