tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30149839483939916792024-03-05T01:55:50.761-08:00Eliza GrahamEliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-83710953778067832182014-05-30T09:34:00.003-07:002014-05-30T09:34:45.978-07:00Back to Ukraine<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">About two or three years ago I had it in mind to write a novel that would be (as usual) a thread of historical and contemporary storylines. An elderly Ukrainian living in Britain with a dark wartime secret. I gave up on it because it was so hard to uncover material about the Ukraine in the thirties and forties. The battles were described, of course. And the deaths. But it seemed that every single person who may have written down what everyday life was like in Ukraine in the period had been murdered/starved/deported or pressed into either the Fascist or Communist armies and militias. A country's culture is very certainly not that of the middle classes alone, but when those people have ... gone, it's hard to to written accounts. I simply thought that the subject was too difficult. In the last six months, of course, it's become very topical again, that historical split in the Ukraine, half of which looks west towards Poland and the EU, and the other part which looks east to Russia. I may have to start working on it, after all . . . Just need to track down some good accounts written by Ukrainian people in English or even German, which I can just about manage with my old German A level.</span>Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811043705085959688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-16666691562694542172014-05-26T13:23:00.001-07:002014-05-26T13:23:32.242-07:00Amazon Countdown deal on The One I Was--99p<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For two days, starting on Tuesday 27 May, The One I Was will be on a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-One-Was-Eliza-Graham-ebook/dp/B00JDJSYSO%3FSubscriptionId%3D0V4JT1H35KWYMF0SKQR2%26tag%3Dnovelrank-21%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00JDJSYSO">special Amazon promotional deal</a>, with the price just 99p in the UK.<br />
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Catch it while you can; the price goes up to £1.99 for a few more days at the end of the week, and will then return to full price.</div>
Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811043705085959688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-76622029429725372312014-05-16T10:17:00.000-07:002014-05-16T10:17:01.048-07:00The Children's WarWhat effect did World War have on children? It's a huge question, and one which we've been mulling over since <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22http://rcm-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=elizgrah-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0141315180&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr%22%20style=%22width:120px;height:240px;%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20frameborder=%220%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E">The Diary of Anne Frank</a> was first published and various fictional accounts written at the time (one of my favourites is <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22http://rcm-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=elizgrah-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0007274777&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr%22%20style=%22width:120px;height:240px;%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20frameborder=%220%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E">When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit</a> by Judith Kerr). Many of the great movements in child psychology actually originated from observations of how children responded to extreme situations brought on by war, such as separation from parents (Bowlby's work, for instance).<br />
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Alex Baugh is fascinated by the subject and has a whole blog, <a href="http://thechildrenswar.blogspot.co.uk/p/about-me-and-my-blog.html">The Children's War</a>, dedicated to the subject of books aimed at children, young adults and occasionally adults, plus a WIP annotated bibliography of books written for young readers set in World War II.<br />
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This week The Children's War reviews The One I Was and I am flattered to be in such good company.Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811043705085959688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-90682175684312885662014-05-11T23:13:00.002-07:002014-05-11T23:13:57.027-07:00Generation War and Heimat<div class="title" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/6261532-generation-war-on-bbc-2-tv" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">Generation War on BBC 2 TV</a></div>
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I watched the last episode of Generation War last night and have been thinking about it ever since. It's good that the Germans have finally produced something like this*. I remember summer holidays spent with my German exchange friend and her brothers and sisters and their frustration with the wall of silence over the subject of WW2 and Germany. That was the late seventies and early eighties. Lots of terribly wounded men could still be seen going about their lives. Buses, trams and trains had signs reminding you that war wounded had priority seating rights.<br /><br />There were some things about Generation War I didn't think quite worked (too much coincidence: Poland, the Ukraine and Russia are huge areas, yet the friends seemed to bump into one another, often almost literallly). I wasn't sure a Jewish friend would be so openly partying with four Aryan friends in 1941. And I thought that Wilhelm probably knew more than he let on about what was going on in Poland at the beginning of the series as he'd already served out there.<br /><br />But the series gave me characters I cared about, even when they did things that appalled me (Charly informing on the Jewish doctor, Friedhelm shooting the little Jewish boy). They made me ask myself what I would have done in the same situations. Would I have been brave enough to have ignored the Jewish ancestry of my colleague? To have flat-out refused to shoot a child, even if I knew the immediate response would have probably been a bullet through my own head? What would I have done in those circumstances if I'd grown up indoctrinated on propoganda? I'll never know, of course.<br /><br />In both Restitution and The One I Was the 'What would I have done?' question preoccupied me. Impossible to answer: we're not the same people as the Germans in the 30s and 40s. But we can still ask ourselves and try and listen to what the most truthful part of us offers up in response. Some of my answers haven't been very brave answers, despite my hoping that I would have done the right thing.<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21814397.The_One_I_Was" style="color: #666600;" title="The One I Was by Eliza Graham">The One I Was</a>--<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2379937.Restitution" style="color: #666600;" title="Restitution by Eliza Graham">Restitution</a><br /><br /><br />*I'm just editing this to add that I haven't forgotten, of course, Reitz's wonderful Heimat, which I first started watching because I wanted to research German kitchen interiors of the 1930s and which Google eventually led me to! The excuse of 'research' eventually became a bare-faced lie and I watched all of the first series in a kind of binge. I never liked the second and third series as much. For me, the story hung on Katharina and Maria, the matriarchs, and their centrality to the life of the community. Of course, war comes to Heimat but the village is certainly not on the Eastern Front and is reasonably peaceful untroubled, although there are those shaky moments when the American (fortunately not the Red Army) roll into the village in 1945. So it's not really a depiction of war in the same way as Generation War. Though I will never forget the scenes where Wilfried Wiegand shoots the downed British airman, only metres away from a car-ful of children, and where he tells off Katharina for giving the POWs a decent meal. And Katharina travelling into Bochum to rescue a young Lotti after her father was arrested. I must watch series one again. Brilliant.</div>
Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-41521116683074341472014-05-05T07:24:00.000-07:002014-05-05T00:14:29.901-07:00The Writing Process<span style="font-family: inherit;">The talented Deborah Swift, author of last year's <b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/033054344X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=479289247&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=023074687X&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=0R9KP6S05J38E5Y7BPYY">A Divided Inheritance</a>, </b>the third of her novels to date, has kindly invited me to join a blog hop on the writing process. You can find Deborah's musings on this subject on her <a href="http://deborahswift.blogspot.co.uk/">blog</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are only four questions, which makes it all seem very simple, but as with all apparently simple exercises, this is deceptive, as some of my answers will show.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">What am I working on?</span></b></h4>
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The second of my Blitz Kid novels, about a teenage girl living through World War II, and also another adult novel I wrote last summer and am revising. </div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: 19px;">How does my work differ from others of its genre?</strong></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I suppose we all like to feel that we're different! I come across other dual-thread novels, going from contemporary to historical, so there's nothing new in what I do. I do have a fascination with the way in which World War II changed whole generations of families: not just the lives of those living through those times. Sad, dangerous or possibly exciting things that happened during such a time of struggle can well affect those living decades later, and that's what interests me. In my new book, </span><i><a href="http://amzn.to/1fLYK9h">The One I Was</a></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">, a secret that a Kindertransport child carries with him to England in 1939 ripples on down through the years so that it becomes part of the story of a contemporary English nurse who's not related to him.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><strong style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Why do I write what I do?</strong></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">I suppose it's that fascination with how things are connected, about hard it is to untangle ourselves from the past and from our histories.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">How does your writing process work?</strong></span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">I have a rough outline of what I'm going to do before I start--often in the form of a short synopsis or something more 'query'-like: a quick summary of what the book will actually be about, rather than what happens in it. I like to know where the conflict points will be before I start. I now use Scrivener, so that I can separate each chapter and play with their order in the novel. If I'm writing a novel with two threads, it's important to reveal information at the right time, so being able to shift scenes around easily is very useful. Once I have a draft I'm reasonably happy with, I'll ask a first reader to have a look. Then redraft based on their comments, and then perhaps ask someone else. Ideally then I'd lock the ms. up for a year and come back to it with a fresh eye, as distance allows you some objectivity.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">I have daily set word targets, though if I'm in full writing mode I imagine I probably write at least a thousand words a day. I'm a great believer in not just putting down words for words' sake. It's better to try and work that out first and not force it. I often have breakthroughs when I'm driving or walking. A lot of the 'writing' happens in my head.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Next week, it is the turn of the critically acclaimed Nicole Hayes to tell us about her writing process. Nicole is a freelance writer, editor and teacher based in Melbourne. She has an MA in Creative Writing, which she teaches at the University of Melbourne and Phoenix Park Neighbourhood House. Her first novel, <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Whole-My-World-Nicole-Hayes-ebook/dp/B00BHOT9GE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398869330&sr=8-1&keywords=Nicole+Hayes">The Whole of My World</a></i></b>, was published last year to critical acclaim, and is a dark young adult story of a girl's attempt to escape her grieving father and her own terrible secret by the medium of Aussie Rules Football. </span></div>
Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-49095029386820606492014-04-29T03:02:00.003-07:002014-04-29T03:05:01.168-07:00Thoughts on titles and emblems<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">The One I Was</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"> was titled 'Fairfleet' for the period of two years in which I wrote it, because the house itself seemed to be such a part of the narrative, almost a character in its own right. Eventually I changed the name, because a friend, rightfully, pointed out that it gave the book a nautical, if not naval, air! It is set in inland England, near the historic cities of Oxford and Abingdon, so I was worried that this would be misleading. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;"><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">The One I Was</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"> as a title popped into my head at a random moment and it seemed completely the right title for the book. Benny comes to England as a refugee from Nazi Germany and immediately realizes that to flourish in a new country he needs to reinvent himself into someone irreproachably English. But are we still the same people we were when we were children? And if you try and change yourself into someone else can you always succeed?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal;">There are lots of other things in the <i>The One I Was</i> that fascinate me: topiary animals and peacocks. Appropriately, only last night, a few weeks after the book was published, a friend and I nearly jumped out of our skins when a peacock shrieked at us in the dark. A Spitfire plane also features in the novel as an emblem of freedom and danger, completely irresistible for Harriet Dorner, female pilot.</span><br />
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Elliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811043705085959688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-72445359878562115212014-04-23T06:37:00.001-07:002014-04-23T06:37:37.355-07:00What's going on at the library?<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Use your library more. Libraries have a lot to offer besides reading – they are places to go online, to access digital resources and of course, get help from librarians, in person and online.</div>
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<a href="http://www.bookmarkyourlibrary.org.uk/">Bookmark your library</a> aggregates services and content from 159 libraries in England and Wales (and a few Scottish ones) and puts them all together in one place. Have a look at the link and find out what's going on at UK public libraries.</div>
Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-20682962811575051262014-04-08T14:04:00.002-07:002014-04-08T14:04:30.703-07:00The One I WasI am delighted to announce that my latest novel, The One I Was, has been published by Moreton Street Books.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">1939. Youngster Benny Gault, a Kindertransport refugee from Nazi Germany’s anti-semiticism, arrives at Harwich docks, label flapping round his neck, football under his arm, and a guilty secret in his heart. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">More than half a century later, Benny lies on his deathbed in his beautiful country house, Fairfleet, his secret still unconfessed. Rosamond, his nurse, has a guilty secret of her own concerning her mother’s death in a fire at Fairfleet, years earlier. As Benny and Rosamond unwind the threads binding them together, Rosamond must fight the unfinished violence of the past, now menacing both Fairfleet's serenity and Benny's last days. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">The One I Was is a novel about shifting identities and whether we can truly reinvent ourselves. </span></span><br />
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Available from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-One-Was-Eliza-Graham/dp/1910229016/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1396990901&sr=8-1&keywords=the+one+i+was+eliza+graham">Amazon</a> and from bookshops, ISBN <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">978-1910229019/</span>Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-14477840863866692732014-02-28T05:19:00.000-08:002014-02-28T05:19:17.032-08:00World Book DayA brief mention of me in <a href="http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/11035809.print/">The Oxford Times</a> talking about World Book Days past and present.Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-84638624435194513282013-11-27T09:35:00.001-08:002013-11-27T09:37:12.634-08:00The young adult voice in historical fictionNo 'World of' blog post this week because of Thanksgiving in the States and also because I have been busy blogging elsewhere. On the <a href="http://www.hf-connection.com/2013/11/eliza-grahams-blitz-kid-guest-post-and.html">Historical Fiction Connection blog</a>, I'm talking about the young adult voice in historical fiction, and the pitfalls of thereof.Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-4007500763884537652013-11-21T00:26:00.001-08:002013-11-21T00:26:54.234-08:00The World of Maggie Dana's Timber Ridge Riders<div class="tt">
<span lang="EN-US">This week's '<b>World of my Book</b>' guest is Maggie Dana.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Maggie’s first riding lesson, at the age of five,
was less than wonderful. In fact, she hated it so much, she didn’t try again
for another three years. But all it took was the right instructor and the right
horse and she was hooked for life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Her new riding stable was slap bang in the middle
of Pinewood Studios, home of England’s movie industry. So while learning to
groom horses, clean tack, and muck stalls, Maggie also got to see the stars in
action. Some even spoke to her. A few years later she even jumped bareback on
her first pony (see above). </span>Born and raised near London, Maggie now makes her
home on the Connecticut shoreline where she divides her time between hanging
out with the family’s horses and writing her next book in the <a href="http://timberridgeriders.com/">Timber Ridge Riders</a> series.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">To learn about her horse books, go <a href="http://www.timberridgeriders.com./">here</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For more about Maggie’s women’s fiction, go <a href="http://www.maggiedana.com/html/womens_fiction.html">here</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">The world
of my books . . .<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Vermont — home of lush green valleys, red barns,
white church steeples, dairy cows, Ben & Jerry’s delicious ice cream,
snow-covered peaks in winter, and enough color in the autumn to make your eyes
bleed. And while you’re inhaling the stunning scenery you might also notice a
few riding stables — not always the most glamorous of places — where dedicated
kids are mucking stalls and hugging their horses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">What does
the world of your books feel like?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For me? Perfectly comfortable … but for someone
not used to horses, it probably feels a bit scary. Horses are big animals. Even
a small pony weighs 500 lbs. A full-sized horse, like the ones you see racing
at Epsom, weighs more than twice that. But despite their size, horses are
gentle creatures and amazingly trainable. They have long memories, so something
you teach them today, they will remember ten years from now, long after you’ve
forgotten it. This is not always a good thing. For instance, one of my characters
teaches her horse to lie down on command, which is great for entertaining the
younger kids at the barn but not so great when the horse lies down while you’re
still on her back … just because she wants you to reward her with a carrot!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">If I fell into
your books, what would I hear and smell and feel?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">You’d hear the steady beat of a horse and rider
cantering around the ring . . . a horse
rattling his bucket in the barn because he’s eager to be fed. On a sunny
afternoon you might hear the sound of horses swishing each other with their
tails to keep flies away as they graze in the paddock. But the best sound of
all is a pony whickering at his owner because he loves her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Smell? Fresh hay, saddle soap, and the pungent
aroma of manure (totally wonderful to horse people, believe me!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As for feeling . . . I’d like to think you would
feel excitement because that’s what my stories try to provide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Who would I
have to watch out for?<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Angela, definitely. She’s the quintessential barn
princess who loves to win ribbons and cause as much trouble as she can get away
with. Oh, and you might want to keep an eye out for Marmalade. He’s the barn’s
biggest horse and while he’s super gentle, he doesn’t always pay attention to
where he puts his gigantic feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Who would
keep an eye on me?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Kate. At fourteen, she’s mature beyond her years,
but fortunately her best friend Holly is teaching her how to lighten up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">What do I
need to bring with me?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Sturdy boots and a sense of humor. Oh, and a
strong arm with a pitchfork would help, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">By the time
I came home again, I’d know more about . . .<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">How
responsible and caring kids </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">can be when they’re tasked with taking care of
animals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thank you, Maggie. We have<b> some stop-press news</b> here about Maggie's latest in the series . . .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>AFTER THE STORM</b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Book #8</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Timber Ridge Riders</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIkiGXhE4cRUoNS_ioYjmnyjeUgEuuWlm8Jis9XKWOxRdgk676O4qD3WG3Nz82UMbekv9PRg65KqORMlLXOnV0WSjQTtXGdK-ONfXwcPpFxoDn-lYpET1Ax46j1IoTnTAlQWYYPo3x7Ht/s1600/Book+8+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIkiGXhE4cRUoNS_ioYjmnyjeUgEuuWlm8Jis9XKWOxRdgk676O4qD3WG3Nz82UMbekv9PRg65KqORMlLXOnV0WSjQTtXGdK-ONfXwcPpFxoDn-lYpET1Ax46j1IoTnTAlQWYYPo3x7Ht/s200/Book+8+small.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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Valentine's Day is just around the corner and the Timber Ridge girls are excited about getting dates and new outfits for the school dance. But a blizzard plunges them into reality when the barn's power goes out. If Kate and Holly don't act fast, a pony may die.<br />
<br />
But Angela Dean doesn't care.<br />
<br />
She spreads false rumors that Kate can't be trusted around horses, and trashes Kate's reputation the way she did a year ago.<br />
<br />
Kate shrugs it off.<br />
<br />
Angela has done this many times before and Kate has survived. But this time, Holly warns, a lot more is at stake. If Angela succeeds in her latest vendetta, Kate might lost all she's worked hard to attain -- her place on the team and the respect of her two closest friends.<br />
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<br />Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-65953307043412655722013-11-19T04:00:00.000-08:002013-11-19T04:00:15.023-08:00Blitz Kid at special one-day 77p (99 cent) priceBlitz Kid is on a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blitz-Rachel-Pearse-Eliza-Graham-ebook/dp/B00FUAD4U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384862140&sr=8-1&keywords=Blitz+Kid">special one-day price </a>of just 77p (99 cents) today.Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-34851804596132089032013-11-14T00:18:00.000-08:002013-11-14T03:41:56.356-08:00The World of Lauren Baratz-Logsted's Twins<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lauren Baratz-Logsted is the author of 32 books for adults, teens and children. You can read more about her life and work at <a href="http://www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com</a> or follow her on Twitter @LaurenBaratzL. The paperback edition of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Twins-Daughter-Lauren-Baratz-Logsted-ebook/dp/B003Y3BBA8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383659208&sr=8-2&keywords=The+twin%27s+daughter">THE TWIN'S DAUGHTER</a>, hailed by Library Journal as "riveting", will be released on 14 January 2014, and Lauren is here to tell us more about the world of the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>The Twin's Daughter</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Twins-Daughter-Lauren-Baratz-Logsted-ebook/dp/B003Y3BBA8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383659208&sr=8-2&keywords=The+twin%27s+daughter"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfAxLFTScKKPlo9VO_WWeDckgOUlKkPSHGKDZMUPGETVb8j0Gh2mlWz_8xKTAXPEU2YkmUfUA9hsy0sgy7I38Tjf1sat3eDUGDuJQpU5Nixv4vlr9KB_MXgSXM1XW1GXzWW12n0BPHlxT/s200/TwinsDaughterPB_cata.jpg" width="133" /></a><span id="goog_1201886782"></span><span id="goog_1201886783"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit;"><b>If I fell into THE TWIN'S DAUGHTER, what would I hear and smell and feel?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">You would notice more what you wouldn't hear: the cacophony of TVs and other electronic devices. You'd smell horse dung and slop jars. And you'd feel the occasional fabric that might be strange to you, like a tufted horsehair sofa. All of this would be because you'd be in London in the 1880s. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit;"><b>Who would I have to watch out for?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">From the moment you meet her, you would think you'd need to watch out for Helen Smythe. As time goes on, you'd waver: Am I right about this fear or am I wrong? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;"><b>Who would keep an eye on me?</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit;">Kit Tyler, the boy next door. Of all the characters I've created, Kit is the one I'm in love with the most and he deserves that love. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;"><b>What do I need to bring with me?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">I think no matter where you are, commonsense and a sense of humor are always assets. Other things you'll want: keen powers of observation and detection (there will be a murder to solve); and resilience (we all need that); plus a strong neck (since yours might whip around each time the way you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"> </span><em style="background-color: transparent;">think</em><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">things are gets turned on its head). Oh, and if at all possible, you'll want to bring indoor plumbing with you since you won't find any there. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the time I came home again, I'd know more about . . . </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The interior design, fashions and foods of 1880s London, also how camels might be used in warfare.</span></span></div>
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Postscript: Lauren also has an Amazon Countdown promotion on another of her titles: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ALZZDLA">Robbie Knightley, </a>which means you could snap up a bargain before the price returns to normal.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">THANK YOU, LAUREN.</span></b></div>
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Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-78567072005977527092013-11-06T22:00:00.000-08:002013-11-07T14:06:55.125-08:00The World of Barbara Morgenroth's Bittersweet Farm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week's world is that of novelist Barbara Morgenroth's Bittersweet Farm.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00958643U"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy224/elizabeth_graham1/63af9e34-6bbf-47a0-acd5-efa6dd74027b_zps3fccd19f.jpg" title="" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Barbara Morgenroth has been writing professionally for many years, riding horses
for even longer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Her
series, </span><span lang="EN-US">Bittersweet Farm, is home to seventeen-year-old
sisters Talia Margolin and Greer Swope. They often have a contentious and competitive relationship but
share a passion for horses. Action and intense emotion fill Talia’s and
Greer’s world as they leave high school behind. Will their new trainer, Lockie
Malone, be a part of their future? Will Cameron Rafferty, jumper rider, present
an irresistible temptation? Which horses will carry the young women to the top?
This series will captivate and intrigue teens and adults alike.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C2I572E"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy224/elizabeth_graham1/bittersweet2092013sigil160x240_zps0242f522.jpg" width="133" /></a><span id="goog_778249343"></span><span id="goog_778249344"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">Barbara, if I fell into your books, what would I
hear and smell and feel?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The
clean scent of country air, herbaceous hay and fresh pine shavings. </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">Either
you would feel excited or appalled by the level of passion at which Talia and Greer </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">live their
lives at Bittersweet Farm.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b>Who
would I have to watch out for?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It seems
that the determined and opinionated Greer Swope is someone to </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">be
avoided, but that would be a mistake as she has so much to offer. The person </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">who is
the most dangerous is the show jumper rider, Jennifer Nicholson.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> <b>Who
would keep an eye on me?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Talia
Margolin looks out for everyone. When
she was younger, she tended to her </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">dying
mother and that set the tone for her life. Her first reaction is always to try </span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;">to make
life better for those around her, whether human or animal.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FY5WVFI"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy224/elizabeth_graham1/d6a5df27-fa1c-4e06-8988-33ee43280841_zpsaa79f7ab.jpg" width="133" /></a><span id="goog_1434870922"></span><span id="goog_1434870923"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">What
do I need to bring with me</span></b><span lang="EN-US">?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Your own
saddle would be excellent. If you’re at
Bittersweet Farm, you’re definitely going to get up on a horse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">By the time I came home again, I'd know more about . . .<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Hopefully you’d know more about yourself. Bittersweet Farm is a learning
experience. It seems like the main
function is training horses and riders but mostly it’s about growing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>THANK YOU, BARBARA.</b></div>
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<br />Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-70444665139244510472013-10-31T02:02:00.000-07:002013-10-31T15:02:48.679-07:00The world of Nicole Hayes' bookThe first author to tell us about the world of their book is Nicole Hayes. Welcome, Nicole!<br />
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***</div>
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Nicole Hayes is a writer, teacher and editor based in Melbourne, Australia. She Tweets at @nichmelbourne and blogs at her website, nicolehayesauthor.com. You can check out the trailer for The Whole of My World or review the book on Amazon. The Whole of My World is published by Woolshed Press (Random House Australia) and is available <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/books/nicole-hayes/the-whole-of-my-world-9781742758602.aspx">here</a></span><span lang="EN-AU">, </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-My-World-Nicole-Hayes/dp/1742758606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372308805&sr=1-1&keywords=the+whole+of+my+world">here</a></span><span lang="EN-AU">, and </span><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://www.readings.com.au/review/the-whole-of-my-world-by-nicole-hayes">here</a></span><span lang="EN-AU">.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Whole of My World</span></b></div>
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Desperate to escape her grieving father and harbouring her own terrible secret, 15-year-old Shelley Brown disappears into the intoxicating world of Aussie Rules football, joining a motley crew of footy tragics. Best of all, she makes friends with star full forward, Mick So why don't her friends get it? Josh McGuire, who she's known all her life, but who she can barely look at anymore because of the memories of that fateful day. Tara Lester, her supposed best friend whose cold silences Shelley can't understand. Everyone thinks there's something more going on between Shelley and Mick. But there isn't — is there?<br />
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When the whole of your world is football, sometimes life gets lost between goals.<br />
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<b>What does the world of your book feel like?</b><br />
It’s a wet and wintry Melbourne in 1984, so there’s the big hair and the puffy shoulder pads, but also the innocence of a time before mobile phones and the internet.<br />
<br />
<b>If I fell into your book, what would I hear and smell and feel?</b><br />
Eucalyptus and liniment, cut grass, and mud. The relief of a hot pie warming your icy hands on a wet and cold Saturday afternoon at the footy, the thump of boot on ball, and the cheering laughter of a crowd of people doing what they love most.<br />
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<b>Who would I have to watch out for?</b><br />
Ginny Perkins at Shelley’s school has some issues, but probably it’s Tara, Shelley’s new friend, we need to worry most about. She’s essentially on her own but probably the last person on earth who’d ask for help.<br />
<br />
<b>Who would keep an eye on me?</b><br />
It’s Shelley’s story in every way. She might not be doing the greatest job of taking care of herself, but she’s an expert at protecting her dad from seeing her pain and struggles. She’s fiercely loyal, too, even though she gets a little waylaid for a time there.<br />
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<b>What do I need to bring with me?</b><br />
A warm jumper and an autograph book. A Glenthorn Falcons scarf would probably put you in good stead, too, if you’re very keen.<br />
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<b>By the time I came home again, I'd know more about . . .</b><br />
Grief, family, Australian football, and all the machinations and permutations therein. Plus 1980s Melbourne when football and religion ruled our lives, and trams ruled the roads.<br />
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***</div>
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Thank you, Nicole!</div>
Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-6463480371497550772013-10-28T05:50:00.002-07:002013-10-28T05:54:02.541-07:00The world of my bookI have been trying to work out what it is that makes a young adult novel what it is--what's the difference between an 'adult' and young adult book? Some of the differences are ambiguous and perhaps slight. For instance, I read <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Live-Now-Meg-Rosoff/dp/0141318015">How I Live Now</a> </i>by Meg Rosoff unaware that it was YA--because I'd listened to a radio adaptation and found it gripping. It was simply an amazing book--for anyone of any age.<br />
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I think there's an intensity of emotion in a YA or middle grade (MG: a book aimed at someone of roughly eight to 12) that's stronger than is necessarily the case in adult literature. By the time adults pick up a novel aimed at them they carry with them years of experience that may have worn away at that rawness of feeling adolescents know. But perhaps that's why adults like reading YA--there's a purity of emotion that hasn't yet been trampled on by compromise.<br />
<br />
And MG and YA novels may tend to keep to one central protagonist's point of view: the structure is perhaps simpler. The choice of subject matter will also be key--there are certain subjects you wouldn't expect to read about in MG. YA seems more ambiguous, with books aimed at older teenagers covering just about everything you'd expect to find in adult works.<br />
<br />
In my view one reason YA works so well (and appeals to adults as well as teenagers) is because it sets up its own world. Harry Potter's world is so familiar it needs no introduction. Classic school stories work because they are their own little universe. Jane Eyre can perhaps be seen as a prototype YA novel, at least in parts. Who can forget the world of Lowood School with its burnt porridge and epidemics, and the intense but tragic friendship between Jane and Helen? Great Expectations could simultaneously be read as a YA novel and a novel aimed at adults who've experienced a lot of life--the POV shifts between Pip as a boy and Pip as a wiser grown-up, looking back at himself in the past. This is one of the most fascinating elements of the novel for me. Pip moves between the flames of the smithy and the coldness of Satis House, between Joe's benevolence and the cruelty of Miss Havisham and Estella. His world is bipolar and I find it endlessly fascinating.<br />
<br />
From this week onwards I'm going to be asking some YA and MG writers about the worlds of their book. Can't wait.Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-32166722378538332542013-10-20T10:41:00.002-07:002013-10-20T10:41:55.599-07:00Welcome to Blitz Kid<div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16.363636016845703px; margin-left: 25px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Meet Rachel Pearse . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">1940. Rachel, 14, is on a train to boarding school to avoid the bombs falling on London, but she doesn't want to leave the stricken city and her sick mother. She jumps off the train and returns. As the air-raids intensify and the city becomes ever more dangerous, Rachel's only friends are an elderly German refugee and a boy, Paul, who robs abandoned and bombed buildings. Rachel and Paul plot to free Paul from his old way of life. But can the two of them manage to stay alive on the streets in the fiercest night of the London Blitz? </span></div>
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<div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 16.363636016845703px; margin-left: 25px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The first in my new series of young adult fiction featuring Rachel Pearse, <i>Blitz Kid </i>is <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blitz-Kid-Rachel-Pearse-ebook/dp/B00FUAD4U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381653986&sr=8-1&keywords=Blitz+Kid+Eliza+Graham">available from Amazon.</a> and <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/366666">Smashwords</a>. </span></div>
Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-2565684301014864292013-07-02T02:26:00.002-07:002013-07-02T02:26:52.091-07:00Technological woesI need something I can write directly onto, with no internet distraction, with immediate printing. At the moment, in this household, we each have a laptop and there are two printers. I can only use the printer that does not belong to me, as my printer refuses to acknowledge Windows 7, which is what runs on my Toshiba laptop. So, if I want to print out my latest WIP on my Ricoh laser printer (essential for printing a long document if you want to produce it in less than about a day) I have to borrow either my husband's old Acer, or my daughter's elderly MacBook. Usually she's at school and I can email my book to the Mac and print off on the Ricoh. But MacBooks seem to use something very fragile in the power cables, or, more accurately, the bit that you stick into the Mac itself. They fray. We get through two or three a year. This can't be right. We aren't using them as dog leads or skipping ropes, just as a method of connecting a laptop to a socket.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile the laser printer has run out of ink and when I took the cartridge into the print cartridge shop in Wantage, the shop owner had never seen one like it. I don't think this is a Good Sign, do you?<br />
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I really wonder sometimes why we don't go back to electric typewriters.Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-91859155919163069842013-05-08T23:22:00.005-07:002013-05-08T23:24:12.806-07:00Literary feminist fantasy fiction by Aliya Whiteley<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Aliya Whiteley (Three Things About Me, </span></i><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Light Reading and Mean, Mode, Median</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">) is a Macmillan New Writing friend and she is kindly visiting my blog to tell me about her newest book: a short story collection.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Welcome, Aliya, and congratulations
on your first collection of fantasy short stories, <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Witchcraft in the Harem</span>. The book has
been described as a reading experience akin to “being waterboarded by
angels" and it's hard to think of an accolade any author would be happier
to receive. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">1. You’re best known as an author
of full-length fiction. Are short stories a new departure or have you been
penning them quietly on the side for some time?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I looked back through my records and found my first
short stories were published in 2003, so that’s a decade of writing them. The
short stories have always been my outlet for the wilder side of my imagination.
It’s great to collect them together for the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">2. Do the stories in <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Witchcraft in the Harem</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> follow a certain theme? I have heard 'literary feminist
fantasy fiction' used as a way to describe them, is this an accurate way of
looking at your short stories? <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; padding: 0cm;">I’m not keen on labels but I’m not unhappy with that one! The
stories are about things that matter to me, manifesting in different ways. I’m
interested in how women see the world because I am one (stating the blindingly
obvious there). I’ve always loved fantasy writing, because it gives me freedom.
If I need a magic box to turn up that contains the secrets of the universe, it
can. I think the stories are literary because I’ve always been fascinated by
the power of words and I try to experiment stylistically in ways that stretch
the reader. So, yes, as labels go, that’s not a bad one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">3. How do you decide the order in
which the stories go within a collection? Do characters and settings reappear?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">My first thought on putting together the collection was
that I wouldn’t be able to find a theme, but when I started to look back
through my publishing history I realised I did have a number of stories that
dealt with the ideas of escape and capture, particularly for modern women
through becoming girlfriends, wives, mothers, whores, witches, bitches, and so
on. Then a process of trial and error led to putting them in an order I liked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">When Dog Horn Publishing expressed an interest in the
collection, I worked with a great editor who pointed out the weaker stories and
I replaced some, and changed around others until it felt right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Both of my published novels were set in my fictional
seaside town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Allcombe</st1:place></st1:city>,
but that doesn’t make an appearance in these stories. There aren’t recurring
characters but there are certainly some key ideas in there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">4. Some writers (me included) find
short stories more challenging to write than novels, because of the space
constraints. Do you find this challenge stimulating?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I like the fact that it takes me a week and not a year
to write a short story! Novels take so much energy, and a lot of the challenge
of the longer form is, for me, to sustain the characterisation and meaning over
eighty-thousand words. Plus it’s difficult to be really free in a novel. I
can’t give in to the urge to have pterodactyls appear or to start writing in
blank verse instead. I’d say I find
short stories easier to write, but then I’m not one of those writers who
produces 100,000 words and cuts down to 80,000. I write 50,000 and have to put
stuff in…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">5. Are you still writing
novel-length fiction and if so, what are you working on at the moment?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">I’ve just
finished writing a fantasy novel in very much the same vein as <i>Witchcraft in the Harem </i>and feel that
I’ve managed to sustain those themes very well, so I’m happy with it. I’m
always writing short fiction and have stories lined up to appear in various
magazines and anthologies, so it’s going to be an exciting year for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Thanks,
Eliza, for letting me invade your blog!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><i>Thanks for telling us about the new venture, Aliya.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.doghornpublishing.com/wordpress/news/book-launch-witchcraft-in-the-harem">Witchcraft in the Harem</a> </i>is available from Dog Horn Publishing.</span><br />
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Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-49720361938497699102013-05-07T00:00:00.004-07:002013-05-07T00:00:45.513-07:00<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">Four or five years ago I wrote a novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jubilee-Eliza-Graham/dp/0330509268">JUBILEE</a>, in which a girl, Jessamy Winter, was abducted and then reappeared, safe, some years later. At the time I had some doubts, believing this might be unlikely, but it was important for the story I was writing that Jessamy turned up again. Research I carried out back then indicated that abducted children <b>did</b></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;"> sometimes reappear (Natascha Kampusch, for instance). </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-12805244249309294522013-01-26T01:54:00.001-08:002013-01-26T03:06:33.012-08:00The Next Big Thing ReduxIt's now my turn to take the stage on The Next Big Thing blog meme, following on from <a href="http://elizagraham.blogspot.co.uk/">Nicole Hayes</a> (see my last<br />
post, and thank you for including me). Here are my responses to the questions:<br />
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<b>What is the working title of your current/next book?</b><br />
It's called <i>Fairfleet,</i> which, a friend told me, suggests a nautical or possibly even naval theme. It is firmly landlocked, though.<br />
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<b>Where did the idea come from?</b><br />
I never know where book ideas come from: I suspect that lots of little prompts, from reading, watching television and travelling around come together to meld an idea together. I was partly inspired by the Kindertransport statue at Liverpool Street Station, though.<br />
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<b>What genre does your book fall under?</b><br />
I never really know the answer to this! Novels of mine have been classed as crime, historical and women's.<br />
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<b>What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?</b><br />
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German Kindertransport refugee, Benny, comes to England with a guilty secret which he keeps for decades until he lies on his deathbed, nursed by a young woman whose own violent and secret childhood past is linked to his own through their connections with Fairfleet house.<br />
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<b>Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?</b><br />
My agent, Maggie Hanbury, has already sold Fairfleet to Blanvalet in Germany, who have published three of my previous novels: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weil-du-mich-liebst-Roman/dp/3442369754">Weil du mich liebst,</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.de/Die-Antwort-Windes-Eliza-Graham/dp/3442376165">Die Antwort des Windes</a> and the soon-to-be-published German version of The History Room.<br />
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<b>How long did it take you to write the first draft?</b><br />
About twenty months.<br />
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<b>What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?</b><br />
Elements of the abortive 1940s love story were perhaps inspired by The English Patient. Among other contemporary authors, I very much admire Nicci French in her/their various combinations, and Julie Myerson. I would love to think that I have been inspired by their work.<br />
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<b>Who or what inspired you to write this book?</b><br />
Like many parents of young children, there's always been something about the Kindertransport as depicted in news clips, fiction or film that I find emotionally moving on an almost primitive level: surrendering your children for ever (in most cases) for their own good. Reading about it was the trigger for Fairfleet. Watching coverage of evacuee children sent away for their own safety can make me feel profoundly moved and unsettled.<br />
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<b>What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?</b><br />
It has women flying Spitfires in it!The women who delivered planes, from fighters to enormous bombers, during World War Two were fascinating characters. I relied a lot on Giles Whittell's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spitfire-Women-World-War-II/dp/0007235364">Spitfire Women</a> and pretty well every single woman he describes is worthy of being the subject of her own novel.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kristinariggle.net/">Kristina Riggle</a> is an American author friend of mine whose perceptive, someties almost raw, depictions of contemporary family life have gained her a fast-growing readership. Her novels are: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Real-Life-Liars-Kristina-Riggle/dp/0061706280">Real Life & Liars</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Youve-Imagined-Kristina-Riggle/dp/0061706299/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_4">The Life You imagined</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Didnt-Say-Kristina-Riggle/dp/0062003046/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2">Things We Didn't Say</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keepsake-Kristina-Riggle/dp/0062003070/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1">Keepsake</a>. Kris and I have been writing buddies for years now, swapping manuscripts (and childcare tips) regularly. Kris is very active on Twitter, so do join her there if you tweet: <a href="https://twitter.com/krisriggle">@krisriggle</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.dragonchaser.net/">Tim Stretton</a> is another author friend, UK-based, this time, and is one of my son's literary heroes, writing historical fantasy. Tim <a href="http://timstretton.blogspot.co.uk/">blogs</a> about his novels, which include <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Free-City-Tim-Stretton/dp/1257036823/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308576868&sr=1-4">The Last Free City</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragonchaser-The-Annals-Mondia-ebook/dp/B004C0566M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359196424&sr=1-1">Dragonchaser</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-North-Annals-Mondia-ebook/dp/B004E9T0OK/ref=tmm_kin_title_0">The Dog of the North.</a> Tim also tweets: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-North-Annals-Mondia-ebook/dp/B004E9T0OK/ref=tmm_kin_title_0">@timstretton</a>. I got to know Tim when were both published as first-time authors by Macmillan New Writers. We meet up for lunch occasionally with other MNW authors and as Tim is also an accountant he is able to perform the complicated bill-dividing equations that throw most of the rest of us into a panic.</div>
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Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-70249604366137099742013-01-17T00:51:00.003-08:002013-01-17T00:53:19.924-08:00<b><span style="font-size: large;">THE NEXT BIG THING</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My good friend, Nicole Hayes, is talking about her new book, The Whole of my World, on her blog <a href="http://melbournemusing.blogspot.com.au/">Melbourne Musing</a> as part of The Next Big Thing meme (and she kindly mentions me).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;">Nicole's novel is</span><span style="color: #cccccc;"> </span>the story of a troubled teen, Shelley Brown, who's<span lang="EN-GB"> unable to connect with her grieving dad following her mother's death. Alone and desperate to belong, she escapes into the blokey world of Australian football where she befriends the star full forward who has his own issues, not the least of which is a quickly fading career</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: #333333; color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.3;">Have a read about how Nic came to write The Whole of my World, the background to the story and what she calls the 'misspent' youth that inspired the book.</span></span></div>
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Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-87978609234250093032012-10-16T04:11:00.002-07:002012-10-16T04:11:43.694-07:00Not so much a 'dessert' as a cake islandOver on Deborah Swift's <a href="http://deborahswift.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/author-eliza-graham-reveals-her-desert.html?showComment=1350385754718#c2505280737929054084">blog</a> I am this week's castaway and reveal the three books that will take me through my exile. One of them involves CAKES, which are obviously essential in such circumstances.Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-43308402326297841242012-09-26T08:24:00.000-07:002012-09-26T08:24:04.773-07:00THE GILDED LILY by Deborah Swift<br />
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This is an interview run over on the Macmillan New Writers blog by Ann Weisgarber, which Ann and Deborah have kindly allowed me to reproduce here. I have just finished Deborah's book and recommend it to lovers of history and of seventeeth-century London in particular.</div>
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<b>Featured Publication: THE GILDED LILY by Deborah Swift</b></div>
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<i style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">'Deborah Swift's THE GILDED LILY is a heart-rending story of two sisters on the run, searching for a better life. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, the novel drew me straight into the teeming streets of Restoration London. An addictive, page-turning read.'</i><span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;"> Mary Sharratt </span><br />
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Winter 1660</div>
<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Sadie Appleby has lived all her life in her small village. One night she is rudely awoken by her older and bolder sister, Ella, who has robbed her employer and is on the run. The girls flee their rural home of Westmorland to head for London, hoping to lose themselves in the teeming city. But the dead man's relatives are in hot pursuit, and soon a game of cat and mouse begins. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Set in London's atmospheric coffee houses, the rich mansions of Whitehall, and the pawnshops, slums and rookeries hidden from rich men's view, The Gilded Lily is about beauty and desire, about the stories we tell ourselves, and about how sisterhood can be both a burden and a saving grace. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Deborah, thanks so much for answering a few questions about your second novel, <em>The Gilded Lily</em>, published by Pan Macmillan. It takes place during the winter of 1660-61 so let’s begin with the time period. What are the challenges of stepping away from the year 2012 and assuming the points of view of your main characters? </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">One of the main challenges was to find convincing voices for the two sisters, Ella and Sadie, and to make them distinct from each other. Girls in their position had little education and could not read, and as much of it was written from their point of view, I had to avoid using too many long words or anything too literary. Their view of the world was very narrow, and founded on hearsay, gossip and superstition. Stories were a very important part of a village culture where hardly anyone could read, and the telling of stories - both fairytales and lies became a major theme in the novel. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">The girls' small horizons became an advantage when they had to come to terms with the explosion of new sights and ideas when they reached the city of London. When writing, I also wanted to give a sense of a Westmorland accent so I listened to a lot of archive material of Cumbrian dialect. Unfortunately a lot of it was almost unintelligible to our modern ears so I had to pick out only odd words to give a flavour. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Your first novel, <i>The Lady's Slipper</i>, also begins in 1660. What draws you to that decade? </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">The period was one of tumultuous change, but also of optimism. The end of Puritan rule meant a swing back to a world of lavish entertainment and sexual freedom and a revival of fashion and the arts. It was the Swinging Sixties in London three centuries before the 1960's. Although </span><i style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">The Gilded Lily</i><span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;"> deals with the dark and seamy London underworld, there is a sense that anyone can become anything - a poor girl can become a King's Mistress as indeed Nell Gwyn did. And as a writer, although </span><em style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">The Gilded Lily</em><span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;"> might at times be chilling, in the end the tone of my books tends to the optimistic, rather than pessimistic. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Were there interesting or surprising things that you discovered during the research process for <em>The Gilded Lily</em>? </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">I was just amazed by how cold it was in the Little Ice Age. The Thames froze to a depth of nine feet! Birds froze mid-flight. But Londoners made a holiday of it, put up stalls on the frozen river, tied runners on their boats, and were determined to enjoy it. On one occasion the King paraded his horse guards up and down on the ice highway, which was known as Freezeland Street. During this time of freezing weather the King decided to raise revenue by imposing a Hearth Tax, and tax the household per chimney. If he was standing for election today that would not have been a popular move! </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Admirers of your work praise you for your attention to detail. I agree, but I also find your dialogue equally compelling. What are the challenges of writing 1660's vocabulary and phrasing? </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">It is difficult to know what their voices sounded like as we have no recordings. Dialogue of playwrights such as Dryden, Behn, Wycherly or Vanbrugh, gives us the closest idea. This sort of dialogue is not comfortable for the modern reader. My approach has been to simplify rather than elaborate on normal speech. I often thought to myself, "would a 17th century person understand what she's saying?" If the answer was no, then I'd simplify again. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">You have a MA in Creative Writing. How did the program shape your writing? What was the single most important lesson you learned?</b><span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">It shaped my writing because I suddenly had a lot of very critical (in a nice way) readers! One of the things I learned was that although dramatic situations seem attractive to a writer, the story has to be about the people. I know this seems obvious, but for historical fiction writers especially, it is easy to get caught up in the history and lose sight of who the story is about. And it should always be a who, not a what! </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Like <i>The Lady's Slipper</i>, <i>The Gilded Lily </i>will also be published in the United States. What’s it like to have your book published in another country? </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Absolutely fascinating. Being published in the US is like being published in a lot of different countries! All the states are so particular, the landscapes and concerns of the readers unique to that place. The feedback from the US has been so interesting, as there are so many different views of England. Each person will be imagining their view of Westmorland based on what they know and my description. After all, the reader constructs half the story. </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Your next novel, <i>A Divided Inheritance,</i> is set in England and in Spain during 1609. How is this writing experience different than the other two books?</b><span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">First of all, researching Spanish history is a challenge when you don't speak Spanish. Fortunately I have a friend who does! I took a research visit to Seville which was invaluable. The period is earlier than my other books, and the whole atmosphere under King James of England and Philip II of Spain is less lax and more severe than under Charles II. The book turned out to be "bigger" than the other two - both in length and in scope. This is partly to do with setting it in two countries and partly because the ideas in it needed more characters. I guess you could say I'm getting more ambitious! </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">I understand that you enjoy meeting with book discussion groups. How can readers contact you?</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">I love to discuss my books with readers and book groups. Book group questions are up on my website www.deborahswift.co.uk and I can be contacted at </span><a href="mailto:authordeborahswift@gmail.com" style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #223344; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">authordeborahswift@gmail.com</a><span style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;"> </span><br />
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<b style="background-color: #eeeecc; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.899999618530273px;">Thank you, Deborah, for taking the time to answer my questions.<i>The Gilded Lily </i>and <i>The Lady’s Slipper </i>are available at your local bookshops.</b>
Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3014983948393991679.post-90297300910500163772012-09-12T12:31:00.002-07:002012-09-12T12:31:35.702-07:00Mumsnet and rebornsNo matter how many times you see them in photographs, reborns can still make you blink. My characters in The History Room weren't the only people who found the dolls disturbing. Here's a whole <a href="http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/1562415-I-know-there-have-been-lots-of-threads-about-reborn-dolls-but-dear-God">Mumsnet</a> thread on the subject.<br />
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Eliza Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06366249915039505394noreply@blogger.com0