On this mini episode of The Write Question, host Lauren Korn speaks with Jacqueline Winspear, author of twenty novels, eighteen of which comprise the Maisie Dobbs series. The last installment in that series, The Comfort of Ghosts (Soho Press), will be published June 4, 2024.
Jacqueline is appearing in Helena on Monday, May 13, 2024, at the Helena Civic Center as a guest of the Lewis & Clark Library and the Lewis & Clark Library Foundation. To learn more, visit lclibrary.org.
About Jacqueline:
Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the UK. She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal/professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a life-long dream to be a writer—she subsequently became a regular contributor to journals covering international education and travel, and has published articles in the Washington Post, Huffington Post, The Daily Beast and other publications. Her short stories have appeared in magazines internationally, and Jacqueline has recorded her essays for KQED radio in San Francisco. She has contributed to several anthologies of essays and short stories.
Together with The Comfort of Ghosts (June 2024), Jacqueline has written eighteen novels in the award-winning Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series. Her standalone novel, The Care and Management of Lies, was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her new standalone novel, The White Lady, was released March 2023.
Jacqueline has published two non-fiction books: What Would Maisie Do? (2018) based upon the series, and a memoir, This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing (2020). In addition, her recent published essays include “Writing About War,” for which she interviewed writers including Kate Atkinson, Rhys Bowen, Jeff Shaara, and Adam Hochschild, exploring the impact of writing about war on the author, and “Women On Fire,” about women working in wildfire management. Her essay on writing the historical mystery appeared in the anthology/handbook from Mystery Writers of America: How To Write A Mystery, edited by Lee Child (2021).
Jacqueline recommends:
North Woods by Daniel Mason (Penguin Random House)
Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It by Janina Ramirez (Hanover Square Press)
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The team for this mini episode of The Write Question included Lauren Korn, host, producer, and editor; and Chris Moyles, sound engineer. This mini episode is supported by Montana Book Co., located in downtown Helena, Montana, since 1978, offering new books for all ages, vinyl records, and community activism. For delivery in Helena and shipping online, visit mtbookco.com.
The Write Question logo and brand (2022) was designed by Molly Russell. You can see more of her work at iamthemollruss.com and on Instagram @iamthemollruss. Our music was written and recorded by John Floridis.
Funding for The Write Question comes from Humanities Montana; members of Montana Public Radio; and from the Greater Montana Foundation—encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans.
The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.
