Ask the Author: R.L. Blackhurst
Answered Questions (10)
R.L. Blackhurst
When I was 8, my parents moved to Bahrain for my Dad's new job with Gulf Air. Before the move, we'd sold our house and were living with a friend in Woodingdean, East Sussex. My parents enrolled me in a school in the area, just for one term before we headed to the Middle East.
The school was a private school, very posh, with most of the parents dropping their kids off in flash cars. My mum didn't drive, so we had to get the bus.
I hated it. It was an awful place with a credit and debit system. Credits were like gold stars and debits, basically black marks. I had a lot of debits!
Thankfully, I was only there for one term. It was called Queenscliff, was girls only and took boarders.
Many years ago, when I first moved to New Zealand, I looked the place up on the internet and found its website. Seeing a picture of the imposing building brought back memories of cold wintry mornings, heading to catch the bus, and long miserable days.
Then just a couple of months ago, I was compelled to look it up again. I am not sure why, but strangely I could not find any trace of the place! Mystified, I searched for it. I researched schools in the area and found all manner of them, but not Queenscliff. There are records of all sorts of schools, even ones in past decades that have since closed, but nothing of Queenscliff. How could this school disappear from history? I had seen a website of it! I understand if it had closed, but there would still be a record of it!
I was telling a friend about it, and she told me about the Mandela effect. Basically, it's people who have memories of things that didn't happen and of places that don't exist.
Could this be the case with me? Why do I have such vivid memories of this school? False memory syndrome? Parallel universe? Time travellers altering the past?
I'm still looking for it and it baffles me. But on the up side, it would be a great plot for a book!
The school was a private school, very posh, with most of the parents dropping their kids off in flash cars. My mum didn't drive, so we had to get the bus.
I hated it. It was an awful place with a credit and debit system. Credits were like gold stars and debits, basically black marks. I had a lot of debits!
Thankfully, I was only there for one term. It was called Queenscliff, was girls only and took boarders.
Many years ago, when I first moved to New Zealand, I looked the place up on the internet and found its website. Seeing a picture of the imposing building brought back memories of cold wintry mornings, heading to catch the bus, and long miserable days.
Then just a couple of months ago, I was compelled to look it up again. I am not sure why, but strangely I could not find any trace of the place! Mystified, I searched for it. I researched schools in the area and found all manner of them, but not Queenscliff. There are records of all sorts of schools, even ones in past decades that have since closed, but nothing of Queenscliff. How could this school disappear from history? I had seen a website of it! I understand if it had closed, but there would still be a record of it!
I was telling a friend about it, and she told me about the Mandela effect. Basically, it's people who have memories of things that didn't happen and of places that don't exist.
Could this be the case with me? Why do I have such vivid memories of this school? False memory syndrome? Parallel universe? Time travellers altering the past?
I'm still looking for it and it baffles me. But on the up side, it would be a great plot for a book!
R.L. Blackhurst
One of my favourite books is Ivanhoe. With lines like, "Then look your last upon the Sun," for me it is a quintessential medieval adventure.
When I was about 12, long before I read the book, there was a TV mini series of Ivanhoe. I completely fell in love with the villain, the Templar, Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, played by the wonderful Sam Neill. He lusts after, and kidnaps, the lovely Jewess, Rebecca (my namesake), played by beautiful Olivia Hussy. This miniseries was one of the things that started my love affair with all things medieval and also, if I think about it, influenced my take on villains.
I rather liked Sir Brian, and could only dream of being as beautiful as the Rebecca in Ivanhoe. Of course, I resolved that I would have rather liked to run off with Sir Brian. While he was rather dastardy in his kidnapping of Rebecca, I think he did revere her and wanted her love. So I guess I would like to travel to Ivanhoe's medieval England and change the ending of the story. I would be the beautiful Rebecca, and instead of resisting Sir Brian to the end, I'd be like, "Okay, let's go!"
Funnily, I live in the South Island of New Zealand, and Sam Neill has a residence in the area. Once, sat on my market stall in Queenstown one Saturday, he was walking around. As he neared my stall, I wanted to blurt out, "I'm your Rebecca!" But I didn't think he'd appreciate it, and nothing else, sensible or otherwise, came to me. So I sat frozen to my seat and he glid by, older, but still a fabulous Sir Brian!
When I was about 12, long before I read the book, there was a TV mini series of Ivanhoe. I completely fell in love with the villain, the Templar, Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, played by the wonderful Sam Neill. He lusts after, and kidnaps, the lovely Jewess, Rebecca (my namesake), played by beautiful Olivia Hussy. This miniseries was one of the things that started my love affair with all things medieval and also, if I think about it, influenced my take on villains.
I rather liked Sir Brian, and could only dream of being as beautiful as the Rebecca in Ivanhoe. Of course, I resolved that I would have rather liked to run off with Sir Brian. While he was rather dastardy in his kidnapping of Rebecca, I think he did revere her and wanted her love. So I guess I would like to travel to Ivanhoe's medieval England and change the ending of the story. I would be the beautiful Rebecca, and instead of resisting Sir Brian to the end, I'd be like, "Okay, let's go!"
Funnily, I live in the South Island of New Zealand, and Sam Neill has a residence in the area. Once, sat on my market stall in Queenstown one Saturday, he was walking around. As he neared my stall, I wanted to blurt out, "I'm your Rebecca!" But I didn't think he'd appreciate it, and nothing else, sensible or otherwise, came to me. So I sat frozen to my seat and he glid by, older, but still a fabulous Sir Brian!
R.L. Blackhurst
My must reads this summer are, Educated by Tara Westover, The Journey by Brandon Bays, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood and The One by John Marrs. :-)
R.L. Blackhurst
The wood was dense and I chased the diminishing light, trying to find the path before the coming darkness stole it. It was no good, the light died, the path was swallowed and the trees didn't look like trees anymore.
R.L. Blackhurst
What's that? ;-)
I really don't get it. I may sit at the beginning of a new chapter and ponder a bit. But mostly I write the story in my head first, while I am washing up, hanging out laundry, walking my dog, making soap . . . . so when I come to sitting down and writing it is already there. I am always writing in my head, it never stops. Music is a must. I often make up play lists for my books, so that also gets the juices flowing.
I really don't get it. I may sit at the beginning of a new chapter and ponder a bit. But mostly I write the story in my head first, while I am washing up, hanging out laundry, walking my dog, making soap . . . . so when I come to sitting down and writing it is already there. I am always writing in my head, it never stops. Music is a must. I often make up play lists for my books, so that also gets the juices flowing.
R.L. Blackhurst
I think it is a magical thing to be! I love what my mind come up with. I love that I can absolutely lose myself in these worlds I create, and I hope my readers get lost in them too. I love how real my characters become, I love that sometimes it is they that dictate how the story is going to flow. Sometimes I feel like I am just telling their stories, not mine, theirs. Love, love, love. What's not to love about being a writer?
R.L. Blackhurst
Just do it! Write what you are passionate about, not what you think might sell well. I think your readers can sense this. Many people raised their eyebrows at me when they heard what my book was about, and even one woman remarked, "what a ridiculous title for a book!" It didn't bother me, I wrote it because I wanted to read it, it was what I wanted. I knew there would be other people out there that would "get it", and I am so thrilled when I get feedback about how much somebody has enjoyed it. So get on with it! If you are a writer, you must write! You will go crazy otherwise.
R.L. Blackhurst
I am currently writing the third book in my series, "Wolves of Solomon." The working title is "Blood and Brethren." It is taking me a while because I have had two babies in the last 4 years and they are keeping me busy!
The joy of having my girls inspired me to start a series of children's books with award winning illustrator, Rachael Errington. The Adventures of Count Grumpula centre around a mango-loving, vegetarian vampire. Rachael and I have just released the 3rd book in the series, "Count Grumpula and the Mango Man," onto kindle and the print copy is just about ready to go too!
The joy of having my girls inspired me to start a series of children's books with award winning illustrator, Rachael Errington. The Adventures of Count Grumpula centre around a mango-loving, vegetarian vampire. Rachael and I have just released the 3rd book in the series, "Count Grumpula and the Mango Man," onto kindle and the print copy is just about ready to go too!
R.L. Blackhurst
Music is a huge inspiration! Every author must say the same. I will hear a song, and it will instantly relate to a character. Perhaps a character I am already writing about, or sometimes a new character whom I am yet to write about. I love walking out in the countryside with my dog, and often muse on ideas. I like the mysterious and unexplained and I like to weave this into real life. I guess I still believe in monsters. But my monsters are usually the good guys . . . . usually.
R.L. Blackhurst
The book I am currently writing is the third installment of my "Wolves of Solomon" series. This was never planned as a series. I had the idea for the first book while wondering round a shopping centre! At the time, I was hooked on the knights Templar and digesting every bit of information I could about them. I was thinking about their amazing fighting prowess, their reputation and mystery, and about what secret they were supposed to have concealed, suddenly an idea struck me and I loved it. I wrote a short story first called "Alpha," about the very first Grand Master of the Templars, Hugh de Payens. When I moved to New Zealand, I started my first book, "The Wolves of Solomon." It was meant to be one book, but my characters had other plans ........
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more