Acclaimed author Jacqueline Winspear, celebrated for her Maisie Dobbs series, has captivated readers with her rich historical novels, including The White Lady and The Care and Management of Lies, a Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist. Winspear’s nonfiction shines with What Would Maisie Do? and her Edgar-nominated memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing.
The first book in your internationally bestselling crime series, Maisie Dobbs, has just been reissued as a stunning 20th-anniversary Collector’s Edition to celebrate the series conclusion with The Comfort of Ghosts. How do you feel Maisie has grown alongside significant historical and societal changes over the years?
When Maisie Dobbs went into production, my editor asked me about the next book in the series. Series? I hadn’t considered a series, but it was a powerful — and scary — question, which led me to consider what I wanted to create. I realized I wanted to move my characters through time, that I wanted to find out how they would grow and change against the backdrop of the events of their day — and I knew that if I was fortunate enough to reach the end of World War II, I wanted the final book in the series to reflect the future.
After years of crafting Maisie’s journey, has your writing process changed? Have you adopted new techniques or perspectives that have enriched your storytelling over the years?
I think I learned everything I know about writing from crafting nonfiction, especially the personal essay. I do a great deal of research — visiting places that form the backdrop for a novel, consulting with archivists in specialist libraries and reading on a given subject. I immerse myself in character, in the language and social mores of the day, paying special attention to time and place, which are characters in any story. Though I don’t think of it consciously, I like to reflect the universal in the personal, so the experiences of characters resonate with readers, different though they seem.
With Maisie’s story now complete, might you share some thoughts on what’s next?
I never like to say much about what I’m working on, not least because a writer friend once told me that if you talk about your story, you take away the need to write it! Suffice it to say I have several writing projects “in hand.” I have a sequel to my non-series novel The White Lady planned, as well as a sequel to The Care and Management of Lies, another non-series novel. And I have a new character I’m writing about … but I’m keeping that one to myself!
About the Book
Maisie Dobbs: 20th-Anniversary Collector’s Edition
This elegant volume commemorates 20 years of Jacqueline Winspear’s iconic series, celebrating the history, mystery and resilience of her beloved protagonist. With copper foil details and an afterword from Winspear, this special edition invites readers to rediscover Maisie’s journey through an era of courage and change.
Winspear will be in conversation with author Andrew Smith at Book Passage, Corte Madera, on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. Tea, coffee and pastries will be served at 10:30 a.m. More information at bookpassage.com.
More Great New Reads
Writing the Wrongs: A Guided Journal for Healing Moral Injury
Michele DeMarco leads a timely discussion on transforming moral pain and powerlessness into peace, purpose and possibility through her powerful guided journal.
DeMarco will be in conversation with her agent Kimberley Cameron at Book Passage, Corte Madera, on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1:00 p.m. More details at bookpassage.com.
The Network of Life: A New View of Evolution
David P. Mindell, evolutionary biologist and senior researcher at the University of California at Berkeley, explores why evolution is like a network and why it matters for understanding the health of all living things.
Mindell will be in conversation with Mary Ellen Hannibal at Book Passage, Corte Madera, on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 1:00 p.m. More details at bookpassage.com.
