NATASHA LESTER

The bestselling historical novelist tells Lynne Hackles that she likes to feel her way through a story a bit at time

Before becoming a writer, Natasha Lester, was the marketing manager for Maybelline cosmetics in Australia. Her first book took five years from when she began writing until the time it was published. ‘Over those years I had three children: a daughter in 2006, another daughter in 2008 and a son in 2010,’ Natasha says. She goes on to explain how having children made her a better writer.

‘It broadened my emotional range – I felt fear like I’d never known before at the idea of anything bad happening to my precious babies. It taught me discipline. When my first child was six months old, I realised I hadn’t written a single word in that time, and life could very easily continue that way if I let it. I made a pledge that every time the baby had a nap, I’d write. It taught me a book can be written in half hour chunks. It taught me to stay focussed, not get distracted, and how important writing was to me. It’s about discipline, sitting down and getting words on the page. The creative stuff happens at other times. You’re free to imagine as you wash dishes or drive or take a shower.

‘I learned there’s never a perfect time to start writing. When I first began, the only time I had was when my children slept. It was enough! A little bit each day eventually produces a book.

‘My day now starts with a run, a key part of my writing practice. It’s when I get my best ideas. Once the children are at school, I clear emails that have come in overnight and by 9am, I’m ready to start writing. I’ll do half-hour “sprints” with tenminute breaks in-between when I stand up and walk around, mostly to save my back. I stop at the end of the school day but, later in the evening, I’ll return to the desk to finish up any other admin and publicity tasks for a half hour or so.

‘For me, planning up front takes away the magic. I like to follow my characters wherever they lead me and, when they surprise me, I hope it means they’ll surprise the reader too. I always start with a character – a woman, often someone from history or connected to someone in history who did something extraordinary for her time. I find first drafts a little stressful because I don’t know what the story is and

I’m constantly hoping I can figure out how it ends, and that there’s enough of a story to make a novel. So far, my instincts haven’t let me down.

‘I do the bulk of my research after the first draft is complete as, by then, I’ll know exactly which aspects of history I need to understand for my story.

‘Archives are a key source of information and, fortunately, most are available online or are run by archivists who love helping novelists. I recently received a whole stack of letters from an archive in the UK that completely changed the way I was thinking about a certain character. Thank goodness people used to write letters and diaries that we historical novelists can use to make our novels come to life.

‘Before the pandemic, I was able to physically travel to the locations I write about but that changed a little over 2020-2022. Last October, I was lucky enough to get back to Europe to start researching a new book, which was wonderful. I always think I write my best stories when I’m able to follow in the footsteps of my character.

‘I’ve now written seven historical novels as well as two literary/contemporary ones. My latest is called The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre. It’s about Alix, an orphan, schoolgirl, and spy who becomes publicity director for the soon-to-be-launched House of Christian Dior in Paris in late 1946. She soon discovers someone in Paris is trying to find out what she did during the war – something she’s sworn never to speak about. She finds herself with two jobs: trying to convince the press to come to the first showing from the new, and unheard of, couturier Christian Dior, and trying to find the man who’s looking for her – before he can track her down.

‘My work in progress is set in the rocking 1970s. It’s about a fashion legend who disappeared, leaving behind only a white silk dress and the question: what happened to Astrid Bricard?’