Karen Bainbridge
asked
Fiona Ingram:
What is your favorite point in history? As I see that your books deal with ancient Egypt, England in King Arthur's time.. so do you travel around the world and get ideas for your books? You must love it being a writer what would be your advice to a beginning author?
Fiona Ingram
Hi Karen,
Ancient history is my real love. The ancient world was actually so advanced and many of the greatest inventions happened then. I have to say Egypt was where my craze began, and all because my parents bought us the Time Life history books when we were small. I got Ancient Egypt; my older brother got Imperial Rome; and we shared Classical Greece. I am a real bookworm (as you can imagine) and while I was writing The Secret of the Sacred Scarab (after a family trip there), I began reading many non-fiction books that took me further and further into how far ancient cultures spread. From there I picked up on particular historical events and people with appeal. I know King Arthur isn't quite ancient history, but he comes at the tail end of the Roman conquest of Britain, and that was good enough for me. Book 3 (completed) sees my young heroes in Central America, exploring the Mayan and Aztec cultures, also a favourite. Book 4 is the Knights Templar (in progress), France; Book 5 is India (close to my heart); Book 6 is Turkey, and Book 7 is a surprise... I have been fortunate enough to visit most of the places depicted. I have a couple still to explore. If you are a beginner writer, my advice is to persevere. The three P's spring to mind: perseverance, passion and purpose. Read a variety of authors to get the feel for different styles and genres. Write what you love writing about. Make sure your book meets the industry's standards. Please invest in a good editor. Even the best authors need an editor. Feel free to discuss any other writing queries. I don't have all the answers but I can advise based on some of the mistakes I made along the way.
Ancient history is my real love. The ancient world was actually so advanced and many of the greatest inventions happened then. I have to say Egypt was where my craze began, and all because my parents bought us the Time Life history books when we were small. I got Ancient Egypt; my older brother got Imperial Rome; and we shared Classical Greece. I am a real bookworm (as you can imagine) and while I was writing The Secret of the Sacred Scarab (after a family trip there), I began reading many non-fiction books that took me further and further into how far ancient cultures spread. From there I picked up on particular historical events and people with appeal. I know King Arthur isn't quite ancient history, but he comes at the tail end of the Roman conquest of Britain, and that was good enough for me. Book 3 (completed) sees my young heroes in Central America, exploring the Mayan and Aztec cultures, also a favourite. Book 4 is the Knights Templar (in progress), France; Book 5 is India (close to my heart); Book 6 is Turkey, and Book 7 is a surprise... I have been fortunate enough to visit most of the places depicted. I have a couple still to explore. If you are a beginner writer, my advice is to persevere. The three P's spring to mind: perseverance, passion and purpose. Read a variety of authors to get the feel for different styles and genres. Write what you love writing about. Make sure your book meets the industry's standards. Please invest in a good editor. Even the best authors need an editor. Feel free to discuss any other writing queries. I don't have all the answers but I can advise based on some of the mistakes I made along the way.
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