Ask any female novelist about the most annoying question they get asked in interviews, and many will admit that they're often asked about how much of the character is written from real life. It's a question that author Emma Gannon is having to field a lot right now.
It definitely does annoy me a little bit," she laughs. "Other female authors have prepared me in advance about how I'll get asked this, although it's up to me how much I want to reveal."
As it stands, Gannon has much in common with the protagonist of her lively and readable debut novel, Olive. In it, the British podcaster/journalist mulls over a pertinent question: what does a life without children look like for a modern woman in her thirties?
Naturally, Gannon's own stance on wanting children has emerged. As a journalist, Gannon has already written about how much she enjoys her child-free existence.
"I felt conflicted about it," she tells me, referring to her decision to disclose her own stance on wanting kids.
"Part of me wants to do the eye-roll, and there are people who think I've pretty much written a memoir. But on the other hand, I feel I'd be doing a disservice to the reader if I didn't talk about it. We do write about what we know, and I'm not going to pretend that this is something that has nothing to do with me."
Gannon's titular protagonist finds herself at a crossroads, trying to figure out many things. Flying high in her career as a journalist, a freshly single Olive is more than aware that her 'child-free by choice' status marks her out as a bit of an outlier.
As her friends gravitate towards marriage and motherhood (and all the struggles and challenges therein), Olive is forced to check back in with herself and re-evaluate her stance on not wanting children.
Gannon handles this with elan, putting on the page the various complexities, challenges and uncertainties of the child-free existence.
"There is a sense of being a little exposed, but when you write fiction you're in a bit of an invisibility cloak, and you can wander around saying all these interesting things through the mouths of your character," Gannon smiles. "Sometimes, they do come from my deepest, darkest thoughts - works of fiction are weirdly truthful."
Though Olive is the undisputed heroine of the book, her college pals Cecily, Bea and Isla are also forging their own territory as parents; something that afforded Gannon the chance to "play with ideas of what motherhood can be".
"I suppose that sort of symbolises how I feel," she says. "I'm 31. I don't think I want children. I don't want to set it in stone as it's too soon to make any kind of definitive statement about it, but it's been fun writing the alternative."
Engaged to be married next year, Gannon hears the 'you'll be next' refrain from well-meaning types more often than she'd like. "When I'm with my nephews, I get a lot of that," she smiles. "The other one I get is, 'you'll change your mind eventually'. My favourite though is, 'who will look after you when you're older?' The one I find quite offensive is, 'maybe you've not met the right person yet'. I've met the right person - that's not the issue. We're not yet at the point where someone will say that they don't want children and people will just go, 'oh right, that's cool'.
Unlike Gannon, Olive, at 33, is absolute in her decision that she wants to remain child-free. It's not easy to find characters like Olive in today's swathe of fiction, which is exactly why Gannon decided to write the book.
"I do think it's something we need to talk about more, about what 'child-free' means for a new generation," Gannon notes.
One motif that still somehow endures is that of a 'cold war' between child-free women and mothers, and it's an idea that Gannon wanted to tease out in Olive.
"It's a weird one, isn't it? I did hear someone say that once in a workplace, they sort of hinted that the child-free should be doing more of the work. I suppose I wanted to bust the myth that child-free people always have so much time. The truth is, there's a lot going on for a lot of us. And just because you don't have children, you can still nurture and love and give back.
"I think this is a book about how we are all more similar than we think, there is no real divide there - no binary," Gannon continues.
"Womanhood comes in many forms, and the 'us and them' is just problematic. Some people would love to have children, and can't. How lovely would it be if we could all just work together and just live and let live, in a beautiful harmony?
"Ultimately, at the heart of the book, I wanted to write about friends - people who have been in the same boat, gone through school and university together, and feel they have the same benchmarks to hit. Suddenly, in your thirties, you can feel distant from them, and threatened by their new life: 'will they stop seeing you if you have a child?' I think these are very typical fears that come to mind for women.
"It speaks to the insecurities women feel - are we making the right choice? You can often tell when you're being horrible to someone or a bit mean, it's often to do with fear, and being scared of someone making judgements on you. You start to worry about things like, 'is my friend ahead in her career?' There's a real taboo around those kinds of judgments among friends.
"So many people have said, 'Olive feels so true to me, as I've had these sort of fallouts with friends'," Gannon adds. "People say they don't get invited to mum things anymore if they don't have their own child. I'm glad the novel is painting that reality. Luckily, I don't have those struggles with my own friends - we respect each other's priorities and whenever I, say, have a book launch or something, my friends are there, showing up."
Teasing apart taboos and having tricky conversations has long been part of Gannon's professional lifeblood. And her innate curiosity has made her podcast, Ctrl Alt Delete, one of the most popular business podcasts in the UK.
"I think I always knew I wanted a job where I could get to be nosy and ask a lot of questions," Gannon says. "I love having the sort of conversations that make me uncomfortable. Curiosity often leads the way - I like that it helps you learn more."
With over six million downloads, Ctrl Alt Delete has seen Gannon interview everyone from Sharon Horgan and US actor Ellen Page to director Greta Gerwig and Gillian Anderson about their work lives. It was also the first podcast recorded inside Buckingham Palace.
"I genuinely love every single person I've interviewed but I often think back to the interview with (philosopher) Alain de Botton, because he just comes at things from a very different angle."
Her non-fiction debut, Ctrl Alt Delete, was released in 2016, and was swiftly followed by The Multi-Hyphen Method, "a new business book for the digital age".
In it, Gannon extols the virtues of a 'portfolio career', and exploring our own entrepreneurial spirit to create many strings for our own bows. Talking to people who run blogs or run online stores in their spare time, Gannon's book suggests working less and creating more and defining your own version of success.
"I don't necessarily agree that everyone should have a side hustle - it's another plate to spin for some people, but if you have a passion project, or an idea, and have whatever it takes to get started, ask yourself, will it improve your mental health? Will it help you meet new people? Are you happier being creative? "It's not even about making more money - it's about something that brings you joy."
Although released two years ago, The Multi-Hyphen Method has even more relevance in the current climate, where people in lockdown have been re-evaluating their work lives.
"It's a strange one, isn't it?" Gannon agrees.
"Two years ago I was talking about flexible working and new ways of working, and basically how a full-time job isn't a safety net anymore, and no one really wanted to hear it. No one really believed that flexible working could be the future. There was still a sense that people must still go to their desks and work from nine to five.
"It's been interesting, it's like we've been thrown into this social experiment (during the pandemic)," she adds. "Two years ago I had CEOs tell me they'd never allow employees to work from home, but now they're all working from home."
In The Multi-Hyphen Method, Gannon also writes of the benefits of self-promotion. "It's really hard for some people - either it comes naturally to them, or the thought paralyses them with fear," asserts Gannon.
"I tend to tell people that we're now living in a culture where self-promotion is pretty much part of the job. So much recruitment is done online, and there's a lot of competitiveness with the internet, and if you're not showing up for yourself on social media, it does have a knock-on effect. There's a way to self-promote that doesn't feel icky or boasty. Just use the way you'll tell your best friend what you're doing. It really is an extension of the job, and it will help you get more work."
With success in both the fiction and non-fiction realm, Gannon is now working, true to form, on a number of different side projects in addition to her podcast and day job.
"Maybe there's another novel (in my future), but I have another non-fiction book about self-sabotage out in September, too," she reveals. "I wrote Olive in secret, almost like an experiment. I don't necessarily want to leave non-fiction behind. I love that world far too much."
Olive by Emma Gannon, published by HarperCollins, 14.99
Read more:
- The Childfree Life Index page - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- The Childfree-by-Choice Pages - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Jillian Michaels - Scary Mommy - December 31st, 2016 [December 31st, 2016]
- Mommyjacking The Childfree Life - STFU Parents - February 1st, 2017 [February 1st, 2017]
- Why No Kids - We're childfree and happy. You could be too! - February 4th, 2017 [February 4th, 2017]
- Happily Childfree - Children's Health Health Care Blog - February 4th, 2017 [February 4th, 2017]
- Only One in the World: Pioneering NotMom Summit to Connect Childless & Childfree Women - PR Newswire (press release) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- What time is Parenting for Idiots on Channel 4 tonight, who's on the show with Frankie Boyle and Sally Phillips and ... - The Sun - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- I had a vasectomy and I have no regrets - Why a lot of people are opting for a child free lifestyle - SDE Entertainment News (satire) (press release)... - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- This May Explain Why So Many People Feel Outraged About Childfree Adults - Huffington Post - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Meet The Twenty-Something Childfree Women Fighting To Be Sterilised - Huffington Post UK - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Child-free and OK with it but still dealing with moral scolding and ... - Salon - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- The Childfree, Outrage, and Where It Belongs - Huffington Post - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Overlooking the childfree is a mistake - Spectator.co.uk (blog) - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- 'Strangers should mind their own business about my child-free status' - Independent.ie - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- What We Get Wrong About Women Who Don't Have Kids - Refinery29 - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- The 1 Simple Reason I Decided Not to Have Kids - POPSUGAR UK - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Why you should go on a child-free vacation - Femina - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Why I Don't Want to Have Kids | POPSUGAR Love & Sex - POPSUGAR - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Vacation without Children - Childfree Getaways - TripSavvy - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Why am I expected to have children just because I'm a woman? - Irish Times - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Can Everyone On RHONY Stop Shaming Carole Radziwill For Not Having Children? - Refinery29 - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- As A Childfree Woman, Every Day Is Independence Day - HuffPost - July 1st, 2017 [July 1st, 2017]
- Myths and Facts About Living Childfree - RESOLVE - July 1st, 2017 [July 1st, 2017]
- Celebrating ChildFreedom on the Fourth of July - HuffPost - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Ode: Divorced and dating again, childfree by choice - KWIT - July 26th, 2017 [July 26th, 2017]
- Ode: Divorced and dating again, childfree by choice | KWIT - KWIT - August 1st, 2017 [August 1st, 2017]
- While some airlines and restaurants cater to kids, what's a parent to do when others don't? - National Post - August 2nd, 2017 [August 2nd, 2017]
- Calgary bucking national trend of couples with fewer kids, census ... - Calgary Herald - August 3rd, 2017 [August 3rd, 2017]
- How Not To Be A Dick To Your Childfree Friends - August 11th, 2017 [August 11th, 2017]
- The Childfree Life - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- 9 Childfree Women Explain What Life Is Like Without Kids ... - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Childfree And Loving It! - February 23rd, 2018 [February 23rd, 2018]
- Efilism | Cool Childfree Guy | Page 2 - March 10th, 2018 [March 10th, 2018]
- Parents secretly hate Snow Days : childfree - reddit.com - March 19th, 2018 [March 19th, 2018]
- Complete Without Kids: a Childfree by Choice Handbook | Complete Without Kids - April 13th, 2018 [April 13th, 2018]
- Childfree or Childless: Does Terminology Really Matter? - May 4th, 2018 [May 4th, 2018]
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Childfree ... - May 26th, 2018 [May 26th, 2018]
- Living Childfree - RESOLVE: The National Infertility ... - May 31st, 2018 [May 31st, 2018]
- Home | Childfree Women UK & Ireland - July 12th, 2018 [July 12th, 2018]
- Childless and Childfree Marriages and Divorce | Divorce Source - July 12th, 2018 [July 12th, 2018]
- Childfree - Travel Companion - September 24th, 2018 [September 24th, 2018]
- The Childfree Life - Official Site - November 9th, 2018 [November 9th, 2018]
- Choosing to be Childfree to Live a More Sustainable Lifestyle - January 3rd, 2019 [January 3rd, 2019]
- Complete Without Kids: a Childfree by Choice Handbook ... - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- How Minimalism Relates to Being Childfree | By: Legally ... - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- Childfree Places from Restaurants to Events The Site ... - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- IVFML Season 2, Episode 9: Going From Childless To ... - April 1st, 2019 [April 1st, 2019]
- The Childfree Life - Index page - April 24th, 2019 [April 24th, 2019]
- Welcome to The Childfree Life | The Childfree Life - April 24th, 2019 [April 24th, 2019]
- Living Childfree - RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association - May 27th, 2019 [May 27th, 2019]
- Why breast cancer was called 'Nun's disease" - Florida Today - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Why you should be worried about teacher salaries in Michigan - Detroit Free Press - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- How babies change the dynamics of friendships - ABC News - October 16th, 2019 [October 16th, 2019]
- Im childfree, not childless heres why that difference matters - Stylist Magazine - October 24th, 2019 [October 24th, 2019]
- My Label and Me: I have 10 children, but motherhood doesn't define me - Metro.co.uk - December 13th, 2019 [December 13th, 2019]
- If I have no hope for the planet, why am I so determined to have this baby? - The Guardian - December 27th, 2019 [December 27th, 2019]
- Are single childfree women the last of the hopeless romantics? - TheArticle - February 12th, 2020 [February 12th, 2020]
- I'm Childfree, and I Think It's Time to Stop Asking Women If They're Having Kids - GoodHousekeeping.com - March 7th, 2020 [March 7th, 2020]
- Good sleep hygiene is the new wellness goal. Try telling that to an eight-month-old baby - The Guardian - March 16th, 2020 [March 16th, 2020]
- Childfree: Im not having children because I want to save the planet - Stylist Magazine - April 26th, 2020 [April 26th, 2020]
- How this working mum is coping without her village during the coronavirus pandemic - ABC News - April 26th, 2020 [April 26th, 2020]
- I used to judge childfree women | Life and style | The ... - April 26th, 2020 [April 26th, 2020]
- The Very Sad Childfree Life : Strange Notions - April 26th, 2020 [April 26th, 2020]
- Childfree and Childless The Difference - The Good Men Project - May 19th, 2020 [May 19th, 2020]
- Childfree - reddit.com - July 11th, 2020 [July 11th, 2020]
- First Thing: could the pandemic turn red states into swing states? - The Guardian - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- More women like me are choosing to be childfree. Is this the age of opting out? - The Guardian - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- 5 Things 'Childfree' People Want You To Know | HuffPost Life - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- The Motherhood Rejection: 'We Didnt Need A Baby To Make Us Feel Complete' - elle.com - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- 'I'm a woman in her 40s with no children, and people don't quite know what to do with me.' - Mamamia - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- 10 Women Look Back On Living Childfree By Choice | SELF - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Why arent millennials having kids? 8 insights into the ... - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- This Is What No One Tells You About Being Child-Free In ... - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Choosing to Be Childfree Doesn't Mean You Dislike Kids | Time - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Voluntary childlessness - Wikipedia - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Childfree - reddit - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Trends: To have or not to have a baby childless author Emma Gannon is blazing a trail for choice - Metro Newspaper UK - July 26th, 2020 [July 26th, 2020]
- How at 34 I'm working out if I really want to be a mother one day - iNews - August 6th, 2020 [August 6th, 2020]
- One Legacy of the Pandemic May Be Less Judgment of the Child-Free - The Atlantic - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]