“Time spent with family can be challenging, especially at Christmas…”

Christmas Actually – Lisa Darcy

I absolutely love Christmas fiction and I recently had the pleasure of reading Christmas Actually by the very lovely Lisa Darcy! Lisa’s book is filled with family drama, forgiveness, love and starting again. The perfect read for the season! I’ve loved getting to know Lisa more by asking her questions about her writing, characters and general author life. Grab your favourite beverage and enjoy! You can also read my review of Christmas Actually here.

1. I loved the photography theme in the book as I also like to dabble! Do you have experience in photography or was it pure research? How fun was it to write about?

I’m not a photographer, though I take plenty of Insta snaps of my cats, garden, and crazy beach storms: – sand storms, salty rainstorms, electrical storms… you name it!

With Kate’s character, I wanted a profession that she could pursue alone in a studio, or within a company such as Image Inc. It was also important that Kate’s job take her out of the studio, so that the setting could change. As a photographer, Kate needed to keep moving all the time, always capturing the light and vibe. 

I interviewed an acquaintance who’s a working photographer several times, and read articles about the craft. 

Yes, it was a lot of fun writing Kate as a photographer and I also learnt a bit about the profession along the way.

2. It’s clear you thrive when developing your characters and their relationships. What is your process? Who was your favourite character to create? Was there any character who was more difficult to write?

I think my characters develop as the story progresses. I’m a pantser, so for me, the first draft is about getting the through line written as quickly as possible so I don’t lose focus. Then, with each consecutive draft, I layer, layer, layer. The characters’ personalities develop with each draft, and they usually surprise me. 

I really enjoyed creating Kate and the escalating conflicts she finds herself in – some of her own creation, others by circumstance. Like walking a tightrope, Kate’s life requires focus and balance. She’s always one step away from a fall. And so, with one tiny miscalculation, Kate’s life could implode, bringing her world and all whom she loves, crashing down with her. That was fun!

Kate’s sister Robyn, was more difficult to write. In an early draft, Robyn, who is heavily pregnant, was whiny and didn’t have a job, or really a role in the story. At one stage I was going to delete her altogether, but I needed Kate to have a sister to make the story work. So, given Kate is a photographer, I decided to make Robyn a social media influencer. I reworked her into being an Instagram darling, a bone fide social media sensation. Her posts, choreographed and photographed by Kate scream perfection and happiness. Once I’d constructed that part of Robyn’s character, I was able to create a more rounded character, and have Robyn struggle to live up to the images she posts of herself, and the consequences of being in the public spotlight.

3. Who do you think would play Kate in a movie adaptation of Christmas Actually? Are there any actors you could see playing any of your characters?

I think Rose Byrne would make a fabulous Kate, and bonus, she’s Australian so I definitely think she could pull it off. For Robyn, maybe someone like Selena Gomez could work. I can see Rose and Selena playing sparring sisters. I like the idea of Emma Thompson playing their mother, Pip.

4. What was your process when writing this book? Did you have a solid idea straight away? How long did you spend planning?

Yes, I generally have an idea about what I want to write. A major theme with all my books is ‘women triumphing over adversity.’ 

With Christmas Actually, I wanted to write about the lead up to Christmas to highlight the stresses the festive season brings. Just because Christmas is looming, doesn’t mean that life automatically becomes cheery and heartfelt. The festive spirit doesn’t automatically kick in. Life is messy and stressful, and often Christmas compounds this.

This was the extent of my planning. I just wrote and then re-wrote. The more drafts I wrote, the more developed the characters and story became.

5. What do you think makes a memorable Christmas story?

It depends whether the story is a modern fairytale like Elf, which I adore and watch every Christmas, or a more realistic one like Christmas Actually. Ultimately, whether it’s a Christmas tale or another story, it’s the characters that make a story memorable. Whether you love or hate them, if a reader can connect with a character and see a little of themselves reflected back, that’s when a story becomes memorable, whether it’s set at the North Pole, London, or on a tropical island.

6. In your opinion, what’s the best thing about being an author?

I have lots of imaginary friends living rent free in my head! I love starting a new story, knowing I have 80,000 words to play with and that I can create characters, good, bad, young, old, – anything I want to. It’s a lot of fun, especially when my characters say and do things I could never get away with in real life. Of course, it’s also terrifying, because I’m constantly worrying. ‘I don’t know what to write.’ ‘How can I come up with believable three-dimensional characters?’ ‘How will I ever be able to sustain a story for 350 pages?’ That sort of thing.

7. What are some of your own favourite books and authors? Are there any books that inspire you to write your own stories?

When I first started writing, Marian Keyes was a huge influence. I love her writing style – informal, conversational, first person POV, where the reader is brought into a character’s confidence, like they’re chatting with a best friend. Before reading Keyes, I wrote in the third person POV. But as soon as I read Watermelon, Marian Keyes’ first novel, it was like a light bulb flashing. From then on, I wrote in first person and my voice and writing style clicked. Jane fallon, Dawn O’Porter, Anita Heiss, Stephen King, and countless others inspire me to write, and stick with it.

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

Hopefully, still writing stories for my own amusement, and hopefully, readers.

I also enjoy editing manuscripts for other authors, and conducting writing workshops etc.

Earlier this year, I facilitated my first week-long writing retreat in Tuscany, Italy. It was an amazing time spent with like-minded women from all over the world including Egypt, Ireland, England, and Australia. Though focussed on different genres, including journaling, poetry, memoir, creative non-fiction, and fiction, there were common through lines with everyone’s writing such as love, revenge, coming of age and acceptance. The retreat was more successful than I could have envisaged, and I’m looking forward to facilitating more in the future.  If I could do one a year, that would be quite special.

9. What are you currently working on? Is there anything you can share with us?

I’m thinking about writing a sequel to Christmas Actually, taking off from where the story ends on Christmas Day. I think the characters still have more to say.

10. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to new authors?

Don’t just talk about writing, actually, write. Starting is the hardest part, but write something. Anything. Because you can’t edit a blank page. Experiment with POV, dialogue, tense, voice, etc. If you truly want to write, flex your writing muscle as often as you can, and persevere. 

When I’m teaching, I always throw in Robert Cormier’s brilliant quote: ‘The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, brain surgeon.’ 

I love it!

About the author

Lisa studied as a journalist at Queensland University.  With three children under five, she decided to pursue her passion for writing fiction, specifically stories about women in their thirties and forties, navigating friendships, careers, romance, and ultimately triumphing over adversity. 

A teacher of Creative Writing at the Australian Writers’ Centre in Sydney, Lisa also presents workshops, has been on panels at RWA conferences, GenreCon, Sydney Writers’ Festival, and many regional writers’ festivals.

Want to be under the spotlight?

Fancy answering a few questions to allow your readers to get to know you better? Please do get in touch! 😊 You can see other author interviews here.