The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Fiona Gibson tells Caroline Lindsay about realising her teen dream and writing for a living...
Fiona Gibson is living proof that dreams can come true. “I was a huge magazine fan in my teens and dreamed of working on one,” she reveals. “My dad spotted a tiny advert for trainee journalists in our local paper, and I got the job – as a writer on Jackie magazine, the biggest teenage magazine of its time. “I was 17 and couldn’t believe my luck.” From Jackie, Fiona went on to Just Seventeen and more! magazine. Then, when she was 32 she had her twin boys and decided to go freelance and try her hand at writing books – and the rest, as they say, is history. With 19 romantic novels now under her belt, Fiona’s latest novel, The Dog Share, is inspired by her love of our four-legged friends.
“I’m obsessed with dogs!” she reveals. “We’ve had Jack, our rescue collie cross, for 10 years and I love him to bits. So I decided I wanted to write a book with a dog as its theme, bearing in mind my friend Kath saying that her dog is the glue that holds her family together.
“I loved that idea – of a dog linking people who might otherwise not have met. Much of the story is set on a wild remote Hebridean island. I live in Glasgow and look forward being able to explore more of the islands – I’ve only been to Skye, Mull and Iona – when we’re allowed.”
Inspired by her friends, family and the funny details of everyday life, Fiona says: “I love to find humour in the everyday. That’s what delights and inspires me.”
A typical working day for Fiona will see her up and out early to walk Jack, before she sits down at her desk at around nine until mid-afternoon, when he starts nudging her hand with his nose away from the keyboard again.
“I have another walk to clear my head, then either start cooking or, if my brain’s still working, I might write a bit more,” she says. “It’s my full-time job. People often say I must be really disciplined – but it’s not difficult to get down to work as I love what I do.
“I honestly can’t imagine ever doing anything else.”
Currently working on a new book which needs to be written by the end of March, Fiona outlines how she goes about writing her novels.
“I think writing a detailed synopsis, summarising the plot, is really important,” she advises.
“It keeps you on track and is handy for referring back to if you’re struggling to write. After that, try to write every single day to form a solid working habit, and don’t worry too much about the quality of your first draft.
“If you’ve ever had an inkling to try to write a book, then do give it a go. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to manage it before I wrote my first one.
“The longest piece I’d ever written was a magazine feature of 2,000 words. The best writing advice I ever had was from my friend Ellie who said: ‘Why don’t you write light, funny books like the features you write for magazines?’
“I’d been feeling daunted and this freed me up. It was like being given permission to write stories and, 20 years on, I still try to keep it in mind.”