1.
What inspired you to write this book?
While I have wanted to
write a novel since I was about ten years old, when I won a writing competition
at school, it has taken me a long time to realize that ambition. Previous
attempts were abandoned, mainly because life always got in the way, but when I
retired from teaching in August 2022, I decided that it was now or never, so I
started writing seriously.
In the last few years
before I started writing this book, I began to think about the people from the
community where I grew up and how their lives were just as interesting as the
lives of many of the characters that I have read about in books. So why not use
my personal experience of life in a small, isolated, Australian country town in
the middle of the 20th Century to realize my ambition to become a
writer? Naturally, my characters are all figments of my imagination, but many
of them are inspired by people I’ve known, or known of. I wanted to tell their
stories in a respectful way that reveals that life is just as interesting and
challenging in a small country town in Tasmania as it is in New York or London.
Going by the positive feedback that I’ve had from others who grew up in the
same place and time as I did, I believe that I have succeeded.
2.
What exactly is it about and who is
it written for?
My book is about a
young couple (Frank and Amy) who meet and fall in love in Cairns (QLD,
Australia) in the later stages of WW2. They have very different ambitions in
life, which are not compatible, and this obstacle, along with hostility towards
Amy from Frank’s older brother (Henry), leads to their separation. Frank
returns to his family’s farm in Tasmania and, on the rebound from Amy, finds
himself pushed into marrying Imogen, a young woman of whom his family approves
but whom Frank doesn’t love. The rest of the story, which spans 50 years,
reflects the consequences of marrying for duty instead of love, and includes
the themes of loss, fidelity and betrayal, loyalty, and ‘doing the right thing’.
It also examines the effects that one generation’s choices can have on future
generations. The rapidly shifting moral landscape of the second half of the 20th
Century provides an addition dimension to the story.
Originally, my target
audience was adult women, but, once again, going by the feedback that I’ve
received, many adult men are also enjoying my book, so I suppose it is actually
written for anyone, male or female, who enjoys a good story.
3.
What do you hope readers will get out of reading
your book?
First of all, I hope
my readers will just enjoy a good yarn that they don’t have to have a literary
education to understand. But I also hope that they will develop a wider
understanding of what society was like in the place and time in which the novel
is set and the limitations and expectations that were placed on women – and
men.
While I would not call
my novel ‘feminist’, I hope that the contrasts between Amy, Imogen and the
other female characters will lead my readers to reflect on how much women’s
roles in society have changed in the last 70 years. And, hopefully, my readers
will feel some sympathy for the characters, male and female, and how their
lives played out, mainly because of the expectations that society placed upon
them.
4.
How did you decide on your book’s title and cover
design?
The title popped into
my head one evening when my husband and I were discussing the different norms
that applied in the second half of the 20th Century, which I have
tried to reveal in my novel. I remarked that it was ‘another time’ then and
that’s what stuck – it seemed like the correct title for my book.
The cover design is
meant to reflect the tropics and Cairns, where Frank and Amy met, and
WW2, when Frank and Amy met. The planes on the cover are Catalinas,
which I chose because there were two Catalina Squadrons based in Cairns during
WW2.
5.
What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow
writers – other than run!?
Just keep slogging
away. If you have an idea for a story, write it down. If a publisher rejects
your work, keep trying or self-publish. Publishers don’t always recognize a
good story – remember that J.K.Rowling was rejected 12 times before the 13th
publisher accepted her first book in the Harry Potter series.
6.
What trends in the book world do you see — and where
do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
I admit that I was
previously somewhat pessimistic about the future of literature with what I
perceived as younger people’s lack of interest in reading novels and their lack
of concentration caused by spending so much time on the social media. However,
since my book was published, I have become aware of the many, many young people
who are all over the social media promoting literature of all kinds to their
friends and followers. The emerging backlash against the whole on-line, digital
experience is also encouraging with so many young people seeking entertainment
in the analogue world. I have faith in the future of literature.
The book publishing
industry itself is being challenged by modern technology, the ease of
self-publishing and publishers’ own attitudes to publishing new authors. I
recently read that a large publishing firm had declared that it wasn’t going to
publish any new authors or any new books unless they were sure that the book
would be a best seller – in other words, they weren’t going to take any risks.
If this continues, publishers might find themselves by-passed and obsolete in
the future – they might not be willing to take risks in publishing new authors
and books, but are they willing to risk their own demise caused by their own
policies?
7.
Were there experiences in your personal life or
career that came in handy when writing this book?
I believe that one of
the reasons why I succeeded in this attempt at writing a novel is that I now
have a master’s degree in English, applied linguistics and psychology and have
taught literature for 17 years. Studying the work of other authors as closely
as I did as a teacher of literature has given me a lot of insights into how
it’s done, which I didn’t have before, and the self-discipline required to
successfully complete a master’s degree was a useful attribute in writing a
novel. Please don’t write me off as an intellectual snob, I don’t think that it
is necessary to have a university degree to write a good book – there are
numerous examples of great novels written by outstanding authors who
didn’t/don’t have a formal education – I’m merely saying that, in my case, my
education helped.
As previously
mentioned, I have drawn on my own personal experience growing up in a small
country town as inspiration for many of the events and characters in my
book.
8.
How would you describe your writing style? Which
writers or books is your writing similar to?
My writing style is
straight-forward. I tell the story in a way that is easily understood and can
be enjoyed by everyone. I chose a third person omniscient narrator so that I
could reveal the thoughts and feelings of all of my characters where appropriate.
It was especially important that the reader was aware of what the three main
characters (Frank, Amy and Imogen) were thinking and feeling and how they were
reacting to the other characters and events. There is a lot of dialogue in the
book, where I have tried to portray the characters’ mode of speaking as
authentically as possible – this is a useful tool which reflects both the
sociolect and dialect of the characters.
If I were to compare
my book to other books that I feel that mine is similar to, my first choices
would be Colleen McCullough’s The Thorn Birds or Robert James Waller’s Bridges
of Madison County – both of which, like my book, deal with love and
difficult choices which don’t necessarily lead to happy endings for the
characters.
9.
What challenges did you overcome in the writing of
this book?
My biggest challenge
was having confidence in my work/writing. I was convinced that my book wouldn’t
appeal to anyone and that it was very ‘amateurish’. It was very reassuring when
I eventually allowed a few people to read it and received positive feedback. I
was also very insecure about sending it to publishers – no-one likes rejection.
Although it was rejected by some publishers, it was also accepted and
published, and that’s all that counts in the end.
10. If people can buy or read one book this week
or month, why should it be yours?
If you want to read a
ripping, good yarn that will tear at your heart-strings, read my book. It’s a
story that many people will enjoy and even relate to on some level. There’s
also a possibility that you’ll learn something about Australia, Australian history
and the challenges that faced women who wanted to be something other than
‘housewives’ in the middle of the last century.
A good read that
touches on social, historical and emotional themes.
About The Author: Vicki Ostenfeld was
born in Tasmania, Australia and grew up in a small country town in the middle
of the 20th Century. She now lives in Denmark with her husband whom
she met in Cairns, Queensland where she was working as a customs officer
(border control). After moving to Denmark, Vicki attended Aarhus University
where she obtained a Bachelor of English and a master’s degree. Vicki taught
English at a Danish adult education high school for 17 years before retiring in
2022 when she began writing her first novel. Vicki has both Australian and
Danish citizenship. Please see: Vicki Ostenfeld (ampbk.com)
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