Q&A with author Hazel Gaynor about her debut novel The Girl Who Came Home, a novel of the Titanic.

Hazel Gaynor's debut novel The Girl Who Came Home, a novel of the Titanic, is published this April by HarperCollins. I am very pleased to welcome Hazel on the blog for a conversation about The Girl Who Came Home.


Hazel, in writing The Girl Who Came Home, where did you start? Where did you found your inspirations for the characters and the story?
Firstly, thank you for inviting me to your blog!

I’ve always been fascinated by Titanic (I was a teenager when the wreck was discovered) and when, in 2011, I decided to write a novel set around the ship and the tragic events of that April night, I knew I wanted to explore the experience of a third class passenger, rather than that of the wealthy millionaires who were on board. We know plenty about the likes of the Astors and the Strauss’s, but little about the passengers who travelled on third class tickets, many of whom were leaving their homes in England and Ireland in the hope of finding a better life in America. I felt that it was these, ordinary people, who had the most extraordinary stories to tell. I also wanted to explore the aftermath of the disaster and how such an event can have lasting repercussions on a survivor’s life.

Living in Ireland, I was keen to find out more about the Irish passengers who boarded Titanic in Queenstown, County Cork. In the survivor records, the name Annie Kate Kelly kept coming up. It was that which led me to the story of the Addergoole Fourteen - a group of fourteen Irish emigrants (friends and relatives), who left their homes in a small parish in County Mayo and sailed together on RMS Titanic. I was so moved and fascinated by their story, I knew that I’d found the inspiration for my novel. Although my main characters are all fictitious, Maggie’s background and life in Ireland was based on an amalgamation of some of the female members of the fourteen, as are some elements of the characters Peggy, Katie and Aunt Kathleen.

 

What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological and logistical) in bringing the book to life?

I was really nervous about tackling a subject as well-documented as Titanic – especially since this was my first novel (although there have actually been two others written, but they are best left hidden under the bed!) The event fascinates people and because of that, there are a lot of official and unofficial experts out there!

I guess my greatest challenge (apart from finding time to write) was in knowing when to stop researching and when to start writing. There is so much information about Titanic - movies, websites, museums, books – it was actually a little overwhelming. I also had the fear of Titanic experts popping up to point out factual inaccuracies! Historical fiction comes with a unique challenge of getting the balance right between fact and fiction. When I was writing the novel, I was very conscious of the reality of my story. How would the descendants of those who had inspired my book react to my retelling? How could I tell their story in a way that was respectful, yet also engaging to the reader? I wanted to do justice to the memory of the Addergoole Fourteen, and all of Titanic’s passengers, but I also wanted to tell my story in my own words. Ultimately, I had to remember that it was my characters, not the history, who should take priority.

 

Did you have to do a lot of research for this book that is set on the Titanic?

For months, I read everything I could about Titanic and her passengers. I read survivor accounts and newspaper reports from the time. I read other Titanic books, such as Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember and I got lost in Titanic websites like www.encyclopaedia-titanica.org. While some writers struggle to find material about their subject, my problem was that there was so much! Of course, when you’ve spent so long researching a subject you are fascinated by, it is very tempting to throw in every tiny fact and detail. My challenge was to know what to leave out, as well as to know what to put in. I could geek out for hours about Titanic but my job in writing this novel was to tell an engaging story. The painstakingly researched historical facts should, ideally, just become a part of that story; noticeable and enjoyable, but not distracting.

 

What was the timeline from spark to publication, and what were the significant highlights along the way

The initial spark of the idea to write a novel set around Titanic was in April, 2011. Having done a couple of months of solid research upfront, and once I knew the direction my novel was taking, I started to write and continued to research alongside the writing. The first draft took six months (early mornings, late nights, snatched opportunities on the rugby sidelines and while my husband took our children swimming) and I took a further five months to rewrite and edit the manuscript. I think the significant highlights would be finding the angle I wanted the novel to take and talking to the relatives of the Addergoole Fourteen. Reaching around 70,000 words was also a significant point as I knew, at that stage, that I had it in me to complete the novel! Of course, when the manuscript was originally rejected by publishers I was crushed, but I am glad I went on to self publish it in 2012 and am over the moon to have worked with the wonderful team at William Morrow to bring the book to America. THE GIRL and I have been on quite the journey!

 

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I love to go for long family walks. We are surrounded by some lovely countryside and I like to get away from the desk and on top of a blustery mountain – although plot ideas and scenes pop into my head all the time. I also love to potter around the lovely little villages of the Lake District in England when we stay there with family.

 

Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

I think the Bronte sisters, Emily and Charlotte had the most profound effect on me as a teenager. WUTHERING HEIGHTS and JANE EYRE are still two of my most loved books. In more recent years, I have loved Philippa Gregory’s take on historical fiction. THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL and the Tudor Court novels really brought the Tudor reign to life for me in a way that no factual accounts ever had. She’s such a talented writer and I have huge respect for her and what she has achieved.

What's your next project?

My second novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE FLOWERS, is about two sets of sisters and is set around a charity for orphaned flower sellers in Victorian London. The story spans several decades across the late 1800s and early 1900s. I love the Victorian and Edwardian eras and the streets of Victorian London were a wonderfully haunting place to explore in my imagination. Again, the novel was inspired by true events and I am very excited about the book’s publication early next year.