I saw this over on Jaime Morrow's blog and decided to steal it because it looked like a lot of fun!
1. Best Writing Space?
Right now it's the dining table! I've mentioned in previous posts that I recently finished university so I'm back to living with my parents, and while we live in a lovely house it's also a pretty small house so there isn't enough room in my bedroom for a desk. The dining table works, though - I just stick my headphones on and get to work!
2. If you could have dinner with any author, alive or deceased, who would it be and why?
I think it'd have to be Daphne du Maurier, because I recently started reading her books and I adore her. Her writing style is gorgeous and she also seems to have had a lover for historical fiction. Not to mention I'd love to ask her for some tips as to how she managed to pop out so many stories!
If not her then Mary Shelley or Anne Brontë, who I also love. If I could invite all three of them that'd be a dream come true.
3. Favourite way to procrastinate when you should be writing?
The internet. The internet is my enemy.
4. In less than 20 words, describe your current WIP.
Historical Fiction/Magical Realism set in Whitby in 1916. A retelling of a Cornish folktale.
5. If your favourite writing genre didn't exist, what would you write instead?
Gosh, what would I do without historical fiction? Thankfully I don't write solely historical fiction, but I do love it. If I couldn't write that I'd probably write fantasy and science fiction, because of most of my historical fiction seeps into magical realism and contains fantastical elements anyway.
6. Favourite band to listen to while writing?
It depends on what I'm writing. I do like to listen to film scores, and in my experience pretty much anything composed by Hans Zimmer works a treat.
7. Morning writing or night owl scribbler?
I'm definitely more of a night owl.
8. Favourite friendship in a published book?
Like Jaime said the Golden Trio would be the obvious choice, but other than those three... When I was younger I loved the friendship between Lirael and the Disreputable Dog. (I did a list of my Top 5 Fictional Friendships here!)
9. If you could write a book to capture the heart of a song you love, the song is?
Funnily enough I recently scribbled down an idea inspired by a song I love. I've already started listening to Christmas music; obviously here in the UK we don't celebrate Thanksgiving so as far as I'm concerned as soon as Bonfire Night's out of the way it's Christmas time! One of my all time favourite Christmas songs - in fact it might be my absolute favourite - is A Spaceman Came Travelling. I have the seed of an idea, so I'm going to go ahead and let it burn away in the back of my mind.
10. When the movie of your book gets made, who's the dream cast?
Well my current WIP is still in the very early planning stage. I suddenly got hit with the idea and decided to do it for NaNoWriMo, but I still have 0 words (seriously I suck at NaNo) and I only have a handful of characters and the vaguest idea of where the plot is going to go. I also still have to finish Bloodroot and Bracken, but I wanted to take a break from it to try my hand at something new and de-stress after finishing my MA.
Anyway, this WIP, tentatively titled Still Bravely Singing, has two leads, one male and one female. My male lead, Teddy, is the product of an English father and an Indian mother, so if I were to cast him off the top of my head I'd say someone like Naveen Andrews. My female lead, Fiona Shaw, is Irish and not exactly human. I don't really have her appearance that clear in my own mind just yet, but maybe someone like Sarah Bolger.
If you'd like to answer these questions, consider yourself tagged!
On Sunday I came across a fantastic new blog hop/chain of posts for historical fiction writers to introduce the main character from their WIP or soon to be published novel. It looked like so much fun that I simply had to join in, so the lovely Beth von Staats tagged me in her post. Make sure you check it out, it's a really interesting read!
I must also give honourable mentions to Debra Brown, who started this blog hop, and to Farida Mestek, whose post inspired me to join in!
What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
My novel has two protagonists, but the protagonist we see the most of is Jane Ask, who is 21 years old at the beginning of the novel (apart from the brief prologue, in which she is 6). She is entirely fictional, and very dear to my heart.
To the right is a picture of how I imagine Jane, made with this dollmaker because, sadly, I can't even draw stickmen well.
When and where is the story set?
The novel is set in Lancaster, Lancashire, and at the beginning of the novel the year is 1554. Mary I sits on the English throne.
What should we know about him/her?
After her mother's sudden death when she is 6, Jane grows up with just her father and two older brothers. Her oldest brother, Matthew, and her father eventually die, and her other brother, David, moves to London to work as a carpenter there. Jane elects to remain in Lancaster, near the countryside that she loves, and away from the wilderness that is London.
At the beginning of the novel London, and indeed all of England, is a dangerous place for Jane to be, for she is a Protestant, and therefore a heretic in the eyes of the queen. She must keep her beliefs incredibly secret, as Lancashire, like most of the north of England, is devoutly Catholic.
She lives a quiet life as a healer, with only a select few friends, and enjoys her own company. She's also rather proud, despite being on the poorer end of the social scale, though she would never admit it.
What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
During the autumn of 1554 Jane is accused of witchcraft. She is arrested, questioned and tortured via thumbscrew, leaving her hands forever maimed. Determined not to be hanged for something she hasn't done, Jane still refuses to admit to the charges. She is eventually ducked and found innocent when she sinks, but spends the rest of her days struggling with PTSD; she suffers from nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks.
Jane eventually marries a Scottish tutor, a Protestant like herself who has fled London after seeing some of his friends arrested and executed, and has four children, three of whom survive infancy. Her oldest child and only daughter, Thora, gives her something of a shock when one day she summons fire in her palm.
The realisation that her beloved daughter is the very thing Jane was once accused of being brings back memories she'd rather forget. She is forced to question everything she knows about the world and the true circumstances of her mother's death, all while trying to protect Thora from herself as her powers begin to grow stronger.
What is the personal goal of the character?
Ultimately Jane wants nothing more than to keep her children safe, and she will do anything to make sure that they are. Due to her PTSD she suffers from mild paranoia, and is fiercely protective of all three of them.
Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
Yes! My novel is titled Bloodroot and Bracken, and a few weeks ago I took part in WeWriWa and posted the first eight sentences of the novel. Other than that, however, I keep it mostly to myself. For now!
When can we expect the book to be published?
Ha - I need to finish writing it first! Ideally I'd like to have it ready to send off to agents either at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
I hope you enjoyed finding out a little more about Jane, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Once again, thank you to Beth von Staats for tagging me. I'm going to pass the torch to Carrie-Anne Brownian, an author of 20th century historical fiction whose characters I'd love to learn more about, and also to Amy Brashear, who, I believe, is working on a novel which takes place in the 1960s. Exciting!
If anyone else would like to join in, let me know and I'd be more than happy to tag you!
J.
Anyway, this WIP, tentatively titled Still Bravely Singing, has two leads, one male and one female. My male lead, Teddy, is the product of an English father and an Indian mother, so if I were to cast him off the top of my head I'd say someone like Naveen Andrews. My female lead, Fiona Shaw, is Irish and not exactly human. I don't really have her appearance that clear in my own mind just yet, but maybe someone like Sarah Bolger.
