For Books’ Sake Talks To: Nicola Carley
Nicola Carley is the author of Who Is Petite Nicole? and the founder of The People Publish, an experimental new publishing project aimed at putting the power in readers’ hands.
And in between all of that, she still found time for a natter to us about her adventures in Paris and London, the memoir genre and the risks of reincarnating your enemies in your writing:
FBS: Tell us about Who Is Petite Nicole?
NC: Who is Petite Nicole? is a satirical rant through a slightly madder than average girl’s voyage of self-discovery. It spans seven years and crosses between London and Paris as she tries to carve out a niche for herself with a blunt paper-knife. And the best bit is that she says and does things that most of us are too scared to say or do.
If anyone’s ever wondered what it might be like to run away to Paris for a year, hang out at The Groucho Club in London bumping elbows with celebrities, meet the man in the After Eight Christmas advert or go on a blind date in Chamonix, you need only open the cover of Who is Petite Nicole? to find out.
FBS: Does Paris still have the same romance and magic for you that it had when you were first planning your adventure there?
NC: In a slightly surreal way, Paris now feels like a home away from home. I say surreal because it is at once magical, strange and homely to me now. I could cycle around it with my eyes closed and I know some of its best corners and hidden secrets but there is always more to discover.
I don’t think it could ever carry quite the same romance as a result but I more than appreciate the beauty in its architecture, the gorgeous food, French style in product and fashion design, and I barely notice the gruff manner of the Bistro waiters; find it amusing in fact.
FBS: What advice would you give to other women wanting to run away on their own international adventure?
NC: Don’t whatever you do, follow my example. Go somewhere hot! Go somewhere that the people are open and friendly. If I had the chance again, I’d go to Ibiza or maybe somewhere in the South of France. And be more careful with your own safety than I was.
FBS: How do you reconcile your feminist values and creative ambitions with your search for love and romance?
NC: It’s not something I think about because they are all a part of me and all equally drive me. I’m an existentialist.
FBS: How much of Who Is Petite Nicole? is the truth, and how much is fiction (or fictionalised, at least)?
NC: It’s the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and that’s what people love about it.
FBS: Tell us about the process of writing it?
NC: The process of writing began with a prodding from my friends who, with reference to my Parisian escapades said, “You have to start writing this down or no one will ever believe it.”
My response was to start scribbling; on scraps of paper in Parisian cafes during the days or spliff in hand on the floor of my miniscule apartment by night. Eventually, my nightly rants about the day’s events became a habit.
When I returned to London, the habit came too as I kept finding things I wanted to say. There were times when life took over and I lost the will or strength to write; times when things were too dark to talk about and so for a year or two, here or there, the pages were left untouched.
During a period of unemployment a year and a half ago, I realised one day that, though I had started out writing all of this for me, there could be a bigger opportunity. I also felt that it might be good for people who’ve been through similar things to hear my experiences and help them feel that they’re not alone. With resilience and humour, you can get through.
FBS: Are you worried about characters in the book recognising themselves? What about your own reaction to it in years to come?
NC: I am sure that there will be many people who will recognise themselves in the book but I guess that’s always a risk you take when you are writing about life from your own perspective.
I don’t think that anyone whose feelings I have regard for, will be hurt by anything I’ve said, however, those who have hurt me or wronged me, or have issues they are still dealing with may well be offended.
To some degree, that’s what drove the writing process – the need to ‘have my say,’ especially with regard to the employment front. It was cathartic. My reaction even now is to cringe over parts of it. I try not to think too much about it!
FBS: Oscar Wilde once famously said: “I dislike modern memoirs. They are generally written by people who have either entirely lost their memories, or have never done anything worth remembering.” What is your response to people who are negative or critical about the genre? Were there any other memoirs which inspired you while writing Who is Petite Nicole?
NC: I wouldn’t say that I was influenced or inspired by any other memoirs that I’ve read but I would say that I gained confidence from knowing that other people who started their literary careers as an ‘unknown’ have written interesting and engaging books based on their own lives.
Whether it is a fictional story or something real that you are relating, the skill is in the narrating. Told well, the most banal event can be turned into an entertaining anecdote, and I would argue that whether you are famous or whether you have done anything ‘amazing’ is irrelevant.
Art is about providing a different perspective. Giving people a window onto a world they might otherwise never have seen. Lacan argued that art is like putting up a prism on life. I would be inclined to agree. For me, it’s also about the process of creating something and having people want to read it and enjoy it is the ultimate accolade.
Either way, this book was written for me. Many people have made many suggestions about how it could be improved, what could be omitted or edited but I wanted it to be true to me because I know that there are plenty of people who will appreciate its fluctuations stylistically, complexity and honesty.
They are the elements that reflect me as a person with which many people will identify. It’s one of the reasons I have chosen to publish it in such an original way: to retain my artistic integrity.
FBS: What’s next for ‘Petite Nicole’?
NC: In the longer term, I want to write fiction of the kind that raises political questions through moving storylines. Launching on the 13th June, The People Publish is what’s next, and something that I hope the literary loving public will find it as exciting as I do.
The project is a bit of an experiment. We want to have a go at revolutionising the way that literature is both created and published. We’re inviting people like your readers to be part of it.
If there have been times when you’ve asked yourself how on earth such an awful film or trashy novel got published and wished you had more control over what was unleashed in our bookshops and on our screens, now is your chance.
The public will publish the book Who is Petite Nicole? by bidding for pages on eBay. Anyone can buy a page and space to put a small image on it. Every page in a chapter will be listed on eBay.
Each time a page is purchased, it will be revealed online, a chapter at a time until we reach the last couple of chapters at which point the entire book will be available to purchase (in the first instance as an eBook).
All those who purchased a page will also receive a copy of the eBook featuring their image along with those of the other publishers. At various milestones, the scrapbook I started at the age of thirteen will be revealed on the site too. The aim is to publish a chapter a week.
Some of the stories of the people who helped publish it will then be interwoven in a mini follow-up and we will be donating 5% of the proceeds to charities including Shelter, Mind, Action for Children and Arthur+Martha.
Our community of supporters (the publishers) will be showcased via our website along with the page purchase price and their reasons for getting involved. This can all however, be done anonymously.
The image you provide doesn’t have to be a photograph of you. It could be of your pet – whatever – it really doesn’t matter. We’re inviting readers and their organisations to buy a page, become a publisher, be part of the next stage in the story…
Intrigued? Follow The People Publish on Twitter or Facebook, or take a peek at the website.
What do you think?