Interview with Author T.C. Emerys
On her upcoming release of
The Weight of Rain
Lena:Thank you so much for doing this interview with me & congratulations on your New Release.
Emerys:Thank you so much for having me! I’m excited for the release, but it doesn’t feel real yet!
Lena: Tell us a little bit about your book. What made you choose these characters for your short stories? Are they fictional or inspired by real people?
Emerys: I think inevitably, some of them have a little of me in them, particularly Eira, the main character in my short story “Sunflower” which is about living with chronic pain. It was difficult not to draw from my own experiences for that character, but my beta readers (some with chronic illnesses themselves) offered me their insights and perspectives too. I didn’t want Eira to be a “self-insert” character for myself, even if she has comparable experiences and feelings to me.
I wanted all of my main characters to be British, with characters from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland narrating some of the stories. This was important to me because I feel that a lot of American literature, media and culture is consumed in Britain, and that we find ourselves becoming a little Americanised.
Each character’s story is different, but there are common feelings of loss and hope in all of them, whether the loss of a loved one or of something less tangible. They don’t all have happy endings, but hope is present, even in small glimpses.
Lena: I myself live with a chronic illness and can probably relate to Eira's story.
Lena: In your story, Undeveloped History, you hint on the characters past. Just dropping hints of her childhood. Do you intend to write more in depth about her past in a future book, or was it meant to leave your readers guessing on what took place?
Emerys: That’s a great question, and one that I’ve been asked several times since posting that story. I think the beauty of short stories lies in where they begin and end – you can cut them short and leave your reader with the feeling that they only dipped their toes into the world or you can explore it further and give them everything. I think most of my stories are the former – I enjoy scattering hints and leaving the reader to explore the rest of the story in their minds once they’ve finished reading.
In the first draft of “Undeveloped History”, I revealed what was pulled from under the floorboard right near the start rather than in the final section. I edited it a few times and couldn’t work out what was missing. After a wonderful beta reader pointed out that I had spoilt the intrigue for them, I changed it so that the reader doesn’t know what has been recovered from the house until the very end.
I prefer it with a little mystery, and hopefully my readers will feel the same.
Lena: Great choice, having it at the end really does leave you intrigued.
Lena: How did you know when the collection was ready to be published?
Emerys: I don’t think there was one specific moment when I had a sense that it was ready – I could never stop tinkering with it! Luckily, I had a fantastic editor to help me get it into shape.
Lena: If you could be one of your characters, which one would you want to be and why?
Emerys: That’s hard to answer as their stories are full of loss, but I think I would have to say Henna. Henna features in two of the stories called “The Weight of Rain” (the titular story) and a story named after the character herself called “Henna”. These two stories tell different sides of the same friendship, each having a very different perspective on it.
Henna looks up to her friend Cora as a mentor, much as I did with a wonderful lady who guided my writing and education when I was a teenager. Although my real-life friendship was very different to that of Henna and Cora, I can empathise with Henna’s need for guidance and her lack of self-confidence at times.
Lena: ah yes, the lack of self-confidence is something I struggle to over come myself. I could probably empathize with her as well.
Lena: Which character can you relate to the most? Please explain
Emerys: As mentioned earlier, I think it has to be Eira from “Sunflower”. Whilst we’ve had different lives, her battle with chronic illness is very similar to my own. She’s still young and trying to find her place in the world whilst her body limits her in every aspect of her life. She finds it frustrating and terrifying, and a lot of her thoughts and feelings came straight from my heart.
Lena: I want to thank you for allowing me to read one of the stories in your collection. I was very intrigued and want to read more of the book. Now that you have shared a little insight on your book, I’d like to know more about you. It’s always interesting to get to know the creative person behind the work.
Emerys: You’re very welcome, I really appreciate your time and your wonderful questions.
Lena: A little about you. Are you a Cat person or a dog person?
Emerys: Can I be that irritating person and say both? However, I’m actually more of a horse person. I’m extremely lucky to have my own horse, who means the absolute world to me. Growing up, we always had cats, although I’m not sure they liked me very much, especially when I was small.
We recently lost my childhood cat Amber at the grand old age of 16.
Lena: I'm sorry for your loss, I know it's hard because they are more than pets, they become family members.
Lena: I heard this question on a movie once and I’ve always been interested in other people’s responses. If there was a fire and you had just enough time to grab 3 things, what would those 3 things be and why?
Emerys: Provided my animals and loved ones were safe, probably my digital hard drive, as it has all of my writing on it, and my SD card which has all of my photographs on it, then my teddy bear (who I’ve had since I was a baby!).
Lena: I love your answers
Lena: When writing your stories, are you a plotter or a pantser?
Emerys: A plotter for sure, and quite an extensive one, although I do let myself flow once I start writing. I find that if I don’t plan before setting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), especially if I don’t plan an ending, I have to change the structure once I’m done ‘pantsing’ anyway.
Lena: I can completely understand that.
Lena: For the last question, so to speak, if you will, share with us one of your favorite childhood memories and tell us why this is your favorite.
Emerys: Anytime my auntie, uncle and cousin used to stay, which they did several times a year. I’m very close to my cousin who has always been like a sister to me (three years older than me) and we had a lot of adventures as children, either playing in the woods or making art.
Lena: That's a wonderful memory, thank you for sharing it with us.
Lena: I would like to thank you again for doing this interview for my blog. It’s been fun getting to know you and your stories. I am looking forward to reading your collections and helping you promote any of your future projects.
Emerys: Thank you so much for interviewing me, I’ve really enjoyed talking to you and I look forward to speaking with you more in the future.
Keep a Lookout for T.C. Emerys book, The Weight of Rain available on Amazon October 20, 2020