Diana talks to Prue Batten, author of fantasy books

Author’s interview – 2017. Diana talks to...

Prue Batten

 

Hello Prue. How lovely to talk to you.

I am sure that you are tired of being asked the usual questions that would-be interviewers ask authors, so hopefully this interview is an interview with a difference and I have come up with some unusual questions!

First things first, I am sure there is a question that you have always longed to be asked. Now is the chance. Ask your own question and answer it!

How would life be easier as a 65 year old if you weren’t a writer?

Heavens! Where do I start? I could spend more time gardening, stitching, boating, kayaking, being with family, with my dog, meeting friends…

Writing is such a solitary thing and one has to withdraw from life to accomplish it. It’s a contradiction in terms because being a part of life with its roller-coaster emotions can provide a foundation from which any writer can work.

What I do find is that I now use up every hour of every day to give me the kind of life I want. If I didn’t write, I doubt I would be so energetic in making sure I use my time actively and wisely.

If your latest book was adapted into a TV show or a film, who would you like to play the lead role?

As we are talking about fantasy novels in this instance, I will name The Shifu Cloth as my ‘latest’ novel. It’s the final novel in the quartet, The Chronicles of Eirie. It’s leading me gently by the hand into my next fantasy novel called The Cabinet of Curiosities and which contains many of the characters from the quartet.

I always thought Jessica Brown Findlay might be the female protagonist, Isabella. Ioan Gruffud would play a suitably moody Nicholas. Chow Yun Fat (with spectacles) would be perfect as Ming Xao and Gung Li as the Lady Chi Nü.

 

 

What made you choose this genre?

I love writing fantasy. I love world-building. I love reading myth and legend and adapting folkloric characters to fit my novels. I would say that fantasy (hist.fantasy perhaps) picked me, rather than the other way round; perhaps my imagination is over-active. But whatever the case, I am transported and challenged, all in one.

How do you get ideas for plots and characters?

Each novel in the quartet has been inspired by an inanimate object which becomes a vehicle for the plot. Books One and Two were inspired by raised silk embroidery, Book Three by a millefiore paperweight and Book Four, The Shifu Cloth, by cloth(shifu) that is woven from paper. Shifu was used in Japan as a method of delivering secret messages in the time of the samurai.

In fact, if there is a common denominator between the four novels, it is the word ‘secret’, or as one of the characters calls it – ‘segreta’.

The characters are inspired by the stories and as they develop into actual personages, I find it handy to have a visual image, so I trawl the net for likely candidates. For example, for obvious reasons, my Gisborne was inspired by Richard Armitage. Tobias was inspired by Peter Dinklage, Guillaume was inspired by Eion Macken’s face. And so on.

If, as a one off, (and you could guarantee publication!)  you could write anything you wanted, is there another genre you would love to work with and do you already have a budding plot line in mind?

I would love to write another illustrated childrens’ story. I’ve written one, Nugget, the Black Wombat, in collaboration with brilliant UK illustrator, Dave Slaney, and it was such fun and Nugget sooooo cute, that I’m sure he has another adventure to relate.

Was becoming a writer a conscious decision or something that you drifted into (or even something so compelling that it could not be denied?) How old were you when you first started to write seriously.

I was in Grade 3 when I felt that writing a ‘composition’ was indeed compelling. It gave me a sense of completeness, even at that age. The feeling increased as I grew older and I was known to spend two hours of a three hour English exam completing the creative writing component. I won awards for creative writing through high school and in matriculation, but then all creative work was put on hold through university and well into motherhood. Whilst ‘enceinte’, and restricted with a bad back, I did take time to pen bits and pieces and the feeling began to grow again. When the kids were almost teenage, I wrote a fantasy trilogy and that was to become my rite of passage – the story one writes that begins one’s journey, the one that will never ever see the light of day.

After that, The Stumpwork Robe was written and the rest as they say…

Marmite? Love it or hate it?

Marmite? It’s okay but I much prefer Vegemite…

Do you have any rituals and routines when writing? Your favourite cup for example or ‘that’ piece of music...??

None. I write when I can squeeze it into a pretty frantic life, so a ritual would be pointless. That said, my dog, a Jack Russell terrier with a large personality and little patience, is always with me. He’s my muse.

I promise I won’t tell them the answer to this, but when you are writing, who is more important, your family or your characters?

When I’m writing, I’m completely lost in my world – so my characters are indeed more important. Those are the days when the house is quiet and I’m solitary. However… if my adult family need me, I’ll listen with all my attention. I suspect most mums, dads and partners have perfected that art.

Other than writing full time, what would be your dream job?

Gosh, I haven’t thought about that for ages. In the past, I’ve always thought it would be the bees’ knees to work for Pixar as an animator. But as I fall more in love with my gardens, I suspect it’s actually to be a gardener and have the time and someone else’s extensive budget to create with plants.

Coffee or tea? Red or white?

Tea – camomile and the occasional green tea with a chocolate and berry brownie. White wine – a crisp, cool Tasmanian chardonnay with a wafer, vintage cheddar and slices of pickled walnut.

How much of your work is planned before you start? Do you have a full draft or let it find its way?

I have a very basic plan – an A4 page. But it is totally open to change and alteration. I am putty in my plot’s hands…

If you had free choice over the font your book is printed in, what font/fonts would you choose?

Times New Roman. It’s the one font my mother could read as she lost her sight through macular degeneration.

Have any of your characters ever shocked you and gone off on their own adventure leaving you scratching your head??? If so how did you cope with that!?

Goodness yes! It’s the thing I absolutely love the most about writing. It’s a wild ride! I always feel that those writers who stick to their carefully delineated plan are missing something truly spontaneous, and the thing about spontaneity is freshness. It’s worth remembering…

Are you prepared to go away from the known facts for the sake of the story and if so how do you get around this?

This is an interesting thought in respect of the kind of fantasy that I write. Because I like using myth, folklore and legend – the known facts are those that come from an oral tradition and are very open to mutation as time passes. I think readers of myth-based fantasy accept this and in fact quite enjoy reading the various interpretations.

Have you ever totally hated or fallen in love with one of your characters?

Oh yes! But I’ve especially loved my supporting characters in the fantasies. I have a deep relationship with an Other called Gallivant – he is what’s known as a Goodfellow or a hob. He is fastidious, devoted and funny and I adore him.

In The Gisborne Saga (a hist.fict trilogy), Tobias became my best friend and ultimately had his own book in a further trilogy.

But there have plenty of antagonists of course and honestly, how can one like them? They are despicable…

And then there are the characters one loves but is not sure one can trust. There has been one especially.

But that might just be another story…

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

Myth-based fantasy , historical fiction that is character driven and preferably about the ordinary man. Contemporary womens’ fiction, especially by Jan Ruth. Biographies of people that interest me. Gardening books of all sorts and books about words – like Robert Macfarlane’s Landmarks.

What drink would you recommend whilst reading your latest book?

Oh gosh – have a hot chocolate with marshmallows and maybe a bit of Toblerone in the bottom. Why not go all out? Or if you want to really live dangerously, have a glass of chardonnay, no matter the time of day!

Last but not least... favourite author?

Dorothy Dunnett. Without doubt my Number One most iconic author.

 

http://www.pruebatten.com

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About the Shifu Cloth:
 
In a world where Others play with mortal lives, in a hidden province that survives on the backs of abducted slaves, Isabella, one of those stolen folk, sends a message woven into rare cloth made of paper and silk, in the vain hope that her cousin will find it, decipher it and rescue her.
For cousin Nicholas, with whose life the Fates have been playing, only time will tell if he will find her and whether what makes a curse does indeed break a curse.

'Consistently ranked in the Amazon Best Seller Lists for Asian mythology, this is Book Four and the conclusion to the highly regarded and unique historical fantasy series, THE CHRONICLES OF EIRIE.
A replete and satisfying conclusion to a series that has unrolled like a bolt of silk.'

"Prue Batten weaves her story in such a way that I could not stop turning the pages. It is perhaps the way the story slowly unfolds that makes this book very interesting...The pictures that Prue Batten paints are as vivid as the brush stroke in a canvas. With an eye for detail, she gives us a glimpse of the magnificent imperial house of Han as well as of the rest of her world and its colorful characters. Above all, this is a tale of enduring love that balances on the fine line that separates reality and fantasy." Maria Beltran, Readers Favorite USA.

A wonderful picture of Prue

 

© Diana Milne January 2017 Prue Batten May 2017 ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diana talks to Louise Turner

Hi Louise. It is really lovely to meet you. I am sure there is a question that you have always longed to be asked. Now is the chance. Ask your own question and answer it!

And here it is:-  What an earth possessed you to write about an obscure Renfrewshire family and an obscure period of Scottish history?

Er, because it seemed like a good idea at the time?   That is, of course, the wrong answer - there was much more to it than that! I’m passionate about the local history and built heritage where I live in the west of Scotland, and I wanted to try and make it better known and more widely appreciated. So I started writing a fictionalised biography of one our local late medieval personalities - John 1st Lord Sempill – and I soon found out that I’d unearthed a very interesting story set in very interesting times. It was only later (much later!) that I learned I wasn’t the first to tread this narrow, obscure path: the celebrated historical novelist Dorothy Dunnett featured the Sempills in both her Lymond Chronicles and her House of Niccolo series...

If your latest book The Gryphon at Bay was adapted into a TV show or a film, who would you like to play the lead role?

Alas! I’d have to travel back in time to pull this one off…  The anti-hero of The Gryphon at Bay – Hugh, 2nd Lord Montgomerie – played the supporting role in my first novel Fire & Sword, which I started writing in the late 1990s.  From an early stage, I had a particular actor in mind for Hugh: Richard E. Grant.  I’d clocked him in the BBC series The Scarlet Pimpernel, and I’d thought then, there’s my man, but it was only when I watched Withnail & I that it really clicked: here was Hugh, on a very, very, very bad day…  He was around the right age in Withnail & I, too.  But time does not stand still, and, no offence to the marvellous and indefatigable Richard E. Grant, but I don’t think he’d cut it as a 30-something these days.

What made you choose this genre?

I think it chose me…  I had a passing interest in history as a child, when I went through a phase in which I was briefly passionate about the Ancient Greeks and the Romans (thanks, BBC adaptation of Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of The Ninth). But I soon drifted off into reading and writing science fiction. I took up Archaeology in university in the hope it would inspire me to write better science fiction, and then in a roundabout way, I tried using fiction as a means of exploring history and archaeology in a different, more engaging manner.  What started out as a fairly academic exercise soon became completely addictive!

How do you get ideas for plots and characters?

As far as the straightforward historical fiction goes, I often just stumble across things in the course of the day job that trigger off a spark of interest. Because I write books which are (in most cases) a conjectural interpretation of what might actually have happened in the past, my characters are constrained by the legacy they left in the historical record.  It’s the process of reconstructing these individuals which I find both the most challenging, and the most enjoyable, aspect of the task.

If, as a one off, (and you could guarantee publication!)  you could write anything you wanted, is there another genre you would love to work with and do you already have a budding plot line in mind?

I’m wandering off the beaten track as we speak with my current work-in-progress, which is a time-travel novel of sorts. I like to think of it as historical fantasy or even speculative fiction: I wanted to turn the standard time-travel fare of ‘heroine goes back into the past and finds romance with alpha male hero’ into something more along the lines of ‘hero comes from the past and decides that life was so miserable back then that he wants to seek political asylum in the future.’ The hero in question comes from Ancient Sparta, so I think he can be forgiven for wanting to try his luck at surviving in the modern world!

On a more serious note, during the time I’ve spent working on this novel, I’ve had excellent opportunities to explore all sorts of aspects of our perceptions of people in the Past and how they differ from ourselves. In the hero, Lysander, I’ve tried to recreate an authentic Spartan, whose mindset is, in many ways, quite alien from our own modern worldview. At the same time, he’s smart, and he’s adaptable: there’s still this preconception that people in the Past were a bit slow and stupid compared to ourselves. I think this is very unfair: if it hadn’t been for their ingenuity, we’d never made it past the Stone Age...

Was becoming a writer a conscious decision or something that you drifted into (or even something so compelling that it could not be denied?) How old were you when you first started to write seriously.

I’m one of those strange people who have been writing for as long as they can remember.  I started off as a very small child writing an illustrated tale based on the adventures of some plasticine mice I’d made, and by the age of 13 I was writing a long convoluted piece of Lord of the Rings/Dungeons and Dragons fanlit (in the days before fanlit was invented...).  By my late teens I’d decided I wanted to be a writer, and early success only fuelled this desire: aged 19, I won the Glasgow Herald/Albacon New Writing in SF short story writing competitions with a piece titled Busman’s Holiday, a dystopian future tale set in an independent Scotland run by bus companies and inspired by the madness which resulted at the time from the de-regulation of bus services in Glasgow.  

It’s been a long convoluted route, and like many practitioners of the art, I can’t afford to write full time. But I am writing, and I’m now getting to the stage where I bump into readers who tell me they enjoy my work, and that’s when it all becomes worthwhile, and something which younger me would have been over the moon about.

Marmite? Love it or hate it?

Lightly toasted brown bread, served hot, lashings of butter, a thin scraping of Marmite. An unbeatable breakfast treat! (YES!!!)

Do you have any rituals and routines when writing? Your favourite cup for example or ‘that’ piece of music...??  

I always have a soundtrack for my writing which is specific to what I’m working on, sometimes specific to the character or even to the scene. I’m one of those strange writers who can replay the same track over and over again, particularly when I’m creating new work, as I try to recapture the atmosphere and get things just right.

I promise I won’t tell them the answer to this, but when you are writing, who is more important, your family or your characters?

Oh, I wish I could say ‘the characters,’ but it never works out that way!  However much you want to sit down at the computer and just WRITE! reality always sticks its neb in.. There’s always something going on, whether it’s family, the day job, or whatever.

I suspect that those who are truly successful in this trade, as in any other, are those who just lock themselves away and get on with it, and to heck with anything else. Unfortunately, I prefer to have a life...

Other than writing full time, what would be your dream job?

Well, I’m luckier than many in that I’ve been able to follow my chosen career path: archaeology.  For the last two decades, I’ve worked in commercial archaeology, which can seem more of a challenge than a pleasure at times, but I’d find it difficult to give it up for anything!

I suppose my dream job would be to be appointed Curator of Bronze Age artifacts at any regional or national museum, but it’s too late for that now, as it would have required dedicating my entire life to my studies which would have meant the writing was set aside long ago….

Coffee or tea? Red or white?

Coffee, unless the weather is very hot and the sun’s out.  Then a cup of tea’ll do nicely.  And red, most of the time, but these days I seem to be getting a taste for a good quality white, too...

How much of your work is planned before you start? Do you have a full draft or let it find its way?

Usually I have a clear idea of where I’m going before I start to write. This is especially true of my historical fiction, where events are largely predetermined, and a detailed research phase is completed before I ever set anything down in writing. It always takes me several drafts to get all the characters to interact properly and to create all the texture and the subplots which are a crucial part of my work. It’s like reworking a painting, I suppose, you add extra highlights and shadows and create a more subtle final version.

If you had free choice over the font your book is printed in, what font/fonts would you choose?  

Because I’ve always been traditionally published, I’ve never paid much attention to this aspect of the craft.  I don’t suppose I’m that bothered with particular fonts, but I’d prefer it to be a) clearly legible, and b) traditional.  Times New Roman is the one that immediately springs to mind, but there a number of alternatives which are much less staid and boring, though I couldn’t possibly name any of these!  I tend to trust my publisher in these matters – he knows what he’s doing!

Imagine that you could get hold of any original source document. What would it be?

I’d love to see something, anything which could tell me how Hugh, 1st Earl of Eglinton (Hugh,2nd Lord Montgomerie in my novels) managed to get through the Battle of Flodden without being killed!  Did he say, “S*d this, I’m not staying here to be killed,” and ride north before the battle? Was he even in the host as it rode south? He might have been waiting to liaise with the French reinforcements (which arrived wait), or even forming part of the acting government in the King’s absence. I’ve asked a number of historians, but they’re as much in the dark as I am.  I wish I knew!!!

Have any of your characters ever shocked you and gone off on their own adventure leaving you scratching your head??? If so how did you cope with that!?  

Usually the characters I’ve created in my historical fiction behave according to script – if they don’t I’m of the firm opinion that I’ve gone wrong somewhere in the research stage…  But in anything other than historical fiction, I usually let them do things their own way...

How much research do you do and do you ever go on research trips?

I do an awful lot of research – Fire & Sword took about ten years to write and I was carrying out ongoing research in tandem throughout that time.  I’m still reading about the time period and the places, often during the course of the day job…  

I don’t think you ever stop learning.  Having completed a Ph.D. in an entirely different subject, I’d say that the amount of work involved is about the same.

As for the research trips…  Yes, I try whenever possible to visit locations and buildings in particular. I like historical fiction to be as honest as possible in geographical terms, because the landscape never lies.  Though it’s important to remember, too, that buildings and landscapes are never static, they’re as prone to change and alteration as much as anything else.  I always make sure I read up on climate and pollen analysis and other more archaeological aspects during the research process.

Fiction authors have to contend with real characters invading our stories. Are there any ‘real’ characters you have been tempted to prematurely kill off or ignore because you just don’t like them or they spoil the plot?

In a word, no.  History is always sacrosanct!

Are you prepared to go away from the known facts for the sake of the story and if so how do you get around this?  

Again, no.  That’s not allowed. But I have been known to stretch the gaps between the facts pretty far. And if there are two conflicting accounts or interpretations, I’ll opt for the one which suits my story.  And this may not necessarily be the version which Historian-Me believes to be correct.  Historian-Me doesn’t always like this much, but Novelist-Me always takes a very big metaphorical big stick and succeeds in bludgeoning Historian-Me into submission. Strange that….

Do you find that the lines between fact and fiction sometimes become blurred?  

I try not to let them.  I have to keep reminding myself that what I write is not trying to be an actual replication of the Past, it’s an interpretation of that Past...  

Have you ever totally hated or fallen in love with one of your characters?  

I heard an author say once (I think it was Diane Duane, at a science fiction or fantasy convention I attended many moons ago) that every author is a little bit in love with all their characters, and at the same time, there is a little bit of the author in all their characters, too.  Which probably makes all authors narcissists to some extent, but I think there’s more than a grain of truth in the statement. And if it wasn’t Diane Duane who came out with that quote, then apologies both to Diane Duane, and to the author from whom the quote actually originated….

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

I’m drawn to specific authors, rather than genres, and to be honest, I find it difficult to enjoy a lot of books. I like a book which is complex, but fairly fast-paced. I don’t mind belting through it and being left thinking, “eh? I didn’t quite get that,” as long as the characters are sufficiently engaging for me to want to spend time with them. I enjoy the historical fiction of Hilary Mantel, in particular, her French Revolution epic A Place of Greater Safety. I also love the Botticelli Trilogy of Linda Proud, which is just exquisitely written, and I’m getting into Dorothy Dunnet’s work, too.

I also read science fiction. I’m a fan of C J Cherryh’s Union Alliance universe in all its variety, and I love the writing style of Ray Bradbury. I’ve also recently become a big fan of Iain Banks – not writing with his science fiction hat on as Iain M. Banks, but rather his surrealistic, fantastical novels. The Bridge and Walking on Glass are two examples which spring immediately to mind.  I would class both, by the way, as science fiction, though the Scottish literary establishment would probably throw their hands up in horror at the mere suggestion...

What drink would you recommend drinking whilst reading your latest book?

Claret – Scotland’s other ‘other national drink!’

Last but not least... favourite author?

Oh, it has to be Hilary Mantel.  What I find particularly inspirational is the way in which her characters actively participate in creating their own history. I find much historical fiction quite pre-deterministic – the characters are carried along by fate, or circumstances, or whatever. Mantel’s novels recreate history as a series of consequences, sometimes intended, often not, which I think more accurately reflect the way history operates.  It’s an approach which I try very much to replicate in my own novels, though I’d be the first to admit that our writing styles are totally different.  I spent years wishing I wrote like Hilary Mantel – but these days, when I see how readers are polarised by her work (5 star reviews balanced by 1 star reviews), I’m a bit relieved I don’t!  It’s probably more healthy to have a less contentious approach, in a stylistic sense…

Writing Biography for Louise Turner

Born in Glasgow, Louise Turner spent her early years in Scotland where she attended Greenock Academy and later, the University of Glasgow. After graduating with MA (Hons) in Archaeology, she went to complete a Ph.D. in the Bronze Age metalwork hoards of Essex and Kent. She has since enjoyed a varied career in archaeology and cultural resource management. Writing has always been a major aspect of her life and at a young age she won the Glasgow Herald/Albacon New Writing in SF competition with her short story Busman’s Holiday.  Her second novel, The Gryphon at Bay, which follows on from the events described in her first novel Fire & Sword, is set in late 15th century Scotland and was published by Hadley Rille Books in March 2017.

More about the  Gryphon at Bay

In this gripping follow-up to her debut novel Fire and Sword, Louise Turner returns to the splendour and intrigue of Renaissance Scotland and the court of King James IV.

Summer, 1489...

It is a year after the old king’s death, and his son now sits upon the throne. Hugh, 2^nd Lord Montgomerie has achieved great things in this short time. He’s been granted a place on the Privy Council, and given authority in the King’s name throughout Lennox and the Westland.

Success is a double-edged sword. The old king’s murder has left its scars and there’s rebellion in the Westland. Now Montgomerie must choose between his king and loyalty to his kinsmen, the Darnley Stewarts, treading a dangerous path between pragmatism and treason. 

Closer to home, he is challenged by his old rivals the Cunninghames. The feud between the two warring families intensifies, with tragic consequences.  And the time comes for three women, drawn together by their hatred of Montgomerie, to plot revenge. 

As Montgomerie sees the world turn against him, just one ally remains: John Sempill of Ellestoun. 

But Ellestoun may have his own agenda. Will he stand by his so-called friend, or seek retribution for past injustices...?

Buy it here  Gryphon at Bay

 Links

Amazon UK e-book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gryphon-at-Bay-Louise-Turner-ebook/dp/B06XJZ2VL7

Amazon US e-book

https://www.amazon.com/Gryphon-at-Bay-Louise-Turner-ebook/dp/B06XJZ2VL7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34565693-the-gryphon-at-bay

Website

http://www.louiseturner.co.uk/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Fire-Sword-355615681239957/?ref=bookmarks

Twitter

https://twitter.com/LouiseTurner101

© Diana Milne January 2017 © Louise Turner June 2017

Diana talks to JB Nichols, author of young adult books.

Hello! I am delighted to welcome you to Diana Talks…

First things first I am sure there is a question that you have always longed to be asked. Now is the chance. Ask your own question and answer it!

* Am I going to make a difference for the better to anyone's life? My rock of a husband has Asperger's syndrome, and I know I'm good for him

If your latest book ‘Loveupmanship’ was adapted into a TV show or a film, who would you like to play the lead role?

* I think a young Mayim Bialik; someone not wildly good looking but enormously self possessed, could play Lynne Jones

What made you choose this genre?

* I'm a young adult at heart

How do you get ideas for plots and characters?

* They were all around me at school; the good, the bad, the beautiful and the redeemable. And the villain was based on a close relative

If, as a one off, (and you could guarantee publication!)  you could write anything you wanted, is there another genre you would love to work with and do you already have a budding plot line in mind?

* I'd like to do a murder story. And yes, I always have plot lines. My problem is with keeping plot lines at bay

Was becoming a writer a conscious decision or something that you drifted into (or even something so compelling that it could not be denied?) How old were you when you first started to write seriously.

* I always had a story to tell. From the first stories my mother ever enthralled me with, I wanted to get on the story creating band wagon

Marmite? Love it or hate it?

* Love it. Pile it on thick

Do you have any rituals and routines when writing? Your favourite cup for example or ‘that’ piece of music...??

* No rituals, no distractions, no music; nothing that would interfere with the sounds, smells and pictures in my head

I promise I won’t tell them the answer to this, but when you are writing, who is more important, your family or your characters?

* My characters. They consume me. I can temporarily switch them off absolutely if I have to though

Other than writing full time, what would be your dream job?

* If not providing an entertaining escape route and guiding anyone who cares to switch on into a different take on the world, I my limit free,  no holds barred dream job would be - ach! I was going to say a pimple popper! But who am I trying to kid? Writing full time is the only dream, because wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, it's all experience to be stored up until it escapes through my finger tips on the keyboard

Coffee or tea? Red or white?

* Coffee. And red wine

How much of your work is planned before you start? Do you have a full draft or let it find its way?

* I usually have an end in mind shortly after doodling with a beginning, otherwise the doodle doesn't get any further. I let it go its own way until I need to steer, and sometimes let my original ending get derailed for a better one

If you had free choice over the font your book is printed in, what font/fonts would you choose?

* Any font that doesn't distract; Plantin, Times Roman, possibly Arial. I once put comic sans on my phone when fiddling around, exploring what could be done. It nearly drove me crazy quite quickly because humour in a font is rarely appropriate and I couldn't  recall the moves I'd made to put it on in the first place. Got there in the end though. It's back on Arial

Imagine that you could get hold of any original source document. What would it be?

* What? Only one? I would probably waste it on something to do with religion, and I'd expect to be disappointed

Have any of your characters ever shocked you and gone off on their own adventure leaving you scratching your head??? If so how did you cope with that!?

* Yes, often. I have to remind myself that they’re my invention, or at least an imagined creation based on observation, so I have to take some responsibility. Sometimes I've had to abandon them to their own devices as they might not go away until I've let them have their head

How much research do you do and do you ever go on research trips?

* I never have gone on a research trip because I mostly stick with what I have experienced naturally. Having said that, I've done voluntary work with the disadvantaged and with victims of crime, and this involves delving into dark minds and dark circumstances which are way beyond my personal experience and stretch my capacity for shock and sadness. It's involved speaking to police officers, lawyers, psychologists and fellow volunteers with their caseloads.

Fiction authors have to contend with real characters invading our stories. Are there any ‘real’ characters you have been tempted to prematurely kill off or ignore because you just don’t like them or they spoil the plot?

* No, so far I've managed to dislike with understanding. Actually it's not even real dislike.  Actually I can't really remember disliking anyone real imaginary. I've hated people, but that's quite different

Are you prepared to go away from the known facts for the sake of the story and if so how do you get around this?

* No, it irritates me when the laws of physics are broken, or historic certainty is overturned - unless a key part of the fiction is explaining why. I would lose trust for an author who did it through ignorance and expected me to go along with it

Do you find that the lines between fact and fiction sometimes become blurred?

* Of course

Have you ever totally hated or fallen in love with one of your characters?

* I'm currently in love with Steve Raven, a kind, considerate psychopath I'm writing about now. And I was a little in love with Lynne Jones in Loveupmanship too. An ugly girl with inexplicable, magic charima a and sex-appeal - I loved her so much it made me cry

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

* Garrison Keillor's short stories

What drink would you recommend drinking whilst reading your latest book?

* Coke zero

Last but not least... favourite author?

* Anne Tyler

About Loveupmanship:

Funny and feelgood. A south Wales community is stirred up when Lynne Jones brings Miles, her aristocratic boyfriend home for the summer. The gossips have a field day. Not everyone is pleased - from the murderous Mrs Price to lost, lonely little Mandy. Yet it is a summer of hope, redemption, love and laughter - and everyone gets a magic wish.

© Diana Milne January 2017 ©