Diana talks to ... Louise Rule

Louise has very kindly offered a signed copy and an ebook of her memoir, Future Confronted. To be in with a chance of winning, please leave a comment at the bottom of the page. If anyone would prefer to leave a comment on Facebook, they can follow this link to our Facebook page

Although I have known Louise online for quite a long while, I met her for real for the first time at HNS16 - the Historical Novel Societies conference that was held this year in Oxford. Louise is a lovely lady and I could have sat and talked to her all day, but various activities tugged us in different directions, though not before I had asked her a few questions.

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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!

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

Ummm, well, the book is about my son, Rob, who had blonde hair and a ginger goatee beard, and thinking about anyone playing him is a bit weird. But, if I really had to choose, then the lead role would probably have to be Brad Pitt. He doesn’t look like my son, and he’s too old, but I like him… a lot, so it’s a pure indulgence.

(Note from Diana: Hmmmmm.... good choice!! Good taste!!!)

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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?

What a great question! I would love to write a time-slip novel. I don’t have a plot line in mind, but it would definitely be set in Scotland, probably between the 14th and the 19^th century.

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

Absolutely, yes! I always have music playing. I like to play music that fits the scene that I am writing, where possible, of course. Film scores are good for this. Or if I am writing a sad, or devastating scene, then I like Mozart, or Vaughan Williams.

Now, as for a favourite cup, that really depends on what I’m drinking. If it’s tea with lemon, then it will be my red cup (I love red) with white polka dots. If it’s a latte, then it will be my tall tapered glass cup with my Nespresso coffee. But if it’s a difficult scene, or I am reading through, then it’s a milky coffee in my large, white cup, which holds half a pint. I think it’s true to say that I love coffee a wee bit more than tea.

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What is the worse book you have ever read? What made it unreadable for you?

The worst book? I don’t know that I have read a really ‘bad’ book, per se, but I have read a book that was so full of woe, it was beyond depressing. I had to read it at university, and write a 5000 word paper on it. The title was The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It is about a woman with a “nervous weakness” as it is referred to in the book, and true to the title, it is about how the protagonist sees the yellow wallpaper in the room which she is occupying. There is much said about the recurring pattern, I quote, “There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down.” I don’t know about you, but if I were in a room with that wallpaper, I think that I would have a “nervous weakness”. Even the description of the wallpaper is morbid.

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

Oh fabulous question! I’d love to be on a film set, either behind the cameras as one who sees to the continuity of each take, or as an extra. I love everything to do with the making of films, it is such a fascinating process. The idea of making worlds so that an audience can be transported… well, it really appeals to me. Back in the day, there was no such thing as ‘blue screen’ or ‘green screen’ filming, so CGI now plays a huge part in the making of many films and TV series, making the possibilities just endless. Love it!

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Coffee or tea? Red or white?

Coffee, absolutely, coffee. It’s my first drink of the day.

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 I’m teetotal. But at Christmas I will have a small glass of red wine diluted with lemonade. I know all the drinkers out there will be screaming that it is a heresy to dilute any alcoholic drink, but there you go, that’s the way I roll.

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

The short answer is that I prefer Calibri.

(Note from Diana: I love Calibri and also Plantagenet Cherokee.)

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

*Rubs hands together* Oh fabulous! I would love to get hold of the original manuscript of Paradise Lost by John Milton. I did get a lot of source material from the British Library on John Milton, as I wrote about Paradise Lost vs Genesis in the Bible, for my dissertation. I absolutely love how his mind worked, a very, very clever man. Just to see, and maybe touch, that manuscript would be the best of days.

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Historical 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?

I’m writing my first historical fiction book at the moment. It has at its core, the death of Alexander III. So, I already have a real character’s death. I don’t think that there are any ‘real’ characters that I would like to kill off, or ignore. The history of the time in which I am writing is so fascinating. One of my characters, on the other hand, I would dearly love to kill off, but every time I think, now you are for the chop matey, he still hangs around. His day will come.

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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?

Interesting. It’s not something that I would set out to do. Generally, it peeves me when I come across this, even with the Author’s Notes to explain why. In my book, the facts, as known, about the death of Alexander III, have him falling over the cliff to his death, along with his horse. There is much debate as to whether that is exactly what actually happened, so I am following ‘that’ argument in my story. No spoilers, though, sorry.

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

Yes, I am sure they very often are. After all, history is written with hindsight, and not as it actually happened. It is also someone’s point of view, how they saw it. There is a book that I read, can’t remember the title, but it revolved around one incident which was seen by several people. Each person was asked to write down an account of what they had seen, and each recollection was different, although the central core was the same. So for me, where the facts are truly known, that’s wonderful, but, yes, I do believe that fact and fiction do, most definitely become blurred, and for a writer that can only be serendipitous. 

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

I hate to admit this, but yes. Maybe “fallen in love with” is too strong a thought, but most certainly very fond of one of my characters. Another of my characters, whom I detest with a passion, just will not go… yet. But he will.

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What do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

I really enjoy reading both historical fact, and fiction, and would gladly read them all day, every day. I love the idea that the past can be brought to life through someone’s imagination, you know, breathing life into the long-dead, it’s like alchemy.

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

My latest book? For me it would be coffee, definitely, coffee. For the reader? Well, that is a loaded question. So I would have to say whatever their favourite drink happens to be.

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Last but not least... favourite historical author?

Oh, that is so not a fair question! Many of the authors that I love are my friends, either personal, or on Facebook, and Twitter. They all write so well, so thoroughly, and conscientiously, that I would hate to choose one over the other. There are those authors of whom I do not know, but admire from afar, as it were. I have to say, though, that it would like choosing which one of your children is your favourite. Can’t be done.

(Note from Diana: Yep! I'd have the same problem myself!!)

 About Louise Rule: 
I have been married to Dave for 47 years, and we have raised a wonderful family together. We had three sons, now two surviving. We have five grandsons, being two sets of twins to one son, and a singleton to the other. My family are my absolute joy, and keep me sane, and sometimes make me insane! What can I say….? They’re my family!

Dave and I live on the south coast, in Hampshire, having moved down from London 31 years ago. It’s a beautiful place, and, although I love to travel, I can’t imagine living anywhere else but here.

I published my first book, _Future Confronted_, in December 2013, but I have just republished it, (September 2014), with added content. The book is about my youngest son, Rob, who died from a brain tumour at the age of 20. _Future Confronted_ was awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion, by IndieBrag.com in September 2014, which has not only made me feel very proud, but also made me feel very humble.

I am presently in the middle of writing my first novel, which is historical fiction, and has the working title of _The Touching of Stones_. The book is about a family of stonemasons, with the story commencing at the beginning of 14th century Scotland, so there will be plenty of political intrigue and war for my characters to become involved in.

 http://louiseeruleauthor.blogspot.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/LERuleAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/louiseerule.author
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Future Confronted 

© Diana Milne July 2016 © (Louise E. Rule – 31.08.2016)

Louise Rule Interviews Paula Lofting

Below is the transcript, (warts and all), of my live interview with author, Paula Lofting. 

If you would like to listen to our interview, please click onto this link 

which will take you to the recording on SoundCloud.

Paula is kindly gifting a free e-copy of her book, Sons of the Wolf, to the first person drawn from the hat. To be in with a chance, just leave a comment here on the blog or on the blog page.

Author Louise Rule interviewing Author Paula Lofting

LR - Welcome to my interview with Paula Lofting. Paula is a re-enactor in Regia Anglorum, and author of Sons of the Wolf, the first book in an exciting series set in the 11th century. Apart from writing novels, Paula's day job is a psychiatric nurse, and in her spare time she is a prolific blogger on social media.

Welcome, Paula!

PL - Thank you, Louise, it's really good to be here.

LR - It's lovely to have you.

PL - Thank you.

LR - Could I ask you first, would you like to start by telling us a little about being a re-enactor in Regia Anglorum, and how did you become involved?

Paula ready for battle

PL - Well, when I thought about writing a book in the 11th century, I was doing some research on the net, and I stumbled across a website of the re-enactment society, Regia Anglorum, who re-enact the Dark Age, and in the period in which I was hoping to write about. I emailed them and asked them if they were going to be at the big Battle of Hastings, that year, because it was the 2006 anniversary. And they said they were, so I went along, and I was really impressed, and thought, I really need to do this. It looked like great fun, and I've been with them ever since, and they've been a great source of help to my writing, and to recreate scenes, you know, from the 11th century that I'm writing about. I've got that knowledge to pull on now, from living history and battle recreations. So it's been a really good experience.

LR - Sounds wonderful.

LR - Your first book, Sons of the Wolf, which was first published in 2012, is set in the 11th century. I understand that you intend this to be Book One in a series. Could you give us an outline of what the book is about?

PL - Yes. It's basically centred around a blood feud between two men who live in the area of Sussex at the time, and one is a thegn, and one is a land owner. And also, we see the events and the politics of the time; the events leading up to The Battle of Hastings as a back drop, which includes historical characters as well. The two main protagonists are fictional characters. I had thought about writing about Harold Godwinson, who was obviously, you know, the big hero of the time, but seeing as a lot of other people had already done that, I thought I'd like to show what impact The Battle of Hastings, and the Norman Conquest, had on the ordinary folk in England at the time. So I chose to write it about one of the middle-to-ranking members of the nobility of the time, instead of the ruling classes.

LR - It sounds really interesting, and it's quite a different angle from what other people write, isn't it?

LR - What was it that drew you to write, Sons of the Wolf?

PL - Well, I'd read a book by David Howarth, called, 1066 The Year of the Conquest, and it shows the events through the village that he was living in at the time, which was also documented as being around the 11th century. So this particular village, and its people, would have experienced the events that happened, and the invasion. They would have had first-hand experience of that, because they were there along the coast where William invaded. So this book actually inspired me to write from the ordinary person's point of view, and I wanted to show people how the impact of The Battle of Hastings impacted on the people who lived on the land, really.

LR - I think that's good really, because most people know how the main characters are in that point in history, but to see it from the ordinary person is quite unique.

LR - Sons of the Wolf, has been republished, and relaunched this spring. Could you say why you felt that you had to republish, and what do you think you gained from the experience?

PL - I first had, Sons of the Wolf, published through an assisted publisher, and after a time I thought that this was a very expensive form of self-publishing; and I realised that I was never going to be able to publish the next in the series, because of the expense. So, I withdrew my book from them, and decided that I would go it alone. I republished the book myself, with a new cover and a new edit and, The Wolf Banner, which is the next one, is going to be published soon. I think what I have learned from this process is, that you can actually do it yourself, with very little cost, apart from the cost that you actually need to produce a decent cover, and the price of an editor. And, that you don't actually have to spend the thousands that I spent on the original copy, so I've learned that. And, I've learned how to do things myself, like upload to Amazon, create the actual mobi itself, through the site, and it's been a really interesting experience. I've yet to actually produce the hard copy of the book, yet, but I'm looking forward to that process, too.

LR - That's wonderful!

LR - The Wolf Banner, is the next in the series. When do you hope to publish it, and was it more difficult to write, being part of a series?

PL - I'm hoping to publish The Wolf Banner, in early May. It was written as part of the whole book. Originally, when I wrote, Sons of the Wolf, it was as big as two books really, but I was advised to cut the book in half to make two books. So, the second half had already been written by the time I'd published the first half; but it was just a question of going through it, padding it out a little bit more, to make it a book the size of, Sons of the Wolf. And, just getting it all ready really, so, in terms of how hard it was, it's been quite hard in the way that I've had to try and piece together some scanty evidence in what happened in one of the years that I'm writing about. So that was quite difficult to get there, and actually make it fit the story. But apart from that, it's been a really rewarding experience.

LR - It sounds like you've been really resourceful.

PL - (laughs) Maybe...

LR - The cover for your, Sons of the Wolf, novel is totally amazing! Could you tell us how it was created, and is, The Wolf Banner, going to have a similar cover?

PL - The cover is really, really... Oh I was really chuffed with it. I was really blown away when I received the proof of, Charlie Kirkpatrick, who drew the horseman for me, I was absolutely blown away when I saw it. I had asked him because I'd seen him do somebody else's cover, and I thought, I want one of those! So I asked him if he could draw me a horseman, and I had given him very specific details of how I wanted the horseman to look, because, I didn't want it to look anachronistic from the 11th century warrior. So when the result came back, I was just totally amazed that he'd got every detail perfect. And what you can see on the front cover of Sons of the Wolf, is the exact replica of an 11th century horseman. I then sent it to the wonderful Dave Slaney, who created the actual design for the cover, and that's how it was done. It's the collaboration of three people.

LR - It really does look wonderful!

PL - Yes, and I really love it, and I'm going for the same look with, The Wolf Banner, obviously to keep the style the same.

LR - Do you feel that the series should have a continuity about the cover?

PL - Yes, I think that is the general consensus these days, that, you know, you make your brand and you stick with it.

LR - After all, we do need a brand as authors, don't we.

PL - Yes.

LR - Going back to the beginning, what was it that made you become a writer, was it inspiration from other books, or have you always wanted to be an author?

PL - Right from when I was a little girl, I was... felt the need to write. I had a very vivid imagination. I was always playing pretend, even on my own. You know, gradually as time went by, I became more interested in history. My Dad was one of the first people to inspire me, to take an interest in history, and also reading Rosemary Sutcliffe's books; they are wonderful for young people, and children. They really inspired me to love history, and to be curious about it. So, as I grew up, my games I used to play, my pretend games, became more historical with time. And many authors have inspired me, like Sharon K. Penman, Bernard Cornwell, Mary Steward, Elizabeth Chadwick. They inspired me to write books, but it's sort of taken a long time to actually get my feet off the ground and start actually writing.

LR - I expect trying to fit it in between working full time as a nurse has made it difficult?

PL - Very difficult, very difficult, but I'm getting there.

LR - Yes. Good.

LR - Indie authors sometimes get a 'bad press' when compared to traditionally published authors. Why do you think this is, and how does it make you feel?

PL - It doesn't really bother me, to be honest. I've seen such good stuff written about, and talked about Indie authors anyway. The bad press is out there, I guess, but it's not really in the world that I inhabit. I see a lot of positive stuff about Indies, and most of the books of people I know have written, are Indie anyway. So, I don't really know many people who have written for a main-stream, but there are some friends of mine, but, mostly, I live in an Indie world, so...

LR - So, Indie you are, and Indie, you'll stay...

PL - I think so, yeah.

LR - You are a prolific blogger, and are the founder of the group, The Review, on Facebook. Would you like to tell us how that little acorn grew into the successful blog that it is today? What do you feel its strengths are in comparison to other book-related groups?

PL - Well, as an author I was always looking for a book group that I could join, where I could interact as well as share my stuff, and promote my book. I couldn't actually find one that didn't have lots of links, that people were posting their Amazon links to 'buy my book', that sort of thing. But nobody was interacting, so I thought I may as well create one myself, and I had this idea that we use reviews as a way of promoting ourselves. We're not going to actually spam the timeline with lots of links 'to buy my book' - it's about, you know, showing people what other people have thought of your books. And it was that that I think was that what really made us different from other book groups, as well. And the fact that, we, as a group, have always encouraged interaction, and discussion. We discuss loads of things, loads of topics, and, you know, about writing, and about books, and anything creative, really. And then one day we decided to make a blog, so we could post reviews and to support authors of all kinds, really, not just Indie authors, so that's how it kind of grew. We've streamlined it a little bit, now, because most of us in The Review, most of the Admins in The Review, are involved in their own individual projects as well, so we've cut down on the submissions process. We've just re-opened it out of interest, to members of the group this time, only because we felt that most of the books that we were reviewing from our submissions process were from outside the group, rather than within the group. So, we decided to, you know, show loyalty to the people who have joined the group and have been loyal to us.

LR - That's as it should be, really, isn't it?

PL - Yes.

LR - Longship Publishing, which is in its embryonic stage, is a new venture for you and five other like-minded friends. Would you like to say what your hopes are for this venture?

PL - Well, at the moment we are just finding our way. I hope that with many individual talents one day we can make it a successful concern. But I'm not sure what that's going to look like, really, but who knows? I like things to create themselves, really, to go with the flow, and see what happens.

LR - If you don't dip you toe in the water, you're not going to know, are you?

PL - Absolutely.

LR - Your love of writing, and history is evident. What plans do you have for the future regarding your writing?

PL - Well, I hope to do more writing, but obviously working full time, and having lots of fingers in different pies, makes that difficult. I know that the more you write the better it is for your writing career, but it's finding the time. You've got to, you know, keep pounding on and keep trying to write, really.

LR - Yes, it can be a problem, I'm sure.

LR - Finally, where do you see yourself five years from now? Do you still see yourself writing, or do you see yourself doing something else?

PL - Definitely writing, definitely writing. I hope to have reduced my hours at work, and having written at least ten more books.

LR - That would be nice! (laughs)

PL - I have lots of ideas in the pipeline, so, you know, I want to just keep going, and eventually, in five years' time, hopefully, I can't ever see myself being able to give up work full time, being an author, but to at least being able to carry on my work as a nurse and an author as well.

LR - That's wonderful! Thank you very much for coming to see me today.

PL - Thank you, Louise. I think it's time to put the kettle on.

LR - I think it is! You'll excuse us while we have tea...



Paula Lofting is the author of, The Sons of the Wolf, and soon to be published, The Wolf Banner.
You can read Paula's blog here - and find her on Facebook on this link.

Louise Rule is author of Future Confronted

Louise Interviews Prue Batten About Her New Book, Tobias

Tobias by Prue Batten

Byzantium stretches a weakening grip across Eastern Europe, trying in vain to hold onto all that has made it an empire. Tyrian purple, the unique die that denotes its power, is held under close guard by the imperial house.
However a Jewish merchant from Venice has sourced an illegal supply and Tobias the dwarf minstrel and his twin brother, Tomas, begin a dangerous journey to retrieve the purple and deliver it into the merchant's eager hands.
But is this supply as secret as they had hoped?
Trade is cut throat, men are expendable, money is power and Constantinople provides the exotic backdrop during a time of scimitars and shadows.
This is Tobias - the story of a minstrel and a broken life...
 

 

Prue Batten

Welcome, Prue, thank you so much for joining me here today to chat about your new book, Tobias. 

I have really been looking forward to interviewing you about your new book, especially so, as you have left some very intriguing, 'end of the writing day', snippets from Tobias, from time to time, on Facebook.

For me, choosing an eponymous title is brave, because it gives nothing away to prospective readers. With that in mind, where did you first get the idea to write Tobias’ story?

Tobias was an endearing character in my previous trilogy, The Gisborne Saga where he first appeared in Book of Knights. In those books, he was a funny minstrel as capable of wielding a sword as a song, and he had a way of creeping under one’s skin. But of course, he had a condition that could have made or broken him during the Middle Ages, so I always knew there must be dark juxtaposed to light within. One day, my editor, John Hudspith, said, ‘You know, Tobias has a story! Why don’t you tell it?’It was a matter then, of finding the plot that would reveal his life. And find it, I did. Or to be more correct, and as is often the case – IT found me!

Tobias has a twin, Tomas. Tobias has dwarfism, (achondroplasia), does Tomas suffer from the same disease?

Rather than a disease, it should be considered a genetic condition and yes, Tomas is also a little person. There may be recorded instances of one twin being born normally and the other with achondroplasia, but for my purpose, Tomas and Toby were identical twins in every way, except for a widow’s peak on their hairline.

Having a character(s) with achondroplasia must have presented quite a few problems. I know that when you write, you are particular about collecting as much information as you can before you start, and carry on with the research as you go. Researching this condition, must have raised more questions than it answered, initially. For example, the way that the torso is compressed because of the curvature of the spine; this must create breathing problems, I would have thought. Also, the shortening of the limbs, legs particularly, must have been a more debilitating condition to endure in the time in which you have set Tobias. How did this affect your character?

Initially, I knew nothing. My first instinct was to google it and in so doing I found a wonderful blog, www.dwarfaware.wordpress.com. It’s owner, Jenovesia Porteo, has a wonderful son, Jax, with the genetic condition. Jenovesia generously answered every single question I have had through the writing process, including the seriously relevant ones of how Tobias and Tomas would cope with the rigours of the Middle Ages. There are certain acts that could kill outright and she would stop me in mid-flow and say, ‘No, that’s not possible.’

Little people can suffer claudication (compression) of the spine with certain hard physical activity, also their elbows and wrists are often fused and they can have bowlegs so bone pain is a given. As a horse-rider myself, I know how uncomfortable a hard day in the saddle can be. Imagine for a little person…

But Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones) once said, ‘I am not defined by my size.’ And ultimately that’s EXACTLY how I wanted Tobias (and Tommaso) to be seen.

I know that you have a love of embroidery. Therefore, you will have an ardent love of colour. Tyrian purple, a gloriously heady colour, of which I know little, other than it comes from sea snails. It’s understandable, therefore, that it would, by definition, be rare, and expensive. What gave you the idea of using this colour as a theme for your novel?

Hagia

There are two dyes which were highly sought after in the Middle Ages. One was purple, made from the Murex sea snails across the Adriatic, as you mentioned, and the other was red, made from kermes, the insect scale often found on oaks in the Mediterranean. For my purpose, with the Byzantines completely controlling the purple, I was enticed into a civilisation that gave so much to the modern world. I was sold on Tyrian Purple the moment I read the word ‘Byzantine’…

When you were in the early stages of writing Tobias, you posted on Facebook, on several occasions, that Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones, was the image that you held for Tobias. How important was that for you, to have Peter Dinklage’s image as a guide for Tobias?

Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones)

Very early on in my writing career, Pat Sweet, from, Bopress Miniature Books, talked to me about actors. She had been a theatre costume designer in Los Angeles in a previous life and she said to me: ‘Watch actors convey mood with their body, with their face, with their hands. Just watch.’ So I did. I found the slightest tic could be loaded, conveying the dimensions and nuances of a character. In respect of Tobias, it was doubly important because I knew no little people at all. So I watched every move Peter Dinklage made, listened to the timbre of his voice, and in the end he became Tobias for me.

I know that you have accumulated many photos on Pinterest, in relation to your research for Tobias. Many authors, including myself, like to travel to the places about which they write, within reason, of course. Do you feel that your meticulous research, which is evident in every book that you have written, would have been complimented by going to Venice, (who needs an excuse to go to Venice?) and Istanbul? And if so, why?

I have been to Venice as it happens. Quite some time ago admittedly, but I was a creature of journal-writing then, so I have a handy pile of handwritten notes from all over Europe and England. Even then, I dealt more with the sensory experience than anything, so that helped me enormously. As to Venice in the twelfth century – it was an archipelago of islets with trees and wildflowers and little flat bridges joining the place together. Saint Marks was in the process of construction, and the power of Venice as a trading centre was just on the rise, so vastly different to say, one hundred and fifty years later when things became legendary. 

Map of Constantinople

But Istanbul/Constantinople was a problem. I had never been there and so I trawled every single thing I could find on YouTube and immersed myself in the place. I read diaries from nineteenth century travellers, and then, most importantly, I relied on a friend who has lived there for many years and is still there and who had her children in the city. As I said in my Acknowledgements, she endeavoured ‘to find the unfindable’ because the reality is that twelfth century Constantinople was destroyed twice over. First in the Fourth Crusade and secondly in the Ottoman Conquest, so I faced a dilemma. But then I found http://www.byzantium1200.com/ and it became my library, my google maps, my wiki, my everything. It is a complete 3D reconstruction of everything I needed to know.

When you typed the last line of Tobias, were you sad, elated, or surprised that you had, in fact, come to the end?

Elated. It was quite a harrowing book to write and as the last words emerged, a sigh of content issued forth.

Tobias is the first in a series of three - The Triptych Chronicles – Will we see Tobias’ character carried through to the other books, or will we be treated to a completely new set of characters?

He will come and go, as will Sir Guy of Gisborne, William of Gisborne, Lady Ysabel, Mehmet al Din and others we have come to love. The next book is about Guillaume of Anjou, the Angevin archer who readers will remember from Book of Kings.

Aqueduct - Istanbul/Constantinople

I love your book covers, they are all exquisite. So, I’d love to chat with you about the cover for Tobias. I know that your daughter, Clare, designed it, and it is beautifully done, and I might add, that Tobias looks quite handsome, too. I know that you consider the cover of your books as important as the story inside. What makes you decide on the composition of your covers? What is the hook that tells you that this cover is going to work?

To be honest, I have little input in my covers. My daughter is very intuitive and we chat a little about a mood I wish to convey and we look together online for suitable portraits as we both feel close-up detail indicates that this (and the other two in the trilogy) is a very personal story. But juxtaposition and font, dark or light shading, placement, overlays of other images, I leave to her. She has won awards for her broader graphics work involving branding here in Australia, so I’m in good hands. Both she and I agree that we don’t want stock photographic images, that we want patina and a sense of a ‘Times Past’ and she manages to do that for me. She has designed eleven covers for me now. We changed covers early on when she suggested to me that a series should be bound by common threads. In The Chronicles of Eirie, you will see a border on each of the four books, on The Gisborne Saga, there is a similar mood created by a head and shoulders portrait, and this series will have the partial and very close-up portrait for each book. Each series has its own beautiful font. She also uses the faintest overlays or underlays – like a ghost whispering the story.

She also designed my website with a very talented web builder, Kim Maisch. Add to that my editor, John Hudspith, my e-formatter, Daniel Gillan, and my publisher, Darlington Press, and I’m really lucky that I have a very professional team.

Sea Wall

I know, by your posts on Facebook, that you enjoy the editing and proofreading process. For some authors this is a daunting prospect. I will count myself as one of those authors. Do you have a particular routine for editing and proofreading? What makes it enjoyable for you?

I write in long hand, so the simple act of transcribing to the computer is the first edit. Then each writing day, I read what I have transcribed the day before and edit again. That’s the process. When I have finished the novel, I print it off, do a red pen edit which takes into account historical facts. Then I send it to John Hudspith Editing Services for a definitive structural and line edit and then it comes back to me with track changes. Then I do a final read through and check that I am happy with it as a reader’s book and that’s it. 

I think the reason I enjoy it is that I like refining things, tidying, turning rough to smooth, making things work. And I’m learning all the time. And I love learning…

Finally, Prue, I know that you lead somewhat of a busy life, having a farm to run on that beautiful island of Tasmania. Do you have a special place to write, and where do you find the time to write?

Writing for me is an escape into another world entirely. I just love it. I write mostly at night and as I write in longhand, that’s invariably in bed with pad and pen. I transcribe onto a Macbook Air, so the little machine can be with me anywhere and everywhere. I don’t have a ‘space’ as such. It’s rather nice really, it means I write wherever I want, with a view out a window during the day, or tucked up on a cold night. Although, I am finding that more of the computer work must be done at a standing station because I have degeneration in some neck joints. Bah, the penalty of an ageing body! But my parting comment is that if one really loves what one is doing, one will make time to do it. Life’s too short not to!

***

Louise, I have loved these questions. Thank you so much for interviewing me, and thank you also to readers for spending the time learning about Tobias.

Thank you, Prue, it has been an absolute pleasure chatting with you, and learning about your journey with Tobias! 

You can find Prue Batten on the following links:

Prue Batten's blog - Facebook - Amazon - Goodreads - Pinterest

Louise Rule is author of Future Confronted

Louise Reviews The Last Campaign of Marianne Tambour: A Novel of Waterloo

Please not that the author is gifting a signed paperback and an ebook for two lucky winners.

See below for details.
The winners will be drawn on Thursday the 5th November

From David Ebsworth's amazon page

On the bloody fields of Waterloo, a battle-weary canteen mistress of Bonaparte's Imperial Guard battalions must fight to free her daughter from all the perils that war will hurl against them - before this last campaign can kill them both.

This book, an immense story of war, and the lives of those who live through it, deserves an accolade for astounding depth of detail, not only in the descriptions of the characters, but also in their actions. A cinematic, full colour, masterpiece. A powerfully packed novel of the history of one of the most iconic battles, that of Waterloo, told from the female perspective. Ebsworth has characters driven by their personalities, and their battle for survival. The personalities, and their struggles are such, that the characters become three dimensional, and the struggles becoming personal to the reader. We have Marianne Tambour, who is a cantiniere; Liberté Dumont, who is a female Dragoon, and informer to the police minister, Joseph Fouché.

I first have to mention the book cover for Marianne Tambour. The detail, the story beckoning, the tale of a well-known war, with the unknown personal lives that lived within that war. This is, indeed, a cover of some note.

I have read that we view a cover in a clockwise fashion. This being the case, then, I shall start with the image of the woman, top right. Is this Marianne Tambour? Then there is the title of the book, slashing the cover in half, written in blue and red, resembling a signature, perhaps; confirming the protagonist, in colours imitating the tricolour above. Below this we have three soldiers, one of whom is most definitely Napoleon. The horses look worn down, mirroring the men mounted upon them, demonstrating the bone-weariness of war. The bodies beneath the horses' hooves, strewn like discarded chaff. Then there is the author's name, supporting the entire scene, in a capitalised font; bold, underlining the image above. We then swing our vision around and back to the top of the cover, and there is the tricolour. Is it being held by Marianne Tambour? Or is it the arm of a soldier? Only reading the story within will inform.

David Ebsworth's story of intrigue within the well-known story subject of the battle of Waterloo, is inspired. It is written as a journal, of sorts, each chapter being pinned to a day, a date, and a time. A countdown, if you will.

Chapter One 

Wednesday 14th June 1815, 2.00pm 

The boning knife flashed from the left, flensed the lower buttons from Marianne's coat in the instant she jumped back, a reflex from the strange gift of premonition - or perhaps it was a curse - that she possessed.

These opening lines, of what is Marianne Tambour's last campaign, are so powerful as to warn the reader of what is to come. Mayhem, death, and a struggle for survival.

When I first started to read Ebsworth's novel, I was hooked immediately by those first opening lines. First of all, they intrigued me. A boning knife, a knife that has a particular function; that of taking flesh from bone. The image is harrowing in its starkness. Its blade is narrow, with a long point, perfect for the task. The knife, 'flensed the lower buttons from Marianne's coat', flense, an interesting verb to use, as this is the particular action of stripping blubber or skin from whales, another very particular function. For me, that would imply the stripping of Marianne's flesh from her bones in a most brutal fashion. Imagine how close that knife came as it took the lower buttons from Marianne's coat. A hair's breadth closer, and Marianne's story would be over. It is detailed description like this; that encompasses the reader, the narrative being absorbed by osmosis, tantalising, and beckoning the reader.

Whether you are on the French side, or the English side, it matters not. Ebsworth's narrative is being told not only from the female perspective, which in itself, is refreshing, but it is also being told from the French point of view. Very often, when reading about Waterloo, we are treated to the English view of the event. For me, it was like snooping behind enemy lines, if you will, overhearing, and being alarmed at the terrible events.

Marianne has a tenacity which helps her to stay alive after her husband's death. She not only has herself to look after, but also her child, Poppy. Here Ebsworth impacts the feeling of survival, a child, after all, is a precious thing, the future of a population. War is a destructor of populations, and so we are ensconced in two battles, the one of Waterloo, and the survival of Marianne, and her child.

There is much brutality in this story of war, if you could, you would look away, but the draw is to watch, to flinch, to be torqued into a curl of anxiety, followed by relief. We are manipulated by Ebsworth's text, he leads, and we follow.

This is from Chapter Eighteen: 

'Fouché tells me you're something of a sword-sharpe,' he said. More lather, she thought. That's good. She slipped her fingers inside the knuckle guard, wrapped them around the wired leather in a tug-of-war over some disputed garment. The Lieutenant's eye was drawn inevitably to them and it was the only chance that Liberté needed. 

This is a most compelling fight scene, told entirely from the female perspective. The sword-fight between Lieutenant Henry and Liberté, is written in such a way that the draught from the swords is palpable, as they sweep past. They were fighting with sabres,

These were hardly duelling blades, after all. There was no subtle slash and parry for a Dragoon, the heavy sabre either wielded straight as a lance, or hacking like a bludgeon. A butcher's clever, she always thought, this backsword, as opposed to the light cavalry sabre's flensing knife.

The sword fight is described cinematically. Detail after detail laid before the reader, jamming the brain with the same rush of adrenaline as the characters must be experiencing. I was left breathless after reading the sabre duel. I know nothing of fencing, per se, other than it is an art. So the description, so rich in its detail, left me in no doubt as to the stamina and the art, needed by the combatants.

If you like to read books about the battle of Waterloo, and you are au fait with the history, then this book is one for you. If you have no notion of the battle, then this book is also one for you. Ebsworth's fine art of creating a world, one which is both believable, and all encompassing, is a unique talent. His use of prose is superlative. Marianne Tambour, is a tour de force.

To win a copy please leave a comment below or on our Facebook page

From David Ebsworth's amazon author page:

David Ebsworth - aka - Dave McCall

David Ebsworth is the pen name of writer, Dave McCall, a former negotiator for Britain's Transport & General Workers' Unioin. Dave was born in Liverpool (UK) but has lived for the past thirty years in Wrexham, North Wales, with his wife, Ann. Since their retirement in 2008, the couple have spent about six months of each year in southern Spain. Dave began to write seriously in the following year, 2009. He has recently published his fourth work of historical fiction. The Last Campaign of Marianne Tamboiur: A Novel of Waterloo. His previous books have been about: the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745; the Spanish Civil War in 1938; and the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. Dave's main passions are his family, history, travel, Spanish food, swimming and sailing. He is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

David Ebsworth is author of many books, which can be found on amazon

You can also find him on Facebook

And on his website

Louise Rule is author of Future Confronted, a biographical account of her family's struggle to come to terms with a much loved son's terminal diagnosis and is currently writing her first historical novel, The Touching of Stones set to the background of the Scottish Wars of Independence.