Get ready to learn more about the book Finding ALICE in this discussion with sapphic author S. M. Skyborne.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz S. M. Skyborne about Finding ALICE, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Mistaken Identity category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Finding ALICE?
I lived in Cape Town, South Africa, for many years and it is a place very close to my heart. So much has changed in the time that I have known it—both politically and practically, for better and for worse. It is a complex, intriguing, scary, wonderful place. It is rich and teeming with culture, diversity and ingenuity, but perhaps poor in peace, compassion and standard of living. Life is lived raw and hard, and sometimes life is very cheap. Either way, it’s a place worth getting to know.
With all this in mind, I decided to set the first major overseas case for Toni in Cape Town to perhaps allow my readers to experience a small piece of South Africa through her eyes and her adventures. Perhaps they’d come to the same conclusions I did… nothing in life is ever simply black or white. People sometimes need to make difficult choices based on even more difficult situations. We can all be quick to judge actions, but frequently we do not know the full story, until we dig a little deeper. I like the idea that this book often begs the question “what would you do in this situation?”
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I generally grow very attached to almost everyone in the cast of my books. In this story, each of them turned out so differently and yet I could empathise with and admire all of them. Each one is trying to lead their best life under quite hard and difficult circumstances. They all show a huge amount of courage.
Gloria is perhaps the most complex and conflicted individual. She demonstrates such bravery even if her actions are sometimes questionable. I love her strength.
Alice did what so many want to do, but are too scared—take a leap into the unknown without a safety net.
Gerry, well, lovely Gerry. She reminds me of a wonderful character in an old lesbian film classic from my youth—the brusque, slightly rough around the edges, ‘tough as nails, proud dyke with a golden heart’.
Ayane—so young and so brave, like so many young arranged marriage brides, and perhaps most young people setting out in life.
I love little Masika—cute as a button with a really raw deal. How could she not crawl into anyone’s heart?
Lastly, Lisa—I like and respect her free spirit… dancing to the beat of her own drum. In fact, I liked her so much that after everything she went through in this story, I sent her off to the Greek island of
Lesvos (in “A Change of Heart”, part of the Lesvos Island Collection) to recover and start a new life.
Which of these, or any of my fictional characters, are similar to me? Bits of all of them and yet absolutely none of them.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
The title of this book was rather problematic for me, but I think sometimes books need to wear a series of titles until we find the right one that fits with the story.
“Alice” both as the name of the main character and the title of the book was a deliberate allusion to the “Alice in Wonderland” aspect of the novel.
The original version of this book had a more psychological, surreal layer to the plot that questioned perceptions of reality, which I liked, but it complicated the story to its detriment, so I removed it. Hence the change from “Project ALICE” to “Finding ALICE.” I have settled on this simple title which nicely encompasses Toni’s task at hand as well as Alice’s journey of self-discovery and growth.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
Yes, I have started the sequel. In fact, it was the first book I ever wrote, but for various ‘newbie author’ reasons never published, working title “Agents and Assassins”. It is a confounding case in which players in a Massively Multiplayer Online game turned up murdered in the same way their avatars were smited/smote/smitten (The troubles of a writer… Will have to ask my editor 🙄) in-game.
It was how I discovered Toni, her little crew and her P.I. business.
My aim is to dust off that manuscript and get it out as soon as I can… just as soon as I can clone myself, to continue on the other big projects I am working on. =)
What is your favorite line from your book?
I have two metaphors that came to mind while writing this, which I thought communicated the moments they describe reasonably well…
“Gloria slowed the Citroen and took a right turn onto a dirt track that cut into an even poorer part of the town. Like a surgeon’s knife on soft skin, the car cleaved a slow, cautious, red dusty line along the track, past a sea of scrap metal, aerials and rotting wooden pallets that were cobbled together with rusted nails and fishing line to form a mass of dilapidated shacks.”
“Alice smiled at the little girl and then followed Gloria and her human skirt of small people into the tent.”
Where do you usually write, and what do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
In my room or study, although technically I can write anywhere as long as I am focussed and not distracted. I like to take myself off to different places, ideally back to the location of my current work in progress, for self-imposed isolated writing retreats, especially if I am struggling to focus or finish a particular project.
Another tiny tip that has also proved ground-breaking for me and my writing routine, is to have a separate writer profile on my laptop. When I login as Sam Skyborne it tells my unconscious, it is time to write. I like to furnish this profile with a backdrop of images related to the work in progress.
I also benefit from the supervision of my greatest fan and biggest critic; Twinkle-Toes, my cat. She is a tubby tabby with a plethora of fluff and the whitest of white paws. In personality, she is more guard-dog than feline. She, very helpfully, sits on my lap, pinning me down most days until I have achieved my writing goals for the day.
What’s your favorite writing snack or drink?
Coffee, black, and I drink copious amounts of it–that is when the cups don’t go cold, untouched, because I’ve dived too deeply into a fictional world. Not a recipe per se, but best enjoyed hot!
Is there a particular genre you would love to write but only under a pseudonym?
I do have a few pseudonyms. The purpose of these is mainly to let readers know what they will find under the hood of my books. I didn’t always do this and I found readers got confused. My primary pseudonyms are Sam Skyborne for my love stories like those in the Lesvos Island Collection such as “Eye of the Storm”, and S.M. Skyborne for my detective thriller series, including “Risk” and “Finding ALICE”.
While writing “Sealed with a Kiss”, one of the love stories in the Lesvos Island Collection, one of the characters, Jacquie Lyon, walked off the page, so to speak, to write a book about Sappho—a sapphic retelling of the story of the poet Sappho. So yes, she is now one of my pseudonyms for the alternative historic fiction novel, “The Sappho Romance”.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing, and by whom?
Stephen King in his book “On Writing” suggests that one should “start by writing with your door closed.” i.e. Don’t let anyone see your initial writing or even talk about your writing ideas until you are ready and your idea is fully formed on paper. If you do, you risk people’s early-stage reaction to a potentially half-baked and vulnerable idea, which can affect your motivation and commitment to the project. Until reading that, I had sabotaged several of what were, in hindsight, potentially quite promising ideas.
What has helped or hindered you most when writing a book?
The little voice in my head. The one that tells me I can or I can’t. She is also the one who makes good and bad suggestions for my stories.
On a more practical level, I’d say research. Falling down rabbit holes can sometimes be the most fun, rewarding and enlightening experience (ask Lewis Carroll’s Alice), but they are also among the most time-consuming and difficult traps to pull oneself out of (also ask Alice).
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
Yes, I find that I get very attached to my characters: their wishes, dreams, goals and aspirations. They become very important to me. So, when a dream gets thwarted and even when they finally get what they desire, it does affect me.
Working on “Finding ALICE” and in particular being back in South Africa to do research for the novel and seeing the huge changes to the country since I left it over twenty-five years before, was one giant, tasty emotional swirl of memories, mourning and merriment.
What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?
Like a lot of readers, I enjoy reading books that reflect me, my demographic or people like me that I can admire and learn from. Hence, I like books with strong female characters and am thrilled if one of the main characters, ideally the hero, happens to be a lesbian. Sadly, until relatively recently, the lesbian fiction genre was mostly very limited. This is changing fast, which is very exciting.
I also like books that allow me to experience things outside of my reality—books that expand the frontiers of my imagination and surprise me with great twists and turns.
Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?
Val McDermid, Patricia Cornwall, Marge Piercy, Ursula Le Guin, to name but a few that immediately pop to mind. I loved the worlds and characters they created, and they inspired a yearning for more.
What books did you grow up reading?
As a child of the 70’s, I was subjected to books that generally had a very slanted view of women and their roles in society and in fiction. I remember being thrilled to find Enid Blyton’s George character—at last someone I could vaguely identify with! It was exactly that need for fiction and central characters that reflected my demographic in positive, energetic and pro-active ways—of which there were very few—which started me on my writing career.
I also want to say thank you to all the other authors who have picked up the mantle, or the pen, and helped to invent new worlds with new possibilities for women; especially of and for women who love women. It is important to encourage diverse and eclectic voices to provide balance in our understanding of the world.
Describe your favorite reading spot.
In warm dappled shade on a sunny day or on the couch in front of the fire with Twinkle-toes.
