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?
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.
