| Writer
Kate chats to Memorable TV about her book The Bad Mother's Handbook and
its adaptation by ITV1
Kate, 42, is married to husband Simon and they have two children, Ben, 9 and Toby, 6
How did the idea for the novel come about?
It took me a long time to have a baby and it occurred to me many times during those anxious years that fertility is a bit of a lottery. Some women get pregnant when they don’t want to, and other women try so hard and don’t get anywhere. That was the tiny spark of the idea.
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How long did it take you to have a baby?
It took about three years, which I know isn’t that long in the scheme of things, but when you’re not certain of the outcome it can seem like forever. I had two miscarriages before I had Ben. Then I got pregnant quite quickly with Toby, but I’d conceived twins and miscarried one. So I consider myself very lucky to have children at all.
At what point did you start writing the book?
I remember drawing a rough time line of the plot one night when Ben was about 5 or 6 weeks old. It was about 3 o’clock in the morning and Ben wouldn’t sleep, so I wrote some notes out of boredom. I began the novel properly three years later, working on it in the evenings and during the school holidays. Although I loved being a teacher, I gave the job up when I realised I was going to be quite involved in promoting the book. I knew that I couldn’t teach, write, tour and look after the kids and the house.
Had you written anything before The Bad Mother’s Handbook?
I’d had short stories in magazines, and I’d written a novel for adults which hadn’t been published. A bookseller friend, David Rees, spotted my work in 1996 and began acting as my agent. He placed The Bad Mother’s Handbook, but then asked advice from a professional agent, Peter Straus. Peter got lots more offers for the manuscript - so I actually had two agents for my first book and they split the fee between them.
What made you write the book? Was it to make money or purely out of enjoyment?
It certainly wasn’t to make money! It was basically because I felt there was a certain class of women who were under-represented in fiction: women like me, who are lower-middle class and are just completely ordinary. I think lower-middle class men are well represented by writers like Nick Hornby, Mark Wallington and Tony Parsons, but I hadn’t come across many authors who were writing about these ordinary women. I’d read plenty of books about struggling mums who lived in London with huge salaries, and with nannies to help them, and I thought, that’s all well and good but it’s not the reality for a lot of women. I felt I had a class banner to wave.
Is the novel based on your own life or people that you know?
No, none of the book is based on my own experience, apart from, loosely speaking, the fertility issue. Nan longed for a child but wasn’t able to conceive, which is why she adopted Karen, yet both Karen and Charlotte fall pregnant without wanting to. The fertility fairy is a contrary creature.
Aside from that, there may be minor traits in both Charlotte and Karen that are bits of me. Some of the anecdotes, too, that Nan mentions are family ones, tales of characters from the past that my grandma used to tell. And Bank Top the place is semi-real, based on Blackrod where I grew up, a village half-way between Wigan and Bolton.
How did you feel when the book became a number one best seller?
I couldn’t believe it, and initially felt like a huge fraud. I think that’s got a lot to do with the way I’ve been brought up, though.
How did the idea of it being made into an ITV drama come about?
We got a lot of offers as soon as the novel reached number one, but we decided to go with Ruby Films.
Did you have any say in the casting?
I got to see the casting tapes and they took my views into account, but ultimately it was down to the Director. The casting has been great though: as soon as I started watching scenes performed on screen I thought it looked absolutely right. I’ve been a fan of Catherine Tate, Steve Pemberton and Anne Reid for years so it was really exciting meeting them for the first time. Everyone back home wanted to know what it was like. Holly Grainger’s great as well; I’ve been very impressed with her portrayal of Charlotte.
What’s it been like for you being backstage on a TV set?
I’ve learnt so much. I had no idea, for example, that they did so many takes; I hadn’t realised that they did every scene from so many angles. I was also amazed at how realistic the sets are and what trouble the designers go to to get the detail right. The continuity element fascinated me too – seeing the make-up supervisor’s folder of polaroids for each actor, for instance. There are so many strands to filming that you don’t appreciate when you’re watching the finished programme on tv.
How have your kids taken to their mum being a writer and having her book made into a TV drama?
As far as they’re concerned, it’s just a pain for them at the moment because it means they get picked up from school late some nights! I’m sure they’ll be excited when it comes on TV though – that’s if I let them watch it. There is quite a bit of swearing in it.
What are your plans from here?
I’m just coming to the end of my fifth novel, and in the spring I’ll start my sixth. Some time soon I’ll be editing the fourth, The Daughter Game, which comes out in 2007, and promoting the paperback of my third, Queen Mum which will be in the shops for Mother’s Day. So I’ve got lots to keep me busy!
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