Jo Spain, the renowned author, and scriptwriter, happens to be at the Phoenix Park Café in Dublin to forward her new book on a wind-filled April day. She’s not only here to publicise her fresh novel but also managing other tasks related to the fourth series of the television show Harry Wild and handling issues about another show being filmed in Australia in which she is involved. The bustling Spain usually juggles multiple projects at any given time and enjoys staying occupied. Over the past decade, she has penned 13 novels along with numerous TV scripts.
Her new novel, The Trial, set in a fictitious Irish university, deals with the mystery of the disappearance of medical student, Theo Laurent, whose absence greatly affects his girlfriend Dani. The narrative also probes into Big Pharma, and follows Dani’s struggles with her past and her mother’s dementia, upon her return to the university.
With her book partly dedicated to her grandmothers, Julie and Maureen, who both battled dementia, Spain portrays the subject with sensitivity and understanding. The longing a family has for a dementia-stricken relative to return to their former self is palpable in her writing. Readers will also find an intriguing mystery with a compelling resolution.
Spain’s maternal grandmother was diagnosed with dementia quite late while, for her paternal grandmother, it started earlier. Spain reminisces, “As a teenager, my interaction with her was quite different. Here, she was the child, and I had to play the adult. She would habitually run away from home.”
Spain’s grandfather in Civil Service stepped in to care for his ailing wife. Spain fondly remembers her grandmother as a classy woman adorned with pearls and face powder, but with the onslaught of Alzheimer’s, she changed completely. She would do things that would shock Spain.
One could liken Spain’s experience of witnessing her grandmother’s decline to observing an internal decay. Spain shares that her grandmother had moments of clarity amidst her suffering, which she believes made the situation even more heartbreaking as her grandmother was aware of her condition. Spain admitted how such a situation impacts one emotionally to the point where she wished for an unforeseen calamity.
As she quietly sips her tea, Spain divulges another tale. Her book is partially dedicated to a woman named Kathleen – her paternal grandmother and woman her father never had the chance to know. Her father was brought into this world in 1951, at St Patrick’s mother and baby home, on Dublin’s Navan Road. Kathleen resisted the adoption process for four years, unwilling to let her son go.
Spain’s father passed when she was only 15. Later in her life, she delved into her father’s life before she knew him and contemplated reaching out to his birth family. Concerned she might unleash unforeseen consequences, she decided against it. Fate had other plans, however. A few years later, Spain was unexpectedly discovered by her biological father’s family. The encounter, she says, was entirely heartwarming.
They shared stories about Kathleen, a Leitrim native who worked in a hospital before an unplanned predicament forced her to leave. Spain was shown a photograph of Kathleen, seeing a resemblance between them brought comfort, as her father was an only child. Kathleen later passed away, isolated in England, in the 1980s. She had moved to London with the ambition to earn sufficient money to reclaim her lost son, bringing with her a tale of despair.
Her reunion with her extended family became a beacon of joy amidst the shadows of sorrow. She saw snippets of her father in them, recognising familiar features and traits. She vividly recalls meeting one of her father’s cousins and how he distinctly remembered Kathleen. It was an emotional encounter, he had known her father was out there somewhere and had spent his entire life longing for a reunion. On meeting Spain, he was taken aback by her striking resemblance to Kathleen. This strange turn of events gave Spain a deeper connection to her roots, making her life come full circle.
Sharing stories of her life, her four offspring, and her contentment, she corresponded with a man who tragically passed away shortly thereafter. His sibling insinuated that the meeting had led to his demise; he had discovered his cousin.
The tireless efforts and dynamism of Kathleen have been remarked upon by those in Spain. Her reputation as an unstoppable force and a diligent worker precedes her.
There’s often a genetic predisposition to such traits. This woman from Dublin showcases an awe-inspiring work ethic. Whether she’s not authoring a piece, working on set, spending time with her kids, engaging in jogging, or honing her recently acquired piano skills, a hobby the 44 year old has grown fond of over the last few years.
She asserts that her impressive sense of motivation originates from her roots in the working class. Spain recollects, “I was propelled by the fear of destitution from a fairly young age. The concern never faded. My worries are primarily due to the uncertainties of this profession.” The expectation of the next book, the forthcoming contract or the upcoming TV show keeps her on her toes as she strives to maintain her mortgage payments. She discloses candidly, “I don’t receive a set salary yearly. Thus, my savings are the results of consistent hard work. Indeed, I feel as if I’m constantly racing just to be able to continue walking at a normal pace.”
The Trial reflects social opinions, a consistent feature in all of Spain’s work. Spain criticises the concept of privilege through a character who, from an affluent background, anticipates an easy pass through his course. Her own experiences diametrically oppose this scenario.
Recalling her time at Trinity, she reveals, “I worked intensely both to secure admission into Trinity and during my tenure there.” While pursuing her political studies, she survived solo in a city apartment, managing her expenses through her earnings from a betting and clothing outlet. Spain admits, “Most of my classmates were extraordinarily kind individuals. However, some had the audacious audacity to believe that university attendance wasn’t just a privilege, rather an outright right. They prioritised socialising while expecting to scrape through their degree with assistance at each step.”
She concludes, “While the compensation for my efforts was satisfactory, I won’t repeat the experience. It merely serves to enhance someone else’s image.”
Spain expressed a keen interest in a sociocultural point of view, asking whether help would be provided throughout one’s life or if there would eventually be an urge for independence. She hypothesised that people’s value and proficiency in their work are more profound when they do it themselves. Despite the possibility of being wrong, she supports her argument with a sense of humor.
Spain’s career path embodies this belief. Apart from her projects, The Trial and Harry Wild’s fourth season, she is currently involved in shooting Mix Tape in Australia. Additionally, she is due to air her adaptation of The Boy That Never Was, a Karen Perry novel, alongside David Logan, this coming autumn. Spain is also working on a TV adaptation of her detective series featuring Tom Reynolds.
In her past, Spain dabbled in script doctoring, a role synonymous with being an unsung hero. She noted this is not a position she would endorse despite its lucrative nature, as it aids in promoting someone else while silencing her contributions. It was particularly galling to Spain to see her work attributed to another woman, while subsequent seasons utilised other anonymous scribes. While she considers herself modest, Spain confessed she does have a degree of pride and desired her contributions to be properly acknowledged.
Spain emphasized that scriptwriting tends to pay significantly better than novels, however, it requires an adroitness for teamwork. A writer must learn to assert herself or find a different path, noting the importance of humility yet resilience.
Spain finds the act of crafting novels exhilarating, viewing it as the purest form of self-expression, where the writer’s universe, language and brainstorming are manifested. In contrast, she described screenwriting as a collaborative process where everyone seems to believe they can perform each other’s roles better than the original person. She ended her thoughts with a sharp observation: “Nobody adheres to their own areas of expertise, since everyone thinks they’re a writer themselves.”
With a wide grin, she elaborates on the frequent arguments and chaos that pervades the setting of the show she originally dreamt up and managed to get approved. The disputes often end in friendly reconciliations, despite the preceding chaos and panic.
Interestingly, it does not concern her that her name is largely unknown to audiences. What matters is that industry heavyweights recognise her and her work. She has a belief that her work ‘Mix Tape’ could be the key to making it big in the USA.
When asked whether she would consider moving to Los Angeles given the chance, her response is a firm no. She’s experienced the city and found it rather unlikable.
She reminisces about witnessing inequality on the LA streets, where ostentatious wealth exists just steps away from stark poverty. She admits that Dublin also faces issues of homelessness, but in Los Angeles, she noticed an extreme societal divide that made her uncomfortable.
Fans should note that her book, The Trial by Jo Spain, is now available through Quercus/Hachette.