Triclinium

On Inspiration: Interview with Helen Hollick

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 11:24:00 +0000

My guest today is the wonderful Helen Hollick. Helen started writing pony stories as a young teenager. She moved onto science fiction and fantasy and then discovered the delight of writing historical fiction. Helen is published in the UK and the US with her books about King Arthur and the 1066 Battle of Hastings, officially making the USA Today best seller list with her novel The Forever Queen. She also writes the Sea Witch Voyages, a series of historical adventure seafaring books inspired by her love of the Golden Age of Piracy.

As a firm supporter of independent authors, publishers and bookstores, she has recently taken on the role of Managing Editor for the Historical Novel Society’s Indie Reviews for historical fiction. Helen now lives in Devon with her husband, adult daughter and son-in-law, and a variety of pets, including a dog, two cats, and several horses.

What or who inspired you to first write?

Ruby Fergusson and Monica Edwards – they wrote pony-based stories for young adults and I so desperately wanted a pony, so I started writing stories about my own pony (she was a palomino called Tara). I thought everyone did this – lived their dream-life through writing stories. It astonished me when I eventually discovered that I was in a small minority! I then discovered Rosemary Sutcliff…. And the wonderful world of historical fiction.

What is the inspiration for your current book?

The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Well, who can resist Johnny Depp’s creation of Captain Jack Sparrow? I enjoyed the movie, it was tongue-in-cheek entertainment, with nothing about it that was meant to be taken seriously – pure fun.

I searched for novels that echoed the movie – sailors’ yarn tales of nautical adventure with an added portion of believable fantasy. I found plenty of straight nautical fiction (Julian Stockwin, C.S. Forrester, Patrick O’Brian etc) and several Young Adult novels – but not a thing for adults. So I wrote my own: The Sea Witch Voyages (Sea Witch, Pirate Code, Bring It Close, Ripples In The Sand – and On The Account is half written).

Is there a particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

I describe my protagonist, Captain Jesamiah Acorne, as a blend of Hornblower, Jack Aubrey and Jack Sparrow, with a dash of James Bond and a pinch of Indiana Jones, all mixed up with Bernard Cornwell’s Richard Sharpe. As with all such heroes, you know they will get out of trouble by the end of the book (or movie). Trouble follows my Jesamiah like a ship’s wake – you know he will survive, but the excitement comes with discovering how he manages to do so!

Each ‘Voyage’ is a read-alone adventure, but I have two other threads running through the entire series. One is a fantasy element – Tethys, the ethereal goddess-spirit of the sea wants Jesamiah’s soul, and Jesamiah himself coming to terms with his unhappy childhood and his almost non-existent relationship with his deceased father. The past unravels throughout the series, Jesamiah discovering things he did not know along with us, the readers…and myself as writer, come to that! In On The Account I intend to explore the complexity of relationships – between a male and female, and male and male. Love can be a very complicated emotion….

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

I have three! Post-Roman Britain – the fifth and sixth centuries. This is the period when if he had existed ‘King’ Arthur would have been fighting as an enigmatic warlord; the eleventh century prior to the Norman Conquest in 1066; and the Golden Age of Piracy – the early eighteenth century.

What resources do you use to research your book/s?

Mostly on-line nowadays because my sight is deteriorating and I cannot read text books as well as I used to, especially if the print is small. You must always remember, however, if working on-line to verify at least three different sources – and even then, take what you read with a large pinch of salt. The best research places on-line are the various university and professional sites.

I do have a non-fiction library here at home, with some of the books I used for my previous novels listed on my website at http://www.helenhollick.net/bibliography.html

One day I’ll get around to updating it!

Which authors have influenced you?

As I said above, the various authors of children’s pony stories, but beyond those, and not in any particular order: Rosemary Sutcliff, Mary Stewart, Sharon Kay Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick, Patrick O’Brian, C.S. Forester, James L. Nelson, Bernard Cornwell, Dick Francis, Susan Cooper, Alan Garner… and quite a few more!

What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?

Get my Roget’s Thesaurus from the shelf next to my desk. If really stuck, I go for a walk and mull over what it is I want to say – the words usually come by the time I have turned for home, gasping for a cup of tea.

Is there a particular photo, piece of art, poetry or quote that strikes a chord with you? Why?

I love any photos of the tall ship Surprise (formally Rose). She is the ‘template’ for Sea Witch: I have never been on anything bigger than a dinghy in all my life, but this ship – even just to look at a photo – immediately takes me far out to sea. I can feel her moving, hear her timbers creaking, hear the wind thrumming in the ratlines and stays, the sails cracking… she transports me to that other, very real to readers and writers world of the Imagination.

One other photo of a tall ship is precious to me. This is the ship my graphics designer, Cathy Helms of www.avalongraphics.org uses for my Sea Witch covers and all my marketing. Sea Witch – my pirate’s ship – my ship!

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Stop talking about “When I write my book” and get on and write it! And if you have decided to go Indie/Self-Published, do it properly. Get an editor, and a professional cover designer. You will only be taken seriously as an author if you present your book to the highest quality; there should not be any difference between the layout of your indie book and a mainstream one. Yet as Managing Editor of the Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews I find novels printed in Comic Sans font, with text left-justified, and or double-spaced. I have even had published novels submitted for review that have no title or information on the covers. Take pride in what you produce and don’t send your precious novel out into the world looking ragged and uncared-for.

Tell us about your next book.

Well I’ve already mentioned On The Account, which I hope will be published towards the end of 2014. I would also like to do a spin-off story based on my King Arthur Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy. Set in the fifth century, Madoc – known as Madoc The Horseman - was an officer in Arthur’s cavalry. Wounded, unable to ride, he has to seek a new life, and ends up as Arthur’s spy. His cover being that he is a horse trader. You can read a very rough draft of the first (exploratory) chapter here: http://www.helenhollick.net/h2uitem8.html

Funny how I started out at writing pony stories, and I end up doing a similar genre fifty years later!

Helen, thanks so much for sharing your sources of inspiration, and for giving us a sneak preview into On the Account!

Helen has written so many books that it's easiest to give you this link on Goodreads to the list. You can connect with Helen through social media via the links below:

Website: www.helenhollick.net
Main Blog: www.ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com
Leaning on the Gate – Devon Diary: www.leaningonthegate.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HelenHollickAuthor
Twitter: @HelenHollick
Newsletter : www.h2unews.blogspot.co.uk

If you enjoyed this interview, why not share it? Here's a tweet you could use:)

Read On Inspiration with @HelenHollick on Triclinium blog by @elisabethstorrs #histfic #interviews #inspiration http://ow.ly/xHsIz

Elisabeth Storrs is the author of The Wedding Shroud and The Golden Dice, the first two books in the Tales of Ancient Rome series. The third book, Call to Juno, will be released in 2015. Subscribers to her newsletter will receive a free copy of her newly released short story, Dying for Rome: Lucretia’s Tale.

My Main Character Blog Hop: Aemilia Caeciliana in the Tales of Ancient Rome

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 20:18:00 +0000

Alison Morton has tagged me in this blog hop where I’ll answer questions about my main character in the Tales of Ancient Rome series. Alison writes a series of alternative history “what if” thrillers set in Roma Nova, a survival of the Roman Republic which is located in Central Europe and which by the 21st Century women have not just achieved true equality but something approaching dominance. The first two books, Inceptio and Perfiditas have already been published and the third, Successio, is due in mid-2014. You can find out more about them at her website, and please visit her blog to read the answers to her questions about her own main character.

Here are my answers:

What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

My Caecilia (Aemilia Caeciliana) is a young Roman woman who is the neglected half-caste child of a wealthy plebeian man and a patrician woman. When she is orphaned, her uncle and the generals of Rome use her as a pawn in their political ambitions by marrying her to an enemy Etruscan nobleman, Vel Mastarna, to seal a tenuous truce between the warring cities of Rome and Veii.

When and where is the story set?

The Wedding Shroud commences in 406 BC in the Rome of the early Republic but the action soon moves to Veii, an Etruscan city that lies only twelve miles across the Tiber from its neighbour. Caecilia leaves behind the austere Rome to discover an hedonistic culture which offers education, independence and sexual freedom to women and forces her to grapple with conflicting moralities. Ultimately she must determine where her loyalties lie: her birthplace or her husband’s world. Her decision to forsake Rome leads to war. Seven years later, in The Golden Dice, Caecilia is perceived as an enemy by the Veientanes yet knows that, if Veii should fall, the Romans would execute her as a traitoress. In the upcoming Call to Juno, Caecilia must summon even greater reserves of strength at the height of the siege to prove her loyalty to Mastarna’s people, and ensure the survival of her family.

What should we know about her?

Caecilia is born into an insular and intolerant society where women were considered the possessions of either their father or husband, and could be killed for adultery or even just for drinking wine. Furthermore they were expected to adhere to ‘Roman virtues’ such as modesty, piety and chastity. She was a lonely child, neglected by her parents, although her father later grew to love her and provided her with an education which was unusual in Rome. Her natural intelligence and inclination to question authority irritates the generals who are prepared to wed her to an enemy in a situation that may well lead her to being held as a hostage to war. She is bears a purple birthmark on her throat which portends that her life will not be smooth in the eyes of the Romans yet is believed by Mastarna to be the sign of a fortunate marriage. When she encounters the liberal, decadent Etruscan world with its mystical religion, she is at times bewildered and confronted yet is also curious to experience new ways (and she does love Etruscan pretty shoes and jewellery)! Apart from being naive and vulnerable, she can be very, very stubborn, (and prudish) which often causes her to ‘takes two steps forward and one step back’ throughout her time in Veii (which causes some readers to be frustrated with her, or even dislike her.) She is not above temptation, though, and slowly shrugs off her inhibitions when it comes to the pleasure Vel Mastarna gives her. Most importantly she is a survivor who must withstand constant threats from forces both within and without her husband’s city. In The Golden Dice, we see her mature into a loving wife and mother who wants to prove her loyalty to her adopted home. And she again shows the true courage required by women in war to protect their children while their warrior husbands face the constant threat of death.

What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

Caecilia finds herself thrust into the decadent, sophisticated and opulent world of Veii with its intriguing and mystical religion (which she learns also has a dark and savage side). The liberal nature of Etruscan society both delights and frightens her as it causes her to question all that she has been taught in Rome, and all that she believes in. By the end of The Wedding Shroud, Caecilia must choose between Veii or Rome. In The Golden Dice, she must prove to her adopted people that she is no longer loyal to Rome which, in turn, requires her to question if she really wants to see her birthplace destroyed. In Call to Juno, as both sides line up for the ultimate conflict, Caecilia must finally determine whether she can ever be wholly Etruscan and exorcise the ‘Roman’ remaining within her.

What is the personal goal of the character?

Caecilia endeavors to understand the conflicting moralities, beliefs and loyalties of the two societies while always striving to ensure those whom she loves are kept safe.

Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it? When can we expect the book to be published?

Call to Juno is currently being written and will be released in 2015.

And who am I tagging to answer the same questions on their blog on 24 April?

GS Johnston

G.S. Johnston is an author of two historical novels, The Skin of Water and Consumption, noted for their pithy complex characters and well-researched settings. In one form or another, Johnston has always written, at first composing music and lyrics. After completing a degree in pharmacy, a year in Italy re-ignited his passion for writing and he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Feeling the need for a broader canvas, he started writing short stories and novels. The latest novel, The Cast of Troppmann’s Hand, has taken many years to write. Inspired initially by an exhibition of phrenology death masks at the Musée d'Orsay in 2001, a tributary of ideas led to the stream of the story. For more news and information, Johnston’s blog can be found at www.gsjohnston.com

Iva Polansky

Born in Prague, in the former Czechoslovakia, and now living with her husband in Calgary at the foot of the Canadian Rockies, Iva Polansky has authored several non-fiction books in French and English. Her novels are Fame and Infamy and Sonya’s War. Iva is also a co-founder of Historical Fiction eBooks established in 2010.

Elisabeth Storrs is the author of The Wedding Shroud and The Golden Dice, the first two books in the Tales of Ancient Rome series. The third book, Call to Juno, will be released in 2015. Subscribers to her newsletter will receive a free copy of her newly released short story, Dying for Rome: Lucretia’s Tale.

On Inspiration: Interview with Eva Stachniak

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 02:12:00 +0000

My guest today is Eva Stachniak author of The Winter Palace, her novel of Catherine the Great which was an international bestseller, and has been included in The Washington Post 2012 list of most notable fiction. Empress of the Night, her second Catherine the Great novel, has just been published in Canada and the US. It is also available in the UK, Australia and New Zealand as an e-book.

Eva was born and raised in Wrocław, Poland. She moved to Canada in 1981 to pursue her post-graduate degree in English at McGill and now lives in Toronto. She has worked for Radio Canada International (Montreal) and Sheridan College (Oakville) where she taught English and humanities. Her debut novel, Necessary Lies, won the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award in 2000.

What or who inspired you to first write?

It was the love of reading at first. I’ve always been an avid reader. Ever since I realized that authors were real people, I wanted to be a writer, imagine and tell my own stories. But I found the courage to actually do it only after I emigrated from Poland to Canada in 1981. My new Canadian friendships always began with questions about my homeland. It was the time of the Solidarity crisis, when Poland was on everyone’s lips. I began by telling stories of the city I was born in and its complicated Polish and German past. Stories turned into novels…and here I am.

What is the inspiration for your current book?

Empress of the Night is the second novel in my two-book project on Catherine the Great. Both were inspired by the formidable Russian Tsarina who always loomed large in Polish consciousness. It was under her rule that Poland was wiped out from the map of Europe. I was always aware of Catherine’s existence and her powerful presence, but only when I decided to write about her that I saw a woman and a politician behind the empress.

Is there a particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

In The Winter Palace I explored the influence Catherine the Great exerted on her political supporters and friends. In Empress of the Night I wanted to examine a powerful woman from the inside, at her moments of triumph and defeat. I wanted the reader to understand better what it meant to be empress of 18th century Russia, an upcoming political power, and what it cost her.

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

I’ve written three novels rooted in the 18th century, because this is when the modern era began. Political decisions made at that time still touch our lives. Poland—partitioned in the 18th century—regained her independence only in 1918, at the end of WWI, which also saw the end of the Romanov rule of Russia. The current Crimean crisis can serve as yet another example, for it was Catherine the Great who took the Crimea from the Ottoman Turks in 1783.

I also have to confess that 18th century women attract me more than their 19th century daughters. They are much more earthy, unashamed of their sexuality, ready to take power if given half a chance. Very modern in many ways.

What resources do you use to research your book/s?

I read biographies of all my major characters; I read their memoirs, if they left any, and letters. I also talk to historians, and anyone who can shed light on any aspect of my character’s lives. A doctor to whom I described Catherine’s symptoms diagnosed her with diabetes, a detailed not mentioned by her biographers.

I travel to places I write about. I need to position myself in the physical space where I set my novels. In St. Petersburg I walked all over the oldest part of the city, from The Winter Palace to the Nevsky Prospect, to Vasilyevsky Island, the Peter and Paul Fortress, along the Embankment, walks I describe in my novels. I visited other suburban palaces where Catherine the Great lived—Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo—and where her traces are still very much visible.

I also visit museums and art exhibits, looking for pictorial representation of life at different historical periods. I search for the details of ordinary lives, a dog’s collar, the shape of a pitcher or flower vase, a child’s toy.

Which authors have influenced you?

It’s a hard question for there have been so many, starting from the beloved writers of my childhood, Astrid Lindgren, Mark Twain, Lucy M. Montgomery. More recent influences include Hilary Mantel, a genius of historical novel writing, Kate Grenville, whose The Secret River is one of my favourite historical novels of all times, Rose Tremain whose Music and Silence I often return to, and Penelope Fitzgerald whose novels may seem short, but they manage to contain whole worlds.

What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?

Leave a blank space and do something else. Read poetry. Garden. Go for a walk. Something always triggers an association.

Is there a particular photo, piece of art, poetry or quote that strikes a chord with you? Why?

There is a Henry David Thoreau’s quote I keep on my desk

‘If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.’

I started writing when I was in my forties and maybe this is why I find this admonition to be confident, to go where my imagination takes me, resonates with me. I take the word success to mean many things. Satisfaction, a sense of purpose, a deep joy of spending my days in the flow of work I love.

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Write and read every day. Do not wait for inspiration. It will come when you are working. Polish your writing until it becomes smooth and hard and you cannot polish it anymore without damaging it. Then—and only then—show your work to your trusted readers. Listen to their comments carefully, with an open mind, especially if they do not praise you. Criticism may hurt, but if it is merited and free of malice, it makes you grow. There is nothing more sobering than making your reader laugh when all you wished for were tears.

Tell us about your next book.

I’m now working on a book set among Russian exiles in interwar Europe—thus closing the Russian theme of my last two novels. I’m still researching these years, the last decade of the Russian empire before the Revolution of 1917, the fate of Catherine’s descendants, and the wonderful explosion of art that took place at that time. I study the Ballets Russes, dancers, choreographers, musicians and painters who dazzled Europe with their art, a vibrant, creative group, tightly woven into the cultural tapestry of Europe. I find their lives full of passions and drama. This is what I want to write about.

Many thanks for sharing your sources of inspiration with me, Eva. I hope Empress of the Night is a massive success, and I'm glad Australian readers have the chance to buy it here, too.

You can learn more about Eva and her books on her website, and she would love to connect with you via Facebook and Twitter.

The Winter Palace re-imagined the rise of Catherine the Great through the watchful eyes of her servant. Now, in Empress of the Night, Catherine takes center stage, reliving her astonishing rule over an empire, and the sacrifices that made her the most feared and commanding woman of her time.

'…ambitious…structurally complex and psychologically intense Empress of the Night aims for Hilary Mantel. Stachniak’s writing is distinct, however, especially in vivid description of sensory details: perfume, sweat and the click of heels on polished floorboards.'

Quill & Quire (Canada)

'Empress of the Night … casts light on Catherine’s life with unflinching honesty and intimacy. This fun novel of lovers, intrigue and malicious and manipulative nobility keeps readers enthralled with every page…'

Virtuoso Life Magazine (US)

'Stachniak’s absorbing novel opens readers’ hearts to an extraordinary and misunderstood woman …wonderfully written, Stachniak’s story vibrates with passion, drama, and intrigue. This is a feast for fans.'

Romantic Times Magazine (US)

'…historical fiction fans will appreciate this personal account of a formidable and, indeed, infamous ruler.'

Library Journal (US)

Empress of the Night is available in all Amazon stores including Amazon US, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK and, of course, Amazon Australia.

New Release of Dying for Rome: Lucretia's Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:37:00 +0000

I'm delighted to announce that I've released Dying for Rome: Lucretia's Tale, the first story in a new collection entitled Short Tales of Ancient Rome, in which I retell the legends and history of Rome from a fresh perspective.

Dying for Rome: Lucretia’s Tale retells the historic story of the tragic girl whose death inspired the men of Rome to rise up against a tyrant king and establish the Roman Republic. Was she a victim or a champion? A pawn in political schemes or the catalyst for rebellion? In this vivid short story, I explore Lucretia’s character to reveal a tender portrait of a young girl misused by men who transforms into a woman with a passion for justice.

The dramatic stories of dark deeds, love and power surrounding the foundation of Rome are hard to resist. In fact, I was inspired to write Lucretia's Tale after the interest shown by readers in my blog post, Dying for Rome. What particularly intrigues me is that significant political change against oppressive rulers often eventuated as the response to the unjust death of a woman. As such, the death of the ravaged and self-sacrificing Lucretia is depicted by Roman historians as being the spur for revolution. Lucretia is not seen as an instigator of reform in her own right. In Lucretia's Tale, I have tried to explore the woman behind the legend.

As you know, I'm a mad Etruscophile, so it was difficult for me to write a story where the Etruscans are cast as the villains. In the legend, Lucretia is raped by Sextus, the son of the last Etruscan king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud. People often mistakenly assume that the Etruscans conquered Rome given the existence of the three Etruscan monarchs. In fact these men ruled over the Romans through political maneuvering at a time when aristocrats migrating between different city states managed to gain supreme office through elections. To my mind, the Tarquinian royal family are probably painted blacker by Roman historians than they might have been. After all, it was during their reign that Rome changed from being a collection of mud huts in a swamp into a well drained city with famous landmarks such as the Circus Maximus and the Great Temple of Jupiter on the Capitol Hill. Alas, history is written by the victors so we'll never know what the Etruscan rulers were truly like. Accordingly, until such time as evidence emerges to counter the "bad press," the expulsion of the Tarquins will continue to be heralded as one of the most successful rebellions of the ancient world.

To celebrate the release of Dying for Rome: Lucretia's Tale, subscribers to my newsletter can obtain a FREE copy. I hope you'll take advantage of my offer. Otherwise, you'll find a copy on all major digital retail sites including at Amazon.

The cover features the stunning painting "Lucretia and Tarquin" by Simon Vouet.

Help with spreading the word would be appreciated. Here's a tweet you could use :)
Dying For Rome: Lucretia's Tale by @elisbethstorrs Was she a victim or a champion? FREE to subscribers http://ow.ly/vxsaU #histfic

Winner of the 2014 Australia Day Giveaway Blog Hop!

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 01:59:00 +0000

Thanks to all for visiting Triclinium and participating in the Australia Day blog hop giveaway. I'm delighted to announce that Sharon has won a Kindle copy of Kate Morton's The Shifting Fog, and ebook editions of M.K. Tod's Unravelled and my own book, The Golden Dice: A Tale of Ancient Rome.

As a special treat for all those that entered the giveaway, I would like to offer an ebook edition of The Golden Dice as well. Please email me to claim a copy at elisabeth@elisabethstorrs.com.

Many thanks to M.K Tod for agreeing to be interviewed for the blog hop. I loved learning about your sources of inspiration. I'm looking forward to the release of Lies Told in Silence.

A big thanks also to Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for organising the hop once again! I recommend reading her blog for wonderful reviews and giveaways throughout the year.

Can't wait for Australia Day 2015!

Open up to Indies Campaign - Alliance of Independent Authors

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 01:38:00 +0000

As a traditionally published author who has found incredible freedom by moving into self-publishing, I've joined the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), an organisation committed to championing the rights of self-published ('indie') authors globally.

ALLi is running the Open Up to Indies campaign to encourage and aid literary events, festivals, prizes, reviewers, booksellers and other interested parties to find ways to include self-publishing authors in their programs, events, listings and reviews.

I recently wrote an opinion piece for the ALLi blog about the failure of the organisers of the Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards to allow self-published authors to enter the competition Australian Prime Minister's literary awards let indie authors down. The truth of the matter is that more and more indie authors are being accepted for the quality of their writing. I also believe readers who are discovering ebooks or paperbacks online don't necessarily bother to check whether they are trade published. Certainly many well known authors are also dabbling in self-publishing as they seek to remove themselves from onerous, one-sided contracts where the rights to their books are hoarded by publishing houses that have no intention of promoting such novels past their 'used by' date.

I was thrilled last week that both my books, The Wedding Shroud and The Golden Dice, were mentioned in the 2013 Australian Women Writers' Challenge round up with no need to add the qualification that I was an indie author. How wonderful to be in the hallowed company of Kate Morton, Hannah Kent and Kate Forsyth! The Golden Dice has also been named as one of the most memorable reads of 2013 by Sarah Johnson, the reviews editor of the Historical Novels Review. A similar mention was made on Historical Tapestry and Confessions of an Avid Reader blogs alongside other international historical fiction authors. I hope in the future, there will be a similar attitude taken by all literary events, reviewers, awards and journals. There are always poorly written books in the marketplace whether they be produced by publishing houses or indies. I believe that readers are finally being given the power to choose the books they want to read rather than those only made available to them through the biased funnel of the traditional publishing model.

I'd love it if you would consider signing the petition to support the Open Up to Indies Campaign.

And a happy 2014 to all - let's get stuck into those TBR piles! And you can get a chance to add to them by taking a look at the AUSTRALIA DAY GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP.

Australia Day Blog Hop: Interview With M K Tod

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Aussies celebrate Australia Day this weekend! To give you a chance to share in the celebrations I'm offering the chance to win a Kindle version of Kate Morton’s The Shifting Fog together with an ebook version of The Golden Dice: A Tale of Ancient Rome in the AUSTRALIA DAY BOOK GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP.

As part of the blog hop, I’m delighted to interview M.K Tod, author of Unravelled on her sources of inspiration. As a bonus - M.K is also offering an ebook version of Unravelled in tandem with her interview with me - I'm bending the rules a little here as M.K is a Canadian author :0)

Make sure you visit Shelleyrae at Book'd Out to find out other blogs who are participating in the Blog Hop - more chances for you to win books by great Aussie authors! And many thanks to Shelleyrae for organising the hop:)

The AUSTRALIA DAY BOOK GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP is open for entries until Midnight January 28. Open internationally! Winners will be announced by 4 February. To be entered into the raffle, just read M.K's interview, comment and name the title of her next book.

What or who inspired you to first write?

My grandmother died on the way to her second wedding. I had always thought this would make a dramatic ending for a story and when I found myself living in Hong Kong with oodles of time on my hand, I decided to research my grandparents’ lives and times. Research proved seductive, as did my early attempts to create sentences, paragraphs and chapters. I fell in love with WWI and have now written three novels set in that era.

What is the inspiration for your current book?

Lies Told in Silence—the novel I am currently polishing—is the story of Helene Noisette who is sixteen when WWI begins. Believing that Germany will make straight for Paris if war occurs, Helene’s father, Henri Noisette, sends Helene along with her mother, grandmother and younger brother to northern France where he feels they will be safe from potential attack. As it turns out, Helene and her family are closer to the front lines than they would have been in Paris and experience war in a more direct fashion. After finishing Unravelled, I felt Helene’s story needed to be told and was intrigued at the thought of writing a novel that was in no way confined by family history. I also love France!

Is there a particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

Lies Told in Silence is a coming of age story that examines love and loss, duty and sacrifice and the unexpected consequence of lies. I’ve tried to show how war affects those behind the lines, women who fear for their loved ones and who struggle to survive.

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

Had you asked me ten years ago whether I would have become so immersed in tales set during WWI, I would have said ‘no way’ since history was never a subject I enjoyed at school and war is far too gruesome. However, as I explored, I became fascinated with understanding what my grandfather lived through. He had been in the trenches; he had been gassed; he had fought at Vimy Ridge and other battles where so many soldiers were killed. It was my grandfather who would have lost his innocence just like so many others and this realization made it personal, not abstract. Beyond that was the realization of what women went through, coping with loss, with absence, with shortages, with fear. I constantly ask myself whether I would have had the strength to do what so many of our grandparents and great grandparents did.

Now that I know more about WWI, I am awed at those who fought, at their everyday bravery and their dedication to ideals that stood at the heart of what countries like Canada stood for.

Is there a particular photo, piece of art, poetry or quote that strikes a chord with you? Why?

On my desk I have two bulletin boards where I post photos, articles and other items. At the moment these boards are tucked away because we are selling our house, however, I can tell you that I have several photos from a WWI museum my husband and I visited posted on them. Photos of soldiers walking a battlefield, the bombed out town of Ypres, a forest that has been decimated except for tree stumps, soldiers wearing gas masks. In addition, there is a photo of my grandfather in WWI uniform at the age of nineteen.

What resources do you use to research your book/s?

Beyond a growing collection of fiction and non-fiction books about WWI, I’ve used a number of favourite websites, the Canadian collection of World War One battalion diaries, BBC and CBC radio broadcasts, Fullbooks and Project Gutenberg, the diaries and letters of soldiers, museum visits, personal travel, Google Maps, movies, and online fashion sites.

Which authors have influenced you?

Rather than specific authors, my approach has been to read as much historical fiction as I can, learning from each author individually. I underline passages that appeal to me, and try to figure out why. I look at style, technique, phrasing, rhythm, story structure, character descriptions and so on so I can appreciate what works and what doesn’t.

What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?

Often I pick up a novel at random and flip through pages looking for ideas. Sometimes I open my grandmother’s book of quotations and again look for ideas. At other times, I leave my desk and do something completely different for a while. I carry a small notebook with me and jot ideas down when they strike. These can be helpful as well. As a last resort I type XXX and return to the passage later.

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

During the past two years, I’ve conducted two surveys exploring what readers think about historical fiction. Survey results offer some very interesting facts about why people read historical fiction, what detracts from their enjoyment of historical fiction and their favourite kinds of stories. I recommend the surveys as one source of advice. Like many, I’m still relatively new to creating and publishing novels, but I have discovered that marketing activities are almost as important as the writing itself so you need to take marketing seriously. I would also recommend reaching out to the community of historical fiction authors, a very supportive group of individuals who hang out on Facebook, Twitter, the Historical Novel Society and other places.

M.K Tod writes historical fiction and blogs about all aspects of the genre at A Writer of History. Her debut novel, Unravelled: Two wars. Two affairs. One marriage.is available in paperback from Amazon (US, Canada and elsewhere), and as an e-book from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and on iTunes. Mary can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Thanks for sharing your sources of inspiration with me, M.K. You take on an enormous job in conducting your survey. I, for one, am very grateful for the insight into my favourite genre. Here are the results of the 2013 Historical Fiction Survey. M.K has also just released the results of the 2013 Favourite Historical Fiction Authors.

Unravelled: Two wars.Two affairs. One marriage.

In October 1935, Edward Jamieson's memories of war and a passionate love affair resurface when an invitation to a WWI memorial ceremony arrives. Though reluctant to visit the scenes of horror he has spent years trying to forget, Edward succumbs to the unlikely possibility of discovering what happened to Helene Noisette, the woman he once pledged to marry. Travelling through the French countryside with his wife Ann, Edward sees nothing but reminders of war. After a chance encounter with Helene at the dedication ceremony, Edward's past puts his present life in jeopardy.

When WWII erupts a few years later, Edward is quickly caught up in the world of training espionage agents, while Ann counsels grieving women and copes with the daily threats facing those she loves. And once again, secrets and war threaten the bonds of marriage.

With events unfolding in France, England and Canada, Unravelled is a compelling novel of love, duty and sacrifice set amongst the turmoil of two world wars.

Remember - to win a Kindle edition of Kate Morton's The Shifting Fog and ebooks of The Golden Dice: A Tale of Ancient Rome and Unravelled, please comment and name the title of M.K Tod's next book.

Enjoy Australia Day!

Elisabeth Storrs is the Australian author of the Tales of Ancient Rome series. Subscribe to her newsletter for news and special offers here.

Review - Burial Rites by Hannah Kent - Goodreads Choice Awards for 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 11:22:00 +0000

I recently reviewed Hannah Kent's debut novel, Burial Rites, on Goodreads. I was delighted to discover that my rather brief review was chosen as the top review of Kent's book by Newsweek in connection with their promotion of the finalists in the historical fiction category of the Goodreads Choice Awards for 2013. This young Australian author's writing is superb and I wish her luck in the competition. I'm also pleased to see that another author from the Antipodes is represented in the top ten as Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries is also nominated. Make sure you register your vote as well by visiting Goodreads. I guess you know who has my vote!

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a stunning debut novel. Here's hoping Hannah Kent has other tales to tell. Her language is lyrical and the character of Agnes is complex and poignant. In a way, there is a cruelty in how Kent draws the reader into Agnes' soul when one knows the inevitable heartbreak that lies in store for her. The other characters' gradual affection for the doomed woman is also cleverly evoked. At first I found the interpolation of official records to be distracting but ultimately I found myself returning to them to fully understand the attitudes of the time. We may never really know what Agnes Magnusdottir was like, or whether she was complicit in the murders, but Kent is to be lauded for this beautiful rendering of a woman whose life was beleaguered from childhood and had to survive the cold, harsh world of Iceland's landscape, prejudices and law.

View all my reviews

2013 Historical Fiction Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 05:28:00 +0000

The wonderful MK Tod from A Writer of History blog conducted a survey of historical fiction readers last year to ascertain just what readers exactly love about this genre. The survey uncovered insights about those who read historical fiction and those who do not-demographics, story preferences, favourite time periods, reasons for reading or not reading this genre, top authors, the different perspectives of men and women, sources of recommendations and so on. Here are some of the highlights of the 2012 survey.

The 2013 survey will augment these results with a broader focus on reading habits as well as social media’s role in enhancing the reading experience. Survey questions were developed in collaboration with Richard Lee, Founder of the Historical Novel Society.

Whether you read historical fiction or not, please take a few minutes to complete the survey. To add to the robustness of data collected, please pass the survey URL along to men and women of all ages and in any part of the world you can reach!

Aussie readers were only a small segment of responders last time so, all my compatriots, here's your chance to have your say :) I know Mary and Richard would be delighted to hear your opinion.

Click here to access the survey. Have fun!

Who were the Mysterious Etruscans?

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 03:00:00 +0000

There is a tale told by Herodatus, the famous Greek historian, about a wily prince called Tyrrhenus who saved his people by encouraging gambling. The story goes like this. Once in the land of Lydia there came a time when the harvest could no longer fill the bellies of all. So the king cast half his subjects, led by his son Tyrrhenus, adrift upon the sea to find another realm or perish. The prince landed safely in Italy, but until crops could be sown and reaped the first survivors had to scrounge for food and shiver through winter. Yet not one person died. For Tyrrhenus commanded that half the people take it in turns to eat the supplies they had brought with them while the other half gambled until spring arrived. Thereafter he called his people the Tyrrhenians.

Greeks like Herodatus called these people Tyrrhenians but we know them today as the Etruscans. The land in which they settled was known as Etruria and was primarily located in the areas of Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany. However the Etruscan’s influence spread across Italy, north to the Po River and south to Campania.

The Etruscans features were very distinctive; their straight noses and almond shaped eyes distinguished them from other peoples living in Italy at the time. Their language and script was also markedly different. As a result, their origins have long been debated. Was Herodatus speaking the truth when he said the Etruscans came from Lydia? Or were they simply a people who were native to Italy?

Some modern historians contend the Etruscans were indigenous as did another ancient Greek historian, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, who lived in imperial Roman times. And Livy, a Roman historian who lived in the Augustan age, believed the Etruscans came to Italy from the north, over the Alps. Some current day archaeologists give credence to Herodatus’ claim that the Etruscans migrated from Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) because he lived in the C5th BCE and had contemporary knowledge compared to Dionysius and Livy.

It is no wonder, then, that the Etruscans have been dubbed ‘mysterious.’ But where did they come from? Perhaps all three options are useful when researching the ethnicity of these people. Evidence from the Bronze Age (3300-1200 BCE) established their presence in Italy. By the end of the Iron Age (1200-550 BCE) their culture had flourished to such an extent they controlled a trading empire extending from France and the Black Sea throughout the Mediterranean, Near East and Egypt. Indeed, their sculpture, artwork, decorative furniture, gilded artefacts and jewellery were all heavily reminiscent of Assyrian and Phoenician culture. Consequently it appears Etruscan society could have been based on an existing Italian culture which was further developed with waves of migration over a considerable period of time.

What about genetic testing? Attempts have been made to establish ethnicity through DNA sampling. The result? Inconclusive. A sample taken from the bones found in tombs revealed affinities with European populations whereas genetic material taken from modern day Tuscan descendants shows Near Eastern markers.

And what do the Etruscans themselves say? For many years their language was considered indecipherable but the discovery of three thinly beaten sheets of gold known as the Pyrgi Tablets advanced efforts to decode Etruscan writing. The sheets were engraved with a dedication to the goddess Astarte in both Etruscan and Phoenician script. This bilingual text assisted archaeologists to decipher the Etruscan language just as the Rosetta Stone unlocked the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Unfortunately, though, understanding their words has not helped. Very little Etruscan literature remains other than inscriptions and the remnants of ritual texts. There are no works by Etruscan historians, poets or writers for us to translate. Instead we are left with the commentary of their victors, the Romans and Greeks.

Whoever the Etruscans were, one thing is certain – their culture fascinates me and has held my attention for over fifteen years of research. They afforded independence, education and sexual freedom to their women. And their religion developed the art of divination to a science. This liberal, mystical and cosmopolitan society inspired me to write the Tales of Ancient Rome series which chronicles the events of a ten year conflict between Republican Rome and Veii, a city described as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Etruscan world. It is the tale of two lovers who are blamed for starting a war, and the journey of three women to survive a siege.

This essay was first published as a guest post at HFeBooks.

On Inspiration: Alison Stuart

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 08:21:00 +0000

My guest today is fellow Aussie, Alison Stuart, who is an award winning writer of historicals with heart. Whether duelling with dashing cavaliers or waywards ghosts, her books provide a reader with a meaty plot and characters who have to strive against adversity, always with the promise of happiness together. Alison is a lapsed lawyer who has worked in the military and fire service, which may explain a predisposition to soldier heroes. She lives with her own personal hero and two needy cats and likes nothing more than a stiff gin and tonic and a walk along the sea front of her home town. She loves to hear from her readers and can be found at her website, facebook, twitter and Goodreads. Her latest book, Gather the Bones, is a “Downton Abbeyesque” haunting love story set in 1923.

What or who inspired you to first write?

Elisabeth, I can’t think of a time in my life when I wasn’t writing. Somewhere in the attic there are still notebooks filled with stories, probably all bearing a vague resemblance to whatever book I had just read. My best friend at school was also a budding writer and we made a pact to write our first novels. We would spend our lunchtimes perched in the willow tree working away...mine was (of course) and English Civil War story and hers science fiction. She became a published author years before me!

But probably my greatest influence was my fourth form English teacher who was probably the first person to tell me that there was a spark of something there and to actively encourage my “creative writing”. I didn’t write for many years after leaving school, until a skiing accident left me with a dislocated shoulder and a primitive notebook computer alone in a ski chalet in the Australian Alps. I haven’t stopped writing since.

What is the inspiration for your current book?

I will talk about my September 2012 release, Gather The Bones, which was by far the most complex book I have written, not only does it cross genres (mystery, history, romance and ghosts) but also tackles the theme of war (which I will discuss below). A number of different influences came together to bring this book to fruition, but the first is probably a professional interest in military history (I am a former Army officer). Visiting the battlefields of World War One and spending time at the graveside of a young relative moved me profoundly.

Is there a particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

I particularly wanted to explore the affect of war on individuals, not just the soldiers but the families they left behind. To do this I paralleled the World War One narrative with the diary of a young wife during the Napoleonic wars to show that the experience was universal across the ages.

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

My absolute passion is the English Civil War and has been since I was a child. It is such a little understood period of English history and yet so much of what we enjoy today in terms of our legal and democratic “freedoms” flowed from this short experiment with republicanism. Something about the doomed King with his long hair and pearl earrings and the “dour” parliamentarians appealed to me. There was a family legend that we were descended from a regicide so that helped to colour the attraction for me.

I have written two historicals with romance set in this period, By The Sword and The King's Man (and one time travel romance, Secrets In Time, which may count as half a book!)

What resources do you use to research your book/s?

I have a lifetime’s accumulation of books on the English Civil War. Although I am a great user of the internet for research, sometimes you just have to go back to a b-o-o-k.

I am also a great traveller and at one time or another I have visited all the places I have written about. There is nothing like walking the ground your characters walk and smelling the same air to add veracity to your writing.

Which authors have influenced you?

The biggest influence on me was probably Rosemary Sutcliff. She wrote well researched historical novels for young people and is probably best known for Eagle of the Ninth (your own period, Elisabeth!). I devoured her books and reread them again and again.

What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?

I put an asterix and move on... or I hit “thesaurus” in the word processing package.

Is there a particular photo, piece of art, poetry or quote that strikes a chord with you? Why?

<Looks around office and just sees a muddle>. Hmm...2 things:

I have a small leaden statue of a Roundhead soldier that has sat on the shelf above my computer for twenty years. I thought I had lost him and I was heartbroken but he turned up and I couldn’t imagine writing without him looking over me.

The second object is an original seventeenth century John Speed map of “Invasions of England and Irelande” which my father gave me. It has travelled everywhere with me.

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Just write the book...but don’t expect that first draft to be of the quality that is submissible to an editor. The important thing is to get the story down so that it is vaguely “story shaped” with a beginning, a middle and (most importantly!) and END. I have seen so many aspiring authors spend all their energy on polishing and polishing that front part of the book that it is never finished. Once you have that rough draft, that is when you start the rewrite and the polish.

Tell us about your next book.

I am turning to crime...historical crime. I actually read more mysteries then I do romances so it seems a natural progression. I don’t want to jinx myself by saying too much beyond – “cosy” mystery, Singapore...1910.

Thanks for joining me, Alison. And congrats on Gather the Bones, being a finalist in the 2012 Australian Romance Readers Awards, 2012 CRW Award of Excellence, 2013 GDRWA Booksellers Best Awards and the 2012 RONE Awards. Well done!

The horrors of the Great War are not the only ghosts that haunt Helen Morrow and her late husband's somewhat reclusive cousin, Paul. Unquiet spirits from another time and another conflict touch them.

A coded diary gives them clues to the mysterious disappearance of Paul's great-grandmother in 1812, and the desperate voice of a young woman reaches out to them from the pages. Together Helen and Paul must search for answers, not only for the old mystery, but also the circumstances surrounding the death of Helen's husband at Passchandaele in 1917.

As the mysteries entwine, their relationship is bound by the search for truth, in the present and the past.

You can connect with Alison via Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.She would love to hear from you.All Alison's books are available for purchase via her website.

The Wonder of Rome Blog Hop!

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 04:59:00 +0000

Between 15 – 19^th August, various historical fiction authors are revelling in the chance to share their love of all things Roman. So here’s your chance to read blog posts on the Wonder of Rome from MC Scott, Helen Hollick, David Pilling, SJA Turney, Heather Domin and many more! But not before you've read mine first:)

The Troy Game – labyrinths, legends and triumph over death

Labyrinths have always been a source of fascination. None more so than the lair of the Minotaur in ancient Crete. In the ancient world, the feat of escaping a maze was associated with a triumph of life over death. In some cases, navigating a labyrinth was seen as a form of initiation where a boy was required to enter as a child and emerge as a man.

In ancient times the expression ‘The City of Troy’ was a reference to the great labyrinth in Crete. Yet what was the connection between the legendary cities of Troy and Knossos? An explanation comes from both archaeological evidence and the poetry of the Roman poet, Vergil.

In the Aeneid, Vergil tells of the epic wanderings of Aeneas, the son of Anchises and Venus, after the fall of Troy. After fighting to defend the doomed city, Aeneas escaped carrying his father on his shoulders while leading his young son Ascanius (who later came to be called Iulus) to safety. According to Roman tradition, during the funeral games for his grandfather, Ascanius took part in a processional parade or dance called the Game of Troy (Lusus Troiae) while mounted on a horse given to him by the Carthaginian queen Dido. The young prince and his companions performed a complex weaving pattern by riding between and around each other as though threading their way through a maze. Vergil drew a comparison between the tortuous convolutions of the rite to the twisting pathways within the Cretan labyrinth at Knossos. He also referred to the manoeuvres of the game as mimicking the ‘Crane Dance’ performed by Theseus and the youths the hero saved from the Minotaur. From Vergil’s description it is clear that completing the game involved great skill to avoid injury or death.

The column split apart
As files in the three squadrons all in line
Turned away, cantering left and right; recalled
They wheeled and dipped their lances for a charge.
They entered then on parades and counter-parades,
The two detachments, matched in the arena,
Winding in and out of one another,
And whipped into sham cavalry skirmishes
By baring backs in flight, then whirling round
With leveled points, then patching up a truce
And riding side by side. So intricate
In ancient times on mountainous Crete they say
The Labyrinth, between walls in the dark,
Ran criss-cross a bewildering thousand ways
Devised by guile, a maze insoluable,
Breaking down every clue to the way out.
So intricate the drill of Trojan boys
Who wove the patterns of their prancing horses,
Figured, in sport, retreats and skirmishes

(Aeneid, V. 5.580–593 Translation by Robert Fitzgerald)

The Tragliatella Vase

Vergil conjured the image of the Lusus Troiae when writing in the 1^st century CE, but there is archaeological evidence of its existence dating from the late C7^th BCE. The Tragliatella Vase discovered near the Etruscan city of Caere (modern Cerveteri) depicts two horsemen emerging from a spiral marked with the word ‘Truia’. A line of marching warriors is also displayed on the wine jug which seems to suggest that the vase portrays a military ceremony similar to the one in the legend. As the Romans were heavily influenced by the Etruscans, it is plausible that the equestrian ceremony that was later referred to by Vergil was in fact an Etruscan tradition.

The Game of Troy was ‘revived’ by Julius Caesar who claimed to be a descendant of Iulus (Ascanius) and was performed by the young sons of high ranking Roman families. It was not associated with any particular religious festival and was conducted at funeral games and in military triumphs. Suetonius and Tacitus also wrote of the Lusus Troiae which appears to have become more of a military review by the time of Nero.

With my love of all things Etruscan, I found the etchings on the humble Tragliatella Vase intriguing enough to inspire me to include an episode in The Golden Dice involving the Troy Game.

To the beat of a drum and mellow notes of an aulos, Sethre rode his horse around the ring with a slow, clipped precision. To Caecilia it was as though the animal relished the task, head tucked close to a boastful chest, crest arched, strong legs prancing in time to the music. The rider guided his mount in ever-diminishing circles, each volte tighter, demanding more skill with the shortening of the circuit. Then, at the center, Sethre stopped. Pulling upon the bit gently, he coaxed the stallion to balance itself onto its hocks and then raise its forelegs to display belly to sheath. The horse seemed to revel in the chance to show off its strength, rearing for seconds in the pose.

Caecilia saw that the maneuver had left traces in the sawdust. The hoofprints marked out a perfect spiral, creating the labyrinth called the City of Troy. It was a maze the initiates would enter as boys and emerge from as men.

The crowd erupted in applause.
She clapped loudly. “The boy has talent.”

"We’ll see,” grunted Mastarna. “Drawing the City of Troy is easy. Weaving one through horseflesh and armor is the true test. Let’s see if the lad can keep his seat while avoiding the others’ spears.”

What strikes me most about the Game of Troy is how legend, poetry and history are intertwined and held fast by a strong thread from an epic story that inspired the three great civilisations of Etruria, Greece and Rome.

The Golden Dice is now available as an ebook on Amazon and other retailers here. In celebration of its release I am offering a chance to win a free digital copy if you subscribe to my newsletter and answer three questions about an excerpt of the book which you can read here.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my wonder of Rome. A big thank you to David Pilling for organising the hop - now click on the links below and read much, much more. (And apologies for the double entry for my blog - technical hiccup!)

In addition to the links below - you can also find posts from Scott Hunter and David Blixt.

On Inspiration: Interview with Gillian Bagwell

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:22:00 +0000

My guest today is Gillian Bagwell whose richly detailed historical novels bring to vivid life England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Her latest book, Venus in Winter, is based on the first forty years of the life of the formidable four-times widowed dynast Bess of Hardwick who survived the turbulent reigns of five Tudor monarchs to become one of the most powerful women in the history of England.

In The Darling Strumpet Nell Gwynn’s meteoric rise is charted from the grimy slums to triumph as a beloved comic actress in the licentious court of King Charles II while The September Queen (U.K. title The King’s Mistress) is the first fictional account of the extraordinary life of Jane Lane, who risked all to help the young Charles II escape after the disastrous Battle of Worcester. In addition to her novels, Gillian also uses her years of experience in theatre as an actress, director, and producer to help authors give effective public readings, through workshops and private coaching.

Who/what inspired you to first write?

I've always loved reading, and I started writing bits of things here and there when I was about twelve or so. Both of my parents have done some writing, so it never seemed like an impossible goal. But my original professional focus was theatre, and it wasn't until about seven years ago that I turned seriously to writing.

What is the inspiration for your current book?

In looking around for a subject for my third historical novel, I wanted someone who hadn't been written about so much that it would be hard to find an original way to tell her story. Writing about compelling historical events and periods frequently means writing about the lives of queens and royal mistresses, who were involved in the events or at least in a position to observe them happening, but it's great to find a heroine who isn't a queen or mistress. I had heard of Bess of Hardwick but didn't know a lot about her. A very little reading showed that she had led a very interesting life, and also that she was overdue for a novel of her own.

Bess of Hardwick

Particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

When I write I aim to tell a story that readers will find engaging rather than explore a theme. But inevitably, the circumstances of a character's life leads to a novel having themes. Bess was married and widowed four times, rose from genteel poverty to become the most wealthy and powerful woman after Queen Elizabeth I, and survived the turbulent and dangerous reigns of five monarchs, so the issues of marriage, rising in society, self-preservation in treacherous times, and the desire to leave her mark on the world are important to her story.

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

I'm particularly interested in Britain in the sixteenth and seventeenth-centuries, the periods in which my three books are set. A lot of interesting things were happening. In the sixteenth century, the full flowering of the Renaissance was happening in England.

Professional theatre developed during the second half of the sixteenth century, with the advent of the companies of players sponsored by the monarch, and the construction of the playhouses that presented the works of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Jonson, Middleton, Ford, Beaumont & Fletcher, and so on. The theatres were closed under Cromwell, from 1642 to 1660, but when Charles II was restored to the throne, he very quickly authorized the theatres to open again, with women on stage for the first time, and over the period of about fifteen years, there were explosive developments in all aspects of theatre, taking production conditions from essentially Elizabethan to what remained largely unchanged until the end of the nineteenth century.

Hardwick Hall

The Tudor and Elizabethan courts were bustling with characters who have become iconic: Henry VIII and his wives, Elizabeth and her friends and favorites, and the men who made everything go, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell and William and Robert Cecil.

Charles II has come down in legend as the Merry Monarch, but his reign was a lot more complicated than that, and he was enormously interested in all aspects of science and other issues of importance. And the people around him, especially the men, were much more rounded in their interests than people usually are now. It wasn't a matter of being only a businessman or politician or artist or musician or athlete; people combined interest and accomplishments in many areas in their lives. The Duke of Buckingham was a politician, but also a poet and playwright, and he opened his own glassworks. Samuel Pepys was a tremendously effective administrator for the Royal Navy, but was also a musician, a writer, an avid partaker of all aspects of life, and a keen observer and recorder, fortunately for us.

What resources do you use to research your books?

Of course copious reading, always of biographies, histories, and books about all aspects of the period I'm writing about. I spent some time in England doing research for my first two books, which is great when it's possible. Now there is so much information available online that it's possible to do a lot of research without leaving home.

Which authors have influenced you?

My mother read to my sisters and me when we were growing up, and a lot of what she read and what I read on my own later was English and involved past times-- Mary Poppins, The Wind in the Willows, The Wouldbegoods, the Narnia books, the Flambards series--so I developed a strong interest in England and in history. Shakespeare was an early influence in terms of my interest in language and in knowing how people in other times lived.

I love Diana Gabaldon's books, and her writing and her story have certainly been an inspiration to me. Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series are so well written, and I always notice how deftly and economically he's able to set a scene or give the tone of a conversation. He also does a great job of writing dialogue that is believable as how people spoke then without the language being distracting.

What do you do if stuck for a word or phrase?

Kerry Madden, a writing teacher who I admire, recommended The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodale, saying that she had gone through a few copies of it. It is extremely useful and I turn to it when I need to find a different way to say something or can't think of exactly the word I want. I've completely worn out the paperback I originally bought--the cover is completely gone--and fortunately I just found a used hardback copy that I hope will last a while.

Is there a particular piece of art, photo, poetry or quote that strikes a chord with you? Why?

I've spent so much time acting in, directing, and producing Shakespeare's plays that lines from them are always bubbling to the surface of my mind and working themselves into my books. That was fine for The Darling Strumpet, because Nell Gwynn was working in theatre. And it was fine for The September Queen, because Jane Lane was educated and literate. In writing Venus in Winter, my novel about Bess of Hardwick, I had to be very careful not to let any Shakespearean quotes or allusions creep in, as the plays hadn't yet been written by 1567, the date that the book ends.

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Two things: write and learn how to write. That may sound simplistic, but I think it's important to just do it, rather than fretting that your work won't be perfect. Of course it won't; but you have to learn by doing. If you want to write a novel, don't talk about it, write it. Find the time. Walter Mosely's This Year You Write Your Novel has good advice, as does The Weekend Novelist.

But at the same time, do everything you can to learn the craft and technique of writing. Learn about story structure, and writing in the active rather than the passive voice, and using muscular verbs rather than too many adverbs and adjectives, and strong dialogue. And grammar and punctuation and spelling!

Tell us about your next book.

I've just written a synopsis and the first fifty or so pages of the novel that I'd like to write next. I don't have a contract for it yet, so I won't discuss it in detail. It's quite a bit different from my first three books, but it does involve historical events and real people.

Gillian, thanks so much for sharing the sources of your inspiration. Your love of strong women in history shines through :)

You can connect with Gillian on Twitter , Facebook or on her website where you can find her many blogs.

The author of The September Queen explores Tudor England with the tale of Bess of Hardwick—the formidable four-time widowed Tudor dynast who became one of the most powerful women in the history of England.

On her twelfth birthday, Bess of Hardwick receives the news that she is to be a waiting gentlewoman in the household of Lady Zouche. Armed with nothing but her razor-sharp wit and fetching looks, Bess is terrified of leaving home. But as her family has neither the money nor the connections to find her a good husband, she must go to facilitate her rise in society.

When Bess arrives at the glamorous court of King Henry VIII, she is thrust into a treacherous world of politics and intrigue, a world she must quickly learn to navigate. The gruesome fates of Henry’s wives convince Bess that marrying is a dangerous business. Even so, she finds the courage to wed not once, but four times. Bess outlives one husband, then another, securing her status as a woman of property. But it is when she is widowed a third time that she is left with a large fortune and even larger decisions—discovering that, for a woman of substance, the power and the possibilities are endless . .

Two lovers blamed for starting a war - The Golden Dice - A Tale of Ancient Rome

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 12:54:00 +0000

Two lovers blamed for starting a war.

Three women who must survive a siege.

There would be few people who haven’t heard of the famous siege of Troy. The tales of the heroics of Achilles, Hector, Agamemnon and Menelaus have been handed down for thousands of years. So too the infamy of the lovers, Helen and Paris, who sparked the war.

There was another siege that lasted a decade, though. A tale of conflict known only to those who are aware of an obscure episode in Roman history. It was a war fought between Rome and the Etruscan city of Veii. However, unlike the Greeks who sailed across the sea to battle the Trojans, the Romans only needed to venture twelve miles across the Tiber River to attack the Veientanes. In fact, despite being close neighbors, the enemies were from opposing worlds, so different were their customs and beliefs. For the nascent Republican Rome was austere and insular compared to the sophisticated Etruscans with their vast trading empire. And while Roman women were second class citizens, Etruscan women were granted independence, education and sexual freedom. Only a strip of water separated Rome and Veii but the distance between them was measured in more than miles.

This conflict is the genesis for my series, Tales of Ancient Rome. And just like the Iliad, the fates of my characters are entwined around those of two lovers who are blamed for starting the war: the Roman treaty bride, Caecilia, who comes to love an enemy nobleman, Vel Mastarna, whom she was forced to marry in The Wedding Shroud, but to whom she returns in the sequel, The Golden Dice.

The Golden Dice continues Caecilia’s journey, however, I’m sure those readers who open the pages of the sequel first will have no problem in following the story so far. This is because the book is set seven years after the end of The Wedding Shroud and poses an entirely different set of dilemmas for Caecilia who is now the mother of three sons. I have also introduced two other strong female characters: Pinna, a Roman tomb whore, and Semni, a young Etruscan artisan, who becomes a servant in the House of Mastarna.

The siege of Veii was chronicled by various Roman and Greek historians living centuries after the event. Each commentator tells the story from the viewpoint of the Romans rather than their foe. There is no extant literature written by the Etruscans, and so, unless archaeologists uncover such treasure, we will never know the Etruscans’ side of the conflict. The sources are also silent as to how women survived throughout such campaigns. In The Golden Dice, I have attempted to recount both sides of the war through the eyes of my three female leads. By following their paths, the reader will not only learn about the battles fought by the warriors these women love, but also understand the trials they face in order to protect themselves and all those dear to them.

I hope readers will enjoy learning Pinna’s tale – a whore who services men in the cemeteries of Rome. A chance meeting with Caecilia’s cousin, Marcus, and his friend, Drusus, leads to an opportunity to blackmail them and escape the slums to travel as a concubine in the Republican army. And it is there that she encounters, and becomes infatuated by, Marcus Furius Camillus, Rome’s greatest general. Her efforts at coercion go awry, though, when she must decide whether to place loyalty above love.

“Pinna was a night moth. A tomb whore surviving outside the city wall of Rome. Hiding in the darkness. Drawn to the light but knowing it brought danger. Destined to live a life that was sorrowful and brief…She worked as a hired mourner also. She could not afford to shun the chance to earn money at the funerals of patricians in the daylight or well-off plebeians in the night. She did not care whether it was noble or common ash that landed upon her skin, as long as she could support herself and Fusca, her poor sad mother. Although neither job ever paid enough to quell the hunger pangs for long or allow her to escape to a world where her skin was not tinged gray or her clothes dyed darkly.”

Semni, a young artisan who dreams of fame, finds her plans ruined when she is required to produce earthenware for the army instead of fine red figured vases. Ejected by her husband into the streets due to her promiscuity, she seeks refuge in the House of Mastarna. There she learns of schemes that will threaten Caecilia’s children, and is challenged to finally take responsibility for her own actions if she is to gain the love of Arruns, the Phoenician bodyguard.

“She liked the steady pace to creation, the kick to start the flywheel, the stone blurring with speed as she centered the clay, slurry coating hands and splashing forearms as she hollowed the lump and raised it, contours swelling and tapering in the spinning. Later she would burnish the surface, rubbing a polished stone across the texture, friction forming smoothness, her arms strong from practice. Finally applying the coating of moist slip, which would give the pottery its color.”

Ariadne and Dionysus - red figure vase 380-360 BC

The Etruscans particularly loved the legends of the Iliad. Their art is dense with images of Greek and Trojan heroes. This resonated with me when imagining the story of Caecilia and Mastarna, and the war that rages around them. Although these lovers are reunited in The Golden Dice, their happiness and safety is threatened. For Caecilia knows that should ever Veii fall, she will be punished as a traitoress by Rome. She also fears that the Veientanes view her as an enemy, too. Her plight makes her question the very essence of her heritage, and forces her to make a decision as to whether she wants to see Rome destroyed.

“Helen caused a siege that lasted ten years and was despised by the peoples of two cities. The similarity of her own story to the Greek girl’s always disturbed her. Until now, Tas had been enchanted by the tales of Achilles and Ajax, Odysseus and Hector. This morning her son had been enthralled by his parents’ story also. One day, though, he might not think his mother valiant. One day he might see her as a traitoress who started a never-ending war.”

Achilles and Troilus - Tomb of the Bulls, Tarquinia

I hope you will enjoy visiting the fantastic world of the Etruscans in this novel of love, war, loyalty and corruption.

Please feel free to connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. I’d love to hear from you.

The Watcha Reading? Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Mon, 27 May 2013 04:26:00 +0000

The Golden Dice - Sequel to the Wedding Shroud to be Released on 3 July 2013!!

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Thu, 02 May 2013 01:55:00 +0000

Over the last couple of years, many of you have been kind enough to express an interest as to when the sequel to The Wedding Shroud will be available. I'm now happy to announce that I plan to release The Golden Dice on 3 July. It's been a roller coaster for me during this time as the contract with my Australian publisher fell through and I faced the prospect of being unable to publish this second book in the Tales of Ancient Rome series. Luckily, the new world of independent publishing came to my rescue. As a result I've been able to reach readers all over the world instead of just in the Antipodes. I'm in the final stages of formatting now.

Here's a chance for those of you who have followed Caecilia's story in The Wedding Shroud to discover her fate while also being introduced to two other strong women: Pinna, the Roman tomb whore, and Semni, an Etruscan potter.

And for those who haven't delved into The Wedding Shroud, I'm confident you will have no problem in following the action by opening the pages of The Golden Dice first.

Here's the blurb...

In The Golden Dice, sequel to The Wedding Shroud, three women follow very different paths to survive a ten year siege between Rome and the Etruscan city of Veii:

Caecilia forsakes Rome to return to her Etruscan husband, Vel Mastarna, exposing herself to the enmity of his people and the hatred of the Romans who consider her a traitoress…

Semni, a reckless Etruscan girl, becomes a servant in the House of Mastarna, embroiling herself in schemes that threaten Caecilia's children and her own chance for romance…

Pinna, a tomb whore, uses blackmail to escape her grim life and gain the attention of Rome's greatest general, choosing between her love for him and her loyalty to another…

In this second volume of the Tales of Ancient Rome trilogy, the lives of women in war are explored together with the sexuality, religion, and politics of Roman and Etruscan cultures, two great civilizations of ancient history.

On Inspiration: Interview with Sherry Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:10:00 +0000

My guest today is Sherry Jones, an American journalist and the internationally best selling author of the controversial The Jewel of Medina and other historical fiction novels about women's power. She is also a speaker on issues including women's rights, free speech, and Islamophobia. Her novels explore the obstacles women have long faced in reaching their highest potential in a patriarchal world.

Sherry became the center of a national controversy in the summer of 2008 after Random House cancelled publication of her historical novel, The Jewel of Medina about Aisha, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad. Historical novelist, Colin Falconer, recently interviewed Sherry on her experience in his blog post If you write that, I'll kill you.

Given Sherry's determination and courage to publish The Jewel of Medina, I was particularly keen to learn about the sources of her inspiration and what's in the pipeline for her next book. You can connect with Sherry on Twitter, Facebook and on her website. Australian Fans can also keep up to date with Sherry's new on the Sherry Jones Australian Fan Club.

What or who inspired you to first write?

My second-grade reading teacher, whose name I don’t recall. She praised my writing in front of the whole class. “When you become a published author, keep your real name so I know it’s you.” It took me until age 47 to get there, so I don’t know if she’s even still alive.

What is the inspiration for your current book? Is there a particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

The true meaning of love – or the meaning of true love – is an important theme that is emerging as I write.

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

The real-life people who serve as the basis for my characters, especially women who make a difference in the world, inspire me to write about them, no matter that the time period. That’s why The Jewel of Medina and The Sword of Medina, my first two books, are set in 7^th century Arabia while White Heart and Four Sisters, All Queens take place in 13^th century Europe. The book I’m now working on takes place in the 12^th century My next book may be something more contemporary – either post-Civil-War or the 1930s. But I also have a third book to write for my “Jewel of Medina” trilogy, which would take me back to 8^th century Arabia.

What resources do you use to research your book/s?

I go to the setting in person, when I can. I travelled to Egypt and Europe for Four Sisters, All Queens. For the book I’m now writing, I made a special trip to France. Also I use libraries, the internet, Questia, chronicles of the era, literature, art, and music of the era, old newspapers (where applicable), used bookstores – this is my favorite. I love digging through stacks of history books and finding a gem with information about the period I’m studying.

Which authors have influenced you?

Hilary Mantel springs to mind for Four Sisters, All Queens. I had actually started writing it in third-person present tense, liking the sense of immediacy and intimacy while being able to write in my own voice, but worried that it wouldn’t work in telling a tale that happened so long ago. When I read Wolf Hall, I saw that it could be done. That was huge for me. And then there are all those authors who’ve written about strong women: Debra Magpie Earling, whose lyrical style I so love; Ellen Gilchrist, the queen of the feisty Southern heroine; Dorothy Hansford Johnson, whose Helena trilogy makes you fall in love with her quirky heroine. Also, Nicole Krauss is an expert at voice.

I also read lots of poetry to keep my writing fresh and beautiful. Natasha Trethewey, the U.S. Poet Laureate, is my current favorite. The English language is just breathtaking in its variety and all the possibilities it offers. When choosing a book to read, I look for poetic language first.

What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?

I try, try again, and if I’m still coming up short I’ll write any old thing and boldface it to change later. Revision is where the real art happens, anyway.

Is there a particular photo, piece of art, poetry or quote that strikes a chord with you? Why?

The art of Sheila Miles, one of my best friends in the world, inspires me more than that of any other. Sheila, who now lives and works in Santa Fe, offers a unique and quirky look at life and love from a woman’s perspective. Her painting Passing Time, which I own, is one of my favorite pieces ever. It depicts a man and a woman sitting at a table across from each other but not engaging with each other at all. He’s reading the newspaper and she just looks bored. It’s a reminder of what I’ve had in relationships before, and what I never want again. I even wrote a poem about it!

I have a number of paintings by Sheila in my home. You can see more of her artwork at www.artistmiles.com.

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Don’t give up! And, even if you decide to self-publish, make sure you get a good literary agent. Mine, Natasha Kern, is indispensible.

Tell us about your next book.

Abelard was the most famous philosopher in the world around the year 1115 when, as headmaster of the Notre Dame Cloister School, he met Heloise, an accomplished scholar living in Paris, a master of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew with a knowledge of literature that Abelard praised as unsurpassed. Theirs was a passionate, erotic affair that broke all the rules of Church and society, and which ended abruptly and tragically.

My next book, coming out in 2014, is the first retelling of the Abelard and Heloise tale since the scholar Constant Mews discovered and published, in 1999, their correspondence of 113 letters exchanged during their courtship. Previously we had only Abelard’s autobiography, disseminated during his lifetime, and several letters they wrote to each other beginning 15 years after their romance had ended.

Heloise, in particular, interests and inspires me. She defied the Church and her culture to live life on her own terms, and lost everything that mattered to her. My novel is a tale of passion and deep love, and of women’s struggle throughout the ages to govern our own lives in a patriarchal, misogynistic world. I’ve tentatively titled it The Sharp Hook of Love, after a phrase Heloise used in her own, breathtakingly beautiful, letters.

Rich in intrigue and scheming, love and lust, Sherry Jones’s vibrant historical novel follows four women destined to sway the fate of nations and the hearts of kings. . . .

Amid the lush valleys and fragrant wildflowers of Provence, Marguerite, ElÉonore, Sanchia, and Beatrice have learned to charm, hunt, dance, and debate under the careful tutelage of their ambitious mother—and to abide by the countess’s motto: “Family comes first.”

With Provence under constant attack, their legacy and safety depend upon powerful alliances. Marguerite’s illustrious match with the young King Louis IX makes her Queen of France. Soon ElÉonore—independent and daring—is betrothed to Henry III of England. In turn, shy, devout Sanchia and tempestuous Beatrice wed noblemen who will also make them queens.

Yet a crown is no guarantee of protection. Enemies are everywhere, from Marguerite’s duplicitous mother-in-law to vengeful lovers and land-hungry barons. Then there are the dangers that come from within, as loyalty succumbs to bitter sibling rivalry, and sister is pitted against sister for the prize each believes is rightfully hers—Provence itself.

From the treacherous courts of France and England, to the bloody tumult of the Crusades, Sherry Jones traces the extraordinary true story of four fascinating sisters whose passions, conquests, and progeny shaped the course of history.

Thanks so much Sherry, for the great interview - I'm looking forward to reading how you bring the ageless love story of Heloise and Abelard alive in The Sharp Hook of Love.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons - Les Amours d'Heloise et D'Abielard by Jean Vignaud 1819

The Distorting Mirror - TD Griggs

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:13:00 +0000

My guest today is T.D.Griggs who has been kind enough to provide a fascinating post about how our links to historical events are closer than we think....

I have a great mate whose grandfather, as a child, knew a man who had been a powder monkey at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Yes, I did a double-take, too. But it stacks up. My friend, like me, is in his early sixties. His dad was born around 1920, the son of a 45-year-old father. So my mate’s granddad entered the world in 1875. Now, a lad who was fifteen years old at Trafalgar in 1805 would have been 90 in 1880. Not too fantastic, then, for my friend’s grandad, at seven or eight, to have sat open-mouthed at the old boy’s knee in 1883, listening to his incomprehensible tales of crashing broadsides and decks slippery with blood.

We empathise immediately when a personal link is made, or at least when we see that one is possible. It profoundly changes our reaction to history. We laugh about medieval murder (Horrible Histories) but you’d need a strong stomach to make a joke about Auschwitz, or even about the Somme. Even Blackadder treated that slaughter with reverence - remember the famous dissolve to a field of poppies? Both of these events are close enough for us to have known someone involved, or to know someone who knew someone.

Still, it always comes as a shock when we are forced to confront the truth - that people in history had loves and hates and fears precisely like our own.

What I find surprising about this is that it is…well, surprising. But the fact is that when we’re young we believe the world started when we did. To take my own case, I was twelve in 1960. At that time men who had fought in the Battle of Britain were under 40, and those who had landed on the Normandy Beaches were in their mid thirties. Like most bloodthirtsy kids I was excited by battles and slaughter and general mayhem - but I have no recollection of the slightest curiosity about the experiences of any of these young veterans, several of whom I must have met. To me their personal histories ranked with Agincourt, impossibly distant and irrelevant to the point of invisibility. Yet it had all really happened less than 20 years earlier. World War Two was as recent then as the first Iraq War is now.

The sense that we are part of a continuum only grows as we grow. So when I now look into that distorting mirror we call the past, the Second World War seems far more immediate to me than ever it did when it was almost close enough to touch.

These days I feel a bit guilty about all that. Maybe it was this which led me to feature some of my long-dead father’s wartime experiences in my recent novel THE WARNING BELL (under pen-name Tom Macaulay, Orion 2010). It’s a father-son mystery with links back to WW2, and my research led me to the astounding discovery that my father’s 1942 launch still existed, rotting in a junkyard in Catalonia. My brother and I tracked it down there and even climbed aboard it for the first - and last - time as a tribute to our father.

My latest book, DISTANT THUNDER (by T.D.Griggs, Orion 2013) will appear in Australian shops in March as a paperback. It’s a Victorian epic, the story of two people whose relationship is caught up in the crushing machinery of empire. I don’t have any direct personal link with the Victorian era, but nevertheless the story was triggered by a connection with my own life, though at one remove. I’m old enough to remember Churchill’s funeral: indeed, this man lived so far into my own era that he could have bought the first Beatles LP (though I doubt he did). And yet he had been born early enough to take part in the last regimental cavalry charge of the British army. That was against the Mahdists at the Battle of Omdurman. This intrigued me. After all, the Battle of Omdurman in 1898 is the stuff of ripping yarns and picture books. A bit like Agincourt, really.

Yet when I discussed the idea with my editor, he told me an extraordinary story.

‘Funny thing,’ he said, ‘I know an English girl who’s just opened a Sudanese restaurant in London with her new husband.’

‘What’s funny about that?’

‘Just that her great-grandfather was at the Battle of Omdurman, in Kitchener’s Army. But her husband is Sudanese. His great-grandfather was at the same battle - on the other side.’

T.D.GRIGGS was born in London and has lived and worked on four continents. He holds British and Australian nationality, and has worked variously as a truck driver, journalist, film extra, founder and MD of a successful communications consultancy in Sydney, and - for about seven sweaty hours - as a volunteer fire fighter. Despite that, much of the Australian bush survives. He has written many short stories, and four novels: the Victorian epic DISTANT THUNDER and modern day psychological drama REDEMPTION BLUES under his own name; and father-son WW2-linked drama THE WARNING BELL, written as Tom Macaulay. T.D.Griggs is also a professional business writer with an international client base. He lives with his wife Jenny in Oxford, UK. To find out more visit his Website or follow him on Twitter or Facebook

Bangalore, 1893. Frank Gray’s enchanted Indian boyhood comes to a brutal end the night his mother is savagely assaulted by a British cavalry officer. As the scandal destroys his family, Frank has only revenge left to live for.

Grace Dearborn grows up in England, wealthy and privileged. But once she learns the human cost of her family’s fortune, she is on a collision course with the father she adores.

Frank and Grace share more than a hatred of injustice. Their personal demons drive them from bohemian Vienna to the savagery of the North-west Frontier, from the slums of London to the deserts of the Sudan. But escaping the past is the hardest battle of all.

Tim, thanks for this wonderful post. All the best with Distant Thunder!

On Inspiration: Jesse Blackadder

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:34:00 +0000

Ingrid Christensen (left) and Mathilde Wegger

on the way to Antarctica in 1931

My guest today is Jesse Blackadder who is fascinated by landscapes, adventurous women and very cold places. Her novel After the Party made the Australian Book Review list of favourite Australian novels in 2010. The Raven’s Heart won the Varuna HarperCollins Manuscript Development Award and was published in Australia in 2011 and in the UK, USA and Canada in 2012. Chasing the light: A novel of Antarctica, which she wrote as part of a Doctor of Creative Arts, has just been released. Jesse won the 2011-12 Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship and the 2012 Guy Morrison Prize for Literary Journalism. She has been a writer in residence in Alaska, Antarctica, outback NSW and Byron Bay. Her first children’s novel Stay: the last dog in Antarctica is coming out in 2013, as part of the Amazing Animals series.

What or who inspired you to first write?

Reading, reading and more reading. I was one of those kids who read at night under the covers with a torch long after I’d been told to put the light out, and read in the day under the desk at school until the teacher asked me a question. I adored the way books transported me into other worlds. Writing seemed a natural extension of that and I wrote my first ‘novel’ at age 12 to entertain my friends.

What is the inspiration for your current book?

I’m inspired by two things – landscapes and characters. This book was inspired by the power of the Antarctic landscape and what it means to people, and by the Norwegian women who travelled there in the 1930s, while women from other parts of the world were refused positions on Antarctic expeditions.

Is there a particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

The impact that a place like Antarctica can have on a person – how it can be transformative, and also bring someone up against the parts of themselves they find confronting. My characters all have some idea what it will mean to them to land on Antarctica – and all of them are mistaken.

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

I’m attracted to characters and events rather than particular periods of history – hence the 350+ year leap in time and global leap in geography between Chasing the Light (set in Antarctica in the 1930s) and my previous novel The Raven’s Heart (set in Scotland in the 1560s). However, having spent the past three years hanging out in the early twentieth century, I must say it’s a fascinating period and I expect I’ll be heading back there again soon.

What resources do you use to research your book/s?

I’m a writer who likes to use my two feet. Walking in my character’s footsteps, in the places where the story takes place, is the most important research for me. The internet is useful for quick fact checking, but most of my other fun research happens in archives, books and through talking to people.

Which authors have influenced you?

Jeannette Winterson has been a huge influence since the start of my writing life – she approached historical settings in such profoundly original, imaginative ways that you can hardly call her books ‘historical fiction’. Sarah Waters showed me that lesbian characters can be enchanting and compelling to all readers, and James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small books about the life of a Yorkshire vet in 1930s-50s have been a favourite since I was a teen – epitomising how an appealing, humble character can drive even a simple story.

What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?

Scribble in whatever comes to mind and come back to it later.

Is there a particular photo, piece of art, poetry or quote that strikes a chord with you? Why?

That varies depending on what I’m working on. There are many Antarctic quotes that I love (you can see some of them on my short video about how writers describe Antarctica at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzpETZNLp28). Barry Lopez, the great nature writer, said of Antarctica “…tell those who have never visited here what it is like… even if you only say what it’s like to see the sun reflecting off the Royal Society Range… we value each gift we receive by passing it on.”

Blue Ice, Antarctica

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Write, write, write, and read, read, read.

Tell us about your next book.

I’m writing a series of junior fiction novels (for 9-12 year olds) about amazing animals. The first one, was inspired by meeting ‘Stay’ in Antarctica. Stay started life as a fibreglass seeing eye collection dog who was kidnapped from Hobart in 1981 and smuggled to Antarctica just as the last huskies were being removed permanently from the continent. Something happened to her in that process – she came to life in some way and has become a famous Antarctic character. Stay: the last dog in Antarctica is inspired by her real life adventures and in it, she is smuggled, liberated, repatriated, incarcerated and dognapped all over again, having plenty of Antarctic adventures while worrying about how to return the money she’s raised for the guide dogs. I’ll be back into adult historical fiction in a few months time.

Thanks Jesse for giving us an insight into the sources of your inspiration. I'm looking forward to reading the copy of Chasing The Light you signed for me at your book launch :)

You can read more about Jesse and her books at her website. Connect with her at Facebook and Twitter - and be sure to visit her wonderful blog.

It’s the early 1930s. Antarctic open-sea whaling is booming and a territorial race for the mysterious continent is in full swing.

Aboard a ship setting sail from Cape Town carrying the Norwegian whaling magnate Lars Christensen are three women: Lillemor Rachlew, who tricked her way on to the ship and will stop at nothing to be the first woman to land on Antarctica; Mathilde Wegger, a grieving widow who’s been forced to join the trip by her calculating parents-in-law; and Lars’s wife, Ingrid Christensen, who has longed to travel to Antarctica since she was a girl and has made a daunting bargain with Lars to convince him to take her.

As they head south through icy waters, the race is on for the first woman to land on Antarctica. None of them expect the outcome and none of them know how they will be changed by their arrival.

Based on the little-known true story of the first woman to ever set foot on Antarctica, Jesse Blackadder has captured the drama, danger and magnetic pull of exploring uncharted places in our world and our minds.

PRAISE FOR JESSE BLACKADDER:

‘she posits the ephemeral nature of humans against a weighty sense of history and an ageless landscape, something she does with an incisive grace that truly elevates her story ... she doesn’t hit one wrong note’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Her prose is both sexy and chaste, ruthless and tender, bringing out these elements in all her characters’ Lambda Literary

The Wedding Shroud is now available as a paperback on Amazon.

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 01:10:00 +0000

"I'm delighted to announce that The Wedding Shroud is now available as a paperback on Amazon US and Amazon UK. No more crippling postage costs from Australia for overseas readers! The paperback will also come available through other international retailers in the near future.

Winner: Australia Day Book Giveaway Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 04:48:00 +0000

Thanks to all who participated in the Oz Day blog hop to win a copy of Kate Forsyth's Bitter Greens and an e-copy of The Wedding Shroud.
The winner is:

Mary Preston

Mary, please contact me at elisabeth(at)elisabethstorrs(dot)com to provide me with your address so I can send you the prizes :)

Thanks, everyone, for making the blog hop so enjoyable.

On Inspiration: Interview with Kate Forsyth : Australia Day Book Giveaway Bloghop

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:55:00 +0000

Aussies celebrate Australia Day this weekend! To give you a chance to share in the celebrations I'm offering the chance to win a copy of Kate Forsyth's Bitter Greens in the AUSTRALIA DAY BOOK GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP.

Make sure you visit Shelleyrae at Book'd Out and the girls at Confessions from Romaholics to find out other blogs who are participating in the Blog Hop - more chances for you to win books by great Aussie authors! Kate is also offering a copy of one of her books on her blog.

Not only am I delighted to offer a copy of Bitter Greens, but I'm also pleased that Kate Forsyth has agreed to be interviewed on the sources of her inspiration. Kate is also participating in the AUSTRALIA DAY BOOK GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP so visit her blog and possibly win another of her books :)

The AUSTRALIA DAY BOOK GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP is open for entries until Midnight January 28. Open internationally! Winners will be announced before the following Friday. To be entered into the raffle, just read Kate's interview, comment and name the painter whose paintings were the source of her inspiration for Bitter Greens.

Kate is the bestselling and award-winning author of more than twenty books, ranging from picture books to poetry to novels for both children and adults. Her list is so extensive it's best to take a look at Goodreads to see all her books!

Since the Witches of Eileanan was named a Best First Novel in 1998 by Locus Magazine, Kate has won or been nominated for numerous awards, including a CYBIL Award in the US and is the only author to win five Aurealis awards in a single year, for her Chain of Charms series.

Kate's books have been published in 14 countries around the world, including the UK, the US, Russia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Poland and Slovenia. She is currently undertaking a doctorate in fairytale retellings at the University of Technology, having already completed a BA in Literature and a MA in Creative Writing.

Her most recent book for adults is Bitter Greens, a retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale interwoven with the dramatic, true life story of the woman who first told the tale, the 17th century French writer, Charlotte-Rose de la Force.

What or who inspired you to first write?

I don’t remember! It feels like I’ve always wanted to write. I always loved to read and I guess at some point I realised people wrote the books I loved so much and so that is what I wanted to do. Certainly I’ve been writing poems and stories from the time I could first hold a pencil.

What is the inspiration for your current book?

My latest novel, ‘Bitter Greens’ is a retelling of the Rapunzel fairy tale, which has haunted me since I first read the story when I was a little girl in hospital. A savage dog attack had destroyed my tear duct and I spent most of my childhood in and out of hospital, suffering chronic infections and fevers. I felt such a strong connection to that girl in the tower, alone as I was alone, whose magical tears had healed the blinded eyes of the prince. I wished for my own tears to heal me. As I grew to adulthood, and read many fairy tale retellings, I thought more and more about doing my own retelling of Rapunzel.

The problem with retelling such a well-known tale is that it’s difficult to surprise the reader, or to create suspense. I began to wonder who first told the tale … and then I stumbled on the extraordinary life story of Charlotte-Rose de la Force, a scandalous 17th century noblewoman who wrote the best known version of Rapunzel while locked away in a convent. When I discovered she had once dressed up as a dancing bear to rescue her much younger lover, I simply had to write about her!

Is there a particular theme you wish to explore in this book?

I think the main theme in the book is that of having the courage to deal with whatever life throws at you.

What period of history particularly inspires or interests you? Why?

The book is set in two of my favourite historical periods. The first narrative strand – the story of the witch and the girl in the tower – is set in Renaissance Venice which has always fascinated me. The second narrative strange –dealing with Charlotte-Rose’s life - is set in France in the late 17th century, another turbulent and intriguing era.

'Flora' - Titian

Is there a particular photo, piece of art, poetry or quote that strikes a chord with you? Why?

Each book will be different. For ‘The Starkin Crown’, my most recent children’s book, it was a quote from Goethe: ‘Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.’

For ‘Bitter Greens’, it was the paintings of Tiziano Veceill, better known in English as Titian. I had been wondering how to bring the life of my witch-character, Selena, to life. I knew she was a red-haired courtesan in Venice, and that she had used blood magic to preserve her youth and beauty far beyond what was natural.

One day I was looking on my art shelves for a book on William Blake to help my son with a school project. Another book fell out of the shelf on to my lap. It was a book on Titian and it opened at a page that had his famous painting ‘Woman with a Mirror’ on one page, and ‘an Allegory of Vanity’ on the other. I was struck by the similarity in the faces. Turning the pages of the book, I saw the same face appear again and again over the course of more than half a century.

I was intrigued, and read up on Titian. I found out that scholars had once believed he was painting his mistress, thought to be a courtesan, but now think he was simply painting an idealised view of feminine beauty, since her face never changed or aged.

It was such an extraordinary serendipitous discovery. My skin rose in goose-bumps, I shivered with amazement and joy … and rushed straight to my notebook. Now, of course, Tiziano is a key character in the book and so are his series of paintings of this mysterious muse. You may like to look at my Pinterest page on the subject.

A Woman With A Mirror - Titian

What resources do you use to research your book/s?

Books and the internet, mainly. I tend to start building a library as soon as I begin working on a novel. I like to own the key research books as I will read them again and again, and put sticky notes in them, and highlight key passages. I find the internet an utterly brilliant resource as well – when I was writing ‘Bitter Greens’ I pored over the Google map of Venice, for example.

Which authors have influenced you?

My favourite authors are Tracey Chevalier, Sarah Dunant, Juliet Marillier, Philippa Gregory, Georgette Heyer, Susan Vreeland, Kate Morton, Karen Maitland – I love a tightly spun story that combines history, suspense, romance and a twist of magic or the supernatural.

What do you do if stuck for a word or a phrase?

I put down an approximation of what I want to say, put three question marks after it, then keep on writing. Later, I’ll search out all my questions marks and rephrase it, or check my facts, or look up my thesaurus. I never interrupt my flow when its happening!

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Read a lot, write a lot, rewrite a lot.

And trust in the universe to bring you what you need for your book.

The Venus of Urbino - Titian

Tell us about your next book.

My next book will be ‘The Wild Girl’, published in Australia in March 2013, and in the UK a year later. It tells one of the greatest untold love stories of all time – the heart-breaking romance between Wilhelm Grimm and the young woman who told him many of his most famous stories. Her name was Dortchen Wild, and she grew up next door to the Grimm family in Hessen-Cassel, a small German kingdom that was one of the first to fall to Napoleon. It was a time of war and terror, when the collecting of a few old half-forgotten tales was all the young Grimm brothers could do to resist the tyranny of the French. I hope you all read and enjoy it!

Kate, thanks so much for sharing your sources of inspiration with us. I'm looking forward to reading The Wild Girl but will stock up on sleep first as I tend to stay up into the wee small hours when reading your books :) And I love the paintings you've selected - it would seem that Titian's muse was still weaving her magic when she inspired you to create your character of La Bella Strega.

Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. She is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens …

After Margherita’s father steals a handful of parsley, wintercress and rapunzel from the walled garden of the courtesan, Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off … unless he and his wife give away their little girl.

Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1513 and still inspiring him at the time of his death, sixty-one years later. Called La Strega Bella, Selena is at the centre of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.

Locked away in a tower, growing to womanhood, Margherita sings in the hope someone will hear her. One day, a young man does …

Three women, three lives, three stories, braided together to create a compelling story of desire, obsession, black magic, and the redemptive power of love.

A list of locations where you can buy Kate's books can be found at her website and here is is a link to her Amazon books. You can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter

Don't forget to visit Kate's blog as well - and Book'd Out and Confessions From Romaholics for a chance to win more books by Aussie authors.

I'm also offering an e-copy of The Wedding Shroud as an extra:)

Don't forget to enjoy Australia Day on 26 January!

Elisabeth Storrs

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The Next Big Thing - An Author's Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Elisabeth Storrs) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 01:15:00 +0000

Loretta Proctor, author of The Long Shadow, Middle Watch and The Crimson Bed has tagged me in The Next Big Thing, an author's blog hop. Loretta was born in Cairo, Egypt to an English father and Greek mother. She won prizes in the 1970’s for essays and plays, wrote specialized articles, studied psychology and worked as a counselor. Now retired to Malvern, Worcestershire, she delights in storytelling and is pleased to be a distant relation of Elizabeth Barrett-Browning. You can read her contribution to The Next Big Thing at Books and Other Things

How The Next Big Thing Blog hop works: An author answers ten questions and then tags five authors (if you are able to find them at Christmas time!) to do the same thing the following week on the same day, which in this case is a Wednesday.

Here are the answers to the ten questions.

What is the working title of your next book?

The Golden Dice is the second book in a trilogy set in Ancient Rome and Etruria. It will be released in 2013. The novel follows on from The Wedding Shroud. Once again, the fates of familiar characters will be revealed as Etruscan and Roman worlds collide in a bitter siege. In addition to Caecilia, the young protagonist of the first book, I introduce the reader to Semni - a young Etruscan girl who finds herself embroiled in the dramas of the House of Mastarna, and Pinna - a Roman grave-whore uses blackmail to escape her grim life and ultimately gain the attention of a Consular General.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I have always been interested the Classical period of C5th – C4th BCE. Knowing that women weren’t commemorated after death during this era, I was amazed when I saw a photograph of a casket depicting a husband and wife lying in a tender embrace upon their dining couch. I discovered that the couple were Etruscans, whose people existed in Italy from before archaic times in the areas now known as Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Etruria was a sophisticated society rivalling Athens. There was one major difference, though; the Etruscans granted independence, education and sexual freedom to their women. As a result they were considered wicked, decadent and corrupt by the rest of the ancient world.

When I decided to write about the Etruscans I thought it would have more impact if I could compare their sophisticated civilisation to Rome’s (which was still a tribal society scrapping with its Latin neighbours). That is when I learned of the little known story of the war between Rome and the Etruscan city of Veii. These cities were located only twelve miles across the Tiber River and were sworn enemies. It intrigued me that just by crossing a strip of water you could move from the equivalent of the Dark Ages into something similar to the Renaissance. The Wedding Shroud is set in the lead up to the war. The Golden Dice takes up the story seven years later at the height of the siege.

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical fiction.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Strangely enough I have an image in my mind’s eye of my characters and it would be difficult for me to cast actors to play them. I think I’d end up fighting with the director as to whom to choose! However, I see an opportunity for three young actresses to secure debut performances playing Caecilia, Semni and Pinna. One thing I know is that Mastarna has to have Russell Crowe’s voice!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Against the backdrop of a conflict between two implacable enemies of the ancient world, three women who are loyal to very different cultures must find courage to survive a ten year siege.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am represented in Australia by The Naher Agency but will be independently publishing the e-book of The Golden Dice in all territories in 2013. I’ve been encouraged because the e-book of The Wedding Shroud rose to the top 10 on the Amazon historical fiction popularity list. So going ‘indie’ has worked there.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It took me 12 months to write the first draft of The Golden Dice, then I revised it for another 6 months. It was a completely different experience to writing The Wedding Shroud which took ten years!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I like to think my writing is similar to that of Tracy Chevalier or Sarah Dunant even though my novels are set in ancient Rome. I like the way those authors explore a character’s psyche while instilling a sense of historical place. If you like Kate Quinn or Michelle Moran’s books, then you might also like The Wedding Shroud or The Golden Dice.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As I mentioned above, Etruscan art inspired the trilogy. In fact whenever I’m stuck for ideas, I always turn to the beautiful images of the life loving Etruscans. The author who most inspired me to write historical fiction was Mary Renault. If only I could write prose like hers!

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

The Wedding Shroud explores sexuality in the ancient world together with the politics of Rome and Etruria. I continue to delve into these subjects in The Golden Dice. Also, the Etruscans practised a sophisticated religion that raised the art of prophecy to a science. The reader might be interested to learn how these societies relied on a pantheon of gods to determine their destinies.

Authors who I have tagged are:

Colin Falconer is the author of so many books that I refer you to his Goodreads page for his entire bibliography. His most recent book is Stigmata which introduces the reader to the Cathars of C13th France. Born in north London, Colin worked for many years in TV and radio and freelanced for many of Australia’s leading newspapers and magazines. He has been a novelist for the last twenty years, with his work published widely in the UK, US and Europe and translated into nearly twenty languages. Colin blogs at Looking for Mr Good Story.

Diane Ascroft, author of Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves: A Short Story Collection and Hitler and Mars Bars, loves to lose herself in the past, particularly in stories set in Ireland and Scotland. Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves includes tales of outsiders who discover they belong, a humorous slice of life yarn, heartwarming love stories and a tale of taming fear. The shadows are on the wall, in the heart and clouding a woman’s memories while tangible foes tramp through the physical landscape.

Amazon: Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves & Hitler and Mars Bars

Ascroft, eh? Blog

Dianne’s Facebook

Diane’s Website;

Author and playwright, Wendy J. Dunn is obsessed with Tudor History. Her first published novel, the award-winning "Dear Heart, How Like You This?" is described as "one of the best novels ever written about Anne Boleyn's life."

After completing her Masters in Writing at Swinburne University in 2009, Wendy took up a position as a sessional tutor in Writing. She became a PhD Candidate in August, 2010. Of course, the artefact for her PhD is another Tudor novel, this time a YA novel that revisits Anne Boleyn in the last months of her life.

Wendy's wordpress site: Reviews of her first novel:
What we do for the sake of fiction:
Speaking the Silences: Writing, advocacy and enabling voice: