Meet Josephine Moon
gr chats with Josephine Moon about her new book The Cakemaker's Wish.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Life in the village isn’t always sweet and simple ...
When single mum Olivia uproots her young son Darcy from their life in Tasmania for a new start in the English Cotswolds, she isn’t exactly expecting a bed of roses – but nor is she prepared for the challenges that life in the picturesque village throws her way.
The Renaissance Project hopes to bring the dwindling community back to life – to welcome migrants from around the world and to boost the failing economy – but not everyone is so pleased about the initiative.
For cake maker Olivia, it’s a chance for Darcy to finally meet his Norwegian father, and for her to trace the last blurry lines on what remains of her family tree. It’s also an opportunity to move on from the traumatic event that tore her loved ones apart.
After seven years on her own, she has all but given up on romance, until life dishes up some delicious new options she didn’t even know she was craving.
What inspired The Cake Maker’s Wish?
The story was directly inspired by a conversation I had with two gentlemen in a Cotswolds village. They made me a cup of tea and told me stories about what it was like growing up in their town in the fifties. Their conversation soon revealed their sadness that the village they’d known as kids was gone. The unity and collaboration that had existed in what was once a working village had been destroyed when the land was divided up and sold off. Many of the homes were purchased by people in the cities and became ‘weekenders’, sitting empty for most of the year. Now, insufficient numbers of people actually lived in the community to keep it alive. Their grief really affected me and I returned to my rented 18th-century cottage and began making notes, certain I could bring their village back to life, even if it was only on the page.
Olivia and her son move to Cotswolds in South England – why did you choose this setting for the book?
I am naturally drawn to beautiful settings and enjoy writing my stories most when my imagination is saturated in the atmosphere they create. In 2015, I went to England specifically to find a new story and I knew I’d love the Cotswolds so I based myself there. Fortunately for me, I connected with those village residents who shared their stories and it gave me enough to build a plot around.
How did you set out developing the character of Olivia, and her past?
Occasionally, characters arrive as fully formed beings and it is a tremendous joy when that happens. It makes my job so much easier. Most of the time, though, they arrive in sketchy layers and develop over time and many drafts, which is what happened with Olivia. Characters are like friends—you have to spend time with them to get to know all their complexities. Olivia was quite different in my early drafts than she developed into.
You often call your books ‘foodie fiction’, as food often plays a big role in them. What inspires you to draw upon food in your writing?
I love the creativity of food and the way it connects people. I also love writing about women in business and food gives me many different ways to allow them to have independence as business owners. Over the course of seven foodie fiction novels, I have found that food gives me a focal point. It grounds my stories. The setting and food come before the characters or even the plot. It’s as though I set a stage in a theatre house and then invite characters in and watch how they interact with their external world. Whenever I find myself a bit lost in the plot I can always find my way back through the food.
You’re a proud sponsor of ‘Story Dogs’ – can you tell us a bit about what they do?
Story Dogs combines so many things I love – kids, reading and animals. Story Dogs teams consist of an adult volunteer and a dog. They visit classrooms of early readers and provide an uncritical listening ear to kids while they read out loud. The presence of the dog helps ease their nerves and because the dog is listening it gives the child a reason to read rather than just having to read because they’ve been told to.
What has been your go-to sweet treat while in isolation?
I have been baking my way through many of the sweet treats featured in The Cake Maker’s Wish, like apple crumble, strawberry lemonade cupcakes, flourless chocolate cake and gingerbread biscuits. It’s been great fun and I’ve challenged myself to learn new skills with icing and piping along the way. I’ve been sharing the recipes on my website too, which my readers love.
The Cake Maker’s Wish by Josephine Moon is published by Michael Joseph.