Just in time for Pride Month, I interview Ragini Werner about her new book Becoming Janice from Iguana Books. 

Becoming Janice

“Newly arrived in London, bereft Janice is looking to fill the void left by her first lover, Ariel, and cautiously makes friends with Kobus. When he ruins their friendship, she escapes the tragic consequences by running away to Amsterdam. There she finds a lovable ally in Colin, who is making the most of the city’s exciting gay scene. When Janice falls deliriously in lust with the glamorous Hannah, she is unprepared for the inevitable heartbreak. But kind-hearted Kate is there to pick up the pieces and at long last Janice seems to have found her perfect match—and a reason to stop running and accept responsibility for herself.”

Congratulations, Ragini, on your new book Becoming Janice.

Thank you!

So much happens in this book including a particularly horrible part that made my mouth drop and my heart hope it would never actually occur.

I’m glad that that bit (no spoilers!) touched you. When I was writing it, I hoped it would move people in the same way it did me when I was thinking about it.

Was there a particular incident or person that you could say was the inspiration or impetus behind the story of Becoming Janice?

The impetus behind the book was Treating Juno, a short story I’d written many, many years before (see below). One crucial incident was inspired by something real. It’s not fiction like the rest of the book. I, too, have felt the pain of betrayal, and I used that visceral experience to enrich Janice’s journey.

I sometimes found that Janice wasn’t always the most sympathetic person to read about. Why do you feel her story was so important to tell?

Janice can be a right old idiot, can’t she? So annoying that she doesn’t take charge of her life. That’s what she must learn, to be responsible for herself and her own happiness. That’s one life lesson I find important…

Funnily enough, one of my reviewers on Instagram sees parallels between Janice and Kobus, her upstairs neighbour in London, England, who falls in love with Janice with disastrous results. ​@Sapphic_Bookworms points out that Janice and Kobus are both trying to find someone to make their life perfect. “This can relate to a lot of queer people. Usually, we fall in love with the first woman we meet. …Probably because we have an ache for that other half. And when people realize they are actually on their own is when they truly become ready for the world.”

This reviewer nails it, I reckon.

One my favourite things about Becoming Janice is that all your characters – main and secondary – felt so realistic and well defined. How are you able to create life-like characters on the written page? Did you draw inspiration for the characters from life?

Thank you! I’m glad the cast came alive for you. I regularly get asked if I base my characters on real people, usually friends who think they recognize themselves (!?!). Sometimes I get a bit annoyed that someone assumes (perhaps) that I haven’t got the imagination to define a 3D character on paper. Still, it’s a compliment when someone believes your brainchild is real so in the end I just say, “Thanks” and “wouldn’t you like to know” and leave it at that.

Becoming Janice is described as a “feel-good, coming-of-age novel.” Why do you feel it was important for this type of story to feature a lesbian as the main character?

Well, my dear, I’m queer so, as the song goes, I’m just doing what comes naturally. Janice was published on my 70th birthday and I’ve been out and proud since the year dot.

Back when I was a baby dyke, there was never any agony-free representation of “dykedom” in books or films. Lesbians always died in the end. That was such a downer for kids coming out in a dangerous, unaccepting world. I know I felt doomed when I first saw The Killing of Sister George.

Thank the goddess, it’s changed. Lesbian, aka sapphic fiction or lesfic, treats universal themes and is a booming market, especially the romance genre.

It’s so nice to pick up a book and find yourself depicted in a realistic, uplifting light.

One perfect example that falls outside the lesfic romance genre (the way my Janice does, too) is the popular new Allie Burns detective series by Val McDermid (“1979” and “1989”, so far.) (See my blog post.)

The book’s setting in the late 1970s, early 1980s adds so much. Why did you decide on that era for the time the book takes place?

I needed the distance of time to be objective. The book takes place in London and Amsterdam. I haven’t lived in either place for ages so I couldn’t possibly describe what it is like to live there now. But I can remember what they were like when I did live there, so it made sense to stick to that era. I went down to Amsterdam (I live in the north of the Netherlands) to check the routes Janice takes to refresh my sense-memory. I was appalled by how overrun by tourists downtown Amsterdam has become. I’d hate to live there now.

How is this book similar and different from Revealing Phillipa, your first novel?

Psst, don’t tell anyone but Janice is better than Philippa. My first book was written in six weeks of white heat. I didn’t let anything get in the way, nothing so mundane as doing my proper job (journalist @Elsevier) or being nice to my wife. I was impossible to live with, believe me. Philippa has strengths (I skim passages today and go, Golly gee, did I write that?) but also weaknesses that in my haste I ignored. I’m proud of having self-published a readable book but it would benefit from some developmental editing and, dare I say it, copy editing.

I avoided the pitfalls of self-publication with Janice. Again, I was too impatient to wait for a trad publisher (I’m 70! The time to carpe that diem is now!) but I compromised and went with the most trustworthy hybrid publishing house I could find.

Iguana Books. The man behind Iguana is Greg Ioannou who founded the Editors’ Association of Earth on Facebook. It was a no-brainer to go with Greg, having enjoyed his laidback delivery of expertise time and again online. I’ve written another readable novel in Janice, but Greg’s team at Iguana helped me turn it into a top-quality book, not just content-wise with meticulous copy editing, but in its physical appearance. I am so *proud* of the way Janice looks and feels, thanks to Iguana. They’ve done wonders.

According to your website, you aren’t giving up your day job. What do you do when you aren’t writing for fun?

Well, after I left Elsevier to follow my heart up north, I set up as an independent English-language editor for Dutch academics. Publish or perish, and all that. Semi-retired now, which gives me time to do my share of the marketing (with a tip of the nib to my guru, Chris Houston of The Idea Shop). And I’ve started my third novel. But don’t hold your breath. I began Philippa in 1993, published it in 2015, and then it took another 10 years for Janice to become a reality….

Your website www.raginiwerner.com offers Treating Juno, a prequel to Becoming Janice, as a free download. Did you write this short piece before you wrote the longer novel? Or was it originally part of Becoming Janice?

I wrote Juno long, long ago and was lucky enough to have a version accepted by Harrington Lesbian Fiction Quarterly (2005). Juno inspired Janice. I was wondering what would happen to Juno after she loses her first lesbian lover, and the book took off from there. The earliest draft incorporated Juno’s story but as I progressed, I realized that didn’t work. It was simply back story.

But hey, I like the original story so when I was building my website, before Janice was released, I made sure to include a downloads page for all kinds of free goodies. First thing I put up there was Treating Juno as a gift that, I hope, will entice readers to buy Becoming Janice.

What do you hope readers will get from reading Becoming Janice?

Easy reading with a riveting kick… I hope readers can relate to Janice’s journey, that it makes them feel but also makes them think, especially about the ending (no spoilers!).

You can purchase Becoming Janice on Amazon.