Get ready to learn more about the book The Visitor in this discussion with sapphic author Angela McKenna.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Angela McKenna about The Visitor, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Set in the UK / Ireland category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write The Visitor?
I began to write The Visitor in the middle of a mid-life crisis that peaked just before the first Covid lockdown. At the time I was 52 years old and felt that my life was going nowhere. I was closeted at work, frustrated with friends constantly telling me what to do, even more frustrated at others telling me what I thought, and deeply hurt by my mother’s continuing shame at my sexuality. So, what did I do? Well, the first thing I did was to get a tattoo, not because I particularly wanted a tattoo, but really because everyone I knew told me not to do it! Of course, one led to two, which led to three… I now have five and I love them.
The second thing I did was start to write. I’d been playing with a story similar to The Visitor, and decided to expand it to novel length. However, before I’d finished the first chapter it was obvious the two would be vastly different, so I just went with it to see what happened. What happened, was I poured my heart and soul into the book, along the way leaving parts of my own soul on the page. It was an emotional affair during which I cried often and went to bed exhausted. Little did I realise at the time, that I was pouring out decades of emotional trauma into fictional characters and that some of those characters resembled actual people. Looking back now it’s obvious – but during the writing process I really felt like it was just a story, not realising that much of it was my own.
As to why it felt like time to write the story, I’m not sure. The Visitor, I believe, was my mid-life crisis rather than just part of it. I’m there in every page, fighting my battles all over again, but this time coming up trumps in the end. Perhaps everything just has its time.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
Oh this is so hard to answer because I like most of them, but I’m going to go for Helen. I like her because she is, like me, far from perfect. She is flawed from the inside out and top to bottom, but she knows it. All her talk and bravado are just covers for her insecurities, and deep down, she only wants to be loved.
Helen is similar to me in that we both have the same nervous stomach (yep, that’s for real folks!) and we both can talk ourselves into trouble without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately I am on the short side when Helen is tall, and I absolutely could not bring myself to dispose of a rodent – not a live one anyway.
What inspired the idea for The Visitor?
I tend to ask myself a series of ‘what if?’ questions when I plan to write, and I’ve found it useful in terms of story ideas. This was the first step in writing The Visitor although the final story was very different from what I’d intended it to be.
What was the biggest challenge writing this book?
I was the biggest challenge because I have a tendency to doubt myself, second guess myself, and worry too much about tiny details.
What part of The Visitor was the most fun to write?
The part I enjoyed best was the part when Helen and Ingrid got a little bit drunk – perhaps because when I wrote it, I’d had a few glasses of JD and Coke. Talk about living your characters!
How did you come up with the title for your book?
Of all the books I’ve had to title, this was the simplest one – it was about an unanticipated visitor, and so the title felt right.
How much research did you need to do for The Visitor?
As the book is based in areas I know well, not much research was needed. For the one chapter based in Sweden, I did check a few maps and Google Street Views, just to get the picture clear in my head.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
I’m torn with this one. Part of me thinks Helen and Ingrid’s story is finished (although they are tangentially linked to two of my other books) and part of me would like to see what calamity Helen can bring down upon them now. I shall probably remain torn for quite some time.
What is your favorite line from your book?
It’s the last sentence in Chapter 17, but I won’t write it here in case it’s a spoiler.
What is your writing process like?
I’m a plotter and pantser, and I love the pantser part of me the most. I always have a very rough outline of each chapter, usually a few sentences about each. However, as I write, the characters take over, and usually their ideas are better than my own so I let them do what they please. That’s the part I love best; being out of control.
For me, writing is like watching a film inside my head; it’s a very visual process, and I was surprised at first. I doubt I could change it even if I wanted to.
Where do you usually write, and what do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
I write in my living room and with no TV on or music playing. Luckily I live on my own and can suit myself. That’s all I need.
What’s your favorite writing snack or drink?
My favourite snack is a banana, and my favourite drink is tea. Recipes are peel banana, and pour boiling water onto teabag!
How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
Usually I flop onto the couch, relieved that the first draft is finished. This is the calm before the storm of copious redrafts!
Do you have any odd writing quirks?
If I do, I don’t know what they are.
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
I’m pet free at the moment but would love a cat. Of course, the cat would lie on my laptop keyboard and disrupt everything. Would be fun though.
What animal or object best represents you as an author or your writing style?
The object representing my writing style is a mirror. All of my books are partly a reflection of who I am and what my life has been. My inner self is very well represented ted on the page.
What are three words that describe your personality?
Shy is the first one. I always have been and probably always will be, although it’s complicated. In a large group of people, you’ll find me standing quietly at the back, probably wishing I could go home. However, if I have to, I can work the room like a pro. Only those who know me well would say I’m shy.
Second one is funny. At least that’s what I’m told. It’s possibly because I have a very well developed Scottish sense of humour and that I can sometimes be talkative. In other words, I might be a little bit cheeky (in the nicest possible way)
Third one is logical. I like this one, although it can be difficult when other people are less logical than I am. That’s the point at which I become funny (cheeky!) and then shy.
What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing, and by whom?
Don’t always write what you know – write what you feel. It was from another writer in a writer’s group and it changed my approach to storytelling. The biggest difference is it makes it possible to put some real emotion into things.
When you’re writing an emotional or difficult scene, how do you set the mood?
I imagine the scene as a movie scene, then play the reel over and over, changing the dialogue and the movements until I’m able to write down what I see. These scenes are the ones I find easiest as they tend to flow very quickly.
What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately, most of my characters are already in my head before I have to try getting into theirs. Sometimes they are loosely based on real people – Oskar, for example, is a very good representation of my younger brother. I know him inside out, so Oskar was easy to write.
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
Oh god yes. There is a scene in The Visitor where Helen realises things are not good (don’t want to spoil things so I’m keeping this part bland) and it was dreadful. The thing was that I didn’t intend the scene to develop the way it did, and it caught be by surprise. Worse than that, I didn’t want it to happen to Helen – I really wanted her to be happy and it looked like …well, it didn’t look good. It felt like it was happening to me.
Have you ever hated one of your characters?
No, probably because I’ve never hated anyone, even if they deserved it. I do have characters I don’t like much, but I enjoy writing them as there challenge is to make them unlikable but not in a cardboard cut out sort of way. They all have their reasons for being what they are.
What books did you grow up reading?
I grew up reading Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Tolkien and Dean Koontz. Although I don’t write in their genres, they brought memorable characters to life and had (on the whole) fabulous plots. That’s what I aspire to now.
Do you only read books in one genre or do you genre hop?
I read almost everything. Science fiction, sapphic books, historical fiction, classics, non-fiction, autobiographies – in fact, too many to mention. This stems from when I was a child. Books were an escape from a difficult life and I couldn’t afford to be choosy, so read whatever was to hand.
