I'd like to welcome Helen Hollick, author of The Kingmaking to my blog today for an author interview! She is stopping by my blog on her blog tour.
Stay tuned, later today I will be posting my book review of Ms. Hollick's wonderful novel, The Kingmaking.
Read on for Ms. Hollick's interview:
Bookworm: Welcome Ms. Hollick, and thank you for stopping by my blog on your tour. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Helen: Hello and thank you for inviting me! I am from London UK, I live on the outskirts, another few miles and I would have to say I live in the County of Essex. I have a husband, Ron, and my daughter Kathy is now 26. She lives at home with us still. We have a dog and two cats and Kathy has three horses which are kept nearby at a livery stable.
I have always wanted to write, but finally realised I could become an author after I had a small success with a children’s book. Called Come and Tell Me. I wrote it for Kathy when she was three - it is a “keep yourself safe” type of book, the theme being don’t go anywhere with anyone (what used to be called “Stranger Danger”). The book remains in print and was an Official Government Safety Book for ten years, used by UK police forces and in many schools. I admit to being very proud of it.
Bookworm: What inspired you to write The Kingmaking? How long did it take you to write?
Helen: It took me ten years. I became interested in Arthur when I read Mary Stewart’s books The Crystal Cave and the Hollow Hills. She had an author’s note which pointed out that Arthur, if he had really existed, was more likely to have been a warlord in the fifth or sixth century, not a Medieval knight in the twelfth or thirteenth. As I had also loved Rosemary Sutcliff’s Roman Britain stories for teenagers, I quite liked this idea, so began researching the real Arthur. I came across the early Welsh legends and was hooked. The trouble was, I then became so frustrated with novels about him. I have never liked the Medieval tales - the Knights, the Holy Grail and all that - they are all just fairy stories made up to suit the era, there is no reality to them at all.
Bookworm: The Kingmaking is part of a trilogy, and it is clear you have extensive knowledge on the Arthurian period, can you share a bit about the type of research that goes into writing a book like this?
Helen:
A lot! Most of my research was on the culture of the period - how people lived, fought, dressed etc. There is very little evidence about Arthur himself, so I took the major points of the early legends about him and incorporated them into what factual history we do know about the years 450 - 500 A.D. All the rest I had to make up - but - I tried to keep all the details as accurate as I could. I call it rabbit and potatoe stew syndrome. Most people know the potatoe was brought to England during the Tudor period, not so many realise the rabbit was introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest in 1066. So for a Roman soldier to be sitting on Hadrian’s Wall eating rabbit and potatoe stew is utter nonsense, and very bad research. Yet I did read that in a novel. I couldn’t finish it, for it was such a glaring error. I try my best not to make the same sort of mistake!
Bookworm: Can you share what readers can expect from the next two installments in this trilogy?
Helen:
Well, there is no Merlin, no Lancelot, no magic or superstition. Instead there is a young man (Arthur) who has to fight hard to gain his rightful Kingdom - and has to fight even harder to keep it. He is passionately in love with Gwenhwyfar but somehow their relationship never runs smoothly. Tragedy, trauma and treachery await around every corner to disrupt their lives.
And that’s all I’m telling you!
Bookworm: What has surprised you the most about being a published author?
Helen:
That I am just as enthusiastic about writing now, these many years after having the first success with Come and Tell Me. In fact I am even more enthusiastic - I could not stop writing now and go out and get a proper job! I am passionate about bringing my characters to life. To me, they are real people.
Bookworm: Who are your favorite authors and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Helen:
In alphabetical order so I don’t show any favouritism:
Elizabeth Chadwick - because she is passionate about her work and her characters. She is a good friend and has always been so very supportive.
Raven Dane - a fairly new UK author who writes breathtaking fantasy stories with a difference about vampires, and who deserves to be more widely recognised for her extraordinary writing talent than she presently is.
Jo Field - another new author who writes about the English Civil War. I am so looking forward to her second exciting novel. If she is reading this I hope she hurries up and gets on with it!
Dick Francis - because when I am tired and just want to read something light I know his books will instantly absorb me.
James L. Nelson - because his maritime adventures gave me the inspiration to write my pirate novels - and because he has been so encouraging.
Sharon Kay Penman - because her characters come alive, her research is immaculate, and she encouraged me to write the Kingmaking - and has continued to encourage me to this day.
Rosemary Sutcliff - because she wrote so beautifully and she has always been my “author heroine”.
Bookworm: What would you like to say to your readers?
Helen:
Well, naturally, I hope they enjoy my work and that I have portrayed my characters well enough for them to come alive out of the pages for my readers to fall in love with. I would be delighted for readers to browse my personal webpage and meet me there (www.helenhollick.net) - and please feel free to e-mail me.
I have heard of some authors who will not answer correspondence - some who will not even give an autograph or spare time to “chat” to their readers. I cannot understand that. If it was not for you, the reader, there would be point in writing the books! When I get a story in my head I have to write it, initially for my own satisfaction, but the whole purpose of writing novels is to share the story. If an author then refuses to acknowledge those who enjoy his or her story telling …. what is the point of writing it?
So I hope you enjoy my stories, and thank you for permitting me to entertain you.
Bookworm: When you aren't busy writing, what do you like to do?
Helen:I play scrabble against the computer. (I cheat; my level is set to medium, the computer to hard.) I like pottering in my garden, I walk the dog, and watch TV. My daughter also show jumps so we are often at shows watching her compete. I have my eyes shut most of the time though, because those jumps are rather big!
Bookworm:Thank you for stopping by my blog for an interview, best of luck!
Helen:My pleasure.
Helen
-------------------------------
Special thanks to Paul Samuelson over @ Sourcebooks.com for this opportunity.
To my blog readers, if you haven't read The Kingmaking , I highly recommend it! It's a novel full of drama,
has a great plot and plenty of interesting characters...with a dash of romance for good measure. Stay tuned in a few hours I will be posting my review of this wonderful book.....
