Claudia Carroll speaks Connect Magazine
Claudia’s Little Secrets
By Marisa Reidy
FAIR City fans will know her best as snotty-faced snob, Nicola Prendergast, but in reality, actor and author Claudia Carroll is a million miles from her on-screen character. Bubbly, witty and remarkably open and friendly, the Dublin-born star is the polar opposite of the cold-hearted Nicola we’ve loved to hate for decades.
Speaking to Connect ahead of the release of her latest novel, Our Little Secret, Claudia Carroll was charm personified and was more than willing to give her Kerry fans an insight into the woman behind that TV face!
While currently taking a break from Fair City after an explosive comeback just weeks ago, Claudia is now concentrating on promoting her new book – her 14th in as many years. Despite being heralded as a best- selling author here at home and reaching the top 10 best seller list in the UK, the stunning author says she takes nothing for granted.
“I pinch myself every day that I’m still here, 14 books later, doing what I love,” she said. “Never in my wildest dreams, when I wrote my first book all those years ago, did I ever think I’d still be doing this. As the saying goes, ‘you’re only as good as your last book’, so I never take anything for granted.”
Like all of her books, Claudia’s first novel was influenced by real life events and everyday occurrences – but like many wanna–be authors, she sat on the idea for years. It wasn’t until she was working on Fair City that a former colleague convinced her to show her work to a publisher. The rest, as they say, is history.
“My first book was based on an idea I had many, many years ago while working on a film. Of course I thought this film would be my fast track to Hollywood but it turned out it wasn’t anything of note in the end,” Claudia laughed. “But I remember while we were filming in Castle Leslie I met so many insane characters off camera. There was a cross dresser and a man in his 90s who went to raves and I just thought how wonderful it would be to turn the cameras around. Then I thought wouldn’t it be interesting to have this stately home and have its eccentric owner, who’s down on his luck, rent it out for money.”
Claudia admits that the draft of her book stayed in a drawer for almost 10 years until a director on Fair City – who had just recently published her first book – convinced her to show it to her publisher.
“I remember her telling me that there will never be a good time to do this so I gave her the first three chapters, she gave it to her agent, and thankfully it went from there,” Claudia explained. “I got my first book deal back in 2003 and it’s been a book a year every year since, which is still incredible.”
When asked if she believed in the popular theory that there’s a good book in everyone, Claudia said absolutely – but warned that anyone hoping to see their story become a reality must be made of strong stuff.
“I absolutely believe there is a book in everyone, but what I would say is that you cannot be precious,” she said. “You’re going to get criticism from publishers so you have to have a thick skin. People often put up barriers. They say ‘oh if only I had more time’ or ‘I don’t think the idea is good enough’ – but now is the time. And for those out there who, like me, have that book in the drawer, I say that drawer is your best friend so take it out and go for it.”
“As for the best way to know if a book is going anywhere, try writing it as a short story, just a few pages, with a
beginning, middle and end. If you can’t do it in 1,000 words and feel you have so much more to write and so many characters to develop, then you’re onto something.”
While admitting that getting the book published is the biggest challenge, Claudia said that there are so many other routes available now instead of going directly to a publisher – from self publishing, to agents who know exactly what publishers are looking for, to professional readers who give constructive and useful feedback.
Claudia’s latest book, while loosely based on the old Bette Davis film, All About Eve, is again very much influenced by real events and real people. The main character, Sarah Keyes, has the perfect life – a high flying job, a beautiful daughter and a house to die for. Yet after taking pity on a struggling graduate who can’t get a job, her life is turned upside down – and she is left peering in through her own kitchen window while this other woman enjoys it all.
“This is a lot darker than my usual books but when I was researching it, so many people said ‘oh don’t talk to me about users’. This young girl is an arch manipulator and user who calculates what she can get out of Sarah to advance her own agenda,” Claudia explained.
But for all the fame and fortune that has come with being a best-selling author , the most rewarding aspect for Claudia is having time to spend with her elderly parents – who she cares for. She revealed that her mom has just recently undergone cancer treatment, while her dad, who turns 80 this year, has gone blind.
“I live right beside my parents and I care for them, as I don’t have kids of my own,” Claudia explained. “I am so, so privileged that my job allows me to do it because they are getting old and it’s my aim t keep them well. We spend so much time together and I am genuinely so happy that I can do it.
“Dad is blind now, so getting him out socially is getting harder, but we love to go to the National Theatre of Ireland events in the cinema, for example, and experience something beautiful coming to us live from London.”
Of course no conversation with Claudia Carroll would be complete without mentioning her on-screen character, Nicola, who Fair City fans have loved to hate since she first burst onto our screens.
Nicola made a re-appearance just weeks ago to ensure her son Oisín gets his inheritance from her soon-to-be ruined ex, Paul Brennan – and Claudia loved every second of it.
“Nicola is a great character to play. She’s so awful and patronising and superior and really gets up peoples noses but she would kill for her son. He walks on water as far as she is concerned and she is there to ensure that he gets exactly what he is entitled to,” Claudia explained. “She’s definitely the type of person you’d want on your side in a situation like that.”
Claudia also revealed that despite their hateful on- screen relationship, she and actress Clelia Murphy (who plays Paul’s new wife Niamh Cassidy) are the best of friends in real life and hang out together regularly – a situation that often causes many a raised eyebrow when out and about.
“We’ve been in airports and people see us together and can’t figure out what’s going on. People have even warned me that she’s around. It’s hilarious,” Claudia joked. “Clelia and I are the best of friends and in
fact we’re heading off to London soon with Clelia’s daughter for a few days together. She’s a fabulous person.”
As for a return to Carrigstown for Nicola and Oisín any time soon – all Claudia could advise was to ‘watch this space.’
Our Little Secret, published by Haprer Collins Publishers, is in bookshops now.
