Thrilled to chat to Katie Bishop, debut author of a seriously hot book out this month (25th May) called THE GIRLS OF SUMMER. I came across Katie on Instagram and have loved following her journey to publication.

Here, she tells us about finding her agent through the slush pile, getting her book deal and admits she’s had a confidence crisis - something I relate to at the moment.

Tell us about THE GIRLS OF SUMMER.

The Girls of Summer is a book about a woman called Rachel who is forced to question the truth of her first love and a magical summer that she spent backpacking around the Greek islands as a teenager after a chance encounter causes her to realise that her memories aren’t quite what they seem. It’s a post #MeToo book that explore questions of consent, power, memory and trauma as Rachel decides to track down the much-older man that she fell in love with as a seventeen-year-old, and gradually begins to realise that her relationship with him, and her time working for his enigmatic boss with a group of other young women, was quite different from the story that she’s been telling herself for years.

What led to you finding your agent?

The Girls of Summer was very much a slush pile submission! It was actually the second book that I submitted to agents, so I already had a pretty good idea of the process, and a bit of practice. The first book that I wrote was rejected by about fifty agents, but funnily enough, my agent wasn’t one of them. I didn’t send it to her, as it was a slightly different genre, but when I was doing my research this time around she seemed like a really clear fit.

I initially sent queries to seven agents, and I think about five wanted to take a look at the full manuscript. Choosing my agent wasn’t a particularly difficult decision, as her enthusiasm really shone through out of the offers that I got. She even set up a call with a group of people from her agency who would also be working on the book, and they collectively seemed to have such a clear vision for it, that I felt pretty confident that I was making the right choice.

What has been the best part so far and what has been the hardest? 

The hardest part has probably been the transition from writing in your own quiet, private writer bubble to suddenly being hyper-aware that your work is going to be read by people in your publishing team who are incredibly knowledgeable about books, and have high expectations of you – not to mention the readers who will eventually be getting their hands on the finished product! It definitely feels like more pressure, and I’ve certainly had a couple of crises of confidence since getting a book deal.

It's really hard to pick a best bit as there’s been so many! Engaging with readers who have loved the book, and getting to talk about the characters who’ve been in my head for such a long time is definitely a highlight. And it’s just been great to meet people who love reading as much as I do – there’s nothing I love more than chatting books, so being able to do that as part of my job is an amazing feeling.

Do you plan your books? 

I try to! I don’t particularly like to plan, but I’ve tried both planning and winging it, and I do find that planning usually results in a much better book, and a far less painful process in the long run.

What was the submission to publisher process like for you?  

A bit of a dream! My agent submitted the manuscript to about ten publishers and we had multiple attempts to pre-empt within a few days, and had decided on a deal within a week. I feel incredibly lucky to have had such a smooth ride, as I know that’s not always how it goes.

What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?

I think that the best piece of advice is to try and treat the first manuscript you write as a practice run. I think that we can have a really strange perception of novel writing compared to other creative fields where we expect people to create their best work on the first try – you wouldn’t have expected da Vinci to paint the Mona Lisa the first time he picked up a paintbrush!

If you approach your first big writing process as a learning curve then it’ll take a lot of pressure off, and give you the space to enjoy yourself and have some fun with it. And if that novel does turn into something that you’d like to take further, then great. But if it doesn’t, then it’s already achieved its exact goal – teaching you how to write a novel, and then setting you up for your next project. I didn’t know it at the time, but I think that’s exactly what my first novel was for me. It taught me about structure and pace, and also clarified in my mind what I wanted to write about and the story that I wanted to tell.

Can you tell us what you're writing at the moment?

I’m currently working on a second book, but I can’t say too much about it as I’m honestly not exactly sure which direction it’s going in yet! I’ve had and scrapped a few ideas and a lot of words along the way, but I’m trying to view it all as part of the process.

And just for fun…

Your most anticipated reads of this year?

I loved The Girls by Emma Cline, so I’m really excited to read her second book, The Guest, which is out this month. I’m also planning to read I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel soon, which I’m looking forward to a lot, and I’ll also definitely be reading This Family by Kate Sawyer, as I recently read and really enjoyed her debut The Stranding.

The best book you’ve read recently…?

I loved The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. So thought-provoking and propulsive at the same time.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Reading, yoga, walks, trashy television, cooking and spending time with friends and family. Probably a bit too much time scrolling through social media as well.

Your dream weekend would be…

I love to start the weekend off with a relaxing, cosy night in. I like to take a good book and a cocktail in the bath on a Friday night – something very strong and very cold like a negroni or a margarita.

I have a couple of very close groups of girlfriends, so a dream weekend would definitely involve spending some time with them. Most of them live in different cities, so I often end up travelling to visit them. We’d probably go on a long walk and then to the pub or out to dinner.

And then on Sunday, it would have to be a roast dinner with family, and then home early for lots of television and snacks, and an endless supply of tea.

A TV show you’d recommend…

I can’t stop recommending The White Lotus to everyone who hasn’t watched it yet. It’s smart and escapist and brilliant. A review recently compared The Girls of Summer to it, and I can’t think of a higher compliment! I’m also currently binging The Real Housewives of New York, which is a great comfort watch.

Thanks for your time Katie!

You can find out more about Katie via her website and on Instagram. The Girls of Summer can be ordered here.