RACHEL DARWIN: ‘A large part of writing this book was a way for me to try to process the grief of losing my grandparents in such a difficult and alien way.’
Congratulations again, has the win sunk in?
Thank you so much. I think it has sunk in… just! Given how many years I have been writing it truly feels life-affirming to be acknowledged by this award. And even more special to me because Bath is actually my hometown! I studied performing arts at City of Bath College, grew up doing shows in The Egg Theatre and spent many years wandering up Milsom Street towards Waterstones and Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights to find new books!
I know just how creative and innovative the people of Bath are, so to win this award really helps me believe that all the years I’ve spent tap-tap-tapping away at my keyboard might just have been the right idea for me!
What’s the reaction been like from friends and family?
Simply incredible. One of my closest friends, his boyfriend, my husband and I went out for dinner after it was announced and we ended up ordering extra desserts to celebrate!
My parents are so proud, which means an awful lot to me. They have been so supportive throughout all my years of pursuing a creative career. I know that this book means so much to my whole family.
It’s brimming with fictionalised versions of stories from my grandparents’ life together. There’s also a chapter that includes an adaptation of how my parents met, when my dad dialled a wrong number and my mum picked up the phone!
My friends and family know how much of my heart is in this book and I hope that comes across to all who read it. I’m so lucky to have such wonderful, supportive people in my life.
What prompted you to enter?
I have known about the Bath Novel Award for years and, being from Bath, I knew it was something I wanted to achieve one day. Though I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, I really started pursuing it as a career in 2018 when I started my MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmith’s University.
Shortly after graduating in 2020, I wrote the first chapter of The Doll’s House Mouse and realised I had found the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. In late October, halfway through the first big edit, I promised myself I would enter the manuscript for the Bath Children’s Novel Award if I tidied it up enough before the deadline in late November.
On the morning of the deadline, having finished my final edit just three days before, I wrote a one-page synopsis and entered before I allowed myself to back out.
I’m so pleased I entered. To me, it is a prime example of why it’s always worth shooting your shot. You never, ever know.
Award judge Sam Copeland said “The Doll’s House Mouse feels like a classic; sweet, funny, tender, moving and brilliantly written – I really fell for this gorgeous story.” How did it feel to read his comments?
Reading this was extraordinary. The words “feels like a classic” from an author and agent like Sam Copeland were beyond validating.
I set out to write a family fairy tale that could have been written when I was a child, ten years ago, last year or maybe even next year, to make it as accessible to readers (both children and adults) as possible.
The wonderful words Sam Copeland has used to describe the book are all the things I hoped it would be. And the reviews from the Junior Judges were fantastic too. I think the Junior Judges are an amazing part of this award… an incredible way to involve the target audience!
The Doll’s House Mouse was inspired by your own grandparents, who died during the first stage of the pandemic. What kind of grandparents were they?
I think the only word that will do them justice is, inspiring. He was the sort of grandpa who hand-built all of his grandchildren a doll’s house, or a farm, or a garage. She was the sort of grandma who made particularly delicious dishes that no one else can recreate. He would travel for hours on a train to see me in a musical when I was a teenager. She would tell stories you couldn’t believe were true, and yet they were! My grandma, for example, is the woman for whom a tiger really did come to tea!
The pandemic disrupted the way we grieve terribly. I think a large part of writing this book was a way for me to try to process the grief of losing them in such a difficult and alien way. They lived long, adventurous, wonderful lives. And they were loving, warm, kind grandparents to the end. I have dedicated the book to them; my Grandma and Grandpa, who are no longer with us, but who will always be with me.
What would they have thought of your win?
I thought about this on Thursday after the announcement was made. I associate robins with my grandpa and when the word on Wordle was ROBIN on the Sunday night before, I knew he was there, looking out for me for the week. They would be so proud. I can hear the happy “Oh!” and picture my grandma raising her arms in delight, twinkling her fingers and sitting in her chair. They were always so proud when their grandchildren succeeded at the thing they loved. To know that they had inspired something I created would bring them such joy. Grandma would be telling everyone. It would become one of her stories. And the fact that Grandpa built the doll’s house that inspired the whole story… well, he’d think that was magic.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on two ideas, both for a middle grade series. I’d love to get a writing group together, for children’s writers, because I’ve missed being a part of one since graduating from my MA. And I have hopes of doing a creative PhD in Children’s Literature on day! But, right now, I just want to get my head down, with a newly-filled box of confidence thanks to this award, and write. And hopefully, one day, children in Bath will be able to head up to my favourite independent bookshop, Mr B’s, to buy one of my books!
RACHEL DARWIN grew up in the Wiltshire and Somerset countryside. At eighteen, she moved to London, where she became a professional singer, performing for ten years. Nowadays, as well as being a writer, Rachel is a singing teacher and writes a column for Rock n Roll Bride Magazine. Her manuscript The Doll's House Mouse is the joint winner of 2021's Bath Children's Novel Award with Dreamdogs by AE Daly.