First of all thank you for inviting me to be your guest.
Q.
Where are you
from?
A. I live in Hertfordshire , England
A. Since childhood I have been an avid reader. Blessed with curiosity and an active imagination it was inevitable that one day I would become an author.
Q.
What components,
in your opinion, make a great story?
A.
An intriguing
plot, an interesting theme, strong characters, good or bad, which the reader
can identify with. Emotion, emotion and more emotion, and I do not mean only in
romances, emotion can be low key but it needs to be there. Last but not least,
a good pace which makes the reader wants to turn the page to find out what
happens next.
Q.
How would you
generally categorize the books/stories you write?
A.
I write
traditional romantic historical fiction, by which I mean that I do not open the
bedroom door wide.
Q.
Do you set your
books/stories in your home town, or do you prefer more exotic locations?
A.
So far my novels
are mostly set in Q. How much of your writing is based on people or events familiar to you?
I was inspired to write Tangled Love when reading
about Charles II, James II, his daughter, Mary, who with her husband William of
Orange, usurped the throne, and his second daughter Queen Anne. After Charles II’s death, his brother James
became king. Most non-Roman Catholic peers did not like the man, his politics
or his religion. Eventually, James II was forced to flee to France England
by her father who followed James to France India
Q. How did you come up with the title of Tangled Love?
A. As a child, to please her father, who my heroine,
Richelda, loved, she swore on the Bible to do her best to regain Field House,
the family estate confiscated in the reign of Charles I. Penniless and alone
Richelda believes she will marry Dudley, the vicar’s son who she loves.
Subsequently she resists every attempt by her rich aunt to persuade her to
marry the new owner of her ancestral home, Field House. Tangled Love suits the
various dilemmas in Richelda’s life. 
Q. What is the
hardest part of your novels to write?
A. Writing the
first paragraph which I hope will intrigue the reader and make the reader want
to continue.
Q. What was the easiest part of the story to write?
A. The first
draft in which I develop the plot and theme, and in which the characters come
to life.
Q. Was there much research involved?
A. Yes, the shelves in the bookcase in my office are
slightly bowed with the weight of books about economic history, fashion, food,
furniture, make-up, perfume social history, and much more. And I often stagger
home from the library with more books for research.
Q. Is there a
message in your story you want readers to grasp?
A. Yes, we experience the same emotions as our
ancestors although our life styles are so far removed from theirs. Also, to
understand our present it is helpful to understand our past. For example, if
the Duke of Marlborough had lost the Wars of Spanish Succession the history of
the
Q. What do you feel is your biggest strength as a
writer?
A. My ability to recreate the past through the
subjects described in my answer to the previous question.
Q. When you
first started writing, did anything about the writing process surprise you?
A. The amount of time it takes to revise a novel, and
then work with editors prior to publication astonished me. I was surprised by
the amount of time it takes to build an online platform, through my website
(which is due to be updated), my blog and numerous online groups that I belong
to.
Q. Do you celebrate when you finish a story, and if
so, how?
A. By the time I write The End I’m so exhausted that I
need a day off from writing. I don’t have the energy to celebrate unless
sleeping late on the following morning can be described as a celebration.
Q. Do you have a set writing routine?
A. I wake at 6 a.m., make a hot drink and work until
10 or 11 a.m. with a short break to have breakfast and watch the news on
television. I then get on with the
chores, go shopping, cook, socialize or work in my organic garden in which I
grow fruit, herbs and vegetables, and then at 4 p.m. I’m back at the laptop or
computer to work until 8 p.m.
Q. What do you like least about writing?
A. Writing a letter of introduction to a publisher and
writing a synopsis of a novel.
Q. Which authors do you feel have influenced your
writing most?
A. As a child I read Jeffrey Farnol and Geoffrey
Trease’s children’s historical fiction and, at the library, I always chose to
read historical fiction and non-fiction. Later, I read the classics, Thomas
Hardy, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. At around the age of
fourteen or fifteen, I borrowed my next door neighbor’s novels by Georgette
Heyer which I could not read fast enough. These authors and many more invoked
my wish to become a published historical novelist. I also read the works of Elizabeth
Goudge, Anya Seton Mary Stewart, and, I think, in my late teens began reading
the Angelique series by Seargeanne Golon, more recently I read and enjoyed
Helen Hollick. Philip Gregory, Sharon Penman and Elizabeth Chadwick’s novels..
Q. If you could go back in time, what author would you
most like to invite to share a chat and a bottle of wine?
A. Well, I would like to chat with A.C.Bhativedanta
Swami Prabhupada but like me he did not drink alcoholic beverages, so it would
be out of the question.
Q. What’s next for you? Can we look forward to a new
story in the near future?
A. Far Beyond Rubies will be published in March 2013.
At the moment, I am revising two novels. One is a big, fat mediaeval novel; the
second is set in Queen Anne’s reign. I
am also planning a new novel Monday’s Child, a sequel to Sunday’s Child set in
the Regency era.
Q. Who supports your writing activities most?
A. The members of the online critique groups which I
belong to, and members of my writing group, Watford Writers as well as The
Romantic Novelists’ Association and more online groups than I can mention.
Q. What does your family think of your writing?
A. My family is supportive and proud of me.
Q. What advice would you give an aspiring author?
A, Never be discouraged by rejection, persevere, and
while doing so learn as much as you can about the craft of writing through
books on How To Write, constructive on line writers’ groups, workshops, and
writers’ groups at which you can read extracts from your work and receive
helpful comments.
Q.How can readers reach you?
A. They can e-mail me at: rosemarymorris@hotmail.co.uk.
Links:
2 comments:
Nice interview, Anna and Rosemary. Your books sound interesting. Can't wait to get started.
Interesting interview, ladies. Rosemary, you are very productive. Nice to "meet" you.
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