Elaine Spires Interview Published on: 17, Aug 2019
Since you were born in Dagenham and spent most of your childhood there, it would be incomplete if you aren’t asked the infamous geographical doubt of whether Dagenham falls in London or Essex?
It’s London. Greater London. It’s been a London borough since 1965. It has a Romford postcode - and Romford is also in London. Yes, it did used to be in Essex, but that was then and this is now. England used to be part of the Roman Empire but it isn’t any more.
Did you have any travelling memories from your childhood? Which was the best place that you visited from the point of view of a child?as a child we only ever travelled within UK. I had fabulous memories of days spent down on the Essex Coast in Shoeburyness and Jaywick with my cousins and we had a couple of fabulous holidays camping in Tenby, South Wales.
Do you ever inculcate the places that you visit or the people that you meet in your books?I have been to all the places I use as a setting in my books and loved every one of them. The characters, however, are from my imagination.
You have a special fondness of setting your books in the places with the ocean (Antigua), is it because of your life living in pleasant places with artistic views?It’s the other way around. I lived in wonderful places by the sea and they became the setting for the books. I have always been totally intrigued by the sea - the ebb and flow of the tide and the gorgeous shades of blue and green and its ability to turn into a raging, foaming monster in no time at all. And I can sit and watch it for hours on end. I am a Piscean after all!
As a person who did theatre and monologue for a long time, what has been your favourite play that you watched till now? What has been your most cherished memory of doing theatre?I recently saw Emilia by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm in the West End. It blew my mind. It’s an amazing piece of theatre and I think I would have to say my favourite play. My most cherished memory of doing theatre.... hmmm..... I loved doing my one-woman show What’s Eating Me (now a book) but also appearing in Singles’ Holiday (another book) was pretty special.
What is your relationship like with Ms Elena-Beth Carter now after working with her for so long? Do you ever plan on returning to the stage and reviving your playwriting skills?We are still in touch. I don’t see Elena as often as I would like unfortunately. I am tremendously fond of her and am her biggest fan. My play Stanley Grimshaw Has Left The Building was performed at the Bridewell Theatre in London in May. And I am working on another play at the moment. So hopefully, I’ll see something else produced soon.
What was your inspiration behind the creation of “Only the Lonely”? It’s an emotional and evoking script what made your go off beat from your usual writing style?I co-wrote Only the Lonely with Veronique Christie who has been a friend for more than twenty years. We wrote a play and a few sketches together a long time ago and then drifted apart. Veronique contacted me in 2017 and proposed we write together again and I had this character in my head (Elspeth) while Veronique had envisaged the character of Gurmeet and the script grew from there.
Your online journal of Elaine Spires is a collection of your best memories. Have you ever thought of publishing it as a book, even as a wild thought?I am the first to say I’ve led a very interesting life. Would it make a book? Probably. Would I write it? Possibly...
Your second novel Singles' Holiday is about a bunch of complete strangers who are single, this theme which is roughly on the lines of America's TV show The Bachelor. What inspired you to create a book like that?I worked as a tour manager for a singles’ tour operator for thirteen years and realised the books (there are five in the Singles’ Series so far) would be great to write as each one is set in a different location - Singles at Sea in several as it’s set on a cruise ship that moves from place to place - with a diverse bunch of characters each time. I am just waiting for a TV company to buy the rights!
How did you come up with the character of Eileen Holloway in your book What's Eating Me as she seems to be a character that is relatable to a lot of women? How did you develop the storyline in a way that left the readers on a self-discovery note?I think Eileen is typical of so many women - and some men, of course, - who are struggling to keep all the plates spinning and forge a life for their kids and everyone around them while ignoring their own needs. Eileen is a compulsive over-eater because she uses food to get her through the day as everyone and everything sucks the life out of her.
Where do you usually get your creative inspiration for writing? Do you jot down points before writing the novel or just go with the flow?I honestly don’t know where the creative inspiration comes from - it just does! I get a basic idea, make a few notes and then just go for it. I don’t plan and plot a lot. I prefer to write and then go back and edit as I finish each chapter. What’s surprising is that so often the book goes off on a tangent or a character behaves in such a way that I hadn’t originally envisaged.
As a person with the epicentre of her career around writing for plays, scripts and books. What has been your experiential tip for the people just starting out in their writing careers?Just get on and do it. Don’t procrastinate. And while it’s good to accept constructive criticism don’t let other people’s opinions put you off writing what you want to write.
When did you discover what armchair tennis is? How did you develop a liking for it?I’ve always been a huge tennis fan - I played quite a lot as a young woman. Watching tennis on TV is a cross between relaxation and torture - depending on who’s playing and winning or losing!
Will you be going back to India for your third visit? Can we expect another book set in India after single spice? What is your favourite memory of the county?I would love to go back to India. It’s on my daughter’s To Visit List so there’s always the possibility I’ll go with her. I have so many wonderful memories; the beauty of the Taj Majal at sunrise brought tears to my eyes; Jaipur was incredible and seeing tigers - my favourite animals - in the wild at Ranthambore was priceless.
You recently joined AllAuthor, how has your experience been like with us till now. Are there any tips or reviews you’d like to give us?I especially appreciate the banners every week; they’re invaluable. Perhaps a bit more retweeting - to a larger audience if that’s possible. But on the whole, I am glad I joined.
