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his former government worker was inspired to write a novel when she moved to California for a time. Since then she has switched careers to write full time from her home in the Royal Crescent. Colette has been shortlisted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and signed by a top London literary agent. Here we catch up with her to find out more about her current and upcoming novels... What inspired your love of the written word? I moved to California’s Napa Valley which was such an idyllic place, and it inspired me to write a novel. I have no formal training in creative writing but I worked with a San Francisco literary consultant and an early draft was shortlisted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. When it comes to who inspires me, it’s every writer who never gave up and eventually got a book deal. What’s your background? I’m a researcher by profession. I worked for the government agency that funds higher education and then for a research consultancy in Bath. What’s the best bit about your job? Now that I’m a full-time author I can work to my own schedule and am effectively my own boss. And the most challenging? Trying to shut out the world and lose myself in the characters and stories I’m creating. How many books have you had published? My debut novel was published in e-book this time last year, and in paperback this July. My second novel is being published in spring 2017. What’s the current book about? Learning to Speak American is based on the premise that if you couldn’t be happy in Napa Valley (where it’s set), then maybe you couldn’t be happy anywhere. Is there any truth in it from your own life? Only the setting, and the experience of buying and renovating a rundown old house. Everything else is fiction. Where do you live and what are the pleasures of living in Bath? I live in the Royal Crescent with my husband, Trevor, and my two small dogs. I’ve lived in Bath for 23 years on and off. I lived in California and London for a while, but always come back to Bath. I have three children and wanted them to grow up in a small, safe city with good schools and where there was lots to do. The stunning architecture, the fact I walk everywhere, all
COLETTE DARTFORD Local author, Colette, talks oenology, indie bookshops and how living in California compares to life on the Royal Crescent the wonderful National Trust places, the many cultural festivals and the abundance of cafés and restaurants are just a few of the reasons I love the city. Is your work inspired by your surroundings? Absolutely. Learning to Speak American is set in the Napa Valley where I owned a home. My second novel, An Unsuitable Marriage, is set in a fictional Somerset village (I lived in Priston for five years when I first moved to the West Country), and my work-in-progress is set in the Languedoc area of France. What’s your favourite shop, pub and restaurant in Bath? I love Mr B’s and Topping – we are so fortunate to have independent bookshops in the city. My favourite restaurant would have to be The Porter and though I’m not much of a pub-goer, The Marlborough Tavern is my local and does good food. Share a favourite spot in the city… My favourite view is from my apartment, which overlooks Victoria Park. I also love the garden of The Royal Crescent Hotel. Most treasured possession? A box of family photographs spanning several generations. When my siblings visit we spend hours poring over them and sharing memories.
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What are you reading at the moment? Heroes of The Frontier by Dave Eggers. What are your biggest personal and professional achievements so far? Being signed by a top London literary agent, getting a two-book deal with a publishing house, And being awarded a first-class honours degree, watching my son get married and seeing my novel in print for the very first time. Any advice for aspiring authors? Get professional feedback on your work and act upon it. As for making a living, most writers don’t make enough to live on... so don’t give up the day job. Surprise us… I took a course in viticulture and oenology, which is the science and study of grapes and wine, while living in California and discovered I have a very good palate.
Learning to Speak American by Colette Dartford (Twenty7, £7.99) is out now. Her second novel, An Unsuitable Marriage, will be published in 2017. To find out more, visit www. colettedartford.com