Theresa Smith's Blog, page 158

Debut Author In Focus: Lisa Bigelow – We That Are Left

Following on from my review yesterday of We That Are Left, today it gives me great pleasure to bring to you an interview with the author, Lisa Bigelow. We That Are Left is Lisa’s first novel and I am always thrilled to have an opportunity to showcase a debut Australian Woman Writer.

 

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Lisa Bigelow

 

What was the inspiration behind We That Are Left? What convinced you that this was a story that needed to be told?

LB Mae and Harry Parker’s story is inspired by my grandparents story. Like the majority of her generation, my Nana rarely talked about the war, nor about the loss of my grandfather, who was one of the 645 crew lost on the Sydney in 1941. Although I grew up with the Sydney story as part of my family history, I was prompted to try writing this novel when Australia prepared to commit troops into war in 2003. At the time it felt that there was too little discussion about the cost of war on our servicemen and women and the families and friends they left behind. It got me thinking about how hard it must be to maintain happy, positive relationships with partners being sent to serve overseas, and what would happen if their last leave visit had not been entirely happy. What if something happened to your partner after you’d argued and you never had the chance to put it right?

 

How much research did you do? How did you go about sourcing your information? As an author of historical fiction inspired by real life events, how much importance did you place on getting the facts right versus telling a good story?

When I began writing this story, there were several books available that examined all of the historical facts as they were known at the time. There had also been a Government inquiry into the loss of the Sydney in 1997. That was the first enquiry, despite the disappearance occurring more than fifty years prior. The Australian War Memorial had shelves and shelves of files, but almost nothing was digitised at the time; you had to physically visit the War Memorial and submit an application for the files you wanted to read, or pay hundreds of dollars for them to copy files and send them to you. By the end of this project, so much was available online from interest groups, libraries and the second Government enquiry. I personally felt the weight of responsibility to accurately portray events in the story of the Sydney’s loss with only a few things blurred for story such as timing of final shore leave and sighting of the decoy target off WA but that was my choice. And rather than the old journalism maxim, never let the truth stand in the way of a good story, I felt the truth enhanced this story.

 

Who came to you first, Grace or Mae? Were either of them a firm picture in your mind before you started writing or did they each develop their own personalities as the story progressed?

The early drafts of this book were entirely Mae’s story. But there were other parts to this story begging to be told but difficult to weave into the existing narrative of Mae and her family and friends. I was lucky to have great interest in this story from several publishers and one who made the great suggestion that perhaps I should add a female journalist to the story. That suggestion immediately sparked possibilities. In fact, I went to a spin class that night at the gym and as I was working out, Grace Fowler appeared in my imagination pretty well-formed. She began telling parts of the story that I’d so far had to leave behind and although she was late to the story, I knew she needed equal weight. While each had different personalities and motivations, their stories had parallels that worked well to illustrate different aspects of the over-arching theme; the people left behind by war.

 

We That Are Left concludes in April of 1947 with the fate of HMAS Sydney still very much a mystery. What actually happened to the ship? Was there ever any evidence uncovered or any conclusions officially made?

The second reason for writing this book – other than the physical cost of war on troops and their families and communities – was to prompt the search for the Sydney that had been recommended by the Government enquiry in 1997. Despite the recommendation to fund a search, by 2003, nothing had happened. In 2007, some shipwreck hunters announced that they had found the wreck near the coast of WA. It turned out to not be true but the spotlight was again on searching for the Sydney. When David Mearns was announced as leading an expedition with WA Maritime museum and historians, I spent three weeks following the news. When they found the wreck, my feelings were mixed; elation that the mystery had been solved, that the wreck was exactly where the Germans had said all along and there was no evidence of Japanese involvement, but disappointment that my grandmother hadn’t lived long enough to see the mystery resolved. The video footage taken of the ship — which is now a war grave and cannot be disturbed — is incredibly poignant; especially the image of two leather boots lying on the sand just outside the hull.

 

Given your personal connection to HMAS Sydney via your grandmother’s loss, how present in your life was this tragedy while growing up (if at all)?

When the Sydney disappeared, Australia was a young nation with a much smaller population. That meant that a huge proportion of the population knew someone directly affected by the tragedy. I believe that the following two generations – myself included – were deeply affected by the loss of male role models, leaders and workers. I never knew my grandfather and I was just one of thousands who missed out on knowing their fathers, uncles and grandfathers and who were raised by women grieving the loss of their partners, sons and brothers.

 

How has being Australian AND a woman impacted on your writing and/or writing career?

I am thankful every day for the luck and privilege of being born in Australia. It means I have the freedom to make all of my own choices about the way I live my life and the way I express my thoughts. I am able to study when I need to learn something new and I have the luxury of spare time which I can use to tell stories. I think many women are drawn to reading and storytelling because we sometimes don’t feel that our voices are heard and respected, but I hope that is changing with each new female voice that emerges.

 

If you could sit down for an afternoon with an iconic person from history, who would you choose to spend that time with?

Having worked in newspapers, I’ve been lucky enough to sit down and chat to a few amazing people, Sir David Attenborough is at the top of that list. But if I could choose someone from history, it would have to be women writers such as Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters who managed to figure out how to write timeless characters

exploring universal themes, within the constraints of incredibly small social circles and without the benefit of writing courses.

 

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We That Are Left will be available from September 1st but you can pre-order your copy now from your favourite book seller. Thanks is extended to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of We That Are Left for review and for also putting me in touch with Lisa for this interview.

Thank you so much Lisa, for answering my many questions! It was a pleasure being able to showcase you here at Theresa Smith Writes. To find out more about Lisa and We That Are Left, visit her at Lisa Bigelow Author.

 

 

 

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New Release Book Review: We That Are Left by Lisa Bigelow

We That Are Left…

Book Description:

A moving debut novel about love and war, and the terrifyingly thin line between happiness and tragedy, hope and despair.

Melbourne, 1941. Headstrong young Mae meets and falls head over heels in love with Harry Parker, a dashing naval engineer. After a whirlwind courtship they marry and Mae is heavily pregnant when she hears that Harry has just received his dream posting to HMAS Sydney. Just after Mae becomes a mother, she learns Harry’s ship is missing.

Meanwhile, Grace Fowler is battling prejudice to become a reporter on the afternoon daily newspaper, The Tribune, while waiting for word on whether her journalist boyfriend Phil Taylor, captured during the fall of Singapore, is still alive.

Surrounded by their friends and families, Mae and Grace struggle to keep hope alive in the face of hardship and despair. Then Mae’s neighbour and Grace’s boss Sam Barton tells Mae about a rumour that the Japanese have towed the damaged ship to Singapore and taken the crew prisoner. Mae’s life is changed forever as she focuses her efforts on willing her husband home.

Set in inner Melbourne and rural Victoria, We That Are Left is a moving and haunting novel about love and war, the terrifyingly thin line between happiness and tragedy, and how servicemen and women are not the only lives lost when tragedy strikes during war.

 

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My Thoughts:

Based on her own grandmother’s experience of losing her husband when the HMAS Sydney went down, debut author Lisa Bigelow sensitively explores the impact of the sinking of HMAS Sydney and the fall of Singapore on the lives of Australian women left behind during wartime. I am a big fan of historical fiction set before, during, and immediately after WWII, but much of my reading has concentrated on events in Europe rather than the Pacific, and very few have focused on the lives of those ‘left behind’ in Australia.

 

In We That Are Left, Lisa Bigelow introduces us to two different young women, Mae and Grace. Mae is a young mother whose husband, a sailor, has been declared missing, lost at sea, while Grace is a young working girl whose boyfriend, a journalist, has been captured during the fall of Singapore. These women are very different from each other, and while supporting characters within the novel connect them, the two women themselves remain unconnected for the entire story. What they do share though, is the experience of living in a free country located on the fringes of a World at War, a nation holding its breath against invasion, with most of its able bodied men called away for duty. They are women left behind, picking up the reins and standing in for men, working jobs they would never previously have been able to, making decisions that would have previously been made for them. What Lisa Bigelow has demonstrated with such skill and finesse, is how the war not only changed the men who served, but it also changed the women who were left behind.

 

Lisa Bigelow is a welcome new voice to historical fiction. Her style is instantly engaging, her narrative easy to read and enjoy, and her characters realistic and enduring. I thoroughly enjoyed Grace’s tendency to headline her experiences; I found this to be one of those endearing little quirks that serve to instantly bond you to a character. She was a tenacious young woman, determined to be a journalist, despite the odds that were stacked quite high against her. But she persevered, continued to try, try, and try again. I loved that about her. I enjoyed her reporting adventures, particularly when she researched for her story on the women who made up the Land Army. These are all bits and pieces of Australia’s war history that are not always well known, particularly outside of the local areas they relate to, but they are utterly fascinating to me and the way Lisa wove these anecdotal war experiences into the story was excellent. Likewise with the coverage of the war by the paper Grace worked for. I learnt so much from this novel, it was incredible, yet I never once felt like I was reading a ‘regurgitation of history’, for want of better phrasing. History was naturally threaded through the story, complementing it, but never overshadowing. The very best type of historical fiction.

 

Mae and her extended family were also enjoyable to spend time with. Mae had a heavy burden, a traumatic birth experience leading to a lack of bonding with her new baby, endless worry over her missing husband; the unravelling of Mae was desperately sad to witness. I was so proud of how she triumphed over her despair, yet still remained ever hopeful for her husband as she got on with her life and carved out her own place within the community. I adored her aunt and uncles, they were just gorgeous, their support of Mae so wonderful, loving her, holding her up when necessary, giving her a dose of reality when they felt she lacked it; all in all, this was a great family, an excellent set of characters.

 

I am so impressed by this novel; as a debut offering it really holds its own. Lisa Bigelow has such a great flow to her writing, the story well-paced, and the dialogue spot on. I enjoyed We That Are Left so much and highly recommend it to all who enjoy WWII fiction. The title of the novel is very poignant, as disclosed in the author notes in the back of the book, and so fitting when you realise its origin. I can’t wait to see what else Lisa has waiting in the wings for us.

 

 

Thanks is extended to the publisher, Allen and Unwin, for providing me with a copy of We That Are Left for review.

 

We That Are Left is book 50 in my 2017 Australian Women Writers Challenge.

 

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Behind the Pen: Wendy Dunn

One of the best things about being the historical fiction editor for the Australian Women Writers Challenge is getting to know some of Australia’s marvellous historical fiction authors. The very lovely Wendy Dunn is joining me for Behind the Pen today and I’m so pleased to have this opportunity to showcase her novels.

 

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Proof that Anne Boleyn goes with me everywhere. Photo taken by Kathryn Gauci at Author Debut Day at Mill Park Library. Author in blue is my dear friend Glenice Whitting.

 

 

How many novels have you written and published?

I have three published novels, Dear Heart, How Like You This?, The Light in the Labyrinth, Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters, plus a number of started, but, at the moment, very stalled manuscripts filed away for a later time. I am hoping to live a long, long time because I have so many novels I want to write.

 

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How long on average does it take you to write a novel?

I really want to say two years – and I did complete my first and second published novels in that time, but Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters, my third published novel, was actually a work I started after the 2002 publication of Dear Heart, How Like You This? The original version of Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters had no success in finding a publisher, but I received a lot of encouragement for the work in its twelve or so rejections. The overall feedback from publishers made me realise I needed to change my POV character for the sake of the story I was telling. Rather than face doing that, I distracted myself by completing a PhD in writing; The Light in the Labyrinth was my creative artefact for that. I finally overhauled Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters in 2015, and it was published by MadeGlobal in 2016. LOL –so the time it took to write Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters, the first novel of my Katherine of Aragon story, has tossed a spanner into any hope of me having an average time to write a novel. But, I believe a novel will be finished when it is finished.

 

Can you tell us about your backlist? I believe some of your earlier novels have new editions being released. How has this come about?

Dear Heart, How Like You This? (2002) and The Light in the Labyrinth (2014) were both published by Metropolis Ink – a small, but excellent USA publisher who always nurtured and believed in me as a writer. Metropolis Ink (MI) was operated by two partners – one in America and the other in Australia. The American partner celebrated his 75th birthday last year and decided it was time for MI to close its doors. However, his Australian partner wanted to continue in publishing, and started his own imprint: A Distant Mirror. I was delighted that he still wanted to publish my first two novels. The new edition of Dear Heart, How Like You This? has just been released, and I expect the new edition of The Light in the Labyrinth will be out very soon.

It has been somewhat surreal re-visiting my first novel, but I love the new look of its cover:

 

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How far has your writing career evolved from when you first began to write to what it is today? Is this in line with your initial expectations?

I had no expectations when I decided to be serious about pursuing a writing career, only a lot of hopes. I had wanted to be an author of books since I was a child, but it took me a long, long time to find the courage to brave walking the road to achieve this goal.

Life also kept me extremely busy. I married at eighteen, had my first child at nineteen, completed a Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Education and Graduate Diploma in the Arts with three young children in tow. The Graduate Diploma not only immersed me in creativity in all its forms, but also had another writer doing the course. I told him I had started writing a novel, and he asked to read it. When he handed the first chapters back to me, he told me he loved it; more importantly, he told me I was a writer. Hearing those words, at the right time in my life, was what I needed to hear; the floodgates opened to the novel I had wanted to write since my twenties. Words poured out of me and by the end of the course I had finished the first draft of Dear Heart, How Like You This?

Following after my lifelong dream of becoming an author has turned my life into a true adventure. I never expected to gain my PhD – or to work at a university as a tutor of writing. Or have three novels published.

Reading and writing has transformed and empowered my life – and continues to do so.

 

How much research do you do? How do you balance the demands of getting the facts right and telling a good story?

I build my characters – real and imagined – through thorough research. I love researching history and deepening my knowledge about people of the past, which means every novel I write increases my own personal reference library. But research is only just the start of the process. One of my most favourite quotes about writing historical fiction comes from the pen of William Styron. He writes, “While it may be satisfying and advantageous for historians to feast on rich archival material, the writer of historical fiction is better off when past events have left him with short rations”. Short rations, in my mind, means gaps in historical records; those gaps are what open the doors for my imagination to step inside.

So, research inspires my imagination, which goes on to generate writing. I love those moments when I lose sense of self and I become a scribe to this waking dream happening in my mind. Sometimes, I wake from this dream agonized as to where my dream has taken me. But historical fiction often means taking a stand, and to trust your research and your instincts about human psychology. My writing philosophy is alike to Margaret Atwood’s. She writes, ‘when there was a solid fact, I could not alter it … but in the parts left unexplained – the gaps left unfilled – I was free to invent’ (Atwood 1998, p.1515).

The paradox of fiction is all fiction is make believe, a lie. No matter how much I research the period and its people, I can only hope to interpret, recreate the past and construct my make-believe through the prism of a writer who belongs to and is constructed by the present. As a writer of historical fiction, my goal is to find the beating heart of a good story that is also informed by history.

 

How much planning do you do? Do you plan/plot the entire story from beginning to end, or let it evolve naturally as the writing progresses? In terms of characters, are they already a firm picture in your mind before you start writing or do they develop a personality of their own as the story progresses?

I get nudged by historical people while reading history books, when I read something that makes them step forward as living, breathing human beings. So, yes, I usually have a firm idea in my character before I start a novel. Since I write historical fiction, their story is woven into the fabric of history and informed by what my research reveals about them as well as my knowledge of their time.

Writing my first draft is a far more organic process than my later drafts because my first draft is my means to discover the beating heart of my story; once I have that, then everything begins to weave into what becomes a whole fabric of storytelling.

 

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Which historical era are you most passionate about and why?

I am passionate about the Tudor period and have been since my childhood; sometimes, I think that passion means my imagination will forever stay fixed on telling stories about the Tudors. Why? Because, for me, this period provides a rich gold mine of stories to delve into and tell, and connect us to archetypes and the hero’s journey. And what a lot archetypes and heroes there are in the Tudor period – we have the rejected, mother-less daughter who turns her life into victory; the older, long suffering wife tossed aside by her husband for the younger woman; the old, rich man who marries a girl young enough to be his granddaughter, only to discover there nothing sadder than an old fool – except he has the power to kill her. Adultery, murder, lust, love, passion, betrayal, tragedy and triumph, family secrets, ambition and pride – it’s all there. The Tudors provide readers and writers with multilayered stories speaking to our shared humanity.

 

What other genre would you like to try your hand at writing and why?

LOL – I think I have tried my hand at most genres of writing in my writing life. I believe being a writer means being committed to the craft of writing. I believe writing in more than one genre expands and deepens writing skills. In recent years, I have tried my hand at playwriting, and I have had a few of my poems published in publications other than in my own novels too.

 

What authors and types of books do you love the most?

Writers I love the most include Rosemary Sutcliff, Mary Renault, Elizabeth Goudge, Robert Graves, Winston Graham, A.S. Byatt, Margaret Atwood – really, the list could go and go. But what I look for in a novel is one that has unforgettable characters, as well being a work speaking to my mind and heart.

 

What is your favourite childhood book? Did reading as a child have any bearing on your decision to become a writer?

I think I would have to say the Narnia Series – I read those novels over and over in childhood. And of course reading as child started me on the road to becoming a writer myself. I remember deciding to become a writer at eight. I find it very interesting how many writers I know have made that lifelong commitment to writing at only eight….

 

What attributes do you think you need to remain sane as a writer? Are there any particular things you routinely do for yourself to maintain your own headspace?

Interesting question, Theresa. LOL – I’m tempted to ask if a sane writer could be described as an oxymoron? I mean, I’m utterly happy to hang out for hours and hours with my imaginary friends and go on adventures with them.

Seriously, what keeps me sane as a writer is the actual practice of writing – that means it necessary and important for me to have utterly focused writing time. For over a decade now, I have gone away on regular writing retreats. Most of these retreats have been at Varuna, the Writers’ House in the Blue Mountains. I’ve just returned from my second two week retreat for this year, and it is has brought me home more determined and motivated than ever to complete my new novel by next year.

Varuna sunset, February 2017:

 

Can you share with us a vivid childhood memory?

I sit with my older sister in an open window, watching the magic show of a summer storm. Behind me, our father’s loud voice competes with the boom of thunder. Dad is telling us about the Viking god, Thor. Another lightning bolt cracks open the grey clouds and thunder drums, rattling the slash window above my head. “Listen, girls. That’s mighty Thor, banging away at his anvil in his blacksmith shop.”

I gaze at the sky, imagining a bearded giant – twin to my own huge father – as hot raindrops patter on my swinging legs.

 

Can you tell us something about yourself that you’d like your readers to know?

Smile – what I want people to know about me is in my novels.

 

If you could go back in time for a year, which historical era would you choose to live in and why?

Easy to answer – since I write about the Tudors, my choice would have to be Tudor England. Hard to know what year I would pick though…perhaps, 1558, the first year of Elizabeth I’s reign. Of course, I would have to hope to not to catch the terrible flu that was sweeping England at this time, but I would be willing to risk this for the experience of research. I haven’t yet written a novel set in Elizabeth’s time as queen, but I hope to do this one day….

 

References:

Atwood, M 1998, ‘In search of Alias Grace: on writing Canadian historical fiction’, American Historical Review, vol. 103, no. 5, viewed 28 March 2014, EBSCOhost.

 

Book Review: Steady as the Snow Falls by Lindy Zart

Steady as the Snow Falls…

Book Description:

Hired by a stranger to write his life story, Beth Lambert arrives at a seemingly abandoned house in the hills near her hometown. She knows the rumors, she knows it is dangerous and unwise. But she needs the money. And she needs to prove that it isn’t a mistake to think she can make a career out of a dream.

Inside the house of emptiness and coldness, she finds a man with curt words and haunted eyes. He is eccentric, odd. Brutish, even. He scares her, and he intrigues her. When she learns who he is, she wants to run. But there is the money, and there is the dream, and eventually, there is simply Harrison Caldwell. The haunted man with the black, ugly truth.

 

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My Thoughts:

Steady as the Snow Falls was a heartfelt and relevant story, exploring a topic that is not often put into the spotlight in any novel, much less a romance. Told from the perspective of Beth, a young woman trying hard to move on with her life and take back control of it, this story unfolds gently, and for this it was a winner for me. I have read some criticisms of this book that stated it took too long for the romance to develop. I disagree. The timing was perfect. If you actually consider that the romance was not the point, but the result, then the timing takes on a new significance. To me, the authenticity of the story would have been challenged had the author rushed on this. The build-up was wrought with some beautiful moments, and on a whole, this was a very emotional read sprinkled with gorgeous prose and vivid descriptive language.

 

The other aspect of the story, Beth’s ex-boyfriend Ozzy and his relentless and insidious stalking of her, was also handled well. Too often a line is crossed but not crossed enough in a stalking situation. The author depicted Beth’s fear and helplessness so well, along with the arrogance of Ozzy, a man who truly believed he was entitled to do whatever he felt like at any time that suited him.

 

With a good ending that I struggled not to cry over and some rather thought provoking material to contemplate throughout, Steady as the Snow Falls is a great read that I recommend highly. Well done to Lindy Zart, I will be looking out for more of her books.

Book Review: After the Last Dance by Sarra Manning

Book Description:

Two women. Two love affairs. One unforgettable story.

Kings Cross station, 1943. Rose arrives in London hoping to swap the drudgery of wartime for romance, glamour and jiving with GIs at Rainbow Corner, the famous dance hall in Piccadilly Circus. As the bombs fall, Rose loses her heart to a pilot but will lose so much more before the war has done its worst.

Las Vegas, present day. A beautiful woman in a wedding dress walks into a seedy bar and asks the first man she sees to marry her. When Leo slips the ring onto Jane’s finger, he has no idea that his new wife will stop at nothing to get what she wants. So when Jane meets Rose, now a formidable older lady, there’s no love lost between them. But with time running out, can Rose and Jane come together to make peace with the tragic secrets that have always haunted their lives? After the Last Dance is an extraordinary story of two women, separated by time but connected by fate, that will make you believe in the redemptive power of unexpected love.

 

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My Thoughts:

After the Last Dance was a truly marvellous novel. I absolutely adored it. It was one of those books that I tend to buy on a whim, the cover grabbed me and I was looking for something to get lost in, which for me, usually requires some element of historical fiction.

 

With a dual timeline, I was delighted to find that both of the storylines were equally as engaging. Sometimes I struggle with the present day storyline in dual timeline novels, but in this case I found myself enjoying each character as much as the other while I immersed myself into the world of Rose, Leo and Jane.

 

Reading Rose’s WWII story was like slipping back through time and some scenes were so vivid I could almost smell the air and hear the music and laughter as she danced around The Rainbow Room. The scene at the close of the war was particularly touching, one in which I almost felt a part of, the writing was so rich and vividly engaging. I must commend Sarra Manning on her creation of Jane, who was such a complex character, yet in the end, proved her worth on more than one occasion. Despite her checkered past and her steadfast belief that she wasn’t worth loving, I found myself championing for her right the way through. And as for Leo, well I found Leo absolutely adorable, even when he was a waster, because there was always this glimmer about him, a sense that he was on the verge of tapping into his own inner greatness. He did not disappoint.

 

This was the first novel by Sarra Manning that I have read but it will certainly not be the last. She has such a natural way of telling a story and immersing you fully into the setting and lives of her characters. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy historical fiction set during the WWII era. You will not be disappointed!

 

Sunday Spotlight: Melissa James — Australian Women Writers Challenge Blog

My latest #aww2017 Sunday Spotlight is not an historical one. It’s with the lovely Melissa James, talking about her new release, Beneath the Skin, a thrilling romantic suspense which I reviewed here on the blog not that long ago. Enjoy your Sunday!

 

Welcome to Sunday Spotlight. Today we feature Melissa James and her latest release, Beneath the Skin. Melissa James How many novels have you written and published? Beneath The Skin is my 22nd published novel in my fourth romantic genre, my 21st as Melissa James. I also have a published historical fiction novel under…

via Sunday Spotlight: Melissa James — Australian Women Writers Challenge Blog

 

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Welcome to the Festival of Sofie Laguna

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I thought it only fair to let you know that I’m deep into preparations for a Sofie Laguna festival of my own making. See, I started reading The Choke a couple of days ago, soon to be released by Allen and Unwin (September 1st). In addition to reviewing this new release by Sofie, I’ll also be interviewing her for the Australian Women Writers blog. Whenever I’m going to interview an author, I tend to read their novels a little differently. I’m looking for possible angles that I can frame questions out of, details I can ask them to expand on; things like that.

The Choke is utterly brilliant. I haven’t finished it yet, and my review won’t appear until after the release date, but I feel it safe to alert you to the fact that this novel is unspeakably sensational.

 

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Which is why I have to embark on a festival of Sofie Laguna. I need to read more of her work. Not only because of how skilled and intuitive she is as a writer, but also because I’m suffering from a little bit of stage fright at the moment. I’ve got all of these questions that I’d love to ask her for my interview, but the blinding bright lights of her talent have me freezing like a rabbit in the headlights.

All of my questions are lame. None of them are phrased to do her work justice. I am going to embarrass myself, put AWW to shame and never be allowed to interview anyone again.

Highly unlikely, but my inner critic is really going to town right now. To combat this, I’m going to read Sofie’s previous two novels for adults, The Eye of the Sheep and One Foot Wrong, in a bid to know her work so thoroughly that I can tell that inner critic to take a hike and just get on with business.

 

 

I’ll see you on the other side with three reviews and a cracking interview.

 

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Book Review: Offshore by Andrea Jones

Offshore…

Book Description:

Kate Maddison ‘Leaned In’ and now she’s Burned Out. Lost and disillusioned, she volunteers in a Channel Island detention centre and meets Abra, a displaced Syrian detained after he’s caught trying to enter the UK in the post-Brexit age.

Two damaged souls meet and mend – or at least begin to. Because the secretive offshore camp they find themselves in isn’t what it appears to be.

But that’s fine.

Neither is Abra.

Or even Kate herself…

 

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My Thoughts:

Every now and again I’ll find myself utterly surprised by a novel. I’ll be expecting one thing and end up getting something entirely different. Offshore is billed as a romantic suspense, but in reality, it traverses the psychological thriller terrain with ease.

 

Kate Maddison has made a mess of her life, burned most of her bridges, and generally needs to get herself back on track, mentally and socially. Volunteering to work at an offshore detention centre seems like a good idea, mainly because it affords her a legitimate escape option. Kate is very jaded, but her introspection is highly relatable and very entertaining, in a snarky sarcastic kind of way. The thing about Kate though, is that she’s just one step away from being any one of us. We all get worn down by the daily grind, frustrated by our working environment, disappointed in our relationships. The majority of us don’t quite reach the breaking point that Kate has, but that’s not to say we haven’t thought about acting on our impulses from time to time when we feel overtired or completely stressed out. Kate was quite authentic, and despite being monumentally stuffed up when we meet her, I liked her right from the outset. Likewise, Abra was a character whose complexity drew me in with immediate empathy. On some levels he was so contained, on others, completely unravelled. As the novel progressed and I realised the full extent of Abra’s character development, my admiration for Andrea Jones as a writer increased exponentially. What she does with Abra is sensational; I’ve read other novels where authors have missed the mark when going down such dark paths with their characters.

 

Alternating between Kate and Abra, the story moves along at a rapid pace; dialogue is tight, and scenes are packed with action and tension. Offshore is a novel that kind of just picks you up and runs away with you. I began reading Offshore quite late one evening and only read about 75 pages, tiredness getting the better of me, but the following night I started reading a bit earlier and ended up staying up until midnight just so I could finish it all. It has that ‘un-put-downable’ quality to it that all good thrillers need, but sometimes lack. Along with being highly entertaining in an edge of your seat way, many tough issues are tackled within Offshore. Andrea presents some rather thought provoking content about asylum seekers, the trauma associated with being a refugee, and the powerlessness of being at the mercy of an immigration system bursting under the pressure of world-wide conflict. There is a sinister undertone prevalent throughout, sustaining the element of threat that is posed to both characters in an authentic way.

 

Offshore is a novel that I can genuinely see adapted into a fast paced and thrilling movie where Abra is played by Sendhil Ramamurthy – who starred in early seasons of the TV show Beauty and the Beast as Gabe Lowan, photo below – (sorry, but I needed to slip that in because that’s exactly who I kept picturing Abra as from the moment he appeared on the page). Anyway, fan-girling about divinely gorgeous actors named Sendhil aside, if you’re into thrillers with a dark edge and a bit of sizzling romantic tension on the side, Offshore will fit the bill nicely! Might also be an ideal book club pick as there are quite a few moralistic issues to chew over. And, how stunning is that cover?!

 

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Sendhil Ramamurthy

 

Thanks is extended to the author, Andrea Jones, for gifting me with a copy of Offshore for review.

Offshore is book 51 in my 2017 Australian Women Writers Challenge.

 

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New Release Book Review: How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

How to Stop Time…
Book Description:

I am old. That is the first thing to tell you. The thing you are least likely to believe. If you saw me you would probably think I was about forty, but you would be very wrong.

Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret.

He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he’s been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen a lot, and now craves an ordinary life. Always changing his identity to stay alive, Tom has the perfect cover – working as a history teacher at a London comprehensive. Here he can teach the kids about wars and witch hunts as if he’d never witnessed them first-hand. He can try and tame the past that is fast catching up with him.

The only thing Tom mustn’t do is fall in love.

How to Stop Time is a wild and bittersweet story about losing and finding yourself, about the certainty of change and about the lifetimes it can take to really learn how to live.

 

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My Thoughts:

How to Stop Time is utterly brilliant and entirely unique. I’ve rarely enjoyed a novel this much, and really, when I think about it, this is one of those novels that will become THE novel for me. The one I recommend to others, give as a gift, or say is my all time favourite if someone ever forces me into having to answer such a question. It’s sarcastically funny, fascinating in its historical details, full of philosophical musings about humanity through the ages, and at times, achingly sad.

 

Tom Hazard is more than 400 years old and he carries that burden heavily. Regularly suffering from ‘memory headaches’, he longs for an ordinary existence. It seems on the surface that to live forever would be a blessing like no other, but seeing this ‘gift’ through Tom’s eyes in turn opens our own and what we see is like nothing we could have ever imagined. There are so many profound moments of insight within the pages of this novel. So many times Tom, with the wisdom of his four hundred years, makes a casual observation that will leave you winded. So many times you will laugh out loud at his honesty:

 

“I don’t like Martin. The great thing about being in your four hundreds is that you can get the measure of someone pretty quickly. And every era is clogged with Martins, and they are all dickheads.”

 

As Tom adjusts to being a history teacher, owning a dog for the first time, trying hard to deny a growing attraction to a colleague, and inhabiting a city crowded with memories, we flash back to the different eras Tom has lived in, returning to meaningful moments that have shaped him into the human he is today. And humanity is at the core of this novel. Who we are, who we aspire to be, and how we ultimately choose to live out our time here on earth.

 

“I can’t right now think of a better purpose in life than to be a teacher. To teach feels like you are a guardian of time itself, protecting the future happiness of the world via the minds that are yet to shape it. It isn’t playing the lute for Shakespeare, or the piano at Ciro’s, but it’s something as good. And goodness has its own kind of harmony.”

 

This novel will challenge you to think about how you’re filling your own time. You might not be hanging out with Shakespeare or knocking back Bloody Marys with Fitzgerald, but are you living a life that is good?

 

“And, just as it only takes a moment to die, it only takes a moment to live. You just close your eyes and let every futile fear slip away. And then, in this new state, free from fear, you ask yourself: who am I?”

 

The historical fiction parts of How To Stop Time are so authentic. There’s grime and stink and rot and all sorts of horrid diseases running rampart. If you were offered an opportunity to go back in time for a year you would definitely pass; how humanity has survived its own filth throughout the ages is almost one of the greatest mysteries of all time. But once again, an attention to detail elevates these sections. You feel as though you’re right there with Tom, busking with a lute or sailing the South seas. Such authenticity is not always easy to capture, but Matt Haig does this effortlessly and he does it over and over, within so many different historical eras.

 

I fell in love with Tom Hazard over the course of this novel. From the moment he adopted Abraham, a mistreated old dog, he had me spellbound. Each time he stood up in front of his history class, each time he ran into Camille, I yearned for him to have a win. Matt Haig truly is an astounding writer. Entirely in a league of his own.

 

Thanks is extended to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of How To Stop Time for review. How to Stop Time was published 26th July, 2017, by A&U Canongate.

 

Matt Haig is the bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive, The Humans and four other award-winning books for adults. His work has been translated into over 30 languages. Follow him on Twitter @matthaig1 or find out more about him over on his website matthaig.com.

 

Behind the Pen: Elizabeth Ellen Carter

Welcome to Behind the Pen. Today I have the pleasure in welcoming Historical Romance author Elizabeth Ellen Carter to talk about her ‘captivating’ new novel, Captive of the Corsairs.

 

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Can you tell us about Captive of the Corsairs? I believe it’s the first in a trilogy. What’s in store for us with this series?

Captive of the Corsairs is an adventure romance set during the early 19th century in the dying days of the Barbary Coast pirates. The heroes in each of the three stories has been personally affected by the slave trade which was rife in the region until 1830 when the French colonised North Africa.

I’m very excited with each of the stories in the Heart of the Corsairs series. The heroes and heroines are very different and the challenges they face to get to their happily ever after are so unique.

Captive of the Corsairs was the first book in the series. The hero, Kit Hardacre is a man hell-bent on revenge after suffering for years as a slave. He is saved from utter destruction and ruin by Sophia Green who learns about the barbarous Ottoman-sponsored pirates first hand.

Revenge of the Corsairs is the second book slated for a release later this year. The heroine, Laura Cappleman is Sophia’s cousin. Both women have undergone an ordeal but Laura has to mature and find her own path to recovery which she does with the hero Elias Nash, the first officer on Kit Hardacre’s ship the Calliope. But before they get to their happily ever after, they have to defeat an enemy from an unexpected quarter.

Shadow of the Corsairs is the third book, but it’s actually a prequel. Jonathan Afua, the son of a wealthy Ethiopian Jewish family who is the Calliope’s navigator and Morwenna Gambino, a business woman who provides cover and material support for the Calliope’s operations, are our couple. They were married in Captive of the Corsairs, but I want to tell their back story and the struggles they face culturally. Also we see a self-destructive side to Kit Hardacre which Elias and Jonathan try hard to manage. Shadow of the Corsairs is a 2018 release.

 

What is your favourite character from Captive of the Corsairs and why?

I have a real fondness for Kit Hardacre. The face he presents to the world – arrogant, self-assured, ostentatious – is largely a mask. His brutal treatment and abuse he received as a child has had a strong psychological impact on him. He tries to find meaning in the pain by rescuing people who themselves had been enslaved. He is caught between justice and vengeance and sometimes loses his way between them. It is only Sophia who can ground him.

 

What is your favourite scene from Captive of the Corsairs and why?

Oh my goodness, there are so many! I think one of my favourites is the first meeting. Sophia is on a mission to rescue her cousin from a lecherous suitor and Kit tags along to help, much to her chagrin. He’s immediately smitten by her dedication to her cousin and her bravery. I think that perhaps Kit recognises a fellow ‘rescuer’ in Sophia.

Another favourite scene is the first kiss. It’s both tender and emotional.

 

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How far has your writing career evolved from when you first began to write to what it is today? Is this in line with your initial expectations?

I barely recognise the writer I was five years ago. I can approach a story today with a greater confidence regarding the structure, the themes, the subplots and the subtext.

It’s like any skill, the more you practice it, the easier it is to add complexity and depth to the plot and the characterisations.

 

Are you balancing a different career with your writing? How do go about making time for your writing within limited hours?

I still work full time, so I have to mete out my writing time carefully. I spend a lot of time away from my desk thinking about the plot and dialogue then sit down in a two hour burst and put all of that down on paper – well, that’s the theory anyway…

 

What other genre would you like to try your hand at writing and why?

I’d like to try a bit of sci-fi – there is a lot of similarity between historical and sci-fi in that there’s a lot of world building that goes on. I tried my hand at a sci-fi short story for the Romance Writers of Australia Little Gems anthology. It didn’t make the cut, but I’ve put it on my Wattpad account for people to read.

 

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Spending plenty of time with my long-suffering husband!

 

Do you have an all-time favourite book? Why is this book so significant to you?

I don’t have an all-time favourite book. I’m very much a browser and will pick up anything that suits my mood.

 

What book is currently on your bedside table

An anthology of Father Brown Mysteries by GK Chesterton.

 

Can you share with us a vivid childhood memory?

Going down to Pacific Fair Shopping Centre (which was the largest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere at the time) with my grandparents and going into the book store to see if they had another Nancy Drew Mystery in stock. Each fortnight my grandparents would buy me a new book.

 

If you could trade places for a week with any other person, living or dead, real or fiction, who would it be and why?

Hmmm. I think it might have to be Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, so I could squander some of his millions to buy all the books I want.

 

Thanks Elizabeth for joining us today for Behind the Pen. It’s always a pleasure having a chat with you. I recently read Captive of the Corsairs and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you missed my review, you can catch up on it here.

To find out more about Elizabeth and her fabulous historical novels, visit her website: Elizabeth Ellen Carter Love’s Great Adventure.