20 NOVEMBER 2019INSPIRING WORDS
The debut author of The Daughter In Law, a contemporary
psychological thriller, talks to Dolores Gordon Smith.published
I got
NINA MANNING
How
‘I
have always loved writing and as a child I would spend
many a weekend/school holiday plotting characters and
scenes. Later on as a young adult I began writing my first
full-length novel but never completed it.
‘When I was about 27, I studied for a degree in Psychology and
Criminology which took five years to complete in between looking
after my first child. By this point I had already begun the outline
of, what was then, a family saga. In 2013 once I had what I thought
was a completed novel, I began to send it out to agents. The
working title caught the attention of Amanda Preston at LBA Books
who suggested I change the genre to a psychological thriller with an
unreliable narrator – something that was trending at the time due
to the popular Gone Girl book.
‘I took her advice and rewrote the book,
with the same title and general concept.
Since then the title has changed twice more.
I always knew that the book needed to be
darker than it was in its current state. By
this point I’d had my second child and life
was getting a little busier. By the time I sent
the manuscript back to Amanda, it wasn’t
something she was looking to represent at
that time. In all honesty, I knew the book just
wasn’t ready still. I was and still am forever
grateful to her for giving me the push I needed
to be brave and to write in a genre I had no
experience in.
‘I spent a few more years whilst raising two
kids and working, occasionally going back to
the book and tweaking bits here and there.
But what I really needed was an agent tosupport me through the next steps of my journey to publication.
‘In December 2016 I was working in a terrible job as a marketing
manager. It was the epitome of every clichéd office environment
including zero flexibility for a mum with two kids, now pregnant
with a third! I made a decision there and then I would never go back
to a normal job again. I needed to be a writer.
‘I ramped up my work on the book, editing furiously whenever
I could and sending it out to agents. I created a vision board. In
the centre was a mock-up of my book in print so I could look at it
every day. I had a few more interested parties who requested the full
manuscript, who then sent it off for further re-reads and so on, only
to turn me down.
‘In September 2018 I received another request
for my full manuscript from The Kate Nash
Literary agency. Next came the “phone call” and
then the meeting in London, which I left as
a represented author. Together with my agent
Lina Langlee, over the next six months, we
polished up the manuscript and it was sent
out to publishers. Three offers came back and
in February 2019 I accepted a book deal with
Boldwood. They had such a strong pitch and
shared my vision.
‘I am so thrilled to be published by
Boldwood and to be working with Nia, my
editor. I knew I would get there eventually.
I’m already working on books two and three
and I can say life as an author is everything I
dreamed of and more.’Website: http://www.ninamanningauthor.comunreliable narrator – something that was trending at the time due‘I spent a few more years whilst raising twoto turn me down.
‘In September 2018 I received another request
for my full manuscript from The Kate Nash
Literary agency. Next came the “phone call” and
then the meeting in London, which I left as
a represented author. Together with my agent
Lina Langlee, over the next six months, we
polished up the manuscript and it was sent
out to publishers. Three offers came back and
in February 2019 I accepted a book deal with
Boldwood. They had such a strong pitch and
shared my vision.Boldwood and to be working with Nia, my
editor. I knew I would get there eventually.
I’m already working on books two and three
and I can say life as an author is everything I
dreamed of and more.’