Spotlight Writers: Lucie Wheeler

Lucie Wheeler is a women’s fiction and children’s writer and the author of The First Time Mums’ Club and Mums Just Wanna Have Fun with publishing heavyweight HarperCollins.

Lucie’s story and insights are absolutely fascinating and she was so lovely to chat to. She shared her writing journey with me, as well as where she finds inspiration for her books and her top tips for aspiring authors.

First steps… babies, clairvoyants and Harry Potter!

How did your writing journey begin?

I wasn’t a child who grew up dreaming of being a writer but after I had my daughter, I started dabbling with writing. When she napped, I’d jot a few words down and I started toying with the idea of being a writer. It was the Harry Potter books that really started making me think. It was the feeling they gave me and I thought, “Oh my goodness… That’s words on a page making me feel those feelings. If I could write something that would make just one other person feel like that, that would be awesome.”

So I started playing around with words and different genres but didn’t have any sense of direction at that point. Then in 2010, I went to see a clairvoyant at my local pub, and she said to me, “Something you’ve been doing, you should keep doing because you’re good at it.” And the only thing I could think of at the time (apart from housework!) was writing these stories.

So the next day, I signed up for a novel writing course with the London School of Journalism. It took me about a year and through that course I wrote the bones of a story and that’s how I started writing with the intention of getting something published.

Community and Connection

“It’s so important to have a supportive community around you.”

I spent the next few years writing, experimenting with different genres, submitting to competitions and networking to meet other authors and find my way in the industry. I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association and met so many wonderful people. I connected with 8 women and we formed this group called the Romaniacs, and we started blogging and giving talks as a writing group and we’d come together every year for a writing retreat – we’d socialise and drink wine but also do some serious writing! We’ve been through the journey together and they’ve become like family to me. That was a priority to me because it’s so important to have a supportive community around you.

The book deal

Tell me about getting published with HarperCollins

In 2013, my agent told me about a novel writing competition, and I won first prize, which was a critique with HarperCollins. That book wasn’t right for them but I got some really great feedback and some good contacts from that and later one of the editors contacted me to discuss some ideas with them. We went for a lunch and out of that conversation came a a two-book offer. The first book [The First Time Mums’ Club] came out in 2017 and the second [Mums Just Wanna Have Fun] in 2018.

Getting romantic and making a difference

What led you to writing women’s fiction and romance novels in particular?

When I began, I was writing more crime and horror stories actually! But when I did my novel writing course, my storyline fit within the romantic fiction genre. I started to read more romance books and fell in love with the genre. Because life is so complex, and I think as much as people want escapism, they want to make sense of life and be able to relate to it. With romance, you get the best of both worlds.

I’ve always been interested in sociology and in my day job as a social researcher, I enjoy looking at the relationships between people and relationships within society, but I also love psychology and learning how people’s brains work. With my first two books, I was a first-time mum at the time and I was very interested in shining a light on how difficult motherhood is, especially if it’s your first time. I liked the idea of looking at being a new mum but in different social situations, and that developed into The First Time Mums’ Club. And then for the second book, I have an interest in children and child development. I incorporated a child with autism into the story and it was important for me to show how difficult it can be with a child with additional needs and the challenges that other people might not experience. I wanted to make information accessible to people and cross that boundary from academic studies to something other people can relate to it and realise that they’re not alone.

“Life is so complex and I think as much as people want escapism, they want to make sense of life and be able to relate to it.”

How did you get into writing children’s books?

I’ve worked in education for 12–13 years, and I now teach child development to higher education students, and I wanted to be able to access children and parents alike. The children’s book that I write introduce important topics but from a really young age. We’re getting better and books on being sustainable, emotional literacy and being comfortable with your gender are coming in now, which is great, but there needs to be more. And that’s what I wanted to be part of. Because of my background in child development and psychology, I wanted to start framing stories in a way I knew a child could understand and also be able to support the parents in knowing how to support the children, so the two started to become one.

Top tips!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Persevere. I think it’s really easy to get lost in rejection when you’re just starting out. It’s very rare to have a published author that didn’t have any rejections. Not everyone is going to love what you’re doing but take the constructive criticism, and just because its not right for that person doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. Keep knocking on those doors!

Also, network. Talk to people who are at the same point as you so you can go through the journey together and talk to people who have been through it, so they can help you through it.

And don’t be afraid to hone your craft. Immerse yourself in the industry so you’re keeping abreast of the things that are changing, so you can adapt if you need to. With writing there is an element of creativity, which I don’t think you can learn, but you can learn the craft of putting it down on paper and making it sound good. I’ve now started a proofreading course and I want to do an editing course because I want to improve the way that I write. It’s realising where you might need to develop your skills and looking for ways to do that. It doesn’t have to cost money – things like YouTube, reading, free webinars – there is so much support out there.

“Just because it’s not right for that person doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. Keep knocking on those doors!”

Lucie’s books are both available on Amazon.

Find out more and follow Lucie on your socials.

Instagram: @lucie_wheeler_

Twitter: @LucieAuthor

Facebook: @author.researcher.mother