A Slice of Cake With... Jan Baynham

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with author Jan Baynham.

After retiring from a career in teaching and advisory education, Jan joined a small writing group in a local library where she wrote her first piece of fiction. From then on, she was hooked! She soon went on to take a writing class at the local university and began to submit short stories for publication to a wider audience. Her stories started getting longer and longer so that, following a novel-writing course, she began to write her first full-length novel. She loves being able to explore her characters in further depth and delve into their stories. Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in Cardiff with her husband. She values friendship and support from other writers and regularly attends conferences, workshops, talks and get-togethers. She is co-organiser of her local Chapter, Cariad.

What kind of books do you write?

My novels are dual narratives about families and their deeply held secrets. The stories are set in rural mid-Wales where I was born and grew up and a contrasting foreign location. The books deal with relationships between mothers and daughters, forbidden love due to cultural or class differences and how decisions made in one generation can impact the lives of future generations. 

Can you describe your writing why?

Reading has always given me so much pleasure and the motivation for me to write stories that may give other readers enjoyment is a strong reason for me to write. Sometimes a nugget of an idea will be enough to spark the ‘what if?’ questions. Nothing gives me more pleasure after my novel has been published than to receive messages from readers saying how much they’ve enjoyed it. When doubt sets in about my writing ability – and it does, often – a message, an email or a letter expressing enjoyment and asking when the next book will be out is enough to get me writing with enthusiasm again.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

I think your first published novel is always special. My debut, Her Mother’s Secret, is partly set in Greece. This paragraph is about Alexandra’s first view of the island where her mother had spent the summer of ’69, twenty-two years before. Although the Greek island is fictional, I enjoyed reminiscing about the occasions we’d visited a new part of Greece for the first time. 

In no time, I arrived at the island of Péfka and took in the view of the harbour and the town behind it. Lemon, pink and white-painted buildings with terracotta ridged tiled roofs glistened in the strong sun. They formed a guard around a pretty stone quayside, filled with every kind of sea-going vessel from luxury yachts to humble fishing boats. A large flagpole dominated the jetty that jutted out into the water and sported the distinctive blue and white Greek flag. The view was not a complete surprise. I’d read my mam’s diary many times, and I knew exactly how Péfka harbour and its quayside would look…

When I’d first read the diary entry about arriving on the island, I had been sceptical about the flowery language she’d used but when I stepped onto the quayside, I took a deep breath. Mam had not exaggerated. The parasols were now a bright blue but the taverna was still Xante’s. Flowers tumbling in abundant tresses from terracotta pots and urns adorned the fronts of houses and shops, balconies and steps. I spotted the Parthenis boutique where Mam had bought the dress she’d worn to the painting school party. It was as if time had stood still here and through the diary, I felt I was returning not visiting for the first time.

Tell us about your latest project

I’ve just begun working on novel four. Although I know things will change, I always like to write a detailed plan, almost a synopsis of the whole story before I start to write and this is what I did first. In this novel, I shall be looking at the relationship between sisters rather than mothers and daughters as I’ve done before. The story is set in 1943 and 1961, in mid-Wales where there was an actual prisoner of war camp and in Sicily where my Italian POW character is from. I am getting to know my characters and trying to get inside their heads. I’m at the stage now where I’m reading real-life accounts of what it was like for the prisoners in the camps and how much freedom they had to work on local farms. One fascinating part of my research so far is how the Italians built their own chapels in which they could worship. One in west Wales is still standing and I’m hoping to visit there soon. In this novel, there are secrets that are not discovered until it is too late, a forbidden love affair, the heart ruling the head, and sibling rivalry.

What is your favourite cake?

I love cake! To pick a favourite was very hard but, in the end, I had to choose a coffee and walnut sponge cake. The two layers would be filled and topped with thick, strong coffee buttercream and sprinkled with crushed walnuts inside a circle of walnut halves around the edge. Yummy!

You can connect with Jan here:

Twitter: @JanBaynham 
Facebook page: Jan Baynham Writer 
Blog: Jan’s Journey Into Writing 
To find out about all her books, please visit Jan Baynham Amazon Author Page 

Join me next week when I will be having a slice of cake with Bambi Harris. 

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Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop. Never miss out on future posts by following me.