Politics is everywhere at the moment. It’s difficult to go five minutes on social media without bumping into something frustrating. So, you’d think that me writing a novel about a woman trying to get elected is the epitome of me jumping on the worldwide bandwagon. Well, not really.
I’ve been working on the drafts of ‘Valerie’ for years now. I’d earmarked it as my second release before I even released But By Degrees, knowing that it was already in much better condition than my other projects. It just so happens that I’m going to let it go out into a world where politics is really hitting the mainstream.
‘Valerie’ isn’t a straightforward political book though. Instead of looking at the title character’s zeal to be elected from her point of view, the novel’s told from her girlfriend (Max) and teenage daughter’s (Amy) perspective. Max isn’t exactly prime girlfriend material for a prospective politician, but she’s not ashamed of who she is or the fact she drives a taxi. After all, she co-owns her own business and, anyway, Valerie was the one who chased her. Amy, on the other hand, is juggling secrets from all angles – her own and her mother’s. The closer the election gets, the more likely these secrets are to spill out and play havoc.
So, really, ‘Valerie’ is another complex love story in the vein of But By Degrees, with characters and their relationships at the heart of the story. For me, trying to write accordingly to popularity and current affairs simply wouldn’t work. I’m as much of a perfectionist as I can be when it comes to my novels so there’s no way I could write, rewrite, edit, edit, edit and edit in a rapid space of time. Novels need to breathe in the same way a beef joint needs to rest before you can cut into it.
That’s why I may never be on-topic on purpose, but I may hit a wave once in a while.
‘Valerie’ will be released in May.
