Author Ava Glass talks to Jane McGowan about writing a novel
When a writing a novel, would-be authors are often advised to ‘write about what you know’. So, if you have spent several years working with members of MI5 in the Home Office, then that seems like the perfect place to start.
“I was working as a journalist and a consultant when I was hired, quite unexpectedly, as a communications consultant at the Home Office. Working in counter-terrorism, basically I was employed to talk to spies about how they should communicate with the public.
“Actually, it was a bit of a lost cause as they don’t like talking to each other – they didn’t like talking to me,” she laughs. “It was slow going but it gave me a little bit of a window into their world. I learned about how dangerous it was, how deceptive it was and it has fascinated me ever since. I worked with counter terrorism for five years and I have no idea to this day who was a spy and who wasn’t.”
Born and raised in Texas, Ava’s first job was as a crime reporter, where, aged just 22, she saw her first dead body. She has interviewed a whole host of US VIPs, including former president George W Bush and civil rights campaigner Reverend Jesse Jackson. Ava, who describes herself as a lifelong anglophile, headed to England in 1999 to further her journalistic career landing a job at Reuters, before stints on magazines and as a travel writer.
However, after five years at the very heart of UK Government, Ava felt it was time to head back to her writing career.
“I always felt like a bit of an outsider there,” she admits. “You begin to realise that you have no idea who you are talking to on a daily basis and whether there is any truth to what they say. It becomes a little disconcerting.”
Finding herself with more time on her hands, she decided to fulfil another lifelong dream and write a novel. Her first foray was in the Young Adult (YA) fiction market. Night School, a psychological thriller which focused on the children of spies and how they got embroiled in that world was a great success. Writing under the name of CJ Daugherty, she created a five-novel series which to date, has sold more than 1.5million copies.
More books followed, including two fantasy titles which she co-wrote with French author Carina Rosenfeld, meaning that for Ava, writing fiction became a full-time job.
“I feel hugely privileged to be able to write novels for a living. It is something I had always wanted but never really thought it would be possible.”
And with Alias Emma already having been optioned by the TV production team that brought us the highly-acclaimed, award-winning The Night Manager, it looks like Ava will be definitely writing for the foreseeable future.
“I think it goes into production in the summer when there will be more to say,” she explains. “I do get to see the scripts and will have some early knowledge about who they are looking at for the casting so I am very excited. It will be thrilling.”
But as for the casting of the heroine, Ava is so far keeping an open mind.
“I don’t actually have an idea of who could play Emma, there are a lot of English actresses out there who could really rock it. I am glad I don’t have to choose.”
The book follows 27-year-old agent Emma Makepeace as she is deployed on her first assignment. The action takes place across the course of just one night when Emma is part of a team sent to rescue the son of two Russian dissidents. Now a doctor living in London, the young man wants nothing to do with his parents’ past, believing himself to be above their shadowy world.
“Basically, he resists the rescue which ramps up the tension,” Ava explains. “But then he is attacked and it is a race against time to get him across the city.”
While Ava may not yet know who will take on the role of her protagonist, the inspiration for the character is firmly rooted in one of Ava’s MI5 ‘colleagues’.
“When I begin a novel I start with the main character, in the case of Alias Emma, I was thinking of a spy I met while at the Home Office who was in her 20s. I didn’t know she was spy at the time, I thought was a friend. She was very open, charming and very interested in my life. But then after a few weeks, she vanished completely as if she had never existed. Her email disappeared and everyone acted as if she had never been there.
“And that’s when I realised she was a spy doing my background check. It really threw me as I had been lied to solidly for three weeks and I believed it – I believed every lie, I answered every question and held nothing back. I was left feeling very gullible – I had been totally taken in. But I dedicated the book to her as she inspired Emma Makepeace. Without her, there would be no Emma.
“It’s such an odd uncomfortable world, I can’t imagine wanting that but they are marvellous to write about. They are very brave extremely deceptive and they still do hands on work. They are on the ground pretending to be someone else to get the information and then get out again. I love that idea.”
But when she is not mired in secrets and lies, Ava likes to make the most of her Surrey surroundings. Married to Bafta nominated filmmaker and fellow author Jack Jewers.
“My husband grew up in Surrey and so it was quite a natural choice. We met in London and although I lived in England which I had always wanted to do, I realised I had spent the whole time in London and I wanted to experience something else. He wasn’t sure he was ready to come back but I finally convinced him to just try it and that was 15 years ago...”
Ava says the cultural scene around Guildford, as well as the glorious countryside, makes it the perfect location for the creative couple.
“I love the Guildford Book Festival and I go to several of the events there every year - and Farnham now has a literary festival that was great and I really enjoyed. There are a lot of writers out here as well. I have a lot of author friends who live nearby - there is quite the writers’ colony quietly here. I love that I can go to a coffee shop and see another author and just hang out. It’s just got a great feel to it.
“I have lived in a city my whole life but now I love that you can be in the middle of Guildford and still see the glimpses of what lies beyond. We have a dog so walking and exploring the area is one of our favourite things to do. We pick berries in the autumn and a favourite spot is definitely Box Hill - the only thing with all the walks, which are so beautiful but they usually include some kind of hill.”
But when she is not out and about sampling the delights of the county, fine-tuning book two and sketching out book three for Emma Makepeace’s further adventures, is keeping Ava very busy.
“It is but I love it,” she enthuses. “I love being a writer and you will never hear me complain about it.”
Alias Emma is published by Penguin and is available online and from local booksellers.
