In this week’s Corks & Conversation with Clare Whitfield, we reached across the ocean to England for a funny and inspiring chat over a glass of Sancerre. Have a listen …
This episode was a real winner, with laughs about life and writing! British Author Clare Whitfield has been a dancer, copywriter, amateur fire breather, buyer and mediocre weight lifter. And now a very entertaining guest on our podcast!
We couldn’t wait to talk to Clare Whitfield about her debut book, People of Abandoned Character! We really enjoyed this historical mystery set during the time of Jack the Ripper, and it seems we are not alone. Just after recording, her novel won the prestigious 2021 Glass Bell Award, given by Goldsboro Books in London. Maybe our toast to winning the award might have had something to do with it? Actually, Clare gets all the credit! Congratulations! You can order your copy of the book here: indie bookshop.org or Amazon.
We asked Clare about her choice to write a historical mystery. Here’s what she said…
“I’m definitely a history nerd, I love a bit of history, but no, it was a really odd sort of project if I’m honest. I love reading about history but the thought of taking on anything historical fiction was really really intimidating to me. So if you’d have told me I intended to write my first novel about Jack the Ripper, and also, you know historical, no I wouldn’t have the guts to do that.”
When asked about researching historical accuracy, Clare said:
“I really enjoyed researching, I enjoy research. I’m quite a sad hermit-type creature and I really love geeking out on the detail”
And after a few more sips of wine, we got into the gaslighting by the husband of the protagonist, Susannah. Here’s Clare’s hypothesis on why it was probably prevalent during this time …
“I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but I will because, you know, the Sancerre [wine]. Women are taught a lot to consider other people’s feelings and consider other people’s opinions and that makes them ripe pickings, as you say, for gaslighting. You’re constantly chained to “Oh you’re probably wrong, what about them” whereas you’ve got one half of the population [men], especially in Victorian times, who weren’t being taught to consider anyone else.”
Some highlights from the Episode:
9:20 The pressure of writing historical fiction
10:55 Why Jack the Ripper?
23:17 Clare’s goal was 120 rejections
12:15 The relevance of Victorian times
16:10 The complex relationships in the story
18:50 Clare’s most unique talent
28:54 A great Dumb and Dumber reference
30:00 The Gone and Forgotten is coming next June!
31:40 She’s a bit of a banshee when she’s writing
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