Lulu Taylor

Published April 11, 2013 | By Laura

Novel Kicks chats to author Lulu Taylor. Lulu is the author of Beautiful Creatures, Midnight Girls and Heiresses. Her latest novel, Outrageous Fortune was released in 2012.

Can you tell us about your latest novel, Outrageous Fortune?

It’s a reversal of fortune story, with two girls born on the same day, one to great privilege and the other to a life of hardship. But events bring great changes, and Daisy, our rich girl, finds herself facing a huge challenge, while Chanelle, who’s grown up in poverty, does whatever it takes to get away from her background. And, of course, their lives become intertwined in unexpected ways…

Describe your typical writing day?

The writing day depends really on how close my deadline is. I always spend ages over the beginning of the book and then realise that time is disappearing, so then write much faster. Ironically, my endings are always better than my beginnings. I have written at home in the past, but I find that so distracting now that I’ve just got an office space outside home. And it’s great. It helps me treat writing more like a 9 to 5 job, and paying rent for my work space helps focus the mind wonderfully.

For someone new to your books, can you describe your writing style in five words?

Dramatic, glamorous, stylish, page-turning, entertaining. I hope that’s suitably modest.

Do you outline when beginning a new book or do you simply start and see where the idea takes you?

I do a little of both. Publishers want a detailed outline of a book, so I often write one, but sometimes not the full story. And the outline almost always changes anyway, so I don’t get too hung up on it. I think editors find it disconcerting when they ask me about the plot and I say, ‘Well, I think this might happen or else this will…’ and they think I haven’t got a clue. The truth is, the best ideas often happen while I’m writing and sometimes characters refuse to be what I planned for them, so I have to think on my feet. One character in Outrageous Fortune was going to be the hero, but he just wasn’t as loveable as another, so I was forced to change the plot on the hoof.

Are you working on anything new at the moment? Can you tell us about it?

Yes, I’m writing a slightly different sort of story, a little darker, still set in high society but with secrets in the past as well as the present. I’m really enjoying it. I fear I might have a much darker side than I realised.

Which one of your characters is your favourite?

I like the strong and unusual types. I was fond of Iseult in Beautiful Creatures, she wrote herself really. I’m drawn to the eccentrics. But Allegra in Midnight Girls will always have a place in my heart – and I’d quite like her life too.

Is there a character from fiction you’d like to meet?

Growing up, I adored Nancy Mitford, especially Love in a Cold Climate. I’d like an afternoon round at Fanny’s house in Oxford, having tea and cake, and hearing stories about her cousins the Radletts, while hoping that Jassy and Victoria might rush in with some jokes, or Polly arrive, wrapped in furs. Or best of all, Sonia and Cedric so I could witness their wonderful double act. Bliss, as the Radletts would say.

Which books have influenced you most as a writer?

I think I get my love of the blockbuster and the high life from all those 80s classics, but, thanks to Jilly Cooper, I always have stay very British. I love the dark thrillerish aspects of Daphne du Maurier too.

Which three things would you have with you if stranded on a desert island?

If I’m being practical, then a box of matches, a knife and a saucepan. I could make most other things. But if it’s luxuries, then a notebook, pen and a big tub of strong SPF moisturiser.

Who would your ideal dinner guests be?

I think perhaps I’d like a group of the people who could tell me the answers to the world’s great mysteries. I’m so nosy and I always like the inside story.

What’s your ideal writing atmosphere?

It changes – sometimes I need peace and quiet, sometimes music playing, and sometimes I work well in a noisy environment like a café. But I find libraries are not that conducive to work, partly as I always worry about what other people might be working on.

Which part of the writing process is the easiest/hardest?

Looking at that first blank page is daunting, but there is the 25,000 word slump, which is when you’ve done the set up and now you’ve got to slog on before you get to the unravelling at the end. Writing is peaks and troughs – the peaks when everything flows are wonderful, the troughs are misery.

Best/worst thing about being a writer?

I love using my imagination and the thrill of getting lost in a story; I also love the flexibility and the sheer madness of doing this as a job, and connecting with people who have enjoyed the books. On the downside, I sometimes feel the loneliness – although I enjoy my own company, I’m also quite outgoing and miss chatting to people; and there is the need to self-motivate – I’m still working on that one, particularly as the internet can be such a major distraction; bad reviews can be a downer, but worst of all is realising that I’ve ground to a halt and not being able to work out why.

What are your music/tv guilty pleasures?

My TV guilty pleasure is Made in Chelsea… and I still get drawn into the X Factor, every year, even though bits of it appall me.

Top five tips for new writers?

1. Finish something – if you do that, you’ll be miles ahead of everyone else.
2. If you never edit yourself, start. Don’t be afraid to cut and change.
3. If you edit yourself too much, stop. You will never create a perfect first draft, just get one finished.
4. Don’t get close friends or family to critique your work. Their praise isn’t entirely unbiased and their criticism will annoy you.
5. Be prepared to put the novel in a drawer and leave it for six months while you start something else. Then go back to it and see what it’s like fresh. You’ll be surprised.

For more information on Lulu and her novels, visit her website.