Author Interview: Melissa Bailey

 

Melissa Bailey is the author of The Medici Mirror, exploring themes of death, vulnerability and love. She agreed to answer a few questions for HerBookList. Medici Mirror can be purchased on Amazon. 

Can you tell us a bit about The Medici Mirror and where did the idea for the book come from?

The Medici Mirror is part ghost story, part murder mystery, part love story. The spark of the idea for the book came from reading A Wild Sheep Chase by one of my favourite authors, Haruki Murakami. In that novel, the male protagonist is holed up in a spooky old house, miles from anywhere, and comes across an old blackened mirror. It was a really haunting scene and gave me the idea for a story involving a darkened mirror, playing on associations with the magical and mysterious. Then, as I began to explore the history of mirrors, I kept coming across Catherine de Medici, an alleged plotter and poisoner and practitioner of the occult. From there my story really began to evolve.

The Medici Mirror moves between the sixteenth century court of Catherine and present day London, where Johnny, an architect, is renovating an old Victorian shoe factory. While he's mapping the building he discovers a long abandoned underground room containing an old darkened Venetian mirror - a room which begins to exert a powerful, malign influence upon both him and his new lover, Ophelia. What happened in that room? And can he unravel the mystery and save himself and Ophelia before it's too late?

Here’s a short film that’s a good introduction to the book if you want to take a look. http://youtu.be/MY2Ah3GDZB0.

How did you get into writing? How was your journey to getting published? 

I've been writing stories since I was a teenager and always wanted to write a novel. One day (about five years ago) I decided it was time to actually take the risk and do just that! So I went down to working part-time and got started. It's been a long and at times challenging road from first putting pen to paper on The Medici Mirror to getting it published. I think a crucial part of the process was getting an agent and, after I sent out my finished first draft, I was lucky enough to receive an offer of representation from London based, Luigi Bonomi. After we had worked together on improvements to the novel, he sent it out to publishers last year. I was delighted that Random House (Arrow) liked the book and on the back of it offered me a two book deal.

What is your average writing day like?

It depends. I still work part-time so I am often trying to squeeze in writing early in the morning or late at night. When I have a day devoted purely to writing I really try to make the most of it. I get up and head to my study early (I try and keep the dressing gown days to a minimum!) and then write until I become unproductive. I usually hit the wall after producing about 1000 words. At which point, I go out, get some fresh air, grab a coffee and perhaps a gossip with a friend. As writing’s such a solitary occupation, I try and punctuate it with some interaction. Then, when I get home, I might pick up where I left off and write a little more.

Who is your favourite character in the Medici Mirror and which character did you relate to the most?

I think my favourite character would have to be Catherine de Medici. She was a powerful political player in her day, strong, ruthless if she had to be, and a real survivor. She had a dark side, dabbling in magic and the occult but she was also in many respects an ordinary woman, subject to a woman’s very real emotions. She suffered jealousy, fear, longing and thwarted desire at the hands of her husband and his mistress. So she was a truly fascinating, complicated mix and an inspiration.

The character I probably relate to the most is Johnny. He’s an ordinary guy, suffering the same trials and tribulations we all face in our lives - the same disastrous relationships, the same doubts about intimacy, the same difficulties with our jobs, colleagues and friends. And, in the midst of all this, and mixing it all up somewhat, a whole series of very weird things start to happen to him! 

Also which character was most difficult to write?

Ophelia was probably the character I identified with the least and therefore was the most difficult to write. Unlike me, she has suffered a great deal of loss in her life and is enormously affected by it – it’s an intrinsic part of who she is and has given her a kind of steely fragility. So I talked to people who had suffered loss and read a lot of other writers’ work on the subject to try to add texture to her character and make her and her experiences as believable as possible.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Write as much as you can. The more you write the better it gets. Read lots – you get great ideas and learn a lot simply from seeing how other people write. But inspiration comes from all sorts of places – magazines, music, films, galleries, even simply going for a walk, so keep yourself open to everything. And most of all keep plugging away at it. Don’t get disillusioned – the writing road can be a long, hard, solitary one. But keep going. Don’t give up.