CAMILLE BOOKER “When I finished my (very rough) first draft, I had no idea what to do with it. So I entered it into the 2019 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize.”

Next up on Kelly’s Writerly Q&A, I have Camille Booker, debut historical fiction author of What If You Fly? out now!

Camille and I connected on Instagram through a love of peaches, would you believe it?

She has a Bachelor of Creative Arts majoring in Creative Writing through the University of Wollongong and is on her way to being the next big Aussie historical fiction writer, elevating the role women played in the past, giving young girls and women the confidence to chase their dreams.

Hi Camille, thanks for taking the time to answer some writerly questions. Let’s start with what you have to say about everything peachy:

I just love your Instagram page and your peachy theme. I bought two kilos of them for my book launch and made sure everyone went home with one, so I’ve been thinking a bit about peaches recently – what they signify in popular culture (I’m sure somebody’s written an essay about this) and why they were such an important symbol in my story. 

It sort of seems that today, peaches have this sexual connotation (I’m thinking of the peach in ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ or the way people use the peach emoji when posting a pic of their backsides). But for my story, peaches symbolise Frankie’s innocence at the start of the novel and her (perhaps a bit naïve) outlook on life. 

Peaches are also a symbol of Leo’s love for Frances: he calls her Francesca because it makes him think of the Italian word for peach (pesca). 

Although, there is one particular love scene where, afterwards, Leo tells Frances that it felt just like pressing his lips to a peach, so maybe my use of peaches in the book is not so innocent after all!

Thank you so much for the Instagram love, your book launch looked absolutely dreamy.

If someone has written an essay on the humble peach and what it represents, I couldn’t find it. I am inspired to write about this now, so that’s exciting!

But, let’s get back on track. Congratulations on the publication of your debut novel. Can you tell me about, What If You Fly?

Thank you so much. 

First and foremost, What If You Fly? is a love story. It is set in the 1940s and centres around a young woman named Frances, or Frankie, who, at the start of the book is just finishing high school. She feels unaffected by the war in Europe, until her brother is sent to fight in Singapore and goes missing in action. She meets Leo, an Italian immigrant, and they fall in love, but when he mysteriously disappears, she decides she has nothing left keeping her at home, so she sets off on a journey to search for them.

For me writing the book, it started out as an exploration of what life was like for Australians at home during the war, but then it became a tribute to the female heroes of WWII who we don’t really know much about. 

I love that it became a tribute to the female heroes of WWII, who we don’t know enough about. What prompted you to write this story?

I was first prompted to write this story by my love of reading. I discovered an amazing book in the historical fiction genre, then I read everything I could get my hands on that was set during the Second World War, but I still wanted more! 

So I started asking myself whether I could write one of my own. I just wrote the story I wanted to read. Luckily I had a wealth of anecdotes from my husband’s grandparents about that time period, so that got my imagination started. 

Writing the story you want to read is brilliant! How long did it take you to write?

It took a long, long time! 

I started writing it in 2015, when I was working in a stressful job – it was my creative outlet. 

I wrote Part One, then put it away, and came back to it about a year later. Again, I wrote a bit more, then shoved it back in the drawer. 

Then I had my first baby, and it was only when we finally got him into a good sleep routine that I wanted to make the most of his nap time, so I decided I needed to finish it. I finished the first draft at the end of 2018, so that’s at least three years.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who writes in spurts. Writing can be tricky to fit in around family.

Let’s talk about writing competitions, what role did they play in helping you to become a published author?

They played a major role!

Firstly because, when I finished my (very rough) first draft, I had no idea what to do with it. So I entered it into the 2019 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. I never thought anything would come of it, but surprisingly it was longlisted. While I didn’t get any further in that competition, the attention that the story got actually prompted me to enrol in a Creative Writing Degree, and also encouraged me to keep working on the manuscript to make it better.

I then entered an updated version into the 2020 Hawkeye Manuscript Development Competition the following year, and it won runner up. The feedback from that prize allowed me to finesse the manuscript further, and from there, I was offered the publishing contract.

That makes it sound like I only did two or three drafts – trust me, it was more like 15-20!

What a testament to the quality of your first draft, and how cool that being longlisted gave you the motivation to keep going. What does your typical day of writing look like?

I had a baby this year so it’s been really hard to find the time to write anything substantial. At the moment, I’m grabbing a few minutes whenever I can, while the baby naps. I feel a bit guilty about this, but my four-year-old has been allowed a bit more screen time while she’s asleep so I can get my ideas down. 

Congratulations! When I was pregnant with my second, my eldest was watching The Princess and The Frog on repeat. Sometimes extra screen time is necessary. Don’t feel guilty. What kinds of books do you like to read?

Obviously, I love reading historical fiction, but really I just love any story that I can get swept up in. I’ve read some great non-fiction books that have totally immersed me.

I’ve been loving NF too! True stories are so interesting, and I suppose that’s why historical fiction is wonderful. It’s the best of both worlds. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

When you’re writing the first draft, it’s so hard to do, but try not to worry too much about writing well – just get the words down. You can’t fix words that aren’t there.

Read read read. Read everything. Watch movies. Watch people. Listen to how people talk, what they say. 

Write everything down the moment an idea comes to you (I use notes in my iPhone) because if you don’t write it down straight away, you will forget it.

And there are some great ‘novel writing’ books out there too that are really helpful.

Great advice. Paying attention to everyday details can really enhance your writing. So, what can we expect from you next?

I’ve just finished outlining my next novel. It’s another historical fiction, set in the Illawarra (where I live) during the 1880s. I’m so excited to get back into writing, to enter that world and to see where this story takes me. Writing is such a meditative practice for me, and I get so much joy out of it – it really is my happy place.

Amazing! I love the drafting stage when everything is new and exciting. I hope you enjoy discovering where the story will take you.

Thank you so much for chatting, it’s been so lovely.

I look forward to getting my hands on a copy of your debut novel and will be keen to see how you go with your second.

And that’s the end of this interview. I welcome feedback from my readers, interest from any authors keen on being interviewed, and would love to hear of any great essays on the humble peach. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing what will come of my peach research and future interviews.

Kelly