Breaking Out: Eleanor Shearer
WD reconnected with former Breaking In author Eleanor Shearer to discuss her latest release, Fireflies in Winter, and what she’s learned since releasing her debut novel.
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We first connected with Nikki May during her debut novel's publication and featured her in our January/February 2023 issue's Breaking In column. Now that her next publication has hit shelves, we're reconnecting with her for a quick Q&A.
What was the time frame for writing this latest book?
Almost three years from first having the idea to the book coming out.
When I sold my debut, River Sing Me Home, in 2021, I was already working on another project. But around when the debut came out, I realized that new project wasn’t quite the right fit as a follow up. It’s an idea I’m really passionate about, following one of the heroes of the Haitian Revolution, but it felt like a bit of a jump from River Sing Me Home, so I went back to the drawing board, and soon settled on the idea for Fireflies in Winter.
It was well-timed, as I was able to combine a trip to New York for the first book’s publication with going on to Nova Scotia for research.
Has your perspective on the publication process changed since your debut was published?
The process of publishing a second book under contract is very different than working on a debut, which you’re likely to be writing all on your own. Suddenly you have an agent and an editor (or in my case, two, as both my U.K. and U.S. editors were very involved), which is great in terms of bouncing ideas around, but can be an adjustment if you’re used to working very independently.
I also think I’ve learned a lot more about relinquishing control. I keep joking with friends that Fireflies is like my second child. River Sing Me Home is the classic first child overachiever, and I was so nervous about so much of the publication process, setting myself so many goals that ultimately weren’t mine to meet (like hitting particular lists or being reviewed in particular places). With the second book, I felt much more zen. I felt like it went out into the world and it then wasn’t my business what it got up to. I’m proud of it but I’m much more able to let it stand on its own, without needing my pride validated by any external metrics.
What was the biggest surprise while getting this book ready for publication?
Unfortunately, the biggest surprise was a very nasty one—just as I was finishing the final edits on the book, my younger sibling passed away very suddenly. I hope desperately this isn’t an experience that’s widely shared, but I mention it because I do think that sense of balance and inner peace I reached with the publication process probably came from going through such awful grief and recalibrating what really mattered. This book will be the last one of mine that Cal, my sibling, ever got to read, and I dedicated it to them, which gives it meaning far beyond anything else that could happen once it was released.
What do you feel you did really well with this novel?
I’m really proud of how the natural world is presented in this book. It’s an element of sensory writing I really wanted to focus on, I drew on my research trips to Nova Scotia where I was very attentive to the landscapes, the sights, sounds, colours, and smells, and lots of readers have said to me it worked in terms of transporting them into the frozen forests!
Anything you would have done differently?
Honestly, not really. This book had a funny way of coming into the world, given I was consumed by another project that I felt somewhat conflicted about abandoning to work on Fireflies instead. But I think both Fireflies and the book I hope will become my third are better for that. I feel quite relaxed about the idea that each project arrives when you need it and takes the time from you it requires, and I’m ready to let that guide me into the future.
Would you like to share some advice for our readers?
While there will be certain rules and habits that serve you well that can transcend each book you write and publish, each project will also have its own needs. Some of the ways I write (my daily word count, my editing process) shifted to accommodate Fireflies being a different novel to River Sing Me Home. And, of course, with such a big loss knocking my whole life off kilter, all of writing now looks different to me now – in terms of the ideas that draw me in, and the space I’m able to carve out for work while still grieving. Sometimes you have to bend a little to the winds that buffet you, or else you might find yourself ripped out, roots and all.
What’s next for you?
I’m back on the book about the Haitian Revolution, inspired by the life of Haiti’s first Emperor, Jean-Jacques Dessalines. I’m really excited about it, and so happy to have been able to return to it older and wiser after Fireflies.
Where can our audience find you online?
I’m on Instagram @eleanorbshearer, and I have a website where you can sign up for my newsletter, EleanorShearer.com
