Jane Costello

Bridesmaids

It’s not every day you get to say that you once worked with a best-selling author.
And it’s not every day that we report the presence of a best-selling writer in our circulation area.
But Jane Costello or Jane Wolstenholme, as she is better known, ticks both boxes and is hotly tipped to become the next big thing in “Chick-Lit� following the publication of Bridesmaids, a debut novel which has been sold to all the major booksellers and supermarkets

Book Club
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Bridesmaids follows the fortunes of Evie, a 27-year-old Liverpool journalist and eternal bridesmaid. Only when she meets the gorgeous Jack at her friend, Grace’s wedding, do the prospects for her love life look like they may be improving. Or not! The novel is an unashamed romp through familiar chick-lit territory with plenty of pace.
Jane and I used to work together at The Liverpool Echo but the talented journalist rose quickly rose through the ranks becoming the first female editor of The Daily Post in 2002.
Yet despite her career success there was one more box Jane wanted to tick herself. And that was the job title, “author�.
The opportunity finally came when Jane was on maternity leave following the birth of her son, Otis, now three.
Jane who is now six months pregnant with her second child, lives in Burscough with her husband, Jon.
Here she reveals how it all happened.

Jane G : Why did you want to write a novel?
Jane W: It had always been an ambition of mine to write a novel and I must have spent the past ten years trying. After work I would sit at my computer waiting for inspiration to strike. But I never seemed to get past Chapter Three. Finally, when I was on maternity leave I thought I will never get six months off work so it is now or never. But I was still waiting for an idea.
Two months after Otis was born I was sitting in a pew at a wedding when I caught sight of the Bridesmaids. And then it suddenly hit me, weddings provided such a fertile ssource for chick-lit. Weddings have great potential for comedy, drama and friendship. People had written about brides but never bridesmaids yet most women had done it and had a few tales to tell.

Jane G: So how did you get past chapter three?
Jane W: I realized that in the past I had got stuck because I hadn’t planned it properly. This time I sat down and plotted the whole novel. I created the characters and carefully thought through their character traits and what they wanted. By the time I had done this the novel was much easier to write.

Jane G: As easy as that?
Jane W: Not exactly. I sent the idea and three chapters to seven or eight agents. Five came back to say “Not our sort of thing� and two sent letters back to say they were interested but Darley Anderson actually phoned me the day he got it and spent an hour talking to me on the phone. It was then the hard work started. I had originally written it in first person from four characters’ points of view. It was made clear that this wouldn’t work and with the help and guidance of the agent and his team of readers there were several drafts before the novel was completed.

Jane G: The book led to a publishing deal does that mean you are now a full-time writer?
Jane W: Not exactly. My husband and I run a PR company in Liverpool and I spend three days a week working there. The other two days I spend eight hours working on my books.

Jane G: Books? More than one?
Jane W: Yes. The way publishing works is that I now have a deal to produce a book a year. I am up to the editing stage of my next book, Nannies. The book is about a woman who goes to work in Boston but the actions flits between Liverpool and the States. I used to work as an au pair so I enjoyed writing that one. I am also writing the first draft of my third book. And promoting my first.

Jane G: So now you have finally achieved your ambition. How does it feel?
Jane W: It feels fantastic. The books should be on the supermarket shelves soon but I have already seen it displayed at WH Smith in Euston. It was next to Barbara Taylor-Bradford’s book.. I was thrilled. Then my brother who lives in Dublin texted me to say it was on the stands there. I got him to take a photograph on his mobile phone and send it to me.

Jane G: But why the name change?
Jane W: Simply because I was told early on that Wolstenholme isn't a
great name for an author. It’s far too long and difficult to remember/spell etc.
Also, names beginning with C, D, E etc end up right at the front of the
bookshelves once all the promotional activity ends and you're in
alphabetical order. And with Costello - a random name I just thought was snappy and memorable - I end up right next to Jilly Cooper and Jackie
Collins!

Jane G: So do you have time to read?
Jane W: I love to read but my tastes are very eclectic. My book shelves at home have a mixture of classic authors such as Henry James and Emily Bronte alongside contemporary literary novelists like Andrea Levy and Lionel Shriver. But there’s lots of chick-lit too. I love Adele Parks, Marion Keyes and Sophie Kinsella. They make it look so easy but its not until you start writing it that you realize just how hard it is to make it that way.

Jane G: Most chick-lit novels seem to be set in London yet Bridesmaid and your next novel are both set in Liverpool with lots of familiar places, how did the publishers feel about that?
Jane W: That’s one of the things my publishers, Simons and Schuster liked about it. They loved the setting and thought it created an earthy feel. I think Liverpool is a great city and I am delighted to be able to share it.

Jane G: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Jane W: It’s all about application. I had idly thought about it for years but it can be done. I was still working on the book when I returned to my full-time job. My target used to be 1,000 words a day which was achievable. Now it’s more like 3,000 words. The key thing for me was writing the plan that proved to be a real turning point. But an hour a day is all you really need, and most of us can find that somehow.
www.janecostello.com
ends

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