2010 November 10

1. Did you always want to be a writer?
HH: Yes, I was scribbling stories when I was thirteen. If not writing I was reading. Characters, whether in books or my own made up ones, were my best friends. I was a lonely, shy child; I felt happy and secure in the world of Imagination.

2. You have a few different series out in publication, all of differing topics. How did you decide to write about these historical topics?
HH: The Arthurian novels, The Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy (The Kingmaking, Pendragon’s Banner, and Shadow of the King), I wrote because I wanted to tell the story of Arthur as it might have really happened. No magic or fantasy, no Merlin, Lancelot, or holy grail. Just Arthur as a post-Roman warlord who had to fight hard for his kingdom – and twice as hard to keep it.

I Am The Chosen King (coming to the US in March 2011; first published in 2004 and Harold the King in the UK) I wrote for a similar reason; I wanted to put the record straight about the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. I stripped the history of Norman propaganda and wrote the story from the English point of view – King Harold’s. The first incorrect fact I uncovered while researching was that Duke William of Normandy had no right to the English throne whatsoever, and Harold was not killed by an arrow in the eye during the Battle of Hastings.

I started on The Forever Queen after finishing Harold/Chosen King, even though the story comes first chronologically. Queen Emma was the mother of King Edward the Confessor and therefore involved in Harold’s life. I was so fascinated by her I decide to write her story as well.

My other series is the Sea Witch Voyages – pirate based historical adventure. Sharp blended with Indiana Jones at sea. All good fun and a cracking treasure chest of a read.

3. How long does it typically take you to complete a book?
HH: It took me ten years to write what eventually became The Kingmaking and half of Pendragon’s Banner, but I was only writing now and then; evenings, weekends, lunch hour. Harold/Chosen King and the original English edition of Forever Queen took me about two or three years to research and write.

Sea Witch I wrote in two months – non-stop, except for a break on Christmas day

4. Do you have a specific schedule you keep to when writing?
HH: I would like to show off and say “Yes of course,” but I’m nowhere near disciplined enough. I do try to answer e-mails, chat on Twitter and Facebook in the mornings, then I will usually update one of my several blogs, break for lunch, and then start work. I write better of an evening – and I’m an owl not a lark. I stay up late

5. Where do you get your inspiration or ideas for your books?
HH: I have a theory that at night because most people are asleep there is more spare Imagination to go round. LOL

Historical novels, of course, spark their own creativity, either through the events of the past or curiosity about the people themselves. I came up with the idea for the Sea Witch Voyages because I was interested enough in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie to find out more about the reality of pirates – which led to me walking along a beach in the drizzling rain thinking up an entire plot. I sat on a rock, looked up – and there was my Jesamiah Acorne. Was he imagined? Did I really see him? Who knows. He’s real enough to me now!

6. What do you think it takes to make a good story?
HH: I suppose it depends on what you particularly like. Some people avidly read horror – I hate horror (have enough nightmares as it is, thank you). I’m not keen on romance either. Whatever the genre, though, a well written novel should immediately take you into the story, the characters and action, intrigue, or historical drama sucking you in and holding you fast until the last page. For a good read the characters must be real, they must come alive; be the reader’s friend, lover, hero, heroine, or enemy. That last page should leave a feeling of regret that you’ve finished – and send you looking for another tale by the same author or in the same series.

7. Of all your books, which is your favorite? Why?
HH: Unfair question LOL – that’s like asking a mother which one of her brood of children does she love the most! The Kingmaking is a favourite because it was my first novel. Harold the King is a favourite because I am the most proud of it. The Forever Queen is special because it is the first of my books to start doing very well in the US and Sea Witch is my best favourite because I loved writing every single word of it and I adore my pirate, Jesamiah..

8. Which of your characters would you most/least to invite to dinner, and why?
HH: Jesamiah – but then he’d drink all my rum and I’d have to make sure he had a bath first (pirate)! I think Queen Emma was a fascinating woman so I would like to invite her – but her first husband Æthelred was a tedious bore. He can stay away.

9. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
HH: Well I suppose it has to be two things. One; that I can write. I was hopeless at school and no one had much faith in me. I thought writers were clever people who had University degrees and things, I barely scraped through three basic exams. So to discover that I actually do have a gifted talent for telling a good story is still a wonder to me. The second thing is that I would never have dreamed that through my writing I could meet so many lovely people – some only via the Internet, others in person. You are all fabulous, thank you.

10. Is there anything you would like readers to know that you have not previously been asked about before?
HH: Perhaps a practical answer here. Many of your readers will also be hopeful writers, and many novice writers want to write novels because they think they will make money from their books. I’m afraid that is wishful thinking. The majority of authors earn enough to pay a few everyday bills, maybe help out with the mortgage if they are lucky, but as a regular income? Forget it. If you are self or independently published the chances are you may just about cover your costs; don’t expect much else. The big money-earner authors are few and far between – although it’s those writers we hear about most.

If you want to write, do it for the love of writing, not for the financial reward. That way, you will achieve your dream

THE FOREVER QUEEN BY HELEN HOLLICK – IN STORES NOVEMBER 2010
What kind of woman becomes the wife of two kings, and the mother of two more?

Saxon England, 1002. Not only is Æthelred a failure as King, but his young bride, Emma of Normandy, soon discovers he is even worse as a husband. When the Danish Vikings, led by Swein Forkbeard and his son, Cnut, cause a maelstrom of chaos, Emma, as Queen, must take control if the Kingdom—and her crown—are to be salvaged. Smarter than history remembers, and stronger than the foreign invaders who threaten England’s shores, Emma risks everything on a gamble that could either fulfill her ambitions and dreams or destroy her completely.

Emma, the Queen of Saxon England, comes to life through the exquisite writing of Helen Hollick, who shows in this epic tale how one of the most compelling and vivid heroines in English history stood tall through a turbulent fifty-year reign of proud determination, tragic despair, and triumph over treachery.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Hollick lives in northeast London with her husband, daughter and a variety of pets, which include several horses, cats and two dogs. She has two major interests: Roman / Saxon Britain and the Golden Age of Piracy–the early eighteenth century. Sourcebooks Landmark will release the next chapter on Helen’s 1066 saga, I Am the Chosen King, in Spring 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.helenhollick.net/.

Thank you Helen for taking time out of your extremely busy schedule to answer questions for readers of my blog. I definitely would enjoy having dinner with Jesamiah. Fancy all the main characters meeting, now that would be an extremely entertaining dinner party!

I have been fortunate enough to read all of Helen Hollick’s books UK and US versions and look forward to further releases from her. My review of her US released title The Forever Queen may be read here.

My sincere gratitude to Sourcebooks for making all of this possible.

Title: Wishin’ and Hopin’
Author: Wally Lamb
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition
Publication Date: November 2, 2010
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN: 978-0061941016
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

In Wally Lamb’s pitch perfect new novel, it is 1964. LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House, Meet the Beatles is on everyone’s turntable, and ten-year-old Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade—easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy. But there are several things young Felix can depend on: the birds and bees are puzzling, television is magical, and this is one Christmas he’s never going to forget.

My Review:

Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Wally Lamb is an absolutely hysterical look at life as a 5th grade student in 1964. Adult Felix narrates the story and begins it as a confession taking the reader back in time with him to his 1964-65 school year at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School, the year Sister Daymphna went “crazy” and culminating with the Pauline, the great Sno Balls question, the pageant and an unusual, entertaining and rather brilliant epilogue. Lamb takes his readers back to a much less complex time in life, and for those of us old enough, a rather nostalgic look back at the innocence of youth. Lamb has cleverly put together a delightful ensemble of classmates, family members, and customers at the family diner as well as teachers to create a story one will not forget. Wishin’ and Hopin’ is a delightful Christmas read and one I will read again and again. Wishin’ and Hopin’ reminded me a lot of the movie A Christmas Story, not in the actual storyline, but rather in the narration. Lamb is well known for his deep and complex novels, and Wishin’ and Hopin’ allows this creative author to show an entirely new side in creating this light hearted, hilarious, and nostalgic Christmas story. I cannot think of anyone I would not recommend Wishin’ and Hopin’ to for a fun, fast, and hilarious Christmas book.

About the Author:

Wally Lamb’s first two novels, She’s Come Undone (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, 1992) and I Know This Much Is True (HarperCollins/ReganBooks, 1998), were # 1 New York Times bestsellers, New York Times Notable Books of the Year, and featured titles of Oprah’s Book Club. I Know This Much Is True was a Book of the Month Club main selection and the June 1999 featured selection of the Bertelsman Book Club, the national book club of Germany. Between them, She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True have been translated into eighteen languages.

Lamb is also the editor of the nonfiction anthologies Couldn’t Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters (HarperCollins/ReganBooks, 2003) and I’ll Fly Away (HarperCollins, 2007), collections of autobiographical essays which evolved from a writing workshop Lamb facilitates at Connecticut’s York Correctional Institute, a maximum-security prison for women. He has served as a Connecticut Department of Corrections volunteer from 1999 to the present.

Wally Lamb is a Connecticut native who holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in teaching from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Vermont College. Lamb was in the ninth year of his twenty-five-year career as a high school English teacher at his alma mater, the Norwich Free Academy, when he began to write fiction in 1981. He has also taught writing at the University of Connecticut, where he directed the English Department’s creative writing program.

Wally and Christine Lamb are the parents of three sons, Jared, Justin, and Teddy.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

I received a complimentary copy of Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Wally Lamb from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.