Interview with Clare Ashton

Clare Ashton joins me to chat about The Tell Tale, Poppy, The Goodmans, curvy bums, G Benson, Wendy Hudson, Cari Hunter, the latest books from Melissa Brayden and Georgia Beers and more. 

Purchase Clare's books on Amazon at: Amazon.com: Clare Ashton: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

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To purchase books from Clare's road trip pals visit their amazon pages:
G Benson: Amazon.com: G Benson: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
Wendy Hudson: Amazon.com: Wendy Hudson: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
Cari Hunter: Amazon.com: Cari Hunter: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Clare recommends the latest from Melissa Brayden, Exclusive, available here: Exclusive - Kindle edition by Brayden, Melissa. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
And Georgia Beers, With A Twist, available here: With a Twist (A Swizzle Stick Romance Book 3) - Kindle edition by Beers, Georgia. Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Thanks for listening. Your support is very much appreciated! 

Transcript

Laura: 0:00

Hi, I'm Laura and this is the Sapphic Book Review Podcast, the show where I visit with the best writers in sapphic fiction. I hope you enjoy the show and I hope you learn something new about your favorite authors each week. Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe. Welcome to the Sapphic Book Review Podcast. I'm Laura green. Today's guest is undoubtedly one of our best authors and someone whose writing never fails to impress. To say I'm a fan is a huge understatement. Clare Ashton. Welcome. And thanks for being here.

Clare Ashton: 0:30

Thank you. Thanks for inviting me. That's a very nice introduction. Thank you for that as well.

Laura: 0:35

You're welcome. The audio book for The Tell Tale was released earlier this year. Lucy Rayner's narration helped to make an already brilliant story even better. How did you find her? And do you plan to use her for more of your books?

Clare Ashton: 0:48

I don't know. Actually Tantor picked up the book for audio rights. And they suggested her and I hadn't seen her name come up on any sapphic fiction before, actually. And I think she's more well known for crime novels. And it was actually perfect choice for this, I think because it is historic mystery as well. So it lends that kind of, I suppose BBC adaptation because it's very class British accent. So when I listened to the sample, that all came through that it's kind of classic BBC production vibe to it, which I was really pleased with, actually, I hadn't know what to expect. So they suggested her straightaway, and and I couldn't see any reason not to go with it really, because it is her deliveries really good. She brings out elements of the stories that you know, that I hadn't realized with their little intonations of things. She's actually a Brit living in USA. And she does a really good class British accent. I wondered if she'd be okay with a bit snippets of Welsh in there because it's, it's tough language to get your mouth to if you're not used to there's quite a lot of phlegm involve. So I wrote them saying is she comfortable with the snippets of Welsh, they're not many in there, and they wrote back saying, Actually, she's from Abergavenny, she'll be fine. Her family can help if she needs any help with pronunciation, so I couldn't have had a more perfect narrator. I don't think for that book, actually.

Laura: 2:10

She was great, and I looked up to see if she was doing any more sapphic ones. And so far, not yet, but maybe in the future. I reread Poppy Jenkins recently, you set both Poppy and The Tell Tale in Wales where you grew up. What do you think Poppy would think of what occurred in The Tell Tale? And given Poppy's younger sister Pip is so perceptive, I imagined she would solve the mystery before anyone else.

Clare Ashton: 2:31

Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah, that question actually, because it's, it's very much the flip side of Poppy, The Tell Tale. I kind of wrote Poppy to kind of celebrate just how far gay rights have come at that point, and how much easier it was to be in a small town in Wales and be a gay person, you could actually have a positive experience and you had marriage rights and things like that. And Poppy is this lucky character who has a very supportive family, and the village is supportive of her as well. But it was interesting to write actually, where that it all comes from, what was the difference from the past? So The Tell Tale is definitely that flipside, I think you have to be unnerved by it or probably quite generous about why people were the way they are. Characters like Geraint too is definitely a bit of a baddie as you first meet him, but then you kind of discover how he's been shaped. And I think hopefully, well, maybe, some readers have a little bit more sympathy with him towards the end, not necessarily like him, but maybe understand kind of why some people are how they are. Interesting about Pip,yes kids always kind of pick up on things that the grown ups don't realize. They kind of hinted that with near in the book where you know, there's this kind of the kids world and the kids got it, which can go really often to fantasy and fiction, but can also be very perceptive at times. So yeah, I wouldn't put it past somebody like Pip to pick up on what was really going on.

Laura: 3:49

No she would, that girl knows everything. The Goodmans is my favorite book ever, which I may have told you a time or 12

Clare Ashton: 3:57

It is very much appreciated.

Laura: 4:00

If it were to be turned into a movie, who would you like to cast as the characters?

Clare Ashton: 4:04

Oh, it's interesting with that beause I do have three of the characters, I'd have a good idea of, partly because when I form some characters, sometimes a person who would play them or inspires them. A lot of actors and they won't be how I imagined the character at the end because it will that character formed have so many things and they'll develop over the books and there'll be this very distinct individual by the end of it, but for three of the characters, there's some of the kind of ingredients for them were like Celia, the grandmother was definitely a little sprinkle of Judi Dench goes in there.

Laura: 4:39

My favorite.

Clare Ashton: 4:41

Then Juliette actually, Juliette Binoche didn't go very far with that one with the name. That was definitely an inspiration there different vibe from her. And then for Maggie definitely that spikiness and movement and kind of shrewdness. I think somebody lik Annette Bening that kind of, sharpness, I think comes in. Wrong kind of culture and things but it definitely that kind of side to her. Then don't know for the rest. Jude and Abby were just Jude and Abby from the beginning. They just kind of came fully formed in a way so and then I get lost. I'm hopeless at casting people I haven't really thought of before.

Laura: 5:14

I could watch Juliette Binoche and Annette Bening making out.

Clare Ashton: 5:18

Exactly, it's good.

Laura: 5:20

Jess and Anna in finding Jessica Lambert, may be my favorite of your couples, I love a good age gap. And this one works so well. Because despite their age gap, Jess's experience give her a maturity beyond her year. Was it a conscious decision to make Jess so mature to make the age gap seem less relevant?

Clare Ashton: 5:36

I think not, not less relevant, perhaps. But I really like not just age gap in other things that where you have two people who should be quite different and that their expectations on them would be to be very different. But they can find you could always find commonality with people, even those that who should be most different. And I think that was one of the sorts of connections I wanted to make that actually Jess is a lot younger, 15 year age gap, I think but because she went out into the world and worked and was so exposed as a movie star, she is a lot more mature for her age perhaps or she hasn't gone down a prescribed route than most people would say her experience is very different. And that's just kind of shaped her so that was a nice connection for the two to make. So yeah, kind of deliberate connection to make but rather than not get past the age gap, I suppose. But again, I do like people to look beyond the box that have been put in to see how they connect to other people. I'm very, very fond of that in romance in particular.

Laura: 6:36

And they also have the connection of their shared careers and their experiences with mental illness and stalkers.

Clare Ashton: 6:44

There was a lot there actually, it was nice to build that up that two very, very different characters to have so much in common and support each other but still in very different ways. I like that particularly about that story.

Laura: 6:58

I know I love this too. What are you working on now? And when do you anticipate releasing it,

Clare Ashton: 7:02

After The Tell Tale which is quite a dark ensemble piece, lots of story going into I fancied a break from that. And I've gone back to romance. A friends lovers that focus very much on the couple. Although I might start is as a series. I'll be honest, I want it to be a series. But I take a long time to write things I'm not su In theory, it should be the start of a series but it can standalone writing it so it's satisfying as a standalone read as well. But yes friends to lovers, one of my favorite tropes, I find with themes and tropes that I've done before, there'll be an element to it that I didn't really go into that I kind of, you know, skirted around the edges, and I fancy revisiting and looking at it in more detail. So I do this quite often that there'll be an aspect to one novel I want to do in greater detail. So it's one of my favorite tropes. So that's why I'm doing with this one and enjoying it enormously. I've got to the point in the novel where I don't care if anyone likes it, I love it. I'll care later when it doesn't sell, but for now, I'm really happy with it.

Laura: 8:09

As long as you like it. , you jump around genres effortlessly. What other genres do you plan to tackle? I think you could probably write an excellent zombie thriller.

Clare Ashton: 8:18

No. Not going anywhere near zombies. G Benson can keep those make them behave better next time. And that was a lot of blood. Dead Lez Walking. I don't know actually, I don't know plans at the moment. But then I mean, I've known for I suppose family Drama, Romance. Mystery. That's what I revisited a lot. But then the historic angle. That was a surprise for The Tell Tale. I didn't really see that coming before I started it. Yeah, honestly, I don't know. But I'm always open to tackling new genres and things.

Laura: 8:52

Okay, maybe a gnome book like where you talk about how great garden gnomes are?

Clare Ashton: 8:55

Yeah zombie gnomes that's it. There you go. That's perfect.

Laura: 9:00

You and your wife are throwing a dinner party with two of your couples and two couples from other writers books. Which couples would you invite and why?

Clare Ashton: 9:07

I'm gonna cheat a bit here.

Laura: 9:09

Okay, do it.

Clare Ashton: 9:10

And also note that that's a lot of people visiting. I'm not sure my wife and I are ready for that but I've very tempted, just to do a short piece where Maggie. Juliette, Abby and Jude from The Goodman's go and visit Poppy over the border because they're they're geographically very close. So it's always that temptation. I always imagine Rosalyn and Maggie having a good rant about the state of the world and wanting to put it to rights and Poppy having a nice conversation with Abby and so I'm going to cheat a bit on that. I kind of get stuck on the others because it is rather alarming how many people around the dinner table. But because I was tempted to have the main couple from G Benson's zombie book, but you know, they're probably not the best people to invite round because there is always that danger. Who is gonna show up maybe with them. So I've made the makeup of from Karen Kallmaker's Captains of Industry. This is where my memory of names goes really bad. I can't remember character names. I'm so bad with names. I forget my kids names or get them wrong quite often. I'll start saying Joe and I'll mean Ellie and I'll end up calling out jelly quite often leaving them in hysterics, so many people there, Jennifer Lamont I think because she sounds fun and sexy. And same reason for main couple of To the Moon and Back of Melissa Braden's book. So purely the entertainment value, I think that'd be good.

Laura: 10:35

That'd be great. And probably have enough people help you clean

Clare Ashton: 10:40

Yeah, should have invited a Chef or something

Laura: 10:45

How did you meet your wife?

Clare Ashton: 10:46

I remember the first time I saw her and I remember the first time I talked to her. We both living in Oxford at the time, we met at an LGBT bar that we both went to quite frequently with friends we had in common and I remember somebody pointing her out as the ex of some mutual friend. And she had really short hair at the time and blonde and that is really short hair cut and she was standing with a pool cue looking very butch and competent. I thought lord she looks intimidating. She looks a bit scary compared to wimpy me and honestly, it couldn't get further from the truth and that first impression was wildly wrong. When I actually talked to her when we went out with mutual friends in London. I discovered she was very understated. Very gently spoken very calm. Really clever .Her job at the time was spacecraft thermal engineer, which like rocket scientists. She has a really arty side as well as talk about pop music and books and films, very unassuming. I'm not sure if I should. I always remembering the moment that I thought that this is the woman for me. The court I fancy her was where it worked in why we were talking about it. We were talking about buying clothes or wearing clothes or something and she admitted that no matter how skinny she got, if a weight went up and down she her bum was always at least a UK size 14 And that was I thought this is the woman for me. The woman with this curvy bum is the woman for me. And it was right.

Laura: 12:25

There we go. Curvy bums are the best. Your kids are at such a great age where they still want to hang out with you. And probably they aren't too snarky yet. What are some of the things you enjoy doing most with them?

Clare Ashton: 12:38

Yeah, this is quite terrifying question because my youngest nine year old she's pretty sassy already. So don't know what itady. t they are really great at though because they're really cuddly and loving still and but they are really good to talk to you. And they come out with great opinions especially we'd like end of the day, we all get together for family storytime while I read a book because then when the nine to 12 year old books that come out these days are brilliant. And we're doing some way books as well. And it's so such good fun to cuddle up at the end of the day. And they'll ask really amazing questions and have such interesting thoughts about the stories as well. It's one of my favorite things still, I know that they're going to want to stop soon. But I love it for now.

Laura: 13:31

My definitely stopped that a long time ago. But we read cars so many times when the little one is small. Oh my gosh. I could recite it word for word. You're not only known as Claire Ashton, but also as TIG Where did that nickname come from?

Clare Ashton: 13:44

Yeah, Claire Ashton's, my, my real name the official name and that wasn't very imaginative when I used it as anyone really think about it probably should did. But yes, no, it doesn't feel like a real name in some respects because everybody knows me as Tig so from six months old when I spiky hair as a baby and my parents just call me Tigger after Mrs. Tiggy Winkle the hedgehog and Beatrix Potter books which are very popular at the time in the UK and it's just stuck it so yes school it was Tig, university, some jobs. Kids call me Mama Tig. It's just my name.

Laura: 14:19

It suits you. You were born in England and still live there? What are some of the things you love most about your country?

Clare Ashton: 14:24

Because I grew up in Wales so it I have this odd kind of mix of cultures in a way because it's quite distinct to Wales but my parents were English so as an English first language speaker they moved there when I before I started school so I kind of think of myself as well just like on my formative years were there and a lot of my cultural references are very much Welsh ones that were so you know, I've no idea what the English counties are for example, I could go into the you know, intricate shaped wall well shortens that that kind of level. Yeah about UK in general. I am a big fan of outdoors. I need my dose of countryside even though we're on the edge of Italy. City here. And it's lovely in green and lush and doesn't have poisonous things. Like because I love the outdoors, but the thought of going like like hiking in some places in the US and Australia just frightened me so much. I'm glad at the very benign wildlife we have in the UK and being fairly quiet person as well. I quite like the sort of British understatement and quiet attitude. That's a broad generalization. There's some noisy buggers here as well.

Laura: 15:33

You take some great pictures I think if you decide to give up writing, you could be a photographer.

Clare Ashton: 15:37

Thank you. That's just another main hobby of mine. A lot of especially having the kids I think I want to document their lives because I'm so forgetful. I want to remember it.

Laura: 15:47

COVID Hit your family a few times. Have there been any lasting effects or any of you?

Clare Ashton: 15:52

Okay, me most of all, I was a bit vague inflatable beforehand and a bit more foggy since they were no no set us back quite a few weeks is taken a while for my wife both to recover from we had a bad dose of it in November, I think it was and that was quite surprising. kids seem to have bounced back that which is really a relief. They seem to get over it quite quickly. Especially little on she barely noticed at all, which is a big relief.

Laura: 16:21

Yeah, that's good. You've been asked to go on a book tour with three other authors who would you like to accompany you?

Clare Ashton: 16:27

Oh, I'll go for G Benson. And we've been talking about her she is lovely and a good laugh. I've met her a couple of events. Also I have Wendy Hudson along as well, who is also extremely funny. She has a lot of true life stories, which would make amazing romcoms I think she's wasted on all the risky books. She needs to do these romcom or else I'm mgoing to Nick her ideas for them. And then as a third one, I'd have my good buddy Cari Hunter, who's also really funny in a very different way. She's very down to earth and blunt and very typical Northern England tells you how it is. She's been excellent laugh as well.

Laura: 17:06

I just finished all of her Dark Peak books on audio.

Clare Ashton: 17:09

my favorite that those three, actually having the relationship with the two heroines over the whole trilogy is really wonderful. I think those that encapsulate all her best stuff there.

Laura: 17:21

This year has already given us some fabulous lesfic reads what have been a few of your favorite books you've read so far this year?

Clare Ashton: 17:27

Well, I'm well behind on my reading because because of COVID and having brain fog, my concentration was gone at the beginning of the year. So I've been well behind actually but I have read Melissa Brayden's and George beers latest as well. So I'll go with those because they were top notch as usual.

Laura: 17:46

Always.

Clare Ashton: 17:47

Yeah, they're very consistent, great writers, very envious. I want to write many good books. That's the thing kind of write that much and keep the quality up is quite a feat.

Laura: 17:57

I think you're doing okay, though. Thank you. Clare. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me. It truly was an honor and I appreciate it.

Clare Ashton: 18:07

Thank you very much for inviting me.

Laura: 18:09

Thanks so much for listening. And thanks again to Clare Ashton for joining me today. You can purchase all of Clare's books on Amazon. If you'd like to support this podcast. You can buy me a coffee at buy me coffee.com/sapphiclaura. Or you can join my patreon at patreon.com/sapphicbook reviewpod where you can listen to your favorite authors playing Would You Rather? Here's a sample of today's with Clare Ashton. Thanks so much for listening. And until next time, happy reading. Would You Rather attend a movie premiere with Jess and Anna or protest with Maggie and Juliet?

Clare Ashton: 18:58

that's not fair. Oh, I'm gonna have to go and Maggie and Juliet, I'm afraid and I'm gonna go and shout from the streets with Maggie

Laura: 19:05

Oh, I would too. I'd have to get dressed up and put makeup on. I don't have to do that if I go to a protest.

Clare Ashton: 19:12

Good point, actually.

Laura: 19:14

Would you rather give up cursing or ice cream?

Clare Ashton: 19:17

Oh hard actually. Because I love ice cream. I make ice cream as well. I like cursing. I had to tone it down for the kids when we had those. And I'm only just indulging in swear words again when you want to take it away. I might do the ice g