Author Interview: Melanie Reynard

"I will go with the flow and write the ideas that inspire me. I am a Jill-of-all-trades, after all."

David McIlroy

and

Melanie Reynard

Jan 01, 2024

Let’s kick off 2024 by having a chat with

Melanie Reynard

Mel, tell me a little about yourself.

I’m originally from Morecambe in Lancashire, but have been living in London and the south east for about twenty five years. My degree was in Film, Television, Literature and Theatre Studies, so after graduation, I moved to the capital to pursue a career in film. I wanted to write scripts and make movies. I didn’t succeed.

The industry is changing now, but I found it very difficult to get a foothold in the early 2000s: I worked long hours and there was no opportunity to progress or get promoted and working in film locations is an extremely thankless task.

I’ve always been a keen amateur gardener and feel strongly about protecting the environment, so retraining as a garden designer was a way to keep my creative skills alongside my love for nature. I’ve worked for the same landscaping company now for over ten years and really enjoy it.

I’ve also become their blogger, social media and website content manager. It’s surprising how much writing this part of my job involves, particularly when it comes to describing gardens.

When did your writing journey begin?

In my teens and twenties, I started work on what has become my first completed novel, and although I cautiously sent out the first three chapters to three agents in the early 2000’s, it became an abandoned project for many, many years. I didn’t stop thinking about the characters and the story in the intervening time, in fact – if anything – the original idea continued to develop, the world building matured and new ideas came to me.

In 2020, my partner suggested I try the Faber Academy Beginner’s Fiction course and that reignited my passion for writing. I applied for the Faber Writing a Novel course in 2021 and was accepted. It all has felt a worthwhile endeavour, particularly as I was shortlisted for the Future Worlds for Fantasy & Science Fiction Writers of Colour in 2023 for my novel.

Have you always wanted to be an author?

My grandfather was an artist and art teacher, but also wrote a book. The manuscript lived in a drawer, wrapped in a cardboard cover. I remember thinking that I would write a book myself one day, because I just thought that’s what people did. I also took inspiration from Jill Murphy’s illustration of a little girl (herself) writing a book in the front of her Worst Witch book series and decided I would do the same one day.

What's your all-time favourite novel?

What a tough question! It’s so difficult to choose just one, but if you strong-armed me, I would have to choose Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. It has stood the test of time so well and I think is so cleverly written that it gives food for thought on concurrent reads.

What are you working on right now?

I’m currently editing and perfecting my MS, with a view to begin querying in earnest in the New Year. I have spent a number of months this year effectively ghost-writing for a popular children’s fact book series, which I’m very excited about. Working with a publisher has been a really great experience. I’m excited for what happens next.

And what's been your biggest challenge as a writer?

My biggest challenge has been having the time and energy to sit down and write. I have two children and they are not quite self-sufficient. I usually write in snatches of time either when they are at school or after they have gone to bed, as I also work part time.

I think many parents who write have this same challenge and learn to adapt to this ad hoc schedule. Writing full time seems like a pipedream, but that would be the ultimate goal.

Which online platforms help support your journey?

I am present on all platforms at the moment, but I feel like I’m spread a bit thin and find it frustrating the amount of time I have to put into each one to get any engagement.

Twitter was working great for me and I was enjoying the community there, but since it’s rebranded, it’s become filled with bots and now the pitching contests are petering out, it feels like its’s becoming less useful for writers.

Instagram and Threads feel like they reward repeated posting from accounts with large followings, but small accounts like mine fade into the background or struggle to reach a relevant audience. TikTok is a lot of fun with a great community, but again it requires a lot of effort and ingenuity to get views and likes.

I’m still trying to get to grips with Substack, but my audience is growing. I’ve been tempted to try the podcast function, but there’s a danger it all becomes a fun distraction, resulting in no time left to write.

Any big plans for the future?

I tend to take each day as it comes. I would love to be able to complete the second and third books in my epic fantasy trilogy. I have many other ideas I wish to develop, not just fantasy, with some science fiction and thriller novels ideas.

I might even try my hand at middle grade and YA fiction, not limiting myself to just adult fiction. I will go with the flow and write the ideas that inspire me. I am a Jill-of-all-trades, after all.

Finally, can you share a golden nugget of advice for any aspiring authors reading this?

Technically I’m still an aspiring author, as I am unpublished at the time of writing. I think, without question, my one piece of advice would be to find a critique or writing group. I’m very lucky, I actually have three such groups/communities: my Faber Academy cohort (we nick-named Writer’s Tears); Team Tea & Books on the platform formerly known as Twitter, a group of mainly SFF, querying writers; and my fellow Future Worlds Prize Shortlisters.

I keep in touch with my groups regularly (sometimes daily) and their support through the challenging (and sometimes baffling) journey to publication has been worth its weight in gold.

We share advice, information and sometimes just provide each other a shoulder to cry on, something every writer or author needs at any stage in their career.

Thanks Mel!