AN INTERVIEW WITH YVETTE DAVIES
Briefly introduce yourself:
Hi. I’m Yvette Davies. I’m a wife, mother and cat mum! I live in the beautiful New Forest with my husband and two British Shorthair cats. I have two adult children — my daughter is about to make me a grandmother for the first time (which I’m super excited about!) and my son is at university studying law.
When did you know you wanted to become a writer:
I’ve been an avid reader all my life and always lived with a feeling I would become a writer one day. At secondary school, my English teacher told my parents I would become an author — my only regret is that it’s taken me quite a while to fulfil her prophecy! I studied English Literature at university and then establishing a career and being a working Mum took over. It’s only been in the last few years I’ve been able to focus on writing. It feels part of me now.
What was your journey from then until now (your first book publishing in October 25)?
After careers spanning media, marketing and research all based in London, we moved our family to the New Forest in 2006. I set up a ladies fashion boutique, shortly followed by a successful online retail business. Covid enabled a reset button and I started to think about writing the book I knew was within me. I studied on the Jericho Writer’s Ultimate Novel Writing Course in 2022 and a first draft of The Twin Sister was the result. My writing tutor was fantastic and encouraged me to edit and polish and start thinking about submitting. After the book was placed in the Top 100 Cheshire Novel Prize in 2024, it gave me the confidence to put my manuscript out there!
As a prolific reader in both eBook and paperback format, I was aware of the fantastic independent publishing companies available direct for new authors and thought it could be a good option for me. I was fortunate enough to receive quite a bit of interest and signed with Joffe Books on a 2-book deal earlier this year.
How would you describe the submission process for anyone looking to do the same?
It’s daunting and rejection is all part of the process. It’s tough but achievable if you hone your craft. Your initial submission package of a cover letter, synopsis and first chapters need to be highly polished and don’t waste time sending your manuscript out anywhere that isn’t a good fit with your genre. Do your research. Work on an elevator pitch and hook that will grab attention. Then work on it some more. When I was offered a contract by Kate Lyall Grant, Joffe’s Publishing Director, I asked out of curiosity why I’d been selected. Kate said my hook for The Twin Sister stood out and made her think that’s right up my street. I’d also worried that The Twin Sister may not get picked up as many twin stories have gone before. However, Kate commented she’d been on the look out for another great twin story as they’re popular so what I thought of as a potential weakness turned out to be a real strength!
What are you currently reading?
I love suspense and thrillers so on my bedside table at the moment is Katy Brent’s, How to Kill Men and Get Away With It. It’s deliciously shocking and laugh out loud funny. Kitty Collins is a fantastic character so I’ll be putting the sequel, I Bet You’d Look Good In A Coffin, on my Christmas list. I’ve just finished reading The Baby Group by Jade Lee Wright (a fellow Joffe author) which I thought was masterfully plotted and I look forward to reading more from Jade. I also can’t wait to get started on a couple of Steena Holmes novels waiting for me on my Kindle.