How long have you been writing?
I won a national poetry competiton at primary school, maybe I was 8 years old! It began :- “I sat down at the table, to see if I was able, to do what Sir had said. I had to write five verses on cats or dogs or nurses, what ere was in my head.” Certainly no Wordsworth, was I? Since then it always seemed to be me who was chosen to write a report or put the right words in a letter. But it took me 50+ more years before I wrote my first novel.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
I suppose I am lucky to have a mind that squirrels facts away, to be brought out when the need arises. Often I pull something from memory and then check it against facts later. We are lucky in New Zealand to have some really good online facilities like ‘Te Ara, the Encyclopeadia of New Zealand’. And we have some excellent museum facilities in Christchurch and Dunedin. If you visit ‘Toitu’ in Dunedin, you may well recognise Sophia’s house, the steerage deck of a ship and many other treasures of the 19th century. The 3rd book, Guy Pender was written during lockdown, so much use had to be made of the internet. I spent a happy few hours on Google Maps trying to find a European city with a town square that would have existed in 1859 - it took a while to find such a thing in Zurich, which led me neatly to the rest of the plot.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I read a lot and often have more than one book on the go at one time. I prefer historical fiction, especially family sagas. I enjoyed all the Poldark books (so much better than the TV series) and I have read RF Delderfield’s ‘God is an Englishman’ books several times over. I have recently discovered Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series and now can’t wait to read the 7th (and 8th) book. I really don’t like fantasy books, or action/adventure, but I enjoy the odd ‘aga saga’ or crime/ mystery thriller.
Pen or type writer or computer?
Laptop - often balanced on my knees while I lounge on the sofa.
Describe your writing style.
A reviewer once wrote that “the conversational writing style made it seem like we were sitting on the porch listening to what was happening in the neighborhood.” I rather like that idea. I hope that my books would do well to be read out loud. I can’t say it is something I have thought about consciously, the words just seem to come out that way.
What makes a good story?
A good historical novel needs strong, believeable characters who come to life through a gripping storyline based on well researched historical facts.
What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first? Because my books are set in true historical times, the outline is determined by real events. I like to come up with the ‘one big storyline’ first, then add other vague ideas. In a series it is important to tie up loose ends from previous books too. However, I don’t always stick to the plan! Characters pop into the story unannounced and turn into important people and events tend to come up as you go along. That’s what makes writing so exciting.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I think you can do both of these things at once. Regular readers want their familiar friends and settings, but I think it is important to surprise them sometimes too.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
The actual writing process has taken less than 6 months for each of my books so far. Then there’s the process of editing, formatting, etc - that takes far too long for my brain. I get quite impatient with that bit.
Do you believe in writer’s block?
I’m sure it is real for some writers, but generally I have the opposite problem. My characters clamour inside my head telling me what to write next. I can hold them back for a day or two, but then they just have to come out of my fingers and into the laptop.
This sounds like a really good series.
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