NK Chats To…Louise Davidson

Hi Louise. Thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell me about your novel, The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond and what inspired it? Have you always had a fascination with Gothic and Tarot?

Hi, so excited for this Q&A! So, The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is my first novel. Set in 1890, it tells the story of Julia Pearlie, a young woman who is hired to act as an etiquette coach for the mysterious Olivia Richmond. She discovers Olivia has a witchy reputation and Olivia’s father, Doctor Richmond, would like Julia to convince his daughter that her ‘powers’ are not real, but the more Julia gets to know Olivia, the more she begins to wonder if they really are…

Story ideas always come to me like a movie trailer playing in my head and when I came up with this one, I had an image of a young woman in white, standing at a set of French windows staring out over an overgrown lawn towards dark woods beyond and there was something waiting for her in the trees. I took that and ran with it.

I have always really enjoyed creepy psychological tales. I first encountered tarot through my aunt who used to read them and as I studied literature more – and began to teach it – I was really interested in gothic as a genre because of how it explored individuals and society so the interest went from there.

What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have a favourite place to write? Prefer noise or silence? Any other writing rituals?

I’m a full-time teacher so writing days tend to be during holidays and weekends and it happens wherever it can – there’s very little aesthetic going on! I wrote ‘Fortunes…’ either sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop or getting up early on a Saturday morning with my stepson and writing on the sofa while he watched Pokemon or Beyblade.

I do have a home office set up now though so when I can, I’ll make a cup of tea, light a scented candle (ambience. Very important.) and play some music that I feel reflects the mood I want to create or the scene that I’m writing. For instance, I listened to lots of Victorian waltzes when writing the party scenes in ‘Fortunes…’
If I’m writing a scary scene, I’ll try to write it at night in silence. That way, if I get nervous or scared, I know it will scare other people!

What were the challenges you found when writing your novel?

Plotting versus just writing and overcomplicating things for myself.

Technically a gothic novel is three books in one because they’re a ghost story, a mystery and (if you want to make your life difficult like me) a romance and so having a clear plan feels important. It’s easy to get stuck on the plotting and feel like you’re making headway, but plotting isn’t writing, and books are wily creatures. You’ll have everything mapped out and planned, and then you’ll start writing and realise that, in practice, that plan doesn’t work, or the characters take the wheel and start driving you in a different direction.

It’s easy to feel frustrated and like you’ve ‘wasted time’ plotting or try to force the book into the shape you’ve planned for it and in either situation, you can (like me) come up with over complicated ‘fixes’ when really the important thing is to just enjoy writing and let the story be what it is. It’s meant to be fun – let the process do its thing.

From idea to finished book, what’s your writing process like and how long does it typically take you? Any advice on research, starting and editing?

The first draft was the longest. That took me nearly a year and, ironically, after it was done, I made huge changes to it which took a few weeks and then I sent it off to be edited. After that I got more feedback and those edits took a few months. Thankfully, after that, every next round of edits got more precise and so took less time. All in all, I’d say the book took three years from first idea to publication.

My advice on research is the same as plotting. It’s not writing. I write historical fiction so I do need to have a clear idea about the time-period to avoid anachronisms and it may be that, as a writer, you need to have some basic ideas but that first draft is very easy to start and quite hard to finish and research can bog you down. I’d suggest researching things as you go if you need to and do big deep dives into research once you know the story.

Which fictional character would you like to meet and why?

Cassie Tipp from Camilla Bruce’s You Let Me In. That book has lived in my mind ever since I read it and I just want to talk to Cassie and see if I can work out what was real for her and what wasn’t. Obviously, the book is written from her perspective, so you know what she thinks but I still have so many questions. It’s a phenomenal book and I’ve been recommending it to everyone.

Any advice for conquering writer’s block?

Write badly. Write a different scene. Write a monologue or stream of consciousness from a character’s perspective. Do little brackets saying what has to happen in that scene and move on to the next one but do not, whatever you do, stop writing.

What are you currently working on?

Another gothic novel but this time set in nineteenth century Ireland. This one has been a real challenge and privilege because I’m writing about home and that comes with a lot of pressure to get it right. I’m currently on a much trickier second draft but I’m excited about it.

Which three people (dead or alive) would you invite to a dinner party? What would the conversation be like do you think?

Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise, and Bette Davis. You just know those three have some fantastic stories and I’d love to see what Bette makes of Eric and Ernie! But that does mean I couldn’t invite Terry Pratchett… can I have four people?

In your opinion, what elements make up a good story?

Honesty, mainly. Be honest about your characters – give them flaws, make them do things wrong. It drives story. Be honest about your world – what is logical and practical and how does that affect your characters? Be honest about what you think and enjoy – don’t just write what you think people want to read. It makes your work authentic and your voice clear and readers will respond to that.

What type of scene do you find it hardest to write?

Fight scenes. I worry that I’m either being too brief or too long winded. I also love writing descriptions, but I sometimes worry I’m doing that too much and so hold back – which means I’m not clear enough. It’s a process!

What advice would you give when first approaching an agent and publisher?

Know that what you’re looking for is a collaborator so be very intentional with who you approach. It can be tempting to send your work out to everyone, but often agents or publishers will specialise in particular things or be looking for particular types of work. You’ll have a much better conversation if you know you’re approaching someone with experience of work like yours, who is looking for what you provide and who can help your work change and develop. That’s another thing – agents and publishers are your cheerleaders but also your business advisors and editors. They’ll suggest changes and it’s always worth taking their advice onboard – even if you don’t always say yes.

And don’t get discouraged by rejections. You only need one ‘Yes’ so you can afford to hear ‘No’ a bit.

Any other advice for aspiring authors?

Write. Be brave. Apply helpful critiques, ignore unhelpful ones. Keep loving it. Remember – it’s fun.

Would you rather –

Have the ability to see into the future or be able to visit the past?

The past. It would be SO useful and the future would just give me too much anxiety.

Have the ability to move things with your mind or read minds?

Move things. Imagine never having to get up to pick up the remote again…

Sing or dance to your favourite song for the rest of your life?

Sing. I’m not a natural dancer.

Have money or power?

Money. Make of that what you will…

Have an endless summer or winter?

Both sound awful! I’m one of nature’s Autumn lovers.

Tea or coffee?

I’m Irish so tea.

Movie or book?

Book – no surprise to anyone there!

Morning person or night owl?

Born to be a night owl but forced to be a morning person.

Paperback or eBook?

Paperback because I could never remember to charge my Kindle!

*****

About Louise Davidson:

Born in 1988, Louise Davidson grew up in Belfast during the troubles with a Catholic mother and a Protestant father. The Catholic side of her family lived on Mountcollyer Street – the street featured in Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar winning film Belfast, that was badly affected by violent protests.

Louise’s earliest memory is of her parents deciding whether they should drive past a car that was on fire in the streets of Belfast. It was only when she left Belfast to study Creative Writing at University in the UK that Louise realised it was not normal to live in a permanent state of fear and anxiety. She says the sense of dread she has had from a young age drew her to Gothic fiction and is something she has tried to channel into The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond.

Louise was introduced to the idea of tarot, mediums and fortune telling from a young age as her Aunt Pat is an intuitive, with the ability to receive messages from the dead and to predict dreams. Louise grew up watching her aunt predict dreams and pass messages from the dead to bereaved families and this helped her to create the character of Olivia Richmond.

After a career working in theatre production with theatres including Tinder Box and Ransome Theatre in Northern Ireland and Intemission, RSC and the Lyric Hammersmith in London. Louise now teaches English and drama to A-Level students and lives in West London with her husband and stepson. The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is her first novel.

Say hello to Louise via Instagram and X. 

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond was released by Moonflower Books in September 2024. Click to buy on Amazon UK, Waterstones and Amazon US.

*****

About The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond – 

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she’s offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this to be girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it.

Determined to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a proper young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia’s stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe – not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself.

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.