Interview with Dorothy Cannell, Author of Goodbye Mrs. Chips

Growing up I loved reading books set in boarding schools where class work took a backseat to mayhem. Sneaking out of the dormitories for midnight feasts was a must that invariably led to thrilling adventures. Discovering that the loathed French, Maths or Biology mistress was a foreign spy conducting assignations with a sinisterly bearded man in the monastery ruins was a frequent plot device. As was the fearful realization of intent by an obnoxiously goody-goody pupil to discover and steal a medieval chalice rumored to hidden in the crypt. Such were my inspiration. I’d long wanted to write a more or less adult version and found my impetus on coming up with the title with its obvious nod to beloved classic Goodbye Mr. Chips, by James Hilton, published 1934, novel.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

My parents. My mother was a story teller. She could turn a bus ride into an adventure by inventing lives for our fellow passengers. My father was a passionate lover of books and breathed that love in to me.

Who are your literary heroes working today? Why do you admire them?

Writers of children’s books, because that’s where it starts. The world will continue to owe J.K. Rowling a huge debt for inspiring young readers to open that magic door into a world of limitless possibilities -read that first page, finish that first chapter and from then on know they will always have a place of bliss, along with a sanctuary when sometimes the real world seems like hostile territory. And for the grownups authors of fiction, genre and mainstream, who respect their readers’ intelligence sufficiently not to write down to them while resisting the urge to be so profound, they lose sight of the primary object – of telling a good story.

What makes your world go round? Why does it bring you joy?

The ordinary that has over the years become treasured routine. Waking up to my dog wanting to be let out and fed. Sitting with him on my lap while watching a morning news program. Having at least three cups of coffee before doing anything approaching productive. Although I left England to come to America at age twenty (planning only to stay for a year but meeting my husband), I have never strayed far from my roots . My happiness is based, as was my parents’, on home, family, friends, books, dogs and cats. I feel fortunate that after a long marriage I can look at my husband and not see a sinister, bearded stranger.

If you could be a sleuth in one of your books, which one would it be?

Mrs. Malloy. I envy her supreme self-confidence, her wearing of high heels without tripping and her relationship with Ellie. I sometimes think though I know Ellie through and through she doesn’t know me from Adam.

How do you like to spend a rainy day?

Re-reading favorites such as Jane Eyre and The House At Pooh Corner accompanied by a cup of tea and hot buttered toast.

What scene in Goodbye, Mrs. Chips was your favorite to write?

I have a writer friend who told me he took his Portuguese water dog for weekly swimming lessons and I instantly pictured it doing the backstroke in a swimming pool. In the book I give Ellie the same reaction when a character named Rosemary is discussing how busy she is kept with her dog Laurence’s activities.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Some years ago I read an attribution to Henry James. May or may not be true. When asked by a nephew for three pieces of advice for a successful life, he responded: ‘To be to kind. To be kind. To be kind. Not as easy as it sounds, but I try.”

Dorothy Cannell is the author of the new book Goodbye, Mrs. Chips.

Connect with Dorothy
Author Website
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