Today we welcome Margaret James to the blog.
A couple of years ago, I decided to set myself a challenge.
I would write a dual viewpoint novel in the first person and I would write half
of it in a foreign language.
I’m well aware that there are many bi-lingual and indeed multi-lingual
novelists in the RNA and, since my challenge was to write half my novel in American
English, perhaps it was really no challenge at all? At first, I thought the
whole thing would indeed be a doddle. I mean a cinch. Americans say elevator,
the British say lift. They say sidewalk, we say pavement. We use a biro, they
use a ballpoint. I’d just have to remember a lot of things – I mean a ton of stuff
– like that.
Alas, there turned out to be far more to it than merely
replacing biros with ballpoints. I’d chosen to make my hero American, so I had
to research how American men really speak, in particular 30-something,
well-educated, Midwestern American men, because the novel is set partly in Minnesota and the hero
comes from Missouri .
Over the years, Amglish has gradually infiltrated Britglish,
and we British usually understand Amglish perfectly well. But I still found I
had to watch my step, I mean be on the ball, while I was translating my own
Britglish into my hero’s Amglish. I find something is a hoot while it cracks
him up. I have mates while he has buddies. I arrive while he shows up. I say definitely while he says you bet.
I didn’t want to write in joke Amglish, so my American
characters never say whaddya or gonna or woah/whoa. I can’t stand woah/whoa,
sorry. It makes me shudder. I mean it creeps me out. As for American expletives
– I have to tell you, citizens of the USA , you don’t have nearly enough
of them. You have the universal damn, but – if we don’t choose to go fishing in
the open sewers of Urban Dictionary – what else can be used in more-or-less
civilised society? We British are far more inventive!
I must admit I adore my hero Patrick Riley, whose lovely
Midwestern voice I could hear in my head the whole time I was writing the novel.
So all I had to do was take celestial dictation. But just once in a while I did
get the feeling that when Pat assured me that yeah, American guys of his age
did say stuff like that, he might have been having me on. I mean he was kind of
kidding me.
Who is Patrick, then? He’s a married father of two small
children and professor of IT at a college in Minneapolis . He doesn’t want to be attracted
to Rosie Denham, a visiting British PR professional, but...
Pat had a difficult childhood. But he’s worked hard to make
something of his life and nowadays he has a great career. Sadly, he also has a wife
from purgatory and a best friend from hell. My heroine Rosie Denham is going to
help Pat find his personal happy-ever-after, and in return he will help Rosie deal
with the issues in her own troubled life.
At the start of the story, neither Pat nor Rosie has the
time or inclination to fall in love. But in romantic fiction magic sometimes
happens and, since I love magic, I had great fun writing this book. As for
challenges – the hero and heroine meet plenty, including some stiff competition
for the limelight from Patrick’s gorgeous children, Pat’s sex-addict buddy Ben,
Rosie’s great mate Tess, and incidentally a very cute dog.
About Margaret:
I’m a British writer
of historical and contemporary fiction. I’m also a journalist working for the UK London School
I was born in
Hereford, but now I live in Devon at the seaside, which is great because it
means when I am stuck for a plot I can always go for a walk along the beach and
be inspired!
Contact:
Thank you for visiting the RNA blog, Margaret and good luck with your book.
The RNA blog is brought to you by Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman. If you would like to write an article for the blog or b interviewed about your latest project please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com
The RNA blog is brought to you by Elaine Everest and Natalie Kleinman. If you would like to write an article for the blog or b interviewed about your latest project please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com
