Catherine Meyrick is an Australian librarian and historical fiction writer with an MA in history and a passion for the Elizabethan period. Her debut novel Forsaking All Other, set in 1580s England, came second in the Romance Writers of Australia Valerie Parv Award in 2014. She weaves fictional characters into the gaps within the historical record — ordinary people who are very much of their time, yet share the same hopes and longings we have today.
Host: Richard Lowe | Guest: Catherine Meyrick
Interview Transcript
Richard: What is your story?
Catherine: It’s historical fiction with strong romance elements, starting in 1585. It follows a young widow who discovers her father is going to marry her off to an elderly neighbor. She manages to get his permission to have a year to find a husband for herself. After some false starts, she meets someone she really likes, but he’s beyond her reach — it was a very structured society. She doesn’t have money or connections, and his family is pushing him to marry a wealthy, well-connected woman.
It’s set against the backdrop of Leicester’s army fighting the Spanish in the Netherlands and Catholic plots to put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne. Those things tie into what gets in the way of the two main characters finding each other.
The Road to Self-Publishing
Richard: Did you self-publish?
Catherine: I did try the traditional method first. I had an agent. She tried all the local publishers. I got as far as the acquisitions meeting at two major publishers. All that came out was an offer she didn’t think was satisfactory. She seemed not to know what to do from there, and we went our own ways.
I decided, well, I’ve got more life behind me than in front of me. I’m sick of waiting around for other people to do it for me. My favorite book as a child was The Little Red Hen. So I thought, very well, I will do it myself.
It was stressful — trying to make sure everything looks professional. I paid for the cover from Historical Fiction Book Covers, run by Jenny Q. I think I have a beautiful cover, and that’s been very helpful. But I did the rest myself. The most stressful part was setting up all the tech stuff for Amazon from Australia. At least with the next one, I won’t have to do that again.
When Characters Walk In Uninvited
Richard: What’s your best memory about the writing?
Catherine: In the revision stage, I was writing a scene set in May 1586. Bess meets Edmond again and they’re talking. Suddenly this character walked in who I hadn’t planned — George Rainsford. I don’t know where he came from. He’s larger than life, like a young Brian Blessed, full of life, bushy beard. He became important to the story but was not part of the plan at all. That’s the most brilliant thing about writing — when something unplanned becomes central and works so well. Sometimes when you stick too closely to the plan, it doesn’t work. You need to listen to what the characters want to do.
I’d go for morning walks thinking about what Edmond was feeling, and I’d look around and realize I’d walked straight past my street. I was just somewhere else entirely, in his head.
The Challenge of Historical Language
Catherine: One of the things I’ve tried really hard with is the language. I don’t want it to be Elizabethan English, because that would be very hard to read. But I don’t want it to sound like people on the street today. A word like “hangover” — you can’t describe someone in 1586 as having a hangover. You have to use more words, like “the after-effects of yesterday’s wine.” I wanted something easy to read but that gave a taste of not being modern.
Each time I’d read through, I’d find something else to change. In the final proofreading stage, I kept finding things — “How did I miss that?” My daughter read it three months after publication and said, “There’s a page where you call William Thomas.” I had to pull it down and put up a corrected edition. It had been read by so many people so many times, and she was the first to pick up on it.
Promotion and Amazon Advertising
Richard: How do you promote your book?
Catherine: Not very well — this is the learning experience. I tried a blog tour, paid Facebook promotion, written interviews, guest spots. None of it worked because I’m a complete unknown and not terrific at social media.
Over the last six weeks, I’ve tried paid Amazon advertising, and that’s working. I’ve gone from selling 15 books a month to 120. I’ve gotten as high as number eight in Amazon’s Tudor historical romance category, sitting alongside and above some of Philippa Gregory and Ken Follett’s books. It drops back, but most of the time I’ve been in the hundreds since I started advertising.
I think of it as long-term. As long as I’m not losing money, I’m doing all right. When the next book comes out, all these people who’ve read the first one will hopefully want the next.
I’m also working on getting it into as many local libraries as I can. Australia has a brilliant thing called Public Lending Right — if your book is in about 50 libraries, the government pays you a small amount on all books in circulation. It’s already in about six, and I’m going to start working on that.
Tips for Writers
Catherine: The starting point is read. Read everything — classics, rubbish, your favorite genre, outside your genre, the latest things. You learn so much about writing from reading.
Take courses too. You don’t need a masters in creative writing, but legitimate courses help. I did my initial ones through council adult education and learned about publishing through the Romance Writers of Australia’s online courses. That’s where I got the confidence to actually publish.
Get a good editor and beta readers. People will say things you don’t like — “Cut that first scene, nothing happens.” I argued with myself that it was no different from the first scene in Gone with the Wind. But when several people say there’s a problem, there’s a problem. I cut it, and it’s much better for it. You don’t have to act on advice immediately, but when two or three people say the same thing, listen.
Learn more about Catherine Meyrick at catherinemeyrick.com.
Find Richard Lowe at TheWritingKing.com.