Diana Thurgood’s first novel Second Chance started its life as a short story back in 2011. After years of the story sitting silently to one side Diana later expanded on the original manuscript and submitted it to a publishing house for consideration. To her delight she was offered a publishing deal and her true story about a neglected horse (Toby) and his loving new owner (Tiffany) and their triumphant journey together is now in the book shops.
From her property in the Blue Mountains, Diana spoke with Australian Rural and Regional News contributor, Serena Kirby about the process of turning her 14-year-old story into a published book.
ARR.News: You mention in your bio that you loved animals from a young age. Did you grow up on a farm?
Diana Thurgood: No, I grew up on a quarter acre block in Sydney but I had lots of animals including a dog and a cat, rabbits and guinea pigs. I always wanted a horse but I couldn’t have one when I was young as we simply didn’t have room. My parents sent me to an agricultural college thinking it would satisfy my love of horses as there were loads of animals kept at the school but it was really hard as you’d get attached to the horses and then they would be gone.
ARR.News: You write so intimately and personally about Tiffany in the book and there is such a depth of detail. How did you manage to gain this information and portray Tiffany so well?
Diana Thurgood: Tiff and I are best friends and have been since 2008. We both had young kids and we would spend so much time together. Tiff is an amazing storyteller but she’s a verbal storyteller whereas I’m a written storyteller and she can tell stories that are totally hilarious and ones that are so rich with detail. She would paint an incredible picture for me and I would simply record it on my tape recorder and then transcribe it.
I work as a writer and I’m used to being handed a massive amount of information and structuring it into something manageable and enjoyable for the reader.
ARR.News: What excited you most about the book’s writing process?
Diana Thurgood: For me, the thing that really excited me was writing about the bond between Tiff and Toby, because I really wanted to inspire people to realise that animals are so much more than just what a lot of people perceive them to be. So I really enjoyed writing it from that perspective and trying to make Toby and Tiff’s bond really come alive and resonate.
The other thing that was really interesting about the writing process is that after sitting with Tiff and recording our conversations I’d then go away and most of the writing would be going on in my head. I’d be out feeding the animals or gardening and all the time I’d be thinking about whatever chapter I was working on. I’d be pretty much writing it in my head – even down to the exact words I was going to use. Then I’d go inside and sit down and write it.
ARR.News: So in contrast to that, what did you find as the hardest part of the writing process? Was it finding time, headspace, motivation or something else?
Diana Thurgood: Good question – I think it took around four or five drafts to get into the finished product and I’d finish a draft and I’d be really happy with it and I’d be like, oh, this is great. Then I’d leave it for a little while and then go back and read it and go it was often a case of me thinking ‘oh my god – this is crap – how did I think this is good?’ And I’d be just so embarrassed that I’d given it out to people to read. So that was definitely the hardest part – thinking that it was terrible and feeling regretful that I’d given it to someone to read when it was something I wasn’t yet fully happy with.
ARR.News: When the manuscript was accepted by the publishers, were you required to make many changes.
Diana Thurgood: Well it was almost a year between acceptance and being given a list of changes and I hadn’t really looked at it for quite some time so I was refreshed and able to look at it with fresh eyes. There wasn’t a massive amount of changes which is good because they only gave me seven weeks to do them. A writer-friend of mine gave me some really good advice because she told me that when I get sent the publisher’s feedback I should read over it and think about it and not touch the manuscript for about a week – just let the advice sort of percolate. It was such brilliant advice as when it came to do the edits I felt prepared.
ARR.News: And I hear there was an offer to turn the book into a feature film. How did that come about and is it still on the cards?
Diana Thurgood: Yes it’s in the pipeline. The offer came a long time ago, way before I submitted the manuscript to the publishing company, Allen & Unwin. Tiff was giving riding lessons to two of the actors from the TV show, McLeod’s Daughters, and she mentioned that I’d written a short story. They ended up reading it and then contacted me with a request to option it as a feature film. It was actually their positive feedback that led me to add more to the story and decide to submit it to a publisher. The screenplay is now being written and other logistics are being looked at.
ARR.News: Now that you’ve published this book, any plans for another?
Diana Thurgood: I’ve actually written a poem about the Toby and Tiff story and I love it. I’m not sure if it will end up being a poem or a children’s book. I haven’t actually submitted it to anyone and I’m not going to yet because I’d like to keep it until the movie comes out. I’m also writing something that’s like a half memoir/half exploration of animal lovers. Sort of like my life story but with each chapter linked to an animal that was significant at that point in my life.
Author: Diana Thurgood
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 9 781761 06881
Buy through ARRNews.Store
This interview is supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.
Read Serena Kirby’s review of Second Chance.
