Episode #16
Lise Mayne: From a handwritten childhood novel to Time Enough
Bronte Bennett speaks with author Lise Mayne about a lifetime of reading, journaling, and writing that began in childhood and eventually led to her historical novel Time Enough . Lise shares how family history, Manx heritage, and years of research shaped the book, plus the realities of publishing, marketing, and building a writing life later in life. We discuss how writing by hand, trusting the process, and letting characters evolve can create richer stories. Lise also offers practical advice for aspiring authors on deadlines, accountability, and defining success beyond sales. Key topics In this episode, Lise Mayne shares how learning to read through the Dick and Jane books sparked a lifelong obsession with books and storytelling. She describes writing her first handwritten, illustrated novel at age 10, inspired by A Christmas Carol and Alice in Wonderland . Lise talks about journaling from age 10 onward as a way to process loneliness, hardship, and big life changes. She explains how poetry entered her life in school, thanks to a teacher who introduced her to song lyrics, sonnets, and analysis of poetry. We discuss her path into teaching, including becoming assistant principal, principal, and consultant over a 32-year career. Lise shares the long road to publication, including self-publishing Becoming Sand after years of work and selling the first 500 copies herself. She explains the family history behind Time Enough , including her mother’s Manx roots, her Scottish heritage, and a discovery of baptismal and homestead records in 1988. The book’s research process covered migration routes, mining history, Boston intake routes, train schedules, and the realities of homesteading in North America. Lise describes Time Enough as historical fiction with deep point of view, third person narration, dialogue, and strong Manx cultural detail. She reflects on the emotional core of the novel, including family conflict, migration, sacrifice, and a daughter’s struggle to reconcile family history with lived experience. We discuss how characters in her work are shaped by real people and personal experience, while still remaining fictionalized. Lise shares that her first book was angry and raw, while Time Enough is more measured, hopeful, and full of childlike wonder. She explains how fairies, surprise, and magic remain important to her writing process. We talk about the challenges of post-publish life, especially marketing, book events, social media, and the need to stay visible. Lise offers advice for writers: know why you are writing, define the feeling you want readers to leave with, set deadlines, and finish the manuscript. She also speaks about success as an author as feeling fulfilled, being published, and hearing from readers who genuinely connect with the work. To connect with Lise – and to access her work: https://www.lisemayne.ca
