What I've Learned as a Debut Author

FIVE LESSONS I’VE LEARNED FROM MY AUTHOR DEBUT

The day I dreamed about finally arrived when my debut novel Paris Kiss was launched earlier this year.

But like most long-held ambitions the reality was entirely different from the daydream that had sustained me through writing a first novel, finding an agent, rewriting, and securing a publisher.

I've loved every minute of it – and this is what I’ve learned from my author debut so far.

•The book launch goes by in a flash. It was like a wedding without the white dress. More than 140 people turned up at Waterstones, Argyle Street, Glasgow, with drinks afterwards at the atmospheric Sloans Bar. It was a wonderful night but was all over too soon.

•Amazon rankings are maddening and baffling. I rue the day another author told me about these and I’ve had to wean myself off compulsively checking the rankings two or three times a day.

•It’s important to do as many author appearances as possible. My first book festival, Glasgow’s Aye Write!, felt like a milestone. I’ve been asked to Edinburgh Reads at the Central Library, to Tidelines, North Ayrshire’s book festival, Glasgow Women’s Library and to book groups and libraries. It’s a great way to meet readers and spread the word.

•Readings become less scary and more fun. I was sick with nerves the first time I read in front of an audience. I’ve since learned to choose lively scenes with dialogue and to keep it short. A bit of context helps place your audience in your imaginary world.

•Get on with book two. It’s a hard to strike a balance between publicising the first novel and moving on to the second, but at some stage it's important to make time for new writing.

Inspired by Art

Research is one of the great joys of writing an historical novel.

When I worked on my debut novel, Paris Kiss, I didn’t confine myself to reading dusty tomes on 19^th century Paris.

Art from the period helped fire my imagination about what life was like for my two heroines, Camille Claudel and Jessie Lipscomb, who were protégées of the great sculptor Rodin.

As well as poring over history books, biographies, fashion plates and memoirs, I looked closely at the work of Camille Claudel, Rodin, Seurat, Renoir, Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec, among others.

Artists at the time were working en plein air, capturing the every day lives of Parisians.

Manet’s Déjeuner sur l’herbe inspired a scene in the Bois de Boulogne where Jessie and Camille go to sketch on a hot summer’s day and meet the colourful cross-dressing artist Rosa Bonheur.

And it was Seurat’s La Grande Jatte and Renoir’s Dance at Bougival that I had in my mind when I wrote about an eventful boat trip down the Seine that culminated with a visit to a café dansant.

When Jessie and Camille sneaked out at night to the bohemian Le Chat Noir in Montmartre, I was able to transport myself there thanks to Toulouse-Lautrec’s paintings of dancers, singers and a motley crowd of high society gentlemen and good time girls.

I didn’t confine myself to famous artists and iconic paintings: Vernissage au Salon was a simple line drawing but it showed how the most prestigious exhibition of art in the world was crammed to the ceiling and how artists had to clamber up enormous ladders to add the finishing touches to their works on opening night.

The sculptures of Rodin and Claudel gave me fascinating insights into their world. I was lucky enough to be able to see both their work in the Rodin Museum in Paris, while various museums in Glasgow, where I live, have pieces by the great man, including The Thinker.

It was Rodin’s The Kiss that not only inspired the novel’s title but spoke eloquently about the passionate affair between the sculpture’s creator and his muse and lover, Camille Claudel.

•Paris Kiss by Maggie Ritchie is published by Saraband (£8.99).