BBC: A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

A Q&A with Josie Silver

Q: Do you always have some kind of specific inspiration for your novels, or do you find that inspiration comes in a different way every time you sit down to write one? 

A: I often see something mentioned on TV or in a magazine that will set off a train of what-if thoughts in my head, as was the case with A Winter in New York. Music inspires me too, sometimes it can even be just the way someone’s voice sounds when they deliver a particular line. I’m a bit of a country music fan—those guys really know how to deliver a line with emotion, don’t they? I keep a notebook of my story ideas, but I don’t always have it with me if I’m out and about. I’ve been known to come home with random ideas scrawled over the back of store receipts or, failing everything else, on the back of my hand. I have to write things down when I think of them or they’re gone! 

Q: We were shocked to hear that you wrote this book without ever actually having been to New York, especially since you capture the spirit and the vibrancy of the city so perfectly! What references did you use to create the city? 

A: Ideally, I’d love to have visited New York, but this story actually started out life set in the UK. It relocated to the US as I started to get words down on paper and realized it would work so much better if I moved it to New York, by which time I was on deadline and needed to stay put with the story. Having not been to the specific locations in the story put me on the back foot, all I can say is thank goodness for the internet! I spent countless hours watching NY walking tours, talking to friends and reading travel blogs for individual experiences. I’m lucky to have a fabulous US editor too, I knew she’d be on hand to go through it with a red pen to make sure the details were accurate and authentic. All those hours of research and immersion have left me more desperate than ever to experience New York for myself soon, and I’ll be sure to time my visit to coincide with the San Gennaro Feast that Bobby takes Iris to at the beginning of the story! 

Q: Iris and Vivien are huge rom-com fans (as are many of us!)—are you a big fan as well? What romantic movies are your favorites? 

A: Am I a huge rom-com fan? Oh, absolutely and emphatically yes! I loved being able to include Moonstruck in the story as it’s one of my all-time favorite movies, but if pushed, I think I might choose Crazy, Stupid, Love as my ultimate favorite rom-com. But then . . . Bridget Jones will always have my heart, Four Weddings is a must-watch at least once a year, and Christmas just isn’t Christmas without The Holiday, is it? 

Q: All of your novels feature characters who not only go on relationship journeys, but on personal journeys as well—it’s one of the things readers love most about your books! Why do you think you are drawn to writing characters who are struggling with larger themes like grief or self-acceptance or healing as they find love? 

A: Great question! I guess because I’ve been married for a fair while and we have teenage kids, life is often complicated and messy and sprawling. It’s not all date nights and flowers, it’s busy and hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking, and I find that comes out on the page whether I plan things that way or not. I find real joy in writing ensemble casts, especially multi-generational characters and families. It’s just real life, isn’t it? Romance doesn’t happen in isolation, it’s influenced and shaped by all of the other important people in our lives, I like to lean into that to deepen and enrich the story. 

Q: What does your writing process look like? Are you an author that likes a lot of structure to your writing days, or an author that writes whenever the mood strikes? 

A: I would love to say I’m organized, that I make charts and plans and tick off my days in a methodical manner, but I’m afraid that’s not how I work best. I tend to go fairly steady and slow in the beginning stages of a manuscript, gather pace as I hit the middle, and then write really intensively towards the end. It’s not an easy way to do it—I find the later stages stressful, but in an exhilarating way I strangely kind of love! I’ve learned to accept that this is the process that works for me and not to give myself grief over it. 

Q: And last but not least, we’d be remiss if we didn’t ask who your dream cast would be if A Winter in New York was made into a classic rom-com movie! Is there anyone that comes to mind? 

A: Ah! This question is the one I love and loathe the most! I often dream cast characters in my head as I write—I find it helps with dialogue to have a specific person I can imagine delivering the lines, down to their mannerisms and the way their body moves. Strangely though, I haven’t nailed it down for this book. I can see them all, but they’re not fully formed—I’m sort of side-eying them in my head all the time. I can see Iris’s blunt cut bangs, the way Gio’s shirt skims his body when he turns to the machine to make coffee, and the bounce of Sophia’s curls as she moves. I see the jauntiness of Felipe’s walk and the slightness of Bella’s hands, and the cloud of expensive perfume that envelops the room whenever Maria walks in. I just can’t see their faces. It’s a fun game though, isn’t it!