Just So Stories

Hello Ashleigh! So good of you to visit Just So Stories! It was such a pleasure to meet you last year and enjoy a little chat. But it’s really good to have you pop in and share a little more about yourself. Especially after the release of your sensational new book, How to Sail to Somewhere, as well as the Notable listing of Dinosaur in My Pocket – congratulations!

Thank you and it was so lovely to meet you too – I hope our paths will cross again one day soon!

Let’s start right there.

1. Your new novel is an absolute triumph. I loved every word and nuance of it. Please tell us about the genesis of both the idea and the development of the narrative.

Thank you so much – I really appreciate you saying that and know how much it means coming from you! This story has been in my head for a really long time and in fact started as a picture book idea. Years ago, when I was working in an office my colleague made a throwaway comment that sparked an idea. I went home and started on that picture book right away, but I didn’t know what to do with it so I put it straight in the metaphorical bottom drawer (along with many other unpublished manuscripts). A few years after that, I showed my newly signed agent and she wasn’t a fan. But the characters wouldn’t leave me alone, and I began to realise that the story they wanted to tell was a different one – a longer one. And so I started writing a middle grade novel instead. I worked on it for many years while working on the other books I have had published in the meantime. This one needed a lot of time in my head to fully form and be ready to put down on the page. I had pretty much written the first five chapters then hit a wall. I stopped to think about where I wanted the story to go, and once the entire rest of the plot became clear to me, I was able to write the rest of the story fairly quickly. The title came to me quite early on – before I even knew what “Somewhere” was, and that’s when most of the plot began to unravel.

2. What about the development of Dinosaur in My Pocket? I loved that book so much because though many ‘message’ books come across my desk, they are often too didactic for my taste. Yours was not – it was subtle and clever and gave children an opportunity to explore the layers for themselves.

Thank you so much! The idea for DINOSAUR IN MY POCKET also came from somewhere random – a little onesie my baby (now almost seven) was wearing on a day he would only sleep in my arms. The onesie had an image of a dinosaur poking out of the pocket (all babies need pockets!) and I spent hours staring at it and wondering what the dinosaur was doing there. Gradually, the idea of the dinosaur growing bigger came to me, along with the reason for it. Like HOW TO SAIL TO SOMEWHERE, this one needed a long time in my head before I was ready to write it. I think the fact it didn’t start as a message book is the reason it doesn’t come across as overly didactic. My intention was to tell the story about the growing dinosaur – not to teach a lesson!

3. Let’s backtrack now and hear about your journey as a writer. It’s a long way from becoming a solicitor!! What caused that pivot? When did you first start writing seriously? What helped you on your path? What are the ups and downs?

I have been writing ever since I learned how and being an author was all I ever wanted to be. But I think, even at an early age, I recognised that being an author was something that might never happen. It’s not a guaranteed career option like studying law or medicine and graduating as a lawyer or a doctor. I’m not great with failure (like most people, I’m sure) so I kept my writing ambitions secret and pursued other career paths while I figured it all out. I really enjoyed my law degree but the practical legal training (the last part of the degree that qualifies you as a lawyer) completely put me off becoming a solicitor. The thought of standing up in court in front of a judge terrified me. I also studied Public Communication (majoring in advertising), which I also loved, but after completely internships in advertising agencies, I didn’t think that was for me either. So, I decided to get a job in a publishing house instead (more on this below!). It was this experience and the knowledge and friends that I gained during my six years in publishing that gave me the confidence to finally put my work out into the world.

4. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on which is more difficult – picture book or novel? Thoughts seem to vary on that topic quite a lot.

I personally don’t think one is necessarily more difficult than the other – for me it comes down to the idea, how clear the story is in my mind and how I’ve decided to write it. My process for both is the same – an idea comes to me and then I’ll spend as long as it takes thinking about it until its clear enough and strong enough to write down. This, as I’ve mentioned above in the context of HOW TO SAIL TO SOMEWHERE and DINOSAUR IN MY POCKET, can take me years! Of course, a novel has more plot points and characters to consider, but every word of a picture book needs to matter. No matter what you are writing, writing can be a really difficult process for one reason or another.

5. You worked for a long time very successfully in the publishing world. Was it a huge step from working in publishing to being published yourself?

As I mentioned above, my publishing experience was the gateway to becoming a published author. The first job I got in publishing was on the reception desk at Pan Macmillan. It was the best thing I could have done. I started collecting work from every department while I sat there answering phones and greeting visitors. I manned the slush pile, helped the in-house lawyer with contracts and legal research, worked with the digital marketing department and so much more. I got a huge overview of a publishing house and the industry and how everything worked. Before that, I knew nothing about publishing and at school I was only ever told that editing was a job you could do if you wanted to work in publishing. But, as it turns out, there are so many more career options in publishing. I didn’t consider moving into marketing and publicity until the then-CEO of Hachette generously took me out for coffee to talk about publishing career paths, and very soon after that I’d moved into the Pan Macmillan marketing and publicity department, and then over to Hachette about a year later where I ended up the Marketing and Publicity Manager for the entire children’s list.

All jobs have their ups and downs, but I absolutely loved my time in publishing. I got to work with incredible local and international talent – authors and illustrators like Shaun Tan, Libby Hathorn, Mick Elliott and A.L. Tait. I toured Lauren Child and helped launch Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor. It was the perfect job for me but I never stopped wanting to be an author. It wasn’t until I went on maternity leave and had the idea for WHAT DO YOU CALL YOUR GRANDPA and WHAT DO YOU CALL YOUR GRANDMA that I finally felt confident enough to show a former colleague. She saw the potential and forwarded them on for me to a former colleague of hers. I’ll be forever grateful to her! After that, I signed with an agent and it was all systems go. My time in publishing meant I was starting out with a really solid understanding of how the industry worked and it helped temper my expectations about the process and especially about things like how hard marketing and publicity for children’s books is.

6. Tell us about Ashleigh as a small person; family, home, pets, school, naughty or nice. What shaped your reading and writing habits then? Did you have favourites, either authors or genres?

I grew up in a big family – I have two older brothers, a younger sister and twenty-two cousins. I love being around people and hate being alone – perhaps this big family is the reason!

I was definitely a goodie two-shoes at school – I can count the number of times I got into trouble on three fingers (once in preschool, once in primary school and once in high school). I never got detention and I was the kid winning kindness awards (and participation ribbons at the sports carnivals). I spent all my free time (outside of playing with friends) reading, writing or making things. I would get dragged to my brothers’ sports games every weekend and spend the entire time reading in the back of my mum’s car. I used to read in the doorway of my room, using the hallway light to see, long after bedtime. My favourite books were mostly contemporary fiction with crime/mystery and a bit of fantasy thrown in for good measure. I adored Robin Klein, Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Wilson, Judy Blume and, later, Melina Marchetta.

7.How do you approach your writing now? What does a working day look like? What is your writing space like? (Love photos !) What inspires you?

I do most of my writing in my head. I’m not much of a traditional plotter – writing down detailed plot points feels too restrictive for me. I’m a rule follower so my brain takes plotting too prescriptively and I find that doesn’t lead to my best writing. Instead, I spend a really long time thinking. I usually have a number of ideas on the go so it’s pretty busy inside my head at all times. I’m an expert at spacing out completely.

I find inspiration from everywhere – my kids inspire a lot of ideas, as does my own childhood, but sometimes seeing something when I’m out and about or hearing someone say something will spark an idea at the most random times.

Because my kids have been home fulltime and not in childcare (now I’ve got one in school and two in preschool), I haven’t
had a traditional working day since becoming an author. It’s been a lot of writing while babies are napping and late at night or early in the morning, with lots of thinking in between. My writing space has mostly been the dining table, sometimes the car, the couch or my bed. We’ve recently moved house and I finally have a designated workspace. We bought a new dining table when we moved into this place and, ironically, the old dining table has become my desk.

8. You’re a very busy person with your dual writing career. How do you fit it all in? And what does down-time look like? Hobbies? Interests?

It has definitely been a busy few years but that’s honestly how I like it. I work best under pressure so having too much to do or pressing deadlines are very helpful for me. Downtime right now is spending time with my family and friends, reading and watching TV. And writing things that aren’t contracted! I used to love travel, baking and crafting, but I don’t have a lot of time for those things these days!

9. What’s coming up next? Is there a WiP?

I have a picture book coming out in August, as well as a couple of picture books contracted for next year. I’ve got plenty of WIPs on the go and ideas in my head that are waiting to become stories.

10. To round off our little chat, what’s the best piece of advice about writing you’ve ever received? And what advice would you give a young aspiring writer?

I can’t remember any specific writing advice I’ve ever been given – I was a secret writer for so long, no one ever offered any! My advice for aspiring writers is the cliché old – keep writing and keep reading. Don’t listen to the people who are telling you can’t do it – especially if that voice is your own.

Ashleigh, thank you so much for your generous sharing. I look forward to seeing the acclaim your newest title will undoubtedly receive.

Thank you again!