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

http://www.facebook.com/Prue.Batten.writer

http://pinterest.com/pruebatten

 

Author.to/pruebatten

 

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 ... Robert Southworth

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

 

Hi Rob, lovely to chat with you like this. We have lots to talk about so let's get going! Hopefully I have come up with some unusual questions!

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

 Luke Evans but he would have to do it with an English accent.

 

 

What made you choose this genre?

 I don’t consider  myself as a specialist in a certain genre. I am happy to move genres when I find an idea presents itself.

How do you get ideas for plots and characters?

 To be honest usually I look at history and ask myself the question “what if?” What if Spartacus didn’t die – what if the Ripper killings didn’t stop with Mary Kelly. Just one further point with regards to The Reaper’s Breath, I wanted to show the victims as  more than just a statistic. I attempted to give at least one a voice and show her to be human with the same dreams, hopes and fears that we all possess.

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 a fantasy book with the kind of genius humour that Terry Pratchett blessed the world. I have a plot for a fantasy novel but not the humour. Alas, I just don’t have that sort of talent. (Note from Diana: I think you have that sort of talent, Rob. Try it! I love your quick fire responses on social media)

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 actually made redundant. Feeling a little like I had been thrown on the scrap heap. My wife saw my torment and just placed her arm around me and asked what it was, that I really wanted to do. So, at the age of 38 I became a writer.

Marmite? Love it or hate it?

Hate it...

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

I can only write late at night when the entire household is asleep.

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?

Family. probably because my kids are so young. As they get older they will be able to fend for themselves, and the writing can take over.

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

James Bond

Coffee or tea? Red or white?

Coffee – don’t drink wine (but do like a drop of Irish whiskey now and then)

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

I believe a story should develop along with the characters, so I begin with a very basic plot. My style is to be as fluid as possible. (It really works. D )

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

Really have no preference as long as the font isn’t too severe.

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

Well I’m hoping to write a novel around the life of Athelstan – so anything relating to the man would be amazing.

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!?

Not their own adventure but one of my characters from my Spartacus series should have died in the part of the first novel and was still alive and kicking at the end of the last – despite me planning to kill him a number of times! (I am not published and most likely never will be but I write for my own pleasure. I have a character, Piet, who has needed to die for at least a year, but I cannot kill him. I just cannot!! D)

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

I tend to research as I go along. I would love to go on research trips alas with a young family that is not too likely at the minute.

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?

Not really, I see real characters as a bond that anchors the story. Besides, as soon as we put words in their mouth they become part fiction.

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?

I may bend the truth but try not to break it...

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

I happen to believe that history provides us with very little fact. Most of what you read is educated guess work. I’m a fiction writer it’s my job to blur fact into fiction. If I do it well, the reader shouldn’t be able where one ends and the other begins.

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

Many times – they are in essence part of me.

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

Pretty much anything except Romance and Erotica.

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

Well I have attempted to make it atmospheric with a couple of shocks – so maybe nothing too hot.

Last but not least... favourite author?

Two - Terry Pratchett and James McGee

This has been really interesting, Rob. Thank you.

Biography and other books by Rob



The man himself!

 

© Diana Milne January 2017 © Robert Southworth January 2017 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Then It Rained - C. W. Lovatt

Comment on the blog or on our Facebook page to be in with a chance to win a copy of this truly memorable and beautiful book.

The draw for the prize will take place on 6th September.

Reading is one of the great joys of my life. Deprived of a book I will read the sauce label and the microwave instructions, the small print on an insurance document - anything so that I can feast my eyes on the printed word. Reading so much, one could be forgiven in thinking that I have a whole arsenal of unforgettable books in my head, books that will stay with me forever, but no. I had four, and now I have five. ‘And Then It Rained’ will never leave me, tugging at heartstrings, making me smile, making me want to cry, to laugh, to live.

The book is from C.W. Lovatt, the best-selling author of the Charlie Smithers series and the much acclaimed Josiah Stubb. It is an eclectic collection of award-winning short stories, a genre in which Lovatt excels. (Saying that, I have not yet found a genre in which this incredible author does not excel.)

I first came across C.W. Lovatt’s work by accident, finding a compelling ‘flash fiction’ short called ‘Baggage’ in an unrelated Google search – unrelated unless, of course, ‘Baggage Allowance Finnair’ is considered related! The story is entirely in dialogue, no ‘he said’, ‘she said’ and it works so well. I read it and re read it and eventually printed it out, framed it and hung it (levelly) on the studio wall.  It is still one of my favourite pieces of writing and I was delighted to find it included in ‘And Then It Rained’.



'Baggage' on my studio wall.

The most incredible thing about this collection of stories is the ‘voice’.  Each story has such a different subject matter, such different characters and is written in an entirely different voice,  not in the way of some lesser author, struggling to find their personal  ‘voice’ and testing out various approaches, but with the confidence of a writer of extreme merit who knows his place in this world. I use the word confidence, but never does Lovatt’s writing become arrogant and somewhere, deep underneath the compelling penmanship, coming out through some of his characters, we spy an engaging humility and deep sense of humanity.

The nearest simile I can use to describe the power behind the ‘voices’ is to liken it to method acting -
“a technique of acting in which an actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a part”. The emotions and personae are so accurately portrayed it would seem that the author has

taken on the emotion of that particular character for the duration of the story.

The timing is perfect, whether used for comedic effect or for a dramatic twist, the laughter or the gasp of horror from the reader is guaranteed. Dialogue flows easily and naturally, as can be seen in this excerpt from the first story in the book, Sean’s Lament, a delightfully funny story about the gullible Sean who can never quite believe that the love of his life could be cheating on him:

"Then she snuggled up to me, her breast – done with flirting – had decided to get down to business and flattened itself against my chest. I almost heard the ‘prong’ as a tent pole sprang up halfway down the covers. Her voice was warm and moist in my ear when she asked, “But you want to know the best part?”

“What?” I shivered, fumbling for the light switch.

Her hand drifted beneath the covers until it found me and took hold.  “Boy-oh-boy,” she giggled, low and husky, “you is hung! "

I found myself enchanted by the miniature perfection of each and every story, marveling in them in the same way that I stare in rapt enchantment at the miniature portraits of Hans Holbein the younger.

Margaret Roper by Hans Holbein the Younger

I cannot read the stories fast. Each word needs treasuring. Every word has so much weight, import and value that every word needs savouring and valuing. Throughout the whole of the book, throughout everything that I have read of this major wordsmith, each word is there because it has to be there, in perfect partnership with the words before it and the words after it, balanced, weighed, carefully positioned and counter balanced.

Here is an example of that total perfection, balance and symmetry: "There she lingered to my heart’s content, every moment even more rapturous than the unparalleled one from before, until at last – while the world around me shattered into erupting volcanoes, and torrents of tsunamis washing away entire civilizations – she had supped her fill."

Lovatt has a remarkable way of making the reader be able to picture perfectly the physical appearance of the main character, but without lengthy descriptive passages.

How? This is a total mystery to me. I have read and reread several of the stories searching with a fine tooth comb for the answer, but to no avail.

I have to conclude that it is either magic or another mark of the total genius of the man.

One example of the author  summing up the whole of a space with a few choice words is found in the story that lends its title to the book, ‘And Then It Rained’, a heart wrenching short that had me damp eyed: "He entered into a clean but aging kitchen.  An ancient refrigerator sagged against one wall, emitting a long-suffering groan. A well-used stove crouched patiently next to it, surrounded by plain wooden cabinets, with a counter of chipped and stained Formica. A stainless steel sink completed the triangle: it was a habit that his eye could never quite relinquish after forty years in the trades – and he noted that the sink was too far left, slightly off-centre to the window overlooking the driveway. Mrs. Woodson ushered him into the living room...”

The final story, ‘A Word’, is the most beautiful thing I have ever read and it was with a real sense of sadness that I closed the book at the end. It will take a while before I can find something to enjoy as thoroughly as I have enjoyed this.

The description on Amazon says: ‘’Rain, that natural wonder, so natural, in fact that often it comes and goes scarcely noticed. However, metaphorical or otherwise, there are times when rain brings with it great change, causing the breath-taking beauty of rainbows or the cataclysmic destruction of floods, with equal indifference. This collection - an eclectic mix of humour, drama, and fantasy - is about those uncertain times. Dark clouds are forming, so you had better be prepared for the coming storm.’’

What other people thought:

Incredibly good writing

by Bookworm
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase “Lately I’ve been reading a number of short story collections and anthologies. I find it a great way to discover new authors and new genres.
In ‘And then it Rained’ I’ve discovered an author who has the enviable knack of evoking laughter and tears within the same pages.
Witty and with perfect comedic timing, the first story ‘Sean’s lament’ follows the antics of a young man who, in the name of love, endures all manner of alarming escapades. Visual and very funny, the tight writing keeps you on your toes until the final punch-line.
In complete contrast, my favourite of the collection ‘Tin Whistle’ is a Gothic ghost story with lyrical prose. Quite beautiful in its simplicity, the tale of much loved and much missed Emily is incredibly poignant and emotional.
There are many more, equally diverse in style. What they all share is incredibly good writing.

”The Winnipeg Review  - “C.W. Lovatt possesses incredible talent, and it is my unreserved opinion that Josiah Stubb: The Siege of Louisbourg deserves a prominent place on any history buff’s bookshelf.”  

C. W. Lovatt lives in Canada where it's quite cold. If you wish to find out a little more about him and his life, read the hilarious non-fiction story in ‘And Then It Rained’ entitled ‘The Thing About Pantyhose’. This venture into autobiographical non-fiction is a departure from the norm for Mr Lovatt, but it provides a wonderful snapshot of the twelve year old boy.

© August 2016 ~ Reviewed by Diana Milne, letterpress seller extraordinaire and author of a totally unnoticed ‘wish list’ on Amazon.

 

Interview with Judith Arnopp

My interview with Judith Arnopp

by Karen Aminadra

Judith is also giving away a copy of one of her books. the winner gets to choose which one! Check in at the Facebook page for details of how to win. 

*Please note - this giveaway is no longer valid

It's my pleasure and privilege to interview a wonderful author - Judith Arnopp! 

How did you become an author? Was it something you always wanted to do?

Well, it is something I’ve always done.  As a child I was very influenced by C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and made up stories based on that.  Then, as a teenager I wrote lurid romances, and while my children were growing up I turned to adventures using them as the main characters. Writing has always seemed the natural thing for me to do so I don’t think I ever made a conscious decision to do it.  I never let anyone read it until I was in my forties when I did creative writing as part of my studies.  Then my writing group encouraged me to publish but it wasn’t until I’d completed my studies that I turned to writing seriously.

What is it about Welsh history that attracts you?

I think its living here, surrounded by the culture, treading in the footsteps of Welsh heroes. There is hardly a hill you can walk around here without stumbling upon a ruined castle or a stone circle or a hillfort.  My home is quite remote and although modernisms are creeping into the area now it is largely unspoiled.  It is possible to see the past quite clearly in both the architecture and the landscape. I have a thing about earthworks and ancient churches and there is nowhere like a mouldering graveyard to feel the people of the past peering over your shoulder. I sit quietly and listen while they tell me stuff. 

Explain a little about Welsh pronunciation in your books.  For example, how do you pronounce Heledd?

I knew the names could be a problem for non-Welsh readers so I included a pronunciation table at the front of The Song of Heledd but, of course, as Welsh isn’t my first language, I could well be miles out although I did consult a Welsh friend. Heledd, I believe, is pronounced Hell – eth.

Tell us a little about the poems Canu Llywarch Hen and Canu Heledd.

The basis of Heledd’s story come from fragments of Welsh poetry known as Canu Heledd and Marwnad Cynddylan. The poem, and others relating to Heledd and Pengwern, can be found in The Red Book of Hergest. The Red Book of Hergest dates from the 14-15th centuries but the poems themselves are believed to have been written in the 9th century, although set in the 7th. The poems were probably part of an older oral tradition, recorded and transcribed in the medieval period.

There are very few female dialogues in the saga tradition and, apart from this poem, women do not speak or appear. Sole survivors of disaster are not uncommon but female survivors are. This dispensing with tradition suggested to me that Heledd’s story could perhaps be a historical event that has passed down through the oral tradition to become legend. The poem itself is historically inaccurate, even in those days literature was written for entertainment not to enter the historical record.

When the poems are read alongside the historical documents of the time, they complement eachother, and this is what I did to come up with a fictional account of Heledd’s life. It is a complicated period of history, largely impenetrable by modern society and to that end I have simplified many place names and the names of the peoples who inhabit it. The Song of Heledd concentrates more upon how it might have felt to play a female role within that society rather than how events really happened. History is an unknown place, full of half truths and many opposing opinions and this just forms my own version of an obscure truth and is a fiction.

Your books also are about the Anglo-saxons and the Normans, what draws you to them?

I became interested in Anglo-Saxon poetry while I was at university and learned about the culture and heroic tradition. Although it was a violent society, they struck me as a noble, very proud people and, compared to the Normans, their justice system was fair. Under the Norman regime ordinary people were oppressed but beneath Anglo-Saxon rule low status people had rights and even women and slaves had a fairer deal.

When I was about seven years old I did a school project on the Norman invasion and fell in love with King Harold. Since then I’ve read every book, fiction and non-fiction, about him that I could lay hands on. It seemed natural to make him part of my first novel. He and Richard the Third are my heroes. I guess I just love an underdog.

Can you explain for our readers what Gruffydd ap Llewellyn means?

The ap in Gruffydd ap Llewellyn means ‘son of’ so it means Gruffydd son of Llewellyn. He was the first leader to rule the whole of Wales but he was never referred to as ‘king’ although that was his role. He is often mixed up with Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, another Welsh leader of similar name who appears in history a few hundred years later. When they named their children they didn’t make things easy for us, did they?

You have 6 books out now, which is your favourite?

Ooh, that is a hard question. I think my favourite is whichever one I am writing when the question is asked. They are all so different but I suppose it is to do with the characters. Most of my protagonists are anti-heroines to an extent. In Peaceweaver, Eadgyth is hugely annoying. We meet her first as a complaining teenager (hormones don’t change) and see her grow into a stubborn, flawed adult. Her journey from girl to womanhood is complete when the story ends in her twenty-first year. In the course of ten years she marries and buries two kings, births five children and her status declines from Queen to exile. She has learned her lessons.

The Forest Dwellers is set after the conquest in what we now know of as The New Forest. The Saxons are oppressed, evicted from their homes and forced to live in servitude but Ælf and Alys fight on against their oppressors, both using very different weapons. Ælf is justifiably angry and will punch anyone who asks for it and Alys has learned to use her pretty face and neat figure to survive. I love the story and although I had a few publishing issues with it to begin with, the whole thing has been revised now and the new edition is much better for it.

The Song of Heledd is a lament for lost things. Heledd has seen her dynasty, her youth, her family destroyed by fault of her own. She has some harsh lessons and she learns them the hard way. The story is set at the transition between the pagan and Christian religion and looks at the resulting confusion and chaos until ultimately Heledd is forced, quite horribly, to admit the new God into her heart. She has the harshest lessons of all I think.

The Winchester Goose, my latest, is more light hearted, although still replete with beheadings and suffering.

Which was the hardest for you to write?

Peaceweaver was the hardest and I will always have a soft spot for it. As you know, when writing your first novel you not only have to learn the formula of getting your writing into book form but the discipline of sitting down every day and just getting on with it. It took me about three years, I suppose. One year of research, one year writing and one year editing and rewriting. It hasn’t taken the world by storm but world domination isn’t really what I’m aiming for. Peaceweaver won me a small group of readers who wait eagerly for my next book and it is their praise that keeps me writing more.

A Tapestry of Time is a collection of short stories, how did that come about?

 I find editing my novels to be quite stifling creatively so to prevent myself from going nuts during those periods, I write shorts. I’ve had a few published in various magazines etc but it isn’t easy finding publications that take historical shorts. As my hard drive is stuffed with unpublished stories it made sense to do something positive with them. I think it was a good decision as many Kindle owners read on trains or planes or while they eat lunch and want a quick hit, so short story collections sell well and, at the same time, introduce my work to people that may otherwise have not heard of me. Many of my readers have progressed from the short story collections to my full-length novels.

Do you find short stories easy to write?

Usually, but I do have quite a few that will never see the light of day.  I find once I have a title or a few words on the page, the rest follows of its own accord. Then I put them away and bring them out later to edit when I’ve distanced myself from them. I belong to a local writing group The Cwrtnewydd Scribblers and we are set ‘homework’ once a week. Often something comes of those pieces.

Again Dear Henry: Confessions of the Queens is a collection of short stories and a current bestseller – why did you choose to write that? 

 I wrote Dear Henry: Confessions of the Queens in a workshop situation, no research, no plan, just straight out of my head. It just came out, practically as it stands apart from the quotes from letters that were added later. It was so well received by members of the group and online sites that I was encouraged to publish it as an e-book. I didn’t expect it to do anything. It went out free at first and my readers loved it, so instead of pulling it, I kept in on Kindle. It is my best seller by far and is as cheap as I can get it. Historical novelists and historians don’t rate it because it isn’t accurate but most readers love it and, after reading it, go on to buy my other novels. I have had so many requests for it as a ‘proper book’ that it will be available in paperback soon. It is very short, just a pamphlet really but it has caused me the most anguish, some reviewers are very rude which can be hard to take. Constructive criticism is always welcome but insults help no one and say more about the reviewer than they do me. In hindsight maybe I should have polished it up more but it isn’t meant as history, more as an examination of the psychological strain of living with a monster. I do stress whenever I can that I write fiction. If you want to learn history read a non-fiction history or go to classes. My books are intended for entertainment alone.

Your books are often described as ‘un-put-down-able’, why do you think that is?

I’m not sure. Lots of people have said that they flow rather well. Maybe it’s because I write in the first person and involve the reader directly in the action. I write my novels as if I am sitting in a room with the narrator and she or he (I often write as a male) is telling me their story. I am just a sort of medium, I suppose.

Also, again because they are in the first person, they are not overly descriptive. If you were to describe yourself going into your kitchen to make a cup of coffee you wouldn’t give extravagant details of the make of kettle or how the water manages to appear as if by magic from the taps. These things are all familiar to you and you don’t notice them. It’s the same with Heledd and Eadgyth and Ælf. When they move through their world they are used to the decorations in the hall and the way the walls are constructed. I give the reader enough of a picture to know where and when they are but it is the thoughts and feelings and motivations of my characters that are primary.

What hints and tips can you give to aspiring or new authors?

I’m a new author myself so I could do with someone giving some to me – ha ha. I would say, first of all, sit down and write. You aren’t a writer unless you do so. Then I would say, never think your writing is good enough. All writers, even the most successful of us, should strive for improvement so join a writing group and keep going to writing courses. Read the competition and keep writing, writing, writing. It is the best way to improve. There should never come a time when you feel you can sit back and stop trying to develop.

Editing is more important than I can say and you cannot do it yourself. I find uploading my manuscript to my kindle helps me to distance myself from the work and errors and typos then stand out much better. Get your manuscript as perfect as you can before it goes to the editor and then have it edited again before you send it off or self-publish. Once it is out there and you flick through it, you will find typos and small formatting mistakes and, if you are self-published, there are critics that will slaughter you for this. Ignore them and make your next book even better.

What are you working on now?

My current work in progress is The Kiss of the Concubine about Anne Boleyn.  You may wonder why I chose to write a novel about Anne Boleyn when there have been many other books written about her. She has been interpreted so many different ways but we never seem to tire of her. She holds an endless fascination for us.

Anne is often depicted as ambitious and greedy for power, and some authors have even given credence to accusations of witchcraft. There are endless stories in which she stoops to murder, treason and even incest but there is not one scrap of historical evidence that she was guilty of any of this.

Most of us are familiar with her story, or think we are. She captured the heart of Henry VIII, prompted his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and then failed to produce the promised heir, dying for the lack on the scaffold. But we can never really ‘know’ Anne’s story and, thanks to generations of misinterpretation, it is now almost impossible to reach her.

Since her death in 1536 she has become a synonym for evil; a seductress, an adulteress who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. In my novel I wanted to see if I could come a little closer to the real Anne. She was not a saint, not wholly innocent but certainly not guilty of the crimes she was indicted for. The Kiss of the Concubine strips away the filth that has stuck to her image, to show an ordinary woman. An intelligent girl, bred for a lucrative marriage, eager to use her position to promote church reform, aid education, assist the poor, and most of all, leave a positive mark on the historic record.

Unfortunately, after her death, her enemies painted her in very bleak colours and it wasn’t until her daughter, Elizabeth I, came to the throne that a new Anne began to emerge.

In captivating the king, the course of Anne’s life changed forever. His interest ensured she was out of the reach of other suitors and the chance of respectable marriage was removed. She could either remain chaste, become the king’s concubine – or she could marry him. With her siblings, George and Mary in tow Anne climbed high, misjudged her enemies and fell hard. Perhaps not the arrogant, immoral fortune hunter we are used to reading about but an intelligent woman, caught up in the fluctuating tide of power that surrounded the Tudor throne. 

The Kiss of the Concubine will be out soon!

What are your writing plans for the future?

Well, I had better not stop. If I can’t find the time to write I get very growly and not nice to be near so my husband, for his own sake, is very supportive. I am lucky to be able to write full time and hopefully that will continue.

I have nothing planned yet but each of my books have grown from another so I have confidence that, somewhere along the line, an idea will germinate from The Winchester Goose.

Even if I stopped publishing my work, I can’t imagine ever not writing at all. It is the creative process that I love, it’s more important to me than hitting the big time. It is a sad fact that many high earning authors are so pushed around by the publishers that their writing is suffering and readers are noticing this. More and more people in search of well-written, innovative novels are learning that the best place to look is among independent writers. I would like my books to be among them.

Check out the trailer for The Kiss of the Concubine....

It was an absolute pleasure interviewing Judith Arnopp and she is willing to giveaway one of her books - the winner gets to choose which one.  To enter, pop over to Facebook for your chance to win!

To find out more about her:

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Interview by Karen Aminadra.