Theresa Howes: ‘Nothing you write is ever wasted, even if it never reaches your goal of being published'
BY Emily Powter-Robinson
24th Jan 2023
Theresa Howes studied on our Writing Your Novel – Three Months course with Christopher Wakling in 2011. Her debut novel The Secrets We Keep was published by HQ Digital (an imprint of HarperCollins) in November 2022. We spoke about the lifelong friends she made on the course, researching the historical context for her novel and the upcoming publication of her second book.
You took our Writing Your Novel – Three Months course with Christopher Wakling in 2011. How did your time studying with us impact your writing journey?
The impact was massive. Chris was a terrific tutor, very generous and warm-hearted. He encouraged us to experiment and to take risks with our writing, and created a safe space where we could share our work and receive constructive criticism without fear of reproach. It was challenging but always fun.
The course also gave me a great insight into the publishing world. Until then, I hadn’t met any authors and was quite intimidated by the idea of coming face-to-face with a literary agent or an editor. I soon realised that everyone at Curtis Brown Creative was passionate about books and keen to help us to succeed with our novels. After this experience, I knew there was no need to be nervous about meeting anyone in publishing.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met during the course?
Very much so. Eleven years after meeting on the course, I feel I’ve made some lifelong friends. For the first couple of years, we continued to meet and workshop regularly. With the help of Curtis Brown Creative, we also published a short story collection The Book of Unwritten Rules (still available to purchase on Amazon!)
A number of the group found success quickly after finishing the course. As one by one, we signed with agents and were offered publishing contracts, there was less need for us to critique each other’s work. Over time, the role of the group has evolved to fit our changing requirements. Everyone’s publishing journey is unique, and now we’re there for one another in a different capacity, sharing our journeys and experiences, and learning from one another’s challenges and successes.
Your debut novel The Secrets We Keep is out now, published by HQ Digital (an imprint of HarperCollins). It has been described as a compelling World War Two historical fiction novel which follows one courageous woman who put her life on the line to join the resistance. Can you tell us a bit more about the novel and the inspiration behind it?
There are so many unsung heroes during any war. My intention was to take a deeply personal view of one woman’s experience and show how living under the ever-present threat of an enemy forces deadly sacrifices and challenges, not only for survival, but also to enable the fight for victory. Sadly, the story is as relevant today as it has ever been.
The novel is set in World War Two during the German occupation of France. How did you approach your research for the story?
I first became interested in the wartime history of the Cote d’Azur after coming across a memorial during a visit to Nice. It was only when I started to look into it that I learned the Italians and then the Germans had occupied the region. There are so many books written about the conflict and yet I struggled to find anything written in English specific to this area. The more I dug, hunting down memoirs and biographies and other related histories that touched on it, the more I realised the story of the occupation of the Cote d’Azur deserved to be told.
What advice would you like to share with the aspiring authors reading this?
Keep challenging yourself through your writing, just as I was challenged on the Curtis Brown Creative course. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it, or put it aside and try something different. The Secrets We Keep is a completely different novel, written in a different genre and set in a different time period to the novel I worked on during the course. Writing is a long game. You learn from every misstep, every false start. Nothing you write is ever wasted, even if it never reaches your goal of being published.
Which authors do you admire and why?
There are so many, all for different reasons. Here’s just a few:
Adele Parks for her career longevity and her work ethic (twenty-two books in twenty-two years!) and her ability to shift genres successfully. She gets better with each book.
Jessie Burton for her exquisite prose, detailed world-building and compelling storytelling. It was my admiration for The Miniaturist that inspired me to approach our literary agent, Juliet Mushens for representation.
Kate Hamer for the absolute beauty and richness of her work. The sensitive and otherworldly nature of her writing leaves me spellbound.
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
My second novel, The French Affair, will be published in October 2023. Staying with a World War II setting, it focuses on a female British agent who is ordered to assassinate a German spy. History tells us that women were charged with such duties, and I believe they should be celebrated for their courage and their achievements.
Buy your copy of The Secrets We Keep here.
Applications for the Writing Your Novel – Three Months course are open now.