Ask the Author: Claire Fuller
Answered Questions (40)
Claire Fuller
Hi, I'm afraid I can't give out personal email addresses, but you'll be able to find a general email address from their website: https://www.lutyensrubinstein.co.uk/l...
Thanks,
Claire
Thanks,
Claire
Claire Fuller
Actually, I wanted the book to be called something like (I've forgotten it exactly) - Thursday afternoon about three fifteen pm. But everyone (editor, agent) etc said that wouldn't work. It was too long and no one would remember it. My foreign rights agent came up with Swimming Lessons and it just seemed to work.
Claire
Claire
Claire Fuller
Hi, you would have to first find an Arabic publisher who wanted to publish the book. They would need to make an offer for the Arabic rights to my literary agent, and the Arabic publisher would commission you to translate it from English.
Best,
Claire
Best,
Claire
Claire Fuller
Hello Andrea,
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Unsettled Ground. It's hard for me to know which of my previous books to recommend - they're all very different. Perhaps start from the first and work your way forward? So that would be Our Endless Numbered Days.
Thanks,
Claire
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Unsettled Ground. It's hard for me to know which of my previous books to recommend - they're all very different. Perhaps start from the first and work your way forward? So that would be Our Endless Numbered Days.
Thanks,
Claire
Claire Fuller
Hi Esme,
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Our Endless Numbered Days. It's hard to say where story or plot come from, because I don't plan my books in advance. I tend to start with a person in a place and write to see what happens. In this case, I started somewhere in the middle with Peggy crossing the river with her father. Once I realised I needed them to be in the woods for a while I went back to the beginning so that I could make sure that he had some survival skills, and it all unravelled from there.
I hope you enjoy the other two as much!
Best wishes and happy reading,
Claire
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Our Endless Numbered Days. It's hard to say where story or plot come from, because I don't plan my books in advance. I tend to start with a person in a place and write to see what happens. In this case, I started somewhere in the middle with Peggy crossing the river with her father. Once I realised I needed them to be in the woods for a while I went back to the beginning so that I could make sure that he had some survival skills, and it all unravelled from there.
I hope you enjoy the other two as much!
Best wishes and happy reading,
Claire
Claire Fuller
Hello Vanessa,
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Bitter Orange. I created my own playlist from Leonard Cohen's songs, and chose all the melancholic ones which seemed to suit the mood of the book. And I chose the albums that Peter buys firstly because they were released at an appropriate date, and because they're albums I know well and love. I do often sneak in things that I personally particularly like or am intrigued by into a book (like raining fish in Swimming Lessons). But, I don't know if you know, song lyrics are copyrighted, and it would have cost a lot of money for Cara and Peter to sing the words to America by Simon and Garfunkel when they're on the roof, so to get around this, I had them get the words wrong!
Best wishes and happy reading,
Claire
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Bitter Orange. I created my own playlist from Leonard Cohen's songs, and chose all the melancholic ones which seemed to suit the mood of the book. And I chose the albums that Peter buys firstly because they were released at an appropriate date, and because they're albums I know well and love. I do often sneak in things that I personally particularly like or am intrigued by into a book (like raining fish in Swimming Lessons). But, I don't know if you know, song lyrics are copyrighted, and it would have cost a lot of money for Cara and Peter to sing the words to America by Simon and Garfunkel when they're on the roof, so to get around this, I had them get the words wrong!
Best wishes and happy reading,
Claire
Claire Fuller
Hi Jennifer,
Firstly, thanks so much! Often the book I write next feels like a response to do something different from the previous book, even if in very subtle ways: so the one I've just finished - Unsettled Ground - doesn't have multiple timelines as all the others do, and I tried to write a 'nice' mother, although I'm not sure I really succeeded! The way I write seems to be the same though - start with a person in a place and write forward, editing a little as I go until I reach the end and realise what the book is about. And then another year of editing.
Firstly, thanks so much! Often the book I write next feels like a response to do something different from the previous book, even if in very subtle ways: so the one I've just finished - Unsettled Ground - doesn't have multiple timelines as all the others do, and I tried to write a 'nice' mother, although I'm not sure I really succeeded! The way I write seems to be the same though - start with a person in a place and write forward, editing a little as I go until I reach the end and realise what the book is about. And then another year of editing.
Claire Fuller
Ahh, thank you so much. I'm working on (hopefully) nearly a final draft of my fourth book at the moment, but I'm afraid I don't have any date to give you for publication. Once I know, I'll be announcing it on my newsletter, so you might like to sign up to my mailing list via www.clairefuller.co.uk
Thanks, and happy reading!
Claire
Thanks, and happy reading!
Claire
Claire Fuller
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Claire Fuller
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Claire Fuller
Hi Laurie,
It was a couple of things. I wrote a piece of flash fiction (100-word short story) about man looking through a hole in a ceiling rose to a woman in the flat below. I thought it would be really interesting to write a story about a woman looking at a man.
And around the same time I was reading No Voice from the Hall by John Harris, about the times in the 1940s and 50s that he had broken into decaying English country houses to have a snoop around.
And so Bitter Orange was started.
Thanks for the question.
Claire
It was a couple of things. I wrote a piece of flash fiction (100-word short story) about man looking through a hole in a ceiling rose to a woman in the flat below. I thought it would be really interesting to write a story about a woman looking at a man.
And around the same time I was reading No Voice from the Hall by John Harris, about the times in the 1940s and 50s that he had broken into decaying English country houses to have a snoop around.
And so Bitter Orange was started.
Thanks for the question.
Claire
Claire Fuller
Thanks! Yes, I do have book club questions for Bitter Orange. If you and email me via this form: https://clairefuller.co.uk/contact/ I'll be able to send them to you. Claire
Claire Fuller
That's so hard! But here's an attempt:
Our Endless Numbered Days - Survival
Swimming Lessons - Dysfunction
Bitter Orange - Loneliness
If you've read any, what word would you use?
And yes, I'm working on my 4th...slowly.
Our Endless Numbered Days - Survival
Swimming Lessons - Dysfunction
Bitter Orange - Loneliness
If you've read any, what word would you use?
And yes, I'm working on my 4th...slowly.
Claire Fuller
Hello Allison,
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Swimming Lessons, and thank you in advance for Our Endless Numbered Days. I suppose I would say that the book I've written most recently is my favourite - Bitter Orange - which will be published later this year.
Thanks, and happy reading.
Claire
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Swimming Lessons, and thank you in advance for Our Endless Numbered Days. I suppose I would say that the book I've written most recently is my favourite - Bitter Orange - which will be published later this year.
Thanks, and happy reading.
Claire
Claire Fuller
Dear Abhinav,
Don't worry. I don't have any plans to write a sequel of Our Endless Numbered Days. Too many new ideas to do that.
Thanks,
Claire
Don't worry. I don't have any plans to write a sequel of Our Endless Numbered Days. Too many new ideas to do that.
Thanks,
Claire
Claire Fuller
Well, that's up to you. I tried to write a book like the ones Gil talks about - where the reader is as important at the writer, and the reader is allowed to fill in the gaps. So, instead, I'll ask you - do you think the woman by the Agglestone is Ingrid?
Claire Fuller
Hello Kate,
What a lovely message. Thank you so much. I'm delighted that you got a complete copy of Our Endless Numbered Days. I'm still hoping that the book might be published in Russia.
Best wishes,
Claire
What a lovely message. Thank you so much. I'm delighted that you got a complete copy of Our Endless Numbered Days. I'm still hoping that the book might be published in Russia.
Best wishes,
Claire
Claire Fuller
Hello Karly,
Oliver gives James the map of die Hutte's location, and tells him that there's a gun there. I think what you mean by the magical qualities is James' idea that there are so many fish in the river that you can put your hand in and scoop one out? The idea that everything will be perfect there. That is just James' idealism: he wants it to be wonderful.
And the location of the hut isn't specified (because the novel is from Peggy's point of view and she doesn't know where it is), but she does end up in a village in Germany. So it is probably in the Bavarian Forest, or possibly even into the forest on the Czech side.
I hope that helps.
Claire
Oliver gives James the map of die Hutte's location, and tells him that there's a gun there. I think what you mean by the magical qualities is James' idea that there are so many fish in the river that you can put your hand in and scoop one out? The idea that everything will be perfect there. That is just James' idealism: he wants it to be wonderful.
And the location of the hut isn't specified (because the novel is from Peggy's point of view and she doesn't know where it is), but she does end up in a village in Germany. So it is probably in the Bavarian Forest, or possibly even into the forest on the Czech side.
I hope that helps.
Claire
Claire Fuller
Hi Hayley,
That's great to hear - please thank your friend! Could you drop me a line via my contact page and then I can email you the questions: https://clairefuller.co.uk/contact/
Thanks and best wishes,
Claire
That's great to hear - please thank your friend! Could you drop me a line via my contact page and then I can email you the questions: https://clairefuller.co.uk/contact/
Thanks and best wishes,
Claire
Claire Fuller
Hi Brittany, thanks so much for reading it, and sorry about the book-hangover! With Our Endless Numbered Days I decided to make Peggy about my age, and so it was appropriate that it was set (or started out) in the 1970s. Also I think it would be too easy for Peggy and James to be found if they had been in the forest more recently. The dates that Swimming Lessons is set happened by accident: I started writing it from Gil's point of view in a more recent time, but then realised I wanted to go back to when he and Ingrid met, and doing the calculation for the ages they were took me back to the 1970s. Thanks for the question!
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