WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE
In Spilt Milk, Nellie is my favourite. The novel is about generations of a family, and all
the characters carry their stories through the years, revealing their lives and their
secret histories. Nellie has had no education and follows her instinct most of the
time. In fact, it is when she forgets instinct and follows the rules and conventions of
society, that she makes her worst mistakes.
VC: What is the funniest moment you have experienced as an author?
AH: On my first American book tour when my media escort thought I wasn’t famous
enough for her company!
I’d been travelling all over America and was tired when my media escort met me at
the airport. In the car back to the hotel, I wanted to be quiet but she though, talked
non-stop about everything and nothing; from her large family’s personal lives to their
most gory medical histories and dental disasters. She also talked endlessly about
famous writers she had looked after. I longed for her to shut up.
My audience at the bookshop that night was sparse to say the least. It comprised the
bookstore owners, my media escort, a woman wearing a pink dressing gown and
slippers, an amorous young couple, and a shy young man who frowned fiercely all
evening.
Being such a small group, we all got chatting afterwards. The shy young man found
the courage to tell me he loved my novel. The dressing gown lady and the amorous
couple started talking about books and reading. There were not many of us, but we
had a good time.
My escort though, had become uncharacteristically quiet.
‘I looked after Neil Gaiman last week,' she said in the car on the way back to the
hotel. ‘Oh but he is wonderful! Such a great man! We got on so well. The queue for
him reached right round the block you know... ‘
I had disappointed her. But what did she expect? I was a debut British novelist
touring America. I thought about mentioning that the night before I had read to a
packed hall and got a standing ovation. She might have regarded me differently
then. I decided not to say anything — there was, after all, a silver lining to her
disappointment. For the rest of the journey she didn’t say another word!
VC: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
AH: Write. Keep writing no matter how many rejections you get. I'd feel such a
hypocrite if I said don’t take rejection personally. So I'll admit that rejection breaks
your heart but you have to keep going. Read lots. Reach for a book when you wake
up, and fall asleep with a book in your hands at night. Hang out with other writers
who understand you. So you spend large amounts of your time either reading or
writing or staring out of windows? Do not apologise for it. Trust me, this is perfectly
normal behaviour for a writer.
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