NK Chats To… Jackie Carreira

Hi Jackie. Thank you for bringing your birthday blitz tour to Novel Kicks. Can you tell us about your book, Notebook Number Nine and what inspired it?

Notebook Number Nine is the story of a young woman who has an epiphany one day and realises that everything is a lie! Not just in her own life, but everywhere she looks. She decides that she’s had enough and determines to undertake a journey of self-discovery and a search for real truth. The problem is, she’s just a ‘normal’ person. She can’t afford to escape to a monastery up a mountain or a beach in Bali. Can just anyone find out what’s actually real? Or is it only for those who can afford it? I’ve always had an inquisitive mind. I was one of those children that constantly asked questions that irritate the hell out of grown-ups. I read too many so-called ‘self-help’ books over the years that made no sense to me and didn’t help at all. I grew up on a council estate in Hackney, and I wanted to write about a journey of self-discovery for those of us who still have to pay the gas bill. It’s a novel that asks a lot of deep questions, but with a good dose of humour and common sense. Ultimately, it’s a human story full of hope.

What is your favourite word and why?

I’m not sure why, but I love onomatopoeic words (that sound like what they’re describing), like ‘Boing!’ and ‘Thwack!’ and ‘Sizzle!’

What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals – coffee? Silence?

Coffee – yes! Silence – only when I get to the editing stage. My favourite writing spaces are coffee shops, especially ones in train stations, so the background noise often helps. You can catch some fascinating snippets of conversations.

Which fictional character would you like to meet and why?

The Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. I don’t feel Alice asked it enough questions!

How do you approach the writing process – from idea to research, drafting and editing? How do you know when you’ve done enough?

I always write with pen and paper first so that I can carry my ‘desk’ around with me. Then, once I’ve done a chapter or two, I type what I’ve written into my laptop, tidying a little as I go along. Then another chapter, and another. Once I’ve got a first draft, the hard work really begins with editing, then once I’ve done as much as I can and I’m sick of it, it gets passed to a professional editor. Most writers get a feel for when a story is finished. I would never advise anyone to go beyond that just to satisfy a word count. A story is as long as it needs to be.

What comes first for you, plot or characters?

Generally character comes first, sometimes accompanied with a few lines of dialogue. Once I have nailed the ‘voice’ of a character, they can come to life and help me with the plot! The more I know my characters, the better I know what they would and wouldn’t do. I always write a short biography of each of my characters, most of which will never make it into the book, just so I’m familiar with them.

Not including your work, which book have you read that you wish you could forget, just so you could discover it again?

If I could only choose one, it would be House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. Wonderfully rich characters, especially the female ones, plus an epic plot spanning three generations. The day after I finished reading it, I really missed the characters. It was like losing close friends.

What challenges did you have when writing your novel? What did you enjoy the most?

I’ve written a lot of plays for theatre, which helps immensely with writing dialogue, which is probably my favourite part of the writing process. It’s all about the voice. Research is also something I love. Biggest challenge for me is writing a synopsis. Those couple of paragraphs are harder than writing the whole book!

What advice do you have for anyone experiencing writers’ block?

I teach Writing Workshops, and get asked about this a lot. The thing that people often misunderstand about writers’ block is that it doesn’t happen because a person has nothing to write. It happens when a person has too many ideas that they can’t get out, that’s why it’s a block. The solution is not to try and come up with more, but to flush out what’s already there. It’s like a waste pipe in your bathroom. If you don’t give it a good flush every now and then, it gets backed up with a load of crap! Try this exercise: Get a blank piece of paper and a pen and set a timer for two minutes. Spend that time just writing absolutely anything – a stream of consciousness, if you like – but make sure you keep the pen moving. Don’t stop for the whole two minutes, and don’t censor yourself. Forget about spelling and punctuation and just write and write. When the time’s up, stop writing, tear up the paper, and throw it in the bin. Now you’ve had a good flush and you can start writing. Give it a go, and do it regularly. It works.

Would you rather –

Would you rather have the ability to communicate telepathically or know every single language on the planet?

Definitely to know every single language. I’m already telepathic, because I knew you were going to ask that!

Be able to have a one-minute conversation with your past self or future self?

My future self, in the hope that I’ve learnt something by then that I can use now.

Paperback, hardback or eBook?

Paperback and hardback.

Live in a world where it is constantly snowing or always raining?

Neither. Just a little bit of each!

Live in a world without music or movies?

I love movies, but I couldn’t live without music.

Take part in a dating show or a survival show?

Survival show. I’m hopefully done with dating!

Have the ability to see into the future or be able to visit the past?

Definitely the future.

Have the ability to move things with your mind or read minds?

A reader, always!

Sing or dance to your favourite song for the rest of your life?

Dance. You don’t want to hear me sing.

Have money or power?

Money seems to buy power in our world.

About Jackie Carreira –

Jackie Carreira is an author, playwright, musician, and co-founder of QuirkHouse Theatre Company and the Foreword Book Festival. Born in England to Portuguese parents, she grew up mostly in East London, but spent part of her early childhood in the Old Quarter of Lisbon.

These colourfully diverse cities and her ‘genetic nomad’ background have had a big influence on both her writing and general view of the world. Jackie now lives in East Anglia with a husband, two cats, and an awful lot of books.

She is a proud patron of Halesworth Library in Suffolk.

Say hello to Jackie on Facebook and Instagram. 

About Notebook Number Nine – 

When all the lies and hypocrisy of the world become too much to ignore; when you see it all so clearly that you can’t erase the image from your mind, what do you do?

When the thin veil of conformity drops from Bekki’s eyes she doesn’t know what to do either, so she sits down and writes a letter. Alice replies. But who is Alice? And is it even possible for ‘normal’ people to undertake a true journey of self-improvement without running away to a monastery up a mountain?

Bekki is going to find out.

Notebook Number Nine is a life-affirming, often humorous story of self-discovery and what it simply means to be human.

Notebook Number Nine was published by Troubador Publishing in 2024. Click to buy on Amazon UK, Amazon US, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. 

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.