Katie Fforde Bursary 2016: Marie Macneill

Each year we wait with bated breath to hear who will be the recipient of the Katie Fforde Bursary. Here Marie Macneill tells us of her excitement at being Katie’s choice for 2016.

When Katie Fforde warned me that the Bursary trophy was heavy I did not imagine that it would be that heavy. A bronze Celtic style sculpture with a hefty wooden base, it is wonderfully cumbersome and sits on my narrow mantelpiece like a lighthouse warning me to get on and write or risk being dashed on the rocks of procrastination.  2015 recipient, Catherine Miller ‘Waiting For You’ warned me to clutch it carefully as it was potentially an award of two halves and last year she nearly dropped it at the ceremony. Now armed with this larger than life good luck charm (I bought a rucksack in Church Street Market en route to Paddington for a very reasonable £15 to carry it back to Cornwall) all I have to do is enjoy Katie’s company, cherish, applaud and revel with the wonderful RNA members at a variety of conferences, meetings and parties and - ah yes - finish my novel. 

Coming from a theatre, television and film background my first foray into novel writing was a sliver of truth novel about a young girl finding inappropriate love to compensate for a violent father. It wasn’t the right time.  Events in the news cast a shadow on my Lolitaesque main character and her age confused the pigeon–hole placement system of selling books. Was it Young Adult or Fiction? Was this Misery-Lit or Romance?  I gave it to the then Chairman of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain who loved it and my former agent waxed lyrically about it being his favourite Easter read, so, who knows, maybe sometime soon it will escape the bottom drawer and fly.

‘Being Velvet’ (w/t) is altogether a different take. This universal magical realism tale is a laugh out loud comedy about coming of age and mid life crisis; not judging books by their covers and two women who through mishaps, mistakes and misunderstanding learn to feel comfortable in their own skin and live without the one thing they both thought they needed the most.  The story is a visual feast and the screenplay version is running closely behind my manuscript.

I first met Katie Fforde at Chez Castillon, a wonderful writers’ retreat in Bordeaux’s wine region, on a particularly fine vintage retreat and workshop, the company included Jane Wenham-Jones, Judy Astley, Catherine Jones, Clare Mackintosh and Rosie Dene. These powerhouse women write 3,000 words before lunch and it was a privilege to make their acquaintance.  One evening we sat in the garden at a long convivial table overlooking the pool, rust-red and lush-green creepers climbing the yellow sandstone walls, a hint of rosemary riding the cooling breeze and read a passage from our daily pages. Katie was complimentary but I could not have imagined that a couple of years later she would want me to be her 2016 recipient. When she told me at the RNA conference last year I literally weakened at the knees.  I knew previous winners Jo Thomas, The Oyster Catcher, and Janie Millman, Life’s A Drag, and had read their fantastic debut novels. Am I really next in line? I was told by Sue Mackender that ‘Katie’s never wrong’.  So no pressure then. Thank you Katie – see you in a couple of thousand words!

About Marie:

Marie Macneill is a lecturer at SoFT – the School of Film and Television, Falmouth University and lives in Cornwall with her husband, actor John Macneill.

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Thank you, Marie and good luck with your current work in progress.

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Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Catherine Miller: Winner of the 2015 Katie Fforde Bursary

We're thrilled to hear that Catherine is the recipient of this year’s Katie Fforde Bursary. We managed to catch up with Catherine soon after the awards presentation to chat to her about the award and her busy life

Photo courtesy of Jan Jones

When did you hear that you were to be the recipient of this year’s award and what was your reaction?

Katie contacted me in January. It was completely out of the blue and I thought it was related to something else so I was shocked and over the moon.

How did you feel at the award ceremony? Did you have to make a speech?

I took my mum as it was a very proud moment. It was also a memorable moment, because I managed to drop the top half of the trophy. Fortunately it’s made of metal and is very durable so no harm done. I did make a short speech, after dropping the trophy it didn’t seem so daunting!

What does winning the award mean to you?

A tremendous amount. I can’t shout the praises of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme loudly enough. It has taken me from having no idea of how complex novel writing is to having a manuscript that is far closer to the real deal. Katie’s bursary award is an amazing boost knowing I’m heading in the right direction and I hope I’m able to follow in previous winners' footsteps, many of whom have gone on to achieve publication soon afterwards. The RNA is a wonderful association and I’m so glad to be part of it. 

When did you join the RNA New Writers’ Scheme?

This will be my fifth year on the NWS, after joining in 2010. I found out about it from my local writing group and the feedback I’ve received so far has been invaluable.

Have you managed to submit a manuscript each year?

I have, just about. Overall I’ve written two manuscripts in that time and for the past two years I’ve sent a partial. I remember very clearly in 2013 managing to send a first chapter only because at the time I had six-week-old twins. It took some effort, but we managed to get down to the Post Office.

How do you fit your writing around your busy life and have you always wanted to be a novelist?

Since having the twins I’ve reverted to pen and paper. When I get a spare few minutes I scribble during the day. I then type it up in the evening. I rather like doing it this way as it means I notice errors easier.

I started writing in my teens but, as a dyslexic, developing my writing wasn’t encouraged any more than making sure I knew the difference between there/their/they’re, which I still have to think about before typing. Instead, I qualified as a physiotherapist and even at university

I attempted a novel. Early in my career, I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, an auto-immune condition and eventually it meant giving up my job to maintain my health. Lots of people had told me I wouldn’t be able to become a physiotherapist, and I didn’t listen to them, so why listen to my own doubts about being a writer? If I couldn’t be a physio (a job I loved), I was going to follow my ultimate dream of being a writer.

Thank you, Catherine. We are sure it won’t be too long before you graduate the New Writers’ Scheme and we see your novels in our book stores.

The RNA blog is brought to you by:

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like you write for the blog or have an idea for a feature or series please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com