I’m very grateful that I married someone who has loved Lenni and Margot from the beginning. Someone who read my rejection emails when I was too scared to open my inbox, who came home crying after reading the end of the book and nicknamed me ‘word witch’, who jumped about the kitchen with me when my first book deal came in. Thank you for believing, Goose.
But most of all, I am grateful to Lenni for visiting me that January night. She arrived a fully formed voice in my head and this story belongs to her. She kept me company when I was lonely, she reflected my fears when problems were found with my heart and ‘sudden cardiac death’ was being mentioned with alarming regularity. She taught me patience and persistence. She brought all of this magic into my life.
An interview with Marianne Cronin
First things first – where and when do you write?
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot took just over six years to write – which sounds like such a long time now. The first words of Lenni’s that I wrote (which are more or less intact in the opening paragraphs) were written sitting at my desk in my bedroom in January 2014. I’m a total night owl. I’m always trying to change this, because it’s not very convenient in a world made for larks, but I love to write at night. It feels like there are fewer distractions. Everything’s quieter. I usually work at home, and usually when I’m alone. I get really embarrassed if anyone looks over my shoulder when I’m writing. It’s like letting someone peek at the inside of my mind.
The first draft didn’t take long – only around three or four months – and I wrote almost all of it at night. Then came the task of shaping it into something that made sense. This is the part that took a long time – by then I was working full-time on a research degree and lecturing, so I edited in stolen moments in the evenings and at weekends. Although there were definitely days when I’d be in my office working on Lenni and Margot instead of on my thesis.
What is your favourite book or books and why?
One of my favourite books (and the book I recommend the most to other people) is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. I love a good ending and I think it’s one of the most beautiful endings to a book I’ve ever read. I also loved We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo – the boldness of Darling’s voice really stayed with me. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is another book that’s really stayed with me. I loved its oddness.
When I was writing Lenni and Margot, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce were early sources of inspiration. The idea of an ordinary person trying to do something extraordinary really resonated with me. In their own way, they both ask, ‘What is a life made of?’ and that’s something I was thinking about when I was working on my book.
Finally, I’ll always be glad I read This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen when I was fourteen. The protagonist’s mother is a writer who leaves notes for characters and stories everywhere. I thought everybody did that. Reading that was the moment when I thought, Maybe I’m writing ideas all over the place because they belong in a story. What resulted was a YA ghost love story that lives in a box under my bed. But as much as I cringe at it now, once I had written something of book length, I knew I could do it again. They say the first pancake is always a test.
What is your favourite film and/or TV show?
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that my favourite film is a children’s film. It’s the adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’ Lost and Found. It’s simple, but beautiful. Ultimately, it’s about friendship and how friendships can save. I don’t think I’ve ever watched it without crying! I also love TV. It’s not very high-brow to say, but I love it! My favourite TV shows have all had an influence on how I write dialogue, especially 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Archer, Green Wing, Peep Show, Fresh Meat, Friday Night Dinner and Grace and Frankie.
What is the last book that made you cry?
There are so many great books that have made me cry. The most recent was Expectation by Anna Hope, which explores female friendships and the hopes women have for their lives at different points of adulthood. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but there’s a scene towards the end that took me by surprise and made me cry.
What is the last book that made you laugh?
I had Tina Fey’s Bossypants on my ‘to read’ list for years, and when I finally got around to reading it I adored it. There are so many great lines in it – I kept stopping to read out lines to whoever was near me at the time. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much at a single book – with the exception of a book I wrote
