One of our most treasured broadcasters and presenters has published his fifth novel, Frankie.
Bianca Luykx caught up with him…
Graham, how are ya? And where are ya?
I’m fabulous thanks, if a little tired after my whirlwind book tour. Dublin, Mullingar, Galway, Limerick and back to Cork. I had a ball, but now I’m waiting to board the plane back to London.
You’ve just published novel number five! Did you ever think you’d wind up a writer, along with all else?
Writing novels was always something I wanted to do but assumed it would remain on the same to-do list as climbing Kilimanjaro or learning to play the piano. I still can’t believe that I managed to write one novel, never mind five.
When is it that your novel ideas come?
I give myself a year to write a book so I have a year off between each. During that time I’m trying out ideas in my head. I talk to my mother who has given me the seed of inspiration for at least two of the books. Sometimes it’ll be a story in the Southern Star or an overheard conversation. Frankie is the first book where the form came first. I decided to write the story of one life before I had any other ideas. I was surprised at how quickly the character and her world ended up coming together.
When writing, what do you need?
Time is really all I need. I prefer quiet and a laptop but if push came to shove I could manage with a pad of paper and music playing in the background. Because I’m fitting my writing in around my other jobs I can’t afford to be too precious about it.
Where do you like to read? And where do you like to write?
I have a few spots around the house where I like to read. I prefer a chair to a sofa and natural light over a lamp. When it comes to writing, inspiration is always more important than location to me, so I suppose the answer is anywhere.
What books are you reading at the moment?
I’m halfway through and loving Long Island by Colm Toibin and after that, I have Water and Earth, the first two books in John Boyne’s quartet to read.
What is the first book you remember loving?
Like so many people, Enid Blyton’s books were the ones that kept me up reading under the covers with a torch. But I also loved the Flambards books and anything by the great Agatha Christie.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Changed my life might be a bit strong, but The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath transformed my relationship with books. I saw myself in that story in a way I had never recognised myself in a novel before. It was whipsmart, funny, and devastating. Up until that point, I had no idea that a novel could be so raw and real.
A book that left you thinking about it days later?
So many. Anything by David Mitchell lingers. Recently Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan stayed with me for a very long time.
Which authors do you really admire?
Well everyone I’ve already mentioned would be on my list along with John Fowles, Elizabeth Taylor and of course the wonderful Mary Lawson.
Are you a Kindle or a paperback reader?
I bought a Kindle thinking I’d use it all the time but so far I’m still holding paperbacks every time.
Are you an impatient reader?
Author Sheila O’Flanagan gives every book she starts 60 pages to catch her interest, and if it hasn’t bitten by then, she closes it! It takes a lot for me to give up on a book. I finish nearly everything I start because invariably in the midst of boredom or confusion, there will be a passage or a scene that I’m very glad to have read. Really the only books I give up on are the ones that are relentlessly miserable. Life is hard enough without page after page of gloom.
I came across this quote recently, “I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.” Have you?
That quote might apply to me now that I’m in my sixties but as a young man, I definitely lived more in the real world.
What now?
I’m about to embark on a book tour all around the UK which will be followed by all the wine and a long lie down. The chat show is also back on TV screens now so I’ll be busy once again.
Frankie by Graham Norton published by Coronet Trade paperback, is out now, priced at €15.99.
