I'm delighted to welcome Hannah Tovey onto the website today. Hannah's first book published by Little Brown introduces us to the endearing Ivy Edwards who has been dubbed the 'Bridget Jones of the modern age.'
Alex: Hannah, tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
Hannah: I am originally from South Wales but I was brought up in Hong Kong, before returning to the UK to study Theatre at Warwick University. I began writing plays when I was in secondary school; I was always drawn to writing funny, fast-paced dialogue. My dream was to become an actress, and I auditioned for drama school when I left university. But I have a stammer, and I found the audition process fairly brutal, which in turn made my stammer worse, so I turned my focus to writing. It wasn’t until I enrolled in the six-month ‘Writing a Novel’ course at Faber Academy in 2017 that I knew I had to put all my efforts into being a professional writer. It was the best thing I could have done and my writing group continues to be an enormous support to this day.
Alex: Hannah, tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
Hannah: I am originally from South Wales but I was brought up in Hong Kong, before returning to the UK to study Theatre at Warwick University. I began writing plays when I was in secondary school; I was always drawn to writing funny, fast-paced dialogue. My dream was to become an actress, and I auditioned for drama school when I left university. But I have a stammer, and I found the audition process fairly brutal, which in turn made my stammer worse, so I turned my focus to writing. It wasn’t until I enrolled in the six-month ‘Writing a Novel’ course at Faber Academy in 2017 that I knew I had to put all my efforts into being a professional writer. It was the best thing I could have done and my writing group continues to be an enormous support to this day.
Alex: How would you describe your writing, and are there particular themes that you like to explore?
Hannah: My debut novel explores themes of identity and belonging, as well as the importance of family relationships, especially when life as we know it goes off the rails. I wanted to portray the humour and romance of Welsh people; Welsh families are stereotypically very close-knit and hugely comical, and I wanted to show an authentic family and their dynamics. I also wanted to show other UK homes and their cultures, rather than just focusing on the South (or London) as so many books do. My first two novels are written in a confessional style, with lots of comedy throughout. I want readers to feel like they’re having a very frank conversation with their best friend. The most important thing for me however, is to write with honesty and authenticity, and to create characters that people connect with. I want my protagonist to make you sob on one page, and howl with laughter on the next.
Alex: Are you a writer that plans a detailed synopsis or do you set out with a vague idea and let the story unfold as you write?
Hannah: I always start with the protagonist - what drives them, what/who do they love, what would happen if it/them was taken away? I’m always thinking about where the tension lies; how can I make the reader feel safe and then shock them on the next page. In my first two books, I didn’t have a detailed synopsis at all. I had the inciting incident and an outline of the main characters, but I let the story unfold as I wrote. However, I’m currently writing my third novel and I have been very prescriptive with the synopsis.
Alex: Tell us about your latest novel.
Hannah: Is This It? will be published 1st July 2021. It’s a story about big dreams and big love, and refusing to settle for a life half-lived. It also touches on themes of loneliness and the constant pressure on women to self-improve, which have never felt more timely. The protagonist, Ivy Edwards, feels like something is missing in her life; it needs to be a bit bigger, a bit better, a bit … MORE. But one night, she switches her phone off and lets herself dream. About a better job, a better life, a better Ivy. Then she makes a list. A list that changes everything …
Alex: What was the first book you read?
Hannah: I was obsessed with Jacqueline Wilson as a child - I mean, what a powerhouse. She started writing professionally when she was 17!
Alex: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
Hannah: Every character in my work is an amalgamation of everyone I’ve ever met. I am constantly people-watching and writing down snippets of conversations I’ve overheard. So chances are, if I’ve met you, you’ll turn up in one of my books in some way, shape or form!
Alex: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
Hannah: Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. Her writing is so powerful; every sentence smacks you in the face. The entire novel is filled with fantastic one-liners that take your breath away, and it's written with such heart and humour. She is a genius. And she’s so young!
Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?
Hannah: I practice a lot of yoga; the breath work does wonders for my stammer and really helps to lift any anxiety I’m feeling. I am a massive film buff; I love eighties movies - I will devour anything by Ron Howard or John Hughes. I also love to swim and I’ve recently taken up cold water swimming - I find it so exhilarating.
Alex: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
Hannah: Naoise Dolan - she’s so witty and insightful.
Nora Ephron - her comedic timing was sensational. She writes about mundane events with such wry humour.
I loved Judy Blume when I was younger; she wrote everything from the heart and covered topics that others were afraid to talk about, which was very brave - especially in those days.
Helen Fielding’s raw, confessional style broke the barriers when it came to writing about messy women - she was a huge inspiration.
I will always have space for David Nicholls, Donna Tartt and Jessie Burton on my bookshelf.
Alex: Thank you so much Hannah for your time and sharing this with us. It's been absolutely fascinating.
Hannah: It's a pleasure, Alex.
Hannah: My debut novel explores themes of identity and belonging, as well as the importance of family relationships, especially when life as we know it goes off the rails. I wanted to portray the humour and romance of Welsh people; Welsh families are stereotypically very close-knit and hugely comical, and I wanted to show an authentic family and their dynamics. I also wanted to show other UK homes and their cultures, rather than just focusing on the South (or London) as so many books do. My first two novels are written in a confessional style, with lots of comedy throughout. I want readers to feel like they’re having a very frank conversation with their best friend. The most important thing for me however, is to write with honesty and authenticity, and to create characters that people connect with. I want my protagonist to make you sob on one page, and howl with laughter on the next.
Alex: Are you a writer that plans a detailed synopsis or do you set out with a vague idea and let the story unfold as you write?
Hannah: I always start with the protagonist - what drives them, what/who do they love, what would happen if it/them was taken away? I’m always thinking about where the tension lies; how can I make the reader feel safe and then shock them on the next page. In my first two books, I didn’t have a detailed synopsis at all. I had the inciting incident and an outline of the main characters, but I let the story unfold as I wrote. However, I’m currently writing my third novel and I have been very prescriptive with the synopsis.
Alex: Tell us about your latest novel.
Hannah: Is This It? will be published 1st July 2021. It’s a story about big dreams and big love, and refusing to settle for a life half-lived. It also touches on themes of loneliness and the constant pressure on women to self-improve, which have never felt more timely. The protagonist, Ivy Edwards, feels like something is missing in her life; it needs to be a bit bigger, a bit better, a bit … MORE. But one night, she switches her phone off and lets herself dream. About a better job, a better life, a better Ivy. Then she makes a list. A list that changes everything …
Alex: What was the first book you read?
Hannah: I was obsessed with Jacqueline Wilson as a child - I mean, what a powerhouse. She started writing professionally when she was 17!
Alex: Do you ever base your characters on people you have encountered in real life?
Hannah: Every character in my work is an amalgamation of everyone I’ve ever met. I am constantly people-watching and writing down snippets of conversations I’ve overheard. So chances are, if I’ve met you, you’ll turn up in one of my books in some way, shape or form!
Alex: Which was the last book you read that blew you away?
Hannah: Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. Her writing is so powerful; every sentence smacks you in the face. The entire novel is filled with fantastic one-liners that take your breath away, and it's written with such heart and humour. She is a genius. And she’s so young!
Alex: What are your interests aside from writing? And what do you do to unwind?
Hannah: I practice a lot of yoga; the breath work does wonders for my stammer and really helps to lift any anxiety I’m feeling. I am a massive film buff; I love eighties movies - I will devour anything by Ron Howard or John Hughes. I also love to swim and I’ve recently taken up cold water swimming - I find it so exhilarating.
Alex: Which authors do you particularly admire and why?
Hannah: Naoise Dolan - she’s so witty and insightful.
Nora Ephron - her comedic timing was sensational. She writes about mundane events with such wry humour.
I loved Judy Blume when I was younger; she wrote everything from the heart and covered topics that others were afraid to talk about, which was very brave - especially in those days.
Helen Fielding’s raw, confessional style broke the barriers when it came to writing about messy women - she was a huge inspiration.
I will always have space for David Nicholls, Donna Tartt and Jessie Burton on my bookshelf.
Alex: Thank you so much Hannah for your time and sharing this with us. It's been absolutely fascinating.
Hannah: It's a pleasure, Alex.
