Val Poore, who writes under her full name of Valerie, lives on a barge in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, so we've travelled down from Cumbria and nipped across the Channel to join her on her boat. Val's memoir, Watery Ways, and her novel, The Skipper's Child, are both published by Sunpenny Publishing.
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Let's get started then:
SP: Val, could you tell us something of your
background and how you came to be living in the Netherlands?
VP: That's a long story, so I won't bore you
with all the details. Suffice to say I was actually born and raised in the UK,
but then lived in South Africa for nearly twenty years before landing up in the
Netherlands. I came here to Rotterdam to try and save a rocky marriage, which
was already failing when my husband left Johannesburg to work in Amsterdam. I
followed him a year later, but it didn't work. However, by that time, I'd
developed a love for life on the water, so after a return spell to South
Africa, I decided to come back and make my own life in this country.
The Oude Haven in Rotterdam and Val's barge, the Vereeniging |
VP: Well, I suppose it's because it's so different
from the dry, warm climate I was used to in Johannesburg. After living at very
high altitude in a place with virtually no natural lakes and even less
navigable inland water, it was amazing to me to see this country that had been
wrested from the sea. In the Netherlands, much of the land is below sea level,
and canals and rivers are everywhere. I'd never experienced, or even known
about houseboats, so seeing them in such profusion here was very inspiring and
piqued my curiosity no end. I bought my own barge in a very special harbour in
Rotterdam, and I love the life so much I find it endlessly inspiring.
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Val's memoir about life in Rotterdam's Oude Haven |
VP: Like most authors, I've been writing since
childhood one way and another, but I only started thinking of writing seriously in South Africa. I
have always loved radio plays, so I wrote three in fairly quick succession. I submitted them to both the SABC and the BBC, but
they were all rejected, sadly. I also wrote short stories, one of which was
broadcast on a radio station in Johannesburg. But when I came to the
Netherlands, I read Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence and loved his descriptions
of French rural people. He really inspired me to start writing memoirs because
I feel so lucky to have lived in so many interesting places and had the chance
to observe the life and people around me. On the one hand, I wanted to write them for myself to preserve my memories, but on the other, I really wanted to tell readers about the places and people I'd met, so they served both purposes.
SP: Okay, but you have written fiction too and Sunpenny has published your novel for teenagers, The Skipper's Child. What
do you prefer writing? Fiction or fact and why?
VP: That's hard to answer, really. I love both, but
they require different approaches and skills. I probably feel more creative
satisfaction when writing fiction, but I try and write my memoirs in a creative
way as well - with structure and themes that readers can follow throughout the
books. I enjoy the different demands of both fiction and non-fiction.
SP: Val, do you write anything other than memoirs and
novels?
VP: If you mean do I write for magazines or short
stories? No, I don't, but I'm an enthusiastic blogger and love sharing my
experiences and thoughts on my blog. I write a post every week, so it's good
discipline and practice, and the reward is in the comments I get from my
regular readers.
SP: We'll post your blog link at the end here so
readers can have a look, Val. Now if you had to give the readers here a tip
about how to get started on a book, what would it be?
VP: As some of the others have said, just start and
keep going. Don't let anyone put you off. The only difference between those who write books and those who
don't is determination and stamina. There are some brilliant writers out there
who have never managed to finish a book, and in the end it's just self-discipline that gets you to 'The End'.
SP: Well it sounds as if you're pretty
determined, Val, so what do you see as your greatest strength in life? And then
(of course) what do you see as your weakest point?
VP: Good question! Probably that determination to
keep going and finish things I've started is my greatest strength, although my sister would tell you
that's all part of my stubborn streak, which is possibly my weakest point too.
Never giving up on something can also be detrimental, especially if you know
that underneath it all you're wrong. I'm afraid I'm inclined to stick to my guns even when I know I shouldn't.
SP: Well, then on the basis of not giving up on
something, here's another question for you. If you had to live for a year with
only one book, what would it be?
VP: This would be a pretty hard question if I hadn't
been asked the same thing just last week. After much thought, I decided I would
go for Graham Greene's Monsignor Quixote, a book I absolutely adore and have
read several times. It was a toss up between that and Offshore by Penelope
Fitzgerald, which I love too because it's about a community living on the
Thames. But Graham Greene won because I could imagine myself continuing the
debates Monsignor Quixote has with his friend, the communist Mayor. This would
keep me busy and stimulated in my year of one book!
SP: So leading on from that, do you have any
favourite authors? If so, why do you admire their work?
VP: I do indeed. I'm a huge crime
fiction fan and my absolute favourites are Deborah Crombie and Donna Leon. Both
of them write with such a strong sense of place (London and Venice
respectively) that I feel I'm there with them. The characters are also
incredibly believable and well developed and there is always much more to the
stories than simply solving a crime; they bring in social, political and even
environmental issues too. They both write such evocative and thrilling stories that as soon as I know either of them has produced a new
book, I have to buy it.
SP: Val, are you writing anything at the moment?
Can you tell us what it is?
VP: Oh goodness, yes! I'm writing a novel set in
South Africa, which has been on the back burner for a while, but I keep coming
back to it to stir it up again. As I've just finished a travelogue about my
partner's and my trip to France last summer on our barge, I'll definitely be
going back to the novel again now. Who knows? I might even finish it this time.
SP: Right then, last question. If you had a
bucket list, what would be in the top three positions?
VP: Hmm, if this is about things I would really, really like to do at some time in the future, then here's a short (but long) list of my top three dreams:
a) The first would be to have six months to cruise
the English canal network; something I've never done and would just love to do.
b) The second would be to have the money and
time to spend visiting all those lovely people I've 'met' on the internet. The
first stop would be Tuscany in Italy to visit Tonia Parronchi, another Sunpenny
author; then I'd like
to go to Scotland to see Stephanie Parker McKean (also from Sunpenny). After that, I'd travel down through
the UK and visit all the other fantastic people I've struck up cyber
friendships with, especially in Wales (notably Julie McGowan, yet another Sunpenny author) before crossing the
Channel into France where there are several special contacts. Lastly, I'd head
for Australia and New Zealand, where I have a number of friends I've met online
and have also met in real life but would love to see again. Phew! Sorry that
was so long!
c) The third, well, this is a real pipe
dream - I'd love to have the independent financial means to give up
teaching before my official retirement age so I could concentrate on
writing...but that one is the most unlikely of them all to happen!
Val, thank you so much for joining us on the Sunpenny Blog. It's been very interesting to be here in Rotterdam too; it's such a modern, dynamic city. However, before we leave the barge and reach terra firma, here are the links to Val's books and blog.
Val's memoir: Watery Ways
Val's young adult/all ages novel: The Skipper's Child
Val's blog: Rivergirl Books, Blog and Barges
4 comments:
What a lovely interview, Val! You are amazing. I love your "never giving up" attitude. Even if your sister calls it stubborn, I call it admirable! And please finish that novel so we can read it! I'm thrilled to be on the list of Sunpenny authors you want to meet. I feel like we're already old friends and I would love to meet you. We move to Dunoon, Scotland, on April 3. I'm not sure if there are any canals there...I'll have to check. There is a lot of water for Watery Ways traveling for sure! Thanks for this delightful interview.
Thank you for the lovely comment, Stephanie! I'll have to look up Dunoon now!!
That was really interesting, thank you for sharing.
You have made me think about memoir writing as well...
Maria, it can be a very creative medium too!
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