A ‘happy hour’ with Jacquie Byron

We love all our authors at The Manuscript Agency and each success story makes our heart sing. So, when we heard that Jacquie’s book Happy Hour had been picked up by Allen & Unwin, we couldn’t have been happier for her. We also couldn’t resist the chance to chat with her about her book deal, her writing habits and inspiration, and her publishing journey … so we persuaded Jacquie to sit down and answer some of our questions!

Jacquie, thank you so much for your time, it is always a real pleasure to see any MAA authors finding publishing opportunities and I love sharing these successes with other writers and aspiring authors 😊

So, let’s get started…

Can you tell us a little bit about Happy Hour?

Happy Hour is my debut. It’s about one woman, two dogs and the family next door. There’s a lot of black humour, intense emotions, gin drinking, and stuffed cat sightings. The story centres on the flamboyant, funny, prickly Franny Calderwood who has turned her back on family and friends since the dramatic death of her beloved husband three years before. Her life of decadent seclusion is upended somewhat when a troubled little family moves in next door. They all kind of fall for each other but the newcomers don’t realise the degree of heartbreak and trauma lurking behind Franny’s wisecracking, worldly façade.

Eventually Franny’s indulgent ways land her in pretty serious trouble, leading to a reckoning of sorts, for herself and the people around her. Happy Hour is a story about great love, great loss, growing older but not necessarily wiser, intergenerational friendships and how essential strong friendships and the correct glassware are in a happy life.

Kit: I love that we’re seeing more fiction about women who are entering their ‘wiser’ years. It is so important that we allow older women a place in fiction and it is wonderful to see that publishers recognise this and embrace it! The same goes for film … small steps, but the world is getting there …

now, can you tell us a little bit about you? 

As for me … I am a journalist by trade and have written professionally — journalism, PR, copywriting — for 25 years. While busy with day jobs I always did lots of short courses in fiction and scriptwriting. I loved it but it was a hobby; I just dabbled. A few years ago, I decided to stop doing courses and start doing the actual work. At the end of 2015 I received a Glenfern Fellowship from Writers Victoria which helped me complete my first manuscript Trouble Sleeping. In June 2016 Trouble Sleeping was Highly Commended in the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. It remains unpublished but it was the work I asked The Manuscript Agency to consult on — a process I thoroughly enjoyed and found very encouraging.

 Kit: I am glad you enjoyed the appraisal process 😊 It’s amazing how many manuscripts are written before the one for many authors. But like anything, practice makes … better … because perfect rarely exists in the mind of a writer. There is always something that wasn’t perfect that you can kick yourself for later … a bit of self-flagellation never went astray! But, really, writing is a practice. The first manuscript is rarely the one.  

What prompted you to start writing Happy Hour?

Honestly, I was having one of those moments I think a lot of women can identify with where I was kind of wishing I could run away from the responsibilities and realities of my life for one moment. Initially, I considered a story of a woman who literally gets in her car and drives out of her life, but the logistics of making that work in this digital age were too tricky, so I began thinking about how one could turn away from the world but still stay at home. Franny swaggered into my mind and Happy Hour was born, though it’s working title initially was Drunken Nana. I still think I could sell that title to a Hong Kong fight movie producer. I’d love to see it.

Kit: I want to see that … how can we make this happen?! Also, I love that you talk about how the digital age makes certain storylines difficult to write, it is interesting how much the digital age has impacted particular genres — crime thrillers are much harder for authors because we have so much technology at our fingertips that the author needs to be really clever to get around these aspects and paint a believable picture for the reader.

Did you know what Happy Hour was going to be from the start?

I am a plotter not a pantser. I had a very definite idea of how this book would start and finish — basically at 6pm — but Franny’s life would have changed dramatically in the 300+ pages in-between. Her six o’clock cocktail hour would never be the same.

Saying that, ideas still come to me as I write of course and I continue to flesh out the plot outline as I go … when I have too many sticky notes or scribbles added to the print out. 

Kit: I love the term ‘pantser’; for those of you who’ve never heard it said before, it basically means ‘by the seat of your pants’. 

Did anything happen that you didn’t expect?

I wanted it to be a very funny book but it just got sadder as I went which was a surprise. I also thought it was going to very much be about the relationship with my heroine Franny and Dee, the teenage girl next door. Ultimately, Franny and I both began falling in love with Dee’s eight-year-old brother however and he took on a much bigger role.

The other truly unexpected thing that happened relates to a kind of writing exercise I did. I had this little idea/piece I just had to get down. It was not actually related to Happy Hour but, in the end, I included it as a standalone chapter, one that introduced a completely new element to my main character’s story. The whole thing still amazes me.

Kit: Well, now I want to know what chapter this is! Back I go to read the book again …  

What do you hope people will take from reading Happy Hour?

I hope they feel amused and uplifted but also genuinely touched. I’d love people to look a little more carefully at the people around them and dig deeper to connect and learn other people’s stories. And it would be lovely if Happy Hour resonated with people who know what it’s like to lose someone precious – in a positive, encouraging way. And if readers felt the urge to set the dinner table nicely and chill a glass that wouldn’t be the end of the world either.

Kit: I like that part about looking more carefully at the people around us, it is all too easy to ignore other people in this day. I think that’s what I love most (and hate most) about living in a small town, people know each other 😊

So, what about publishing …

how many Publishers did you submit Happy Hour to before you received an acceptance letter?

During lockdown in Melbourne last year I pitched Happy Hour, my second-ever manuscript, during a speed pitching session run by the Australian Society of Authors. I only pitched to one publisher and they ended up asking to see the whole MS. I used this development to approach three agents. The day I was signing my agency contract was the day the first publisher came back and said they wanted the book. We didn’t end up going with them but that initial much appreciated interest definitely got the ball rolling and spurred on everything else. 

Kit: That is really wonderful, I bet it just gave you so much confidence too — especially knowing how tough the publishing industry is. I know a few authors who’ve found pitching sessions to be really fruitful. I like that it adds a human element — which, as you explored before, is getting more and more rare these days!

What did you find easy/difficult/surprising about the publishing process?

Dealing with the publisher has been brilliant. The team at Allen and Unwin is very caring, meticulous and accommodating. They’ve been very patient with my newbie author questions and conundrums. I also really enjoyed (most of the time) the editing process but then I am used to my work being changed by clients so I might be less sensitive than other authors. The volume of books coming out every month is hard to fathom now I am closer to the industry and it’s been interesting watching the marketing push that some of the big names receive. Learning the ins and outs of the social media game has also been pretty intriguing. Social media is VERY time consuming I find.

Kit: I wish every human over the age of thirty was allocated a social media person to help us keep up! I honestly wish I: (a.) Had more time, and (b.) Enjoyed social media more.

You worked with The MAA in the early days of your novel-writing pursuits, how do you feel that helped to shape your work?

Back when I brought Trouble Sleeping to you guys I think I needed reassurance that I was writing at a professional level and that I actually had the chops to taking this from a hobby to something more. If you show your work to people who know and love you they can be encouraging just for the sake of it. And if you share your work in amateur writing groups you can still feel unsure that you’re getting a warts-and-all appraisal. The person MAA “gave” me was very experienced and that person on-shared the MS with someone from the marketing side of publishing. Their very detailed feedback did two things: made me feel that I did have the makings of a professional author but also that there is a lot of work to be done to turn a draft MS into a publishable book.

Did you work on Trouble Sleeping after receiving the appraisal, or was this a ‘learning manuscript’?  

I actually dropped Trouble Sleeping as a project after the MAA process, ha ha, but that was mostly because your advice echoed that of the agents and publishers I’d been in touch with after the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. No one could “see” where the book would sit in stores. With Happy Hour I made sure that would not be an issue.

 Kit: Sorry ☹ It’s such a tricky one in publishing these days, but we know that if you want a publishing deal then the publisher needs to know where to sell it — and those categories are pretty inflexible.

Do you usually read ebooks or paperback and where do you buy your books?

I read hard copy physical books or listen to audiobooks. I do not read in e-formats. I support my local independent bookstore and Readings and other stores if I am out and about and stumble across them. I also buy A LOT of books from Book Depository. I also borrow from the library.

Kit: I like that you make a point that you support independent bookstores. I was speaking to an American friend the other day who was surprised that Australia had so many independent bookstores because America only has big chain stores these days apparently and not the cosy, nook bookshops. We need to protect our independents for as long as possible!

Are there any writing forums, blogs, or groups that you follow/belong to that you’ve found to be invaluable?

I study with and keep in touch with Antoni Jach, a teacher in Melbourne who runs masterclasses which have spawned numerous smaller writing groups. I belong to a group who meets once a month for a full day of writing and talking about our work. I am obsessed by ABC radio’s Book Shelf program and am also a member of the Facebook page. Occasionally I listen to ‘The First Time’ podcast but I listen to loads of different writing podcasts, switching around all the time.

Kit: Oh, Antoni, he is a gem. I loved getting to meet him through you. I can imagine his classes would be so safe, and yet that he’d push you in a really gentle but firm way 😊

Okay, now, this is important … Where can we buy your book and find out more about you?

You can buy Happy Hour from independent and chain bookstores throughout Australia or via Book Depository for o/s. The audiobook is on Audible and other platforms—

Kit: Oh, who voiced the audiobook?!

Jacquie: Little Nell, also known as Nell Campbell (aka Columbia, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) voices her first audiobook with Happy Hour. To my mind she is a perfect Franny Calderwood!

Kit: That’s amazing! Sorry for the interruption, carry on … 

Jacquie: No problem. The e-book is also available here. And I have a website.

And these are my social media hang-outs:

·       Twitter: @jacquie_byron

·       Instagram: jacquie_byron

·       FB: @JacquieByronAuthor

And can you tell us what’s next for you?

I am 26,000 words into book two. I am loving it because it has two female leads this time so to speak and they’re a bit younger than Franny. One is a famous author whose house and persona I am having a ball with. Like Happy Hour this one has a fun, titillating shell but deals with quite serious themes underneath. And I still have a day job but am on sabbatical until after Christmas. I hope to deliver the new MS by end of January.

Kit: That’s brilliant! I can’t wait to see the fruits of your labour. Thank you for your time, Jacquie, I’ve really loved watching you go through the publishing process. It brings me so much joy to see any of our authors (yes, I am claiming you 😉) published. It is a dream to watch your dreams come true!