'Nothing else is going'
Fern Britton is quite the multitasker. As I visit her at the headquarters of HarperCollins publishers to discuss her new novel, she manages to sign 750 copies of her book, answer detailed questions and greet myriad familiar faces who wander past. She appears totally relaxed and effortlessly charming, so it is surprising to learn that Fern is still marvelling that she is in this situation. ‘I never envisaged myself becoming a novelist,’ she reveals. ‘I always found anything longer than a five-minute television script
rather daunting, and the idea of actually writing something was just too terrifying.’ Yet here she is, having penned her fourth novel, A Seaside Affair, and already working on her fifth. ‘Now that I’ve had four published, there’s a nice row of them on my bookshelf,’ she smiles. With three decades on the small screen under her belt, including a 10- year stint on ITV ’s This Morning, this new direction in Fern’s career is a result of a little persuasion and her own passion. She was approached to write a novel after her 2008 autobiography, Fern: My Story, hit the best- As she publishes her latest novel, seasoned broadcaster Fern Britton speaks to Fiona Hicks about overcoming adversity, new directions and why we shouldn’t be obsessed with appearance seller lists, and after a bit of gentle cajoling and guidance she agreed. She had firm ideas about how she wanted to write. ‘When I read, I want t
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o be taken away,’ she says softly, ‘and I want to give others a story that they can get lost in. I can’t bear books that are sad. I’ve done all the weeping I want to do in my life, and I really don’t want to read a book that makes me cry. I am writing for people like me.’ And how, I ask, would she describe people like her? She laughs, smoothing down her blonde hair and hitching up her glasses. ‘A woman who is tired, who has spent all day running around with the kids, walking the dog and taking the recycling out. Someone who, when she gets into bed, wants to read something that doesn’t require her to ponder t
oo much.’ Having said this, she has been especially gratified by the number of men who have come forward to say they’ve enjoyed her books. ‘Some have bought them for their wives and when they’re on holiday, they pick up the book and read it themselves – and they’ve enjoyed it!’ Perhaps the reason Fern conjures a ‘sweet world’ in her fiction is because her reality has not been so breezy. She made the decision ‘not to self-edit’ when she wrote her autobiography, which means that she included
honest and unflinching detail on topics such as her battle with depression, the end of her first marriage, and the horrifying night she was raped. ‘I think my 30s and 40s were a time of being very unhappy. My first marriage collapsed and I had all sorts of difficulties. But then you learn that you’re going to survive it, and you do survive, and there is a wonderful life on the other side.’ She pauses in her book signing for a moment. ‘I’ve got to the point where I don’t think anything worse can happen to me now. Nothing else is going to surprise or hurt me.’ And with her wide smiles, gig-
A Seaside Affair is published by HarperCollins, priced £12.99. For our review, turn to page 42.
Fern is a guest author at The Lady’s Literary Lunch on Tuesday 13 May.
rather daunting, and the idea of actually writing something was just too terrifying.’ Yet here she is, having penned her fourth novel, A Seaside Affair, and already working on her fifth. ‘Now that I’ve had four published, there’s a nice row of them on my bookshelf,’ she smiles. With three decades on the small screen under her belt, including a 10- year stint on ITV ’s This Morning, this new direction in Fern’s career is a result of a little persuasion and her own passion. She was approached to write a novel after her 2008 autobiography, Fern: My Story, hit the best- As she publishes her latest novel, seasoned broadcaster Fern Britton speaks to Fiona Hicks about overcoming adversity, new directions and why we shouldn’t be obsessed with appearance seller lists, and after a bit of gentle cajoling and guidance she agreed. She had firm ideas about how she wanted to write. ‘When I read, I want t
caption dakdwjfieoawieo be taken away,’ she says softly, ‘and I want to give others a story that they can get lost in. I can’t bear books that are sad. I’ve done all the weeping I want to do in my life, and I really don’t want to read a book that makes me cry. I am writing for people like me.’ And how, I ask, would she describe people like her? She laughs, smoothing down her blonde hair and hitching up her glasses. ‘A woman who is tired, who has spent all day running around with the kids, walking the dog and taking the recycling out. Someone who, when she gets into bed, wants to read something that doesn’t require her to ponder t
oo much.’ Having said this, she has been especially gratified by the number of men who have come forward to say they’ve enjoyed her books. ‘Some have bought them for their wives and when they’re on holiday, they pick up the book and read it themselves – and they’ve enjoyed it!’ Perhaps the reason Fern conjures a ‘sweet world’ in her fiction is because her reality has not been so breezy. She made the decision ‘not to self-edit’ when she wrote her autobiography, which means that she included
honest and unflinching detail on topics such as her battle with depression, the end of her first marriage, and the horrifying night she was raped. ‘I think my 30s and 40s were a time of being very unhappy. My first marriage collapsed and I had all sorts of difficulties. But then you learn that you’re going to survive it, and you do survive, and there is a wonderful life on the other side.’ She pauses in her book signing for a moment. ‘I’ve got to the point where I don’t think anything worse can happen to me now. Nothing else is going to surprise or hurt me.’ And with her wide smiles, gig-
A Seaside Affair is published by HarperCollins, priced £12.99. For our review, turn to page 42.
Fern is a guest author at The Lady’s Literary Lunch on Tuesday 13 May.