I’m delighted to have Linda MacDonald in my hot seat chatting about Meeting Lydia. Here’s the new cover I promised to share with you in my review of the audiobook last month.
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I love this! It says so much. Before you read any further … from the image, what do you think the story is about?
Born and brought up in Cockermouth, Cumbria, Linda MacDonald has a degree in psychology and a PGCE in biology and science. She retired from teaching in 2012 in order to focus on writing, and has now published three novels with Matador. She lives in Beckenham, and travels to speak to various groups about the inspiration behind the Lydia series and the psychology of internet relationships.
Connect with Linda MacDonald
Twitter @LindaMac1
Facebook Page MeetingLydia
Author Interview
Hi Linda,
Welcome to Jera’s Jamboree.
Please summarise Meeting Lydia in 20 words or less.
Meeting Lydia is about midlife crises, internet relationships, jealousy, obsession and the long term effects of school bullying.
What was the idea/inspiration for your novel?
I was inspired soon after sending an email to a former classmate via Friends Reunited. When he replied, it began an exchange of emails that laid my own ghosts of past school bullying to rest. Afterwards, I thought if I spice up the reality, I may have a novel in the making. That is how Marianne, the main character, came to have a crush on Edward, the only boy in the class who was never horrible to her. Emailing him was therefore always going to have the potential for some interesting plotting.
Was there anything about your protagonist that surprised you?
Marianne struggles to forgive. I didn’t set out to make her this way, but discovered the trait retrospectively and then had to run with it in subsequent novels. She is slow to let go, not only of past hurts, but also the hurts that happen to her as the story unfolds. As in real life, this probably leads to more stress overall.
What scene did you enjoy writing the most Linda?
Marianne believes her husband’s colleague Charmaine has been trying to seduce him. A chance encounter on Greenwich Pier causes Marianne to confront Charmaine. This is overheard by her husband, her daughter and new boyfriend, and the man with Charmaine. I enjoyed letting Marianne release all her bottled-up emotions about how she felt. I’m sure there are many people who, in a similar position, wish they could do the same.
… and the hardest?
The scenes of school bullying, because these required revisiting my own experiences. A couple of readers have said they were waiting for something truly dreadful to happen to justify the extent of Marianne later insecurities. But anyone who has been bullied knows it is often the little things – the name-calling, the taking equipment and such like that happens on a daily basis – that have a cumulative and devastating effect.
If your book is part of a series, what is in the future?
Meeting Lydia started out as a single novel, but evolved first with the sequel A Meeting of a Different Kind and later The Alone Alternative completed the trilogy. I thought that was it, but one of the characters whose voice had been silent up until now said she wanted to be heard. And so book number 4 has now begun the publication process. Now that Meeting Lydia has become an audiobook, I would very much like to continue this with the others. However, that will very much depend on how well it sells.
Tell us more about Meeting Lydia tackling a social barrier.
Each of my novels tackles at least one issue that would come into this category. With Meeting Lydia, they are the long term effects of school bullying – and also the flakiness of the menopause, so little discussed. The bullying was part of Marianne’s childhood. The menopause is the place where she is now. Having had a largely happy marriage until this point, it is the hormonal signs of ageing that cause all her insecurities from the past to resurface and her marriage to reach a crisis.
What has been the best part of your writing journey so far Linda?
When readers (and now listeners) say they have enjoyed my writing. This can be from a comment on Twitter to a great review or feedback when I give one of my talks. I spent the first six months of 2015 dramatising A Meeting of a Different Kind for TV. It worked well. I renamed it Betrayal in Beckenham and sent it to Red Production Company who make Last Tango in Halifax. After a few weeks, I received a reply from the script reader, saying they liked it and would be discussing it with the script editor. I cried. This made all the hard work worthwhile. I remember being so hopeful. Alas, in the end they didn’t pursue it.
… and the worst?
The closed doors and frustration when being an independent author automatically means you’re not part of the club to be considered for reviews by the mainstream media or for a slot at a Literary Festival. First you have to prove yourself – but that is incredibly difficult unless people give you a chance.
You talked earlier about a fourth book Linda. Can you tell us more?
The Man in the Needlecord Jacket is due for release next May. This is the fourth book of what seems to be evolving into a series. But again there are new perspectives, new styles, new characters and new plots – although the existing plot continues to unfold in the background. The common theme is relationship dilemmas, in this case the difficulty in letting go of long-term destructive partnerships. There is also a touch of psychological abuse and the havoc caused by a narcissistic personality.
Finally, I have to ask … what are your thoughts on the audio version of Meeting Lydia?
Meeting Lydia is quite an introspective novel and lends itself to audio where the inner world of Marianne comes to life and the email exchanges with Edward take on new intensity. Harriet Carmichael is an excellent narrator and as I began listening to the chapters, I couldn’t wait to hear what she was going to do with all the characters. From the south-east London sixth-form students to Marianne’s friend, feisty Taryn, once I stopped hearing my own voice, I loved her interpretation. (I loved her intonations and pace – Harriet brings the characters and settings to life doesn’t she!)
Thank you for being my guest today Linda.
Looking forward to The Man in the Needlecord Jacket.
Wishing you success with the audiobook of Meeting Lydia and your creative projects.
Meeting Lydia is a book about childhood bullying, midlife crises, obsession, jealousy and the ever-growing trend of Internet relationships. It will appeal to fans of adult fiction and those interested in the dynamics and psychology of relationships. Author Linda is inspired by Margaret Atwood, Fay Weldon and David Lodge.