The Heart Ladder by Sibby Spencer

Welcome to my stop on Rachel’s Random Resources tour for The Heart Ladder by Sibby Spencer. I have a special Q&A with Sibby that I hope you enjoy!

About the Book:

As the war in Vietnam stutters to a close, a heavily pregnant Faith flees America for a new life in England. Leaving behind everything she knew, including the mystery of what happened to the father of her unborn child after he went missing behind enemy lines. Three decades on and her son, thirty-something slacker Dan, knows he's wasting his life in pubs, nightclubs, and his dead-end job. That all changes, though, when a man with storied eyes and an old army jacket introduces himself as the father Dan never had a chance to know.

But is Jacob, a battered and broken war veteran, really who he claims to be? As Jacob's true purpose in seeking him out becomes clear, Dan comes to understand that his life is very far from meaningless - and that the choices he makes might have deadly and irredeemable consequences.

Readers who enjoy genre-bending books that play with themes of reality and identity will love The Heart Ladder!

                                               

Author Q&A

Congratulations on your debut! Did you always want to be a writer?

Thank you! I wrote poetry and stories from a very young age. I often sat and wrote stories at primary school when I should have been doing my maths! Writing a book always felt like a mammoth task, so when I finally did it was a big achievement for me. That said, my biggest dream growing up was to become a pop singer – I idolised Madonna. I did sing in a band for a while, and it's something I would love to rekindle. Confidence was always an issue with my singing, whereas I feel more at peace with writing. I suppose it's less 'out there' - you can hide a little and not feel quite so vulnerable.

 

Tell us about your journey to becoming a writer?

I've always been a writer, in the sense that I've always loved to write. I took writing as part of my Creative Arts degree at University, and continued to write poetry and little bits of prose for my own pleasure as well as song-writing whilst in the band. I'd always dreamed of writing a novel, but it felt like an unachievable goal. So one day I put it out the the Universe. I thought “What do I really want?” and I googled 'Win a publishing contract'. A competition popped up, which I entered and then won! So then I had to get cracking and write this book.

 

Give us your elevator pitch for your book.

As the war in Vietnam stutters to a close, a heavily pregnant Faith flees America for a new life in England. Leaving behind everything she knew, including the mystery of what happened to the father of her unborn child after he went missing behind enemy lines. Three decades on and her son, thirty-something slacker Dan, knows he's wasting his life in pubs, nightclubs, and his dead-end job. That all changes, though, when a man with storied eyes and an old army jacket introduces himself as the father Dan never had a chance to know.

But is Jacob, a battered and broken war veteran, really who he claims to be?

 

How did you come up with this story?

The inspiration for The Heart Ladder came sometime in the late 90's when my friend and I did a bit of writing together for fun. She wrote a bit and I wrote a bit of a very short piece of writing - but within that the character of Jacob, and the idea for book was born. It had lots of time to gestate in my mind, and I nailed down a synopsis and a loose plan many years later when I finally embarked on the task of writing it.

 

Who is your favourite character or characters in The Heart Ladder?

I love Faith's character, as I think she is comfortable with herself and lives life as she wishes. Fiona is quite a free spirit too. Jacob (JD)  has a good heart. My favourite character to write was Quinn - he is dark and damaged and I don't know which part of my psyche he came from, but it was fun discovering him. I like Dan's naivety and how he takes so many wrong turns. He's flawed, but aren’t we all?

 

What research did you do for this book?

For The Heart Ladder, I researched online, particularly about the Vietnam War. I read old newspaper and magazine articles and accounts from soldiers. Images and films can also help with research as they give you a feel for events or times in history. Writing about places you've never been to is scary, and even more scary is writing about something like a war which has touched so many people's lives. With anything you write that you haven't experienced yourself, you want to get your facts right and also honour other people's memories. Thankfully, I have had some positive feedback from readers in the US who felt that my representation of the war was authentic.

 

Are you currently working on another book? If so, can you tell us about it?

Yes. I've been working on it for ages! It's called 'Ocean'. It's about a married couple, Kate and John, who decide to sail from the UK to New Zealand to meet up with their daughter. Sylvie. Their marriage is on the rocks, and the trip is their last attempt at reconciliation. As the story goes along, there are flashbacks to their younger days – when they first met, having kids and so on. You gradually learn the reason why they are struggling in their marriage, and why Sylvie has gone halfway across the world to find herself. We also get to follow Sylvie on her travels, which is really fun to write, and is giving me the travel bug!

 

What book or books are you reading now?

I'm currently re-reading Creative Dreaming by Patricia Garfield. It's so interesting – all about how you can receive creative gifts from your dreams as well as how to train yourself to lucid dream. I recently read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey – both excellent. I have a book review slot on the local BBC radio station, and I also run two book clubs, so as you can imagine I'm always reading something!

 

About the Author:

Sibby Spencer is an author, poet, podcaster and regular book reviewer for BBC Radio Derby. She enjoys playing around with the themes of reality and possibility, and creating characters who are very human in their flaws - yet capable of revelation and redemption. She loves getting lost in a good novel, swimming in the sea, learning new things and dancing in her kitchen. She lives in Derbyshire with her husband and two children.

Keep in touch on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/SibbySpencer

https://www.instagram.com/sibbywrites/