Jenny Knight is a prize-winning writer of short story, fiction and memoir, and was a contributor to Kit de Waal’s celebrated Common People anthology. Jenny has worked extensively as a copywriter, editor, and developmental editor, taught creative writing in prisons, worked with storytellers and actors for the UN and Comic Relief in Somalia and Kenya, chaired and spoken on panels, and held workshops about writing, rejection, and resilience. She has also worked on farms, in pubs and factories, as an actor and a roadie, in the music industry in 1980s London, in local radio, and even renovated a former pigsty.

I loved this book and now that it is out in hardback I am thrilled to share this interview with the fabulous Jenny Knight. The writing is rich and soulful and the story a sharp reminder that we need more stories about women, about menopausal woman, that do not fit the mould.

Can you tell us a little about the book?

Wild Moon Rising is a coming-of-age post marriage and menopause – it’s about a woman reclaiming all the different versions of herself from maiden to mother to wise woman, forgiving them where she needs to and taking ownership of the next chapter of her life. It’s a story of female desire, ambition, renewal, of reconnecting with the self creatively, physically and spiritually. Within this is a lot of love in all its forms – not just romantic, but for nature, art, and in the central, intergenerational friendship between Claire and her octogenarian neighbour, Tansy, who helps her regenerate a wild garden via the meaning and stories of plants.

Where did this story come from?

I was having so many conversations with women around me, so many of them saying the same thing, living the same kind of experiences, and yet I wasn’t seeing this represented anywhere… Probably the original ‘spark’ came from Kristin Scott Thomas’s speech in Fleabag – I remember air-punching when I first saw it and wondering why we were not hearing or seeing these women at a time when all they seemed to be was disappeared for being too old! It was also the most googled speech of the entire show and that intrigued me. But the end result is very far from that spark!

Do you have a favourite character in the book?

Tansy. She was a total joy to write.

Can you tell us a little about your writing practice?

I have been doing this for so long I no longer stress about word counts or writing in any other ‘way’ that might be prescribed, as such. What works for me in one project might not in another, but I tend to write mostly in the afternoons these days, after doing other things in the mornings – it takes me a while to settle sometimes. When my kids were smaller I was confined to school times, also a good routine, but frustrating! It’s hard juggling writing and my other work, but I try to condense both into intensely focussed times I set aside for each as I work better with continuity.

I like being at a desk, quietly, with no one else around, if possible. I could never write to music! I sometimes have a candle as it slows my brain down and helps with any distraction, and I also find walking helps too – ideas often come when I’m out in nature. I walk every day when I’m writing, and I’m glad I have a 30-year yoga practice, as it does help counteract the sitting – you need a strong back!

I don’t often write in a linear way either, as I used to try to – I tend to write the scene/thing that’s strong in my head as it’s often asking to be written, no matter where it fits in the narrative, and sort of writes itself in that way. I’m much more free than I used to be with and about it all. I’ve learned to love the craft of it, and to trust my own process.

I am, though, very, very disciplined about being at my desk when I’m writing a first draft or on a big edit – that continuity is vital for me, and I have a really strong work ethic. And when I’m in it, I am absolutely focussed. If it’s going well, I’m in love. If not – well, let’s not go there..

When did you first start writing?

I wrote a little book about a dentist and a giant aged 7. I wrote ever after in varying forms from then on.

What advice would you have wanted to be given when you were an aspiring writer?

That there’s a huge difference between being an author and being a writer… focus on the love of what you do and what you feel compelled to say or share over everything else.

Do you ever get feedback from readers, and what do they say?

My writing, including short stories, has always been different with every project, but mostly they like my prose style, honesty and humour. Some of what I write is definitely ‘marmite’, having said that!

Did you have a favourite book as a child?

Charlotte’s Web and Fantastic Mr Fox were both absolutely beloved. But I loved so many!

What are you reading?

Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet series, because I never have; Annie Ernaux because I came to her late and am catching up; and Girls by Kirsty Capes. And when I can’t read fiction (often the case when writing it) I go for non-fic, memoir, or poetry.

Are you a member of your local Library?

I moved recently so no, not yet.

What are you working on now?

Novel no 2! Autofiction this time…

What question do you wish you’d been asked, and what would be the answer?

What I’ve learned over all the years it took to get published, I think. The answer would be that failure is actually valuable, as is not getting what you want when you think you want it, that nothing – in terms of the life experience of trying to get published, or failing, or material – is ever really wasted.

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