Behind the Book: The Fisherman’s Gift by Julia Kelly
Our lovely author, Julia Kelly, has her debut novel The Fisherman’s Gift coming out in the UK on March 6th and in the US March 18th. Kelly’s manuscript is being published by Vintage Publishing, an imprint of Penguin Random House. It has been described as 'A beautiful story of grief, hope and love; of dark snowy nights, the mysteries of the sea and, above all, redemption' by Lucy Diamond, Sunday Times bestselling author of Something to Tell You. We checked in with Julia to congratulate her and ask more about her writing and publication journey!
What is your story about and where did you get the inspiration to write it from?
The Fisherman’s Gift begins in 1900 in Skerry, a small Scottish fishing village, when a young boy washes up on the shore in a winter storm. He bears an uncanny resemblance to teacher Dorothy’s son, lost to the sea at the same age many years before, his body never found. When the village becomes snowed in, Dorothy agrees to look after the child until they can uncover the mystery of his origins. But over time, the lines between reality and desperate hope start to blur as the boy reminds Dorothy more and more of her own lost child and as the past rises to meet the present, long-buried secrets are unearthed within this tight-knit community, and the child’s arrival becomes a catalyst for something far greater than any of them could imagine.
The idea for the story came to me all at once during the first lockdown. I was due to ‘meet’ some writer friends for coffee on Zoom and the premise for the story came full fully formed just before. I remember so well sharing it with them and how excited I felt. Having said that, it was a long time before I understood the story’s characters and its themes relating to maternal love and guilt, and how they were relevant to my own life.
How close was the experience of being published to what you expected? Were there any big surprises?
I think the journey from getting an agent to publication probably takes longer than you anticipate initially, as the book goes through so many rounds of editing, proofreading and copywriting. There is also the excitement of developing covers, and then ultimately having to have the publication date fit in with the publisher’s schedule. I have found the workings behind the scenes fascinating. I have also been very lucky in having Hellie Ogden as my agent and Liz Foley as my editor here, and Carina Guiterman as my editor in the US as well as the teams at Harvill Secker and Simon and Schuster to ensure that each stage is collaborative and runs smoothly, with as much transparency as possible. I know not everyone has such a fortunate experience. I have been lucky enough to sell to a number of foreign territories as well, which I’m really looking forward to.
What was the most important piece of advice you received while collaborating with Cornerstones?
Having Monica Chakraverty at Cornerstones look at my work at such an early point (5000 words), including the synopsis, was invaluable. From the start, her advice was consistent – even with a quiet story, there must be plot and tension. The Fisherman’s Gift is very character driven but she always encouraged me to develop conflict and story, as opposed to just having a series of vignettes, for instance. This was then continued once I had acquired representation on a partial manuscript of the novel with Hellie – she was always pushing for that reason for the reader to turn the page. Whatever the genre of a story, we need to want to find out what happens next and that advice has stayed with me in now approaching Book 2. Monica’s support on the Elevate programme meant a great deal to me – I learnt a lot, but I have also benefitted from her kind support and encouragement beyond it. I remember when I was waiting to have The Call with Hellie, Monica rang me from the queue in the Post Office and I think she was nearly as excited as I was. That was so lovely!
What stage in your writing career are you at now? Are you working on anything new?
I am now writing Book 2. It is still in the drafting stages and it feels very different to write under contract – I am very aware of deadlines and that it is now a career, if I’m lucky. I have other ideas for stories I’d love to write and I hope very much I get the opportunity to write them and have them published. A few years ago, I could hardly have dreamt of this outcome, and really The Elevate programme and Monica’s support were where it all began for me, in terms of believing that any of this might be possible and having the professional support to move forward.
If you could go back and talk to yourself just before you started writing your first manuscript, what would you say to yourself?
It took me a long time to find the courage and confidence to write and to take it seriously. A friend pointed out to me that ‘all writing is practising’ and that just flipped a switch for me. It doesn’t matter if what you first write isn’t great – it takes time to find your voice, and even when you do find it, you will sometimes face the blank page with terror! Just do it. You can make it better later. As so many writers have said – good writing comes in rewriting. It also comes even when you feel like it isn’t and you feel very resistant to the process. So that’s what I would have said to myself before writing my very first manuscript and it’s what I would say to anyone who wants to write but thinks that they can’t or that writing is for ‘other people’. Face your fear and do it anyway – you’ll be surprised.
