I was lucky enough to have some questions answered by Kayte Nunn the author of The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant

Where do you get your ideas?

Ideas are everywhere – it’s a case of tuning into them and sifting through, deciding what has a strong emotional appeal for me. The germ of the idea for this novel started with the story of my great-grandmother, who was admitted to a mental asylum in the 1930s as a young woman suffering from post-natal depression. I recently discovered that she never left, dying there many years later, something that struck me as desperately sad.

What is your writing process like?

I spend a lot of my spare time thinking about my characters, who they are, and what might happen to them – long walks really help with this. When I can see the opening scene in my head, I begin to write. I try and write most days, setting myself a word count goal and don’t let myself get up until I have achieved it. I do try and plan the story arc, and have a whiteboard with a grid that shows me what should be happening as the story unfolds.

What advice do you have for writers?

Block the internet/hide your phone and set aside dedicated time to sit and write – it needn’t be a lot of time, even an hour a day can add up. Show up for the work and never stop learning the craft.

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Being too anxious to submit a manuscript that is not ready (I know I made that mistake!).

How do you select the names of your characters?

I look at popular baby names for the year they were born and in the country they were born, often relying on gut feel for what is right – sometimes that changes part way into a novel. Other names might be ones I hear often around me. For the women’s names in The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, I chose the names of strong women from the bible – Esther, Rachel, Leah, Eve, for my main characters as they seemed appropriate for the theme of the book.

How many hours a day do you write?

It depends how well the writing is going, but I try and write in the hours my daughters are at school, so from 9-3, allowing an hour or so for exercise. Sometimes I slip away with my laptop for an hour or two at the weekends if I can as well. There are occasionally days when I don’t write, but having a deadline is like constantly having homework to do!

How do you balance being a writer and a reader?

I read in the evenings and weekends, and write during the day.

As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

For me it is plotting – ensuring that the plot holds together, and that the pace is right. Also that the dual timelines balance each other and that I maintain the tension – and don’t reveal events in one timeline before they’ve happened in the other.

What are you reading right now? Are you liking it?

I’ve recently inhaled The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker and loved it.

Thank you Kayte for taking the time to answer these questions.

xx Blue