'Colour Me In', by Lydia Ruffles ; a mini review and Q&A!
The
wonderful Lydia Ruffles is the author of two excellent YA novels that are both so beautifully written, with the most
creative plots and lovable, fascinating characters. I was delighted
to have the opportunity to throw some Qs at Lydia in preparation for
the publication of her latest book, ‘Colour Me In’;
the story of Arlo, an actor whose world is turned upside down after a
tragedy which then sends him fleeing to the other side
of the world – where he meets and befriends a fellow traveller.
I
loved
this book – surprise, surprise! I adored her debut, 'The Taste of Blue Light', but if possible
I found this one even
more exciting
and fun to read. Arlo as a character was so gorgeous and the way he
felt things was so true and pure, it hurt at times to read. I will be
shouting about this book and its author for a while yet, so jump on
my Lydia Love Train, will you? Thx.
Diving
in deep right away – your health is a big part of your life and
writing. Tell us a bit about that, please, and how does it affect
your daily life and work?
I
have something called vestibular migraine, which means I get violent
dizziness, severe head pain, sensory disturbances, and cognitive
problems. The symptoms fluctuate so some days I’m absolutely fine
and other times I can’t stand up or follow a conversation.
I
also have a couple of mental illness diagnoses and the impact of
those varies a lot too. For example, if I’m in a very high mood, I
might feel I’ve got ideas shooting out of my eyeballs but the
chances of executing them are slim.
I
wrote my first book in bed and in hospital waiting rooms, and before
I got treatment there were big chunks of time when I was too sick to
think straight let alone work. Being freelance and in control of my
own schedule help a lot.
Do
you feel your health helps or hinders your creativity? What does
creativity mean to you?
I
think about these questions all the time and both my books muse on
these topics too.
Lots
of my ideas come from my health experiences and being unwell has
definitely improved my empathy which is critical to creativity.
Migraine and mania both make my mind feel stretchy and capable of new
things but at the end of the day being sick isn’t a superpower,
it’s generally just really hard work and there’s nothing
aspirational or romantic about it in my experience.
Creativity
is just being inventive and imaginative, which everyone is capable
of, even if they might feel self-conscious or second guess
themselves. To me specifically, it means trying to make something
that’s honest and expresses a specific feeling or experience.
Sometimes it’s also about building a bridge between my thoughts or
feelings and someone else’s, and sometimes it’s something very
quiet that no one but me will see.
Why do you think stories about mental health, or health in general, make such good reading? Why do we need more of that kind of writing?

We
need more variety in the types of narratives we have about illness.
The story that we see reflected most often in culture is of someone
overcoming ill health and everything being wrapped up in a bow at the
end. I like stories that show recovery is possible but that it
doesn’t always mean going back to how things were before and that
it’s not always linear – and that some people, like me, live with
whatever conditions they have.
There
are lots of stereotypes attached to mental and physical illness
in culture – do you feel a responsibility to address them in your
work?
I
mostly focus on trying to tell an interesting and honest story about
a person, albeit a fictional one. My new book Colour Me In is about
mental health but it’s also about art, adventure, first love and
friendship - because people are more than their illnesses and it’s
important to show that.
Because
I use a lot of my experience I know that what I’m writing is a
realistic representation even if it’s not a universal one.
One
stereotype that I find particularly gross and damaging is the idea
that you have to suffer to make great art - both of my books show how
hard it is to make anything when you’re in a very dark place but
also that making things can be healing.
I’m
also super careful about the language I use to make sure it’s not
stigmatising.
How
do you stay well while you’re writing? What's your best self-care
tip?
I’m
not sure I’ve got this totally licked, to be honest. I know that my
body and mind respond well to structure but I like spontaneity so
fight against any kind of routine. I’m also at my most creative
late at night so keep quite strange hours.
My
self-care philosophy basically boils down to ‘baths are nice,
boundaries are better.’ One thing I’m good about is protecting
time to spend by myself because I know that’s one of the best ways
for me to recharge – more extroverted people might find the
opposite works for them. I also go to therapy because I think way too
much and need to decant some of those thoughts from my head or I’d
never get anything done.
Every
author advises others to not read reviews. But...do you?
And do they have any impact on
your mental health and/or creative work?
Ha!
I do all the things people tell authors not to do – I edit as I go
along, I get caught up in ridiculous twitter chats, and, yep, I read
reviews. I’ve even been known to google myself around publication
time. Shameful behaviour.
All
the press reviews have been positive beyond my wildest expectations
so far and I’ve read some very thoughtful reviews from bloggers. I
felt a bit tossed around by reviews at first, especially my first 1
star goodreads review (a rite of passage for any author) but now I
just think I’ve had a whole book to have my say so I’m not going
to begrudge anyone a few hundred words to have theirs.
I
tend to steer clear of Goodreads and places like that because those
reviews are for readers not authors. If I’m feeling resilient I
sometimes sneak a peek but always on my laptop rather than my phone
because it creates some distance.
Have your readers taught you anything?
With
people’s reactions to my first book The Taste of Blue Light, it’s
been fascinating to see people’s different preferences for
foreshadowing and twists. It’s also shown me that some people are
capable of the most incredible empathy (and others not so much!). I’m
excited to see what I learn from reactions to 'Colour Me In'.
And
whenever I get a message from someone telling me how much something
I’ve written means to them I’m always impressed by their
vulnerability and honesty.
Apart from art and brains, what else are you into at the moment?
Oh
gawd, I’m interested in almost everything, which means my attention
is constantly spraying all over the place. I love theatre and science
especially.
I
was also thinking the other day that I’ve been learning a lot from
younger women recently – particularly
about body positivity, body confidence, feminism and activism – so
I’m trying to tune into those voices and listen.
Can
you share any recommendations for
books, films, blogs etc. that tie in with your creative work or give
you inspo?
I
loved Akemi Dawn Bowman’s ‘Starfish’,
which is a YA story about mental health, cultural identity and art. I
also adored Maggy Van Eijk’s ‘Remember This When You’re Sad’ and Daisy
Buchanan’s ‘How to Be a Grown Up’
– very different books in some ways but both are brave, funny,
generous memoirs.
I’m
watching a lot of stand-up comedy which I’m pretty new to. I’m
into analysing how the jokes work and how they fit within the
structure of the whole piece. I’ve watched Bo Burnham’s brilliant
‘Make Happy’ special about 20 times in the last fortnight. It’s
very on-brand for me to get completely obsessed with trying to figure
out what makes something so effective.
I’m
also a sucker for any podcast or behind the scenes content about how
creative things get made – the new A24 film podcast is so
listenable.
Random
Q here: I love the cover art on your two novels (proofs and final
copies). How much input do you have when that’s
being done by the publisher? And is there anything you’d want to
do, appearance-wise, for your future books?
Oh,
thank you! One of the most exciting things about writing is seeing
how it’s interpreted visually and I love what the art director and
designer came up with. I didn’t have much input but the Colour Me
In hardback cover is actually very close to the aesthetic I put
together when I started the project.
If
I imagine a cover for the novel I’m working on at the moment, I see
a simple digital illustration or maybe a line drawing but I’m
open-minded and happy to leave it to the experts.
Finally...what’s next for you?
I’m
working on a third novel, which isn’t YA, and starting to simmer
the fourth in the back of my brain somewhere. I’m writing a
one-woman play which I’d love to perform and starting a MSc in
Creative Arts & Mental Health next month. I’m also hoping to go
back to Japan where I went to research Colour Me In and maybe travel
over to Korea. More immediately, I’ll probably watch Make Happy
again and eat some hummus.
Thanks
for having me, Grace!
You
can get this brilliant book on A Great Read for just £12! (aff
link)
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