Author Interview

Why Historical Fiction?

I have always been a reader. When I was young and my mother read to me every night (thanks Mum) but there was really a genre focus. I had glandular fever as a thirteen-year-old and was stuck in bed with boxes of Reader's Digest Condensed books and realised the stories that most captivated me were historical fiction. I have lived many lives and learnt more in HF novels than in any History class. When I decided I wanted to teach it was History and English that drew me. I love writing HF because it means I have to research and I adore learning about the past.

What inspired your current project? 

I am often inspired by what I study, which is often linked to what I teach. For many years I taught Ancient History (my favourite subject) and so I did loads of research and then turned that into lessons. One of the things about history is you are limited to fact and fact is limited to sources. In ancient times the sources are limited, so too are the facts. One of the historical figures I taught was Agrippina. If you look at history you will learn that she was the granddaughter, sister, niece, wife and mother of the first Roman Emperors. Yep, those ones whose names you remember; Augustus, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, all notorious in their own ways. So, I learned she was this remarkable, complicated, incredibly competent and confident woman in a time when women could only hope for power by association with their men. But she is also the victim of an ancient smear campaign by males who hated the politics, the regime and a lot of time the women by association. So what the history sites will tell you is she was pimped out by her brother who also used her sexually, she murdered lots of people; most notably her husband/uncle Claudius and she had a dirty relationship with her son, Nero, who was forced to kill her to cut the apron strings. Despite my best efforts my students rarely got past those 'facts'. What I set out to do in the Aquila trilogy, which is my current work, is tell the pieces history left out and show the woman that history obscures behind slander.

Best bit of writing advice you have ever been given?

In actually writing the best bit of advice I was given was by Fiona McIntosh who gave us a proforma for writing and how to reach a target goal by a set date and gave me the impetus to finish the first novel rather than just aspiring to write.

In being a writer the best bit of advice was from Kate Quinn who said patience is the key to being a writer. And she's right. Finishing a book is easy, having patience and tenacity to believe in it for the months and months it takes to do the editing and search for agents and publishers is the hard bit.

If you could write any other genre what would it be?

My other great love as a reader and as a writer, discovered much later than my Reader's Digest experience (why do RD not publish more fantasy in their condensed books?) is Fantasy. I started with high fantasy and still love it but have branched out. There is so much variety in fantasy that it really can cater to any reader who is not scared off by the idea of the genre. I would love to write a fantasy but am only just starting to find my worlds, so this may be a long time in coming. 

What is the first book that made you cry?

This is a hard one. I am not sure whether it was the death of Aslan in C.S Lewis' 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' or Richard Adam's 'Watership Down'. As an adult, a lot of books affect me but one that had me sobbing uncontrollably was Sharon Penman's 'Here be Dragons'. I should know better. Historical Fiction that deals with real lives is always going to go wrong for the protagonist, otherwise, it wouldn't have been interesting enough for someone in history to record it. Fantasy is safer, no matter how good there is something in me that knows it isn't real.

What book do you wish you had written yourself?

Just one. Can't do it. I wish I had written Wilbur Smith's 'River God' though I really dislike the following novels. I wish I had written Cecilia Dart Thornton's 'Bitterbynde' series and I would kill to be inside Patrick Rothfuss' head when he writes. And 'The Book Thief' by Marcus Zusak, definitely wish that one was mine.

What is your favourite non-writing activity?

Reading, obviously! Give me a good book and one (or more) of my dogs curled up beside me and I am in heaven. Other than that, doing anything with my horses, even just watching them wander their way around our farm getting fatter! I also love to paint though do it rarely.