The BIG Deal - Post by Lynnda Pollio, Author of Trusting the Current

Lynnda Pollio, author of the B.R.A.G Medallion winning novel Trusting the Current, has written a thought-provoking piece on what makes 2018 such a noteworthy year and how we can all best face the ups and downs it is likely to bring. You can read the piece on Medium HERE. To learn more about Trusting the Current and its author continue on below!

 

 

 

Publication Date: November 5th, 2013

Publisher: SageHeart Media

Pages: 288

 

Trusting the Currents is a multi-award winning visionary novel that guides readers into their own truth and transformation.

 

Author Lynnda Pollio's life as a busy New Yorker abruptly changes when she unexpectedly heard the mystical, elderly voice of Addie Mae Aubrey, a Southern, African American woman. Her first words, “It’s not what happened to me that matters,” begin a spirited remembering of her teenage years in the late 1930s rural South and the learned wisdom she asks Lynnda to share. As women from different times and different places, they embark on an uncommon journey together.

Narrated by Addie Mae Aubrey, Trusting the Currents is a spiritual story of self-discovery—of faith, courage, forgiveness, and the uneasy search for one’s place in life. Beginning at age eleven with the unexpected arrival of beautiful, mysterious cousin Jenny and her shadowy stepfather, Uncle Joe, Trusting the Currents explores Addie Mae’s reluctant awakening. As Jenny, the story’s mystical center, introduces Addie Mae to the spiritual world, a caring teacher, Miss Blanchard, guides with the power of reading. Romantic love enters her life for the first time with Rawley, and we experience how Addie Mae’s emerging sense of self compels her to a life-altering decision. Throughout the story, her mother remains an unwavering source of love, even when fear and evil shake their lives. Unfathomable loss and rising trust in the “Invisibles” not only transform Addie Mae’s budding life, but leads to the author's own spiritual awakening.

Addie Mae reveals how life blossoms when we have the courage to not only accept but also learn from mistakes and sorrow. Her story may belong to one woman, but the lessons it teaches belong to everyone willing to open their hearts and listen to the truth within their souls.

 

 

Praise for Trusting the Current

 

 

"While Pollio admirably asks "what right did I have to tell a black southern woman's story?" her saga holds surprising power, at times approaching the grandeur of The Color Purple and Beloved with the insights of a delightful wise-child narrator. Gorgeous imagining of a touching, memorable guiding spirit." - Kirkus Reviews

"The simple, affecting tale of Addie's life is engrossing. Religion, culture, and family blend together seamlessly in this haunting and refreshing story." - Publisher's Weekly

 

 

"Lynnda Pollio guides us gently but mindfully through the darkness and beyond the place where blood is born. Trusting the Currents slips through the skin, stains the eyeball. In a recurrent dream I am standing in the center of a circle with my maternal elders. My initiation assignment is to weave a basket tight enough to hold water. I run throughout the forest gathering sticks, bark, reeds, stalks. Of course from dream to dream, the basket is never tight enough. When I neared the closing chapter of Trusting the Currents, I knew I would dream that dream again facing myself in the eyes of wise women. The women of Trusting the Currents traveled with me and showed me that my ancestors were holding and offering everything I've ever needed to hold the water. This ethereal story narrative chants the wild instructions for weaving the collective refuge-building spiritual baskets that are needed in this time of now, in this space of here.
“The voices in Trusting the Currents refuse to be muted as they bring us face to face across the divides of race, class, religion. This is a powerful story that is an offering, a revival, benediction, altar, and a powerful calling for the return of all long-obscured matriarchs. All praises for Trusting the Currents....enlightening, and highly evolved."- Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina Piedmont Poet Laureate, North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame

 

 

"This book is the most beautiful one I have read in a very long time. Not only is it exquisitely written but also there is a wealth of real wisdom in its pages. The very act of reading it is somewhat akin to a spiritual experience." - Amazon Reviewer

 

"It's rare that a book resonates so deeply, but this one did just that. It seems, too, that what the author says is true: Addie Mae draws readers to her. I discovered Addie Mae while in the midst of a current, and her wisdom and courage have inspired me to embrace it and look forward with happy anticipation to where it's carrying me. 'Trusting the Currents' is a beautifully written and timeless story, one that captivates from beginning to end and leaves you wanting more. A must read!! - Amazon Reviewer

 "The kind of fictional story you read, re-read, and re-read, and yet still discover something new every time. It is beautifully written and carries a delicate energy that made it hard for me to let go of the book until I was done reading. 5++" - Amazon Reviewer

 

 

"This is the first book in quite a few years that I couldn't put down after I started it. It is a journey of a beautiful adventure written in the most poetic words that speak to one's heart. I am immediately wanted to share this book with everyone I know who loves to read a good book. Trusting the Currents is a wonderful spiritual story that will stay with you for a long time. The title alone will encourage you through times of trouble or change, in your life or perhaps of loved one. Absolutely loved this book" - Amazon Reviewer

 

 

Buy the Book

 

Amazon

 

About the Author

Lynnda Pollio was born in New Jersey and lives in New York City. But she considers Sedona,

Arizona to be her soul home. An intuitive and empath by birth, Lynnda has always been deeply committed to elevating human consciousness. This life purpose guided her as an advertising executive, a consultant and thought leader in conscious business practices, and as the world’s first Chief Consciousness Officer for the foremost futurist marketing consultancy. Currently, she supports businesses and people who are committed to doing good in the world. She never expected to write a book until she started hearing the voice of an old, black, Southern woman asking her to tell her story. Trusting the Currents took 12 years to write and indie-publish. Since then, it has won 12 book awards and garners extraordinary and quite beautiful reviews. Lynnda feels it her life mission to bring Trusting the Currents into the world.

 

To learn more about Lynnda as well as her writing visit her blog and website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

 

 





Spotlight on the Books of B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Lorraine Devon Wilke

After the Sucker Punch

Cover design by Grace Amandes

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Pub. Date: May 15th, 2014

Pages: 340

They buried her father at noon, at five she found his journals, and in the time it took to read one-and-a-half pages her world turned upside down… he thought she was a failure.

Every child, no matter what age, wants to know their father loves them, and Tessa Curzio – thirty-six, emerging writer, ex-rocker, lapsed Catholic, defected Scientologist, and fourth in a family of eight complicated people – is no exception. But just when she thought her twitchy life was finally coming together – solid relationship, creative job; a view of the ocean – the one-two punch of her father’s death and posthumous indictment proves an existential knockout.

She tries to “just let it go,” as her sister suggests, but life viewed through the filter of his damning words is suddenly skewed, shaking the foundation of everything from her solid relationship and winning job to the truth of her family, even her sense of self. From there, friendships strain, bad behavior ensues, new men entreat, and family drama spikes, all leading to her little-known aunt, a nun and counselor, who lovingly strong-arms Tessa onto a journey of discovery and reinvention. It’s a trip that’s not always pretty – or particularly wise – but somewhere in all the twists and turns, unexpected truths are found.

Author and longtime Huffington Post contributor, Lorraine Devon Wilke, takes an irreverent look at father/daughter relationships through the unique prism of Tessa’s saga and its exploration of family, faith, cults, creativity, new love and old, and the struggle to define oneself against the inexplicable perceptions of a deceased parent. Told with both sass and sensibility, it’s a story wrapped in contemporary culture but with a very classic heart.

Praise and Awards

B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree ~ IndieBRAG

"A realistic and profound journey of realization and forgiveness... a solid novel that admirably explores the fragile, fraught relationship between parent and child." ~ Publishers Weekly


"Wilke writes with razor-sharp wit and radiant flair, and the prose's high quality is the novel's principal strength. She also sensitively portrays how real love and affection can survive and even flourish in an otherwise dysfunctional family." ~ Kirkus Reviews


"A sweeping, beautifully written read; gripping from page one. A family saga with ambition and class." ~ Mark Barry, Green Wizard Publishing

"Captured the spirit of family perfectly in that there is no perfect family. Funny, warm, tense, angry, it ultimately shows us that life is to be lived and there's no point in dwelling on the past." ~ Lindley Reviews


“A keenly executed character study. The novel is tightly structured and holds its complex elements with a sure and skillful grip. The dialogue pops…a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read.”—Junior Burke, author of Something Gorgeous (farfalla press/McMillan & Parrish)

“With bare-bone honesty and fiery dialogue, Wilke explores the loaded relationship between parents and their adult-children, examining the brave and lonely journey of self-discovery, reinvention, and healing…raw and brave—a great read.”—Tracy Trivas, author of The Wish Stealers (Simon & Schuster)

Buy the Book

Amazon

Book Trailer

Hysterical Love

Cover design by Grace Amandes

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Pub. Date: March 31st, 2015

Pages: 314

Dan McDowell, a thirty-three-year-old portrait photographer happily set to marry his beloved Jane, is stunned when a slip of the tongue about an “ex-girlfriend overlap” of years earlier throws their pending marriage into doubt and him onto the street. Or at least into the second bedroom of their next-door neighbor, Bob, where Dan is sure it won't be long. It's long.

His sister, Lucy, further confuses matters with her “soul mate theory” and its suggestion that Jane might not be his... soul mate, that is. But the tipping point comes when his father is struck ill, sparking a chain of events in which Dan discovers a story written by this man he doesn’t readily understand, but who, it seems, has long harbored an unrequited love from decades earlier.

Incapable of fixing his own romantic dilemma, Dan becomes fixated on finding this woman of his father’s dreams and sets off for Oakland, California, on a mission fraught with detours and semi-hilarious peril. Along the way he meets the beautiful Fiona, herbalist and flower child, who assists in his quest while quietly and erotically shaking up his world. When, against all odds, he finds the elusive woman from the past, the ultimate discovery of how she truly fit into his father's life leaves him staggered, as does the reality of what’s been stirred up with Fiona. But it’s when he returns home to yet another set of unexpected truths that he’s shaken to the core, ultimately forced to face who he is and just whom he might be able to love.

Lorraine Devon Wilke, author of the acclaimed debut novel, AFTER THE SUCKER PUNCH, brings her deft mix of humor and drama to a whip-smart narrative told from the point of view of its male protagonist. HYSTERICAL LOVE explores themes of family, commitment, balancing creativity, facing adulthood, and digging deep to understand the beating heart of true love.

Praise and Awards

2017 Solo Medallist in General Fiction, New Apple Awards

2017 Finalist in General Fiction; American Book Fest Best Book Awards

B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree ~ IndieBRAG


"Wilke is a skilled writer, able to plausibly inhabit Dan's young male perspective... a well-written, engaging, sometimes-frustrating tale of reaching adulthood a little late." ~ Kirkus Reviews


"I never found a writer who was as good as DH Lawrence, but could also get into a man's head and tell that story. Until now." ~ Barb Taub, Writing & Coffee Book Blog

“This is one of those books which exceeded all my expectations. I was expecting a romance with a couple of twists to the tale but what I got was something far deeper and more satisfying.” — A Women's Wisdom Book Blog


"Effectively told through the first person, Hysterical Love is a deftly told tale about the search for love in the 21st century." ~ Literary Fiction Book Review


"If you want a book with many layers, to be thoroughly entertained by a cracking story, this is for you." ~ Ali Levett


"If you're looking for book recommendations, these are the editor picks: Hysterical Love..." ~ WE Magazine for Women


"I loved this book! Loved, loved, loved it. Devon Wilke's writing style is witty, pointed, funny, even hilarious at times." ~ Readers' Favorite Book Reviews

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

Author, photographer, singer/songwriter, Lorraine Devon Wilke, brings the sum total of her creative

experience to her compelling contemporary fiction. Pulling from every chapter of her eclectic background, she creates characters and plots that are sharply original yet reflect universal themes, with dialogue that jumps off the page. Her book covers are designed with her photography, and her debut novel, AFTER THE SUCKER PUNCH, includes a free download of one of her songs.

A longtime contributor to The Huffington Post, Devon Wilke's trademark "sass and sensibility" infuses her work with candor, provocative themes, and, whenever possible, wit and humor. But whether exploring issues of family, faith, love, or tragedy, her stories always embrace an elemental mix of heart and soul. Along with AFTER THE SUCKER PUNCH, her dramatic short story, "She Tumbled Down," and her second novel, HYSTERICAL LOVE, are also available at Amazon. Her third novel, A NICE WHITE GIRL, is currently prepping for publication.

You can follow her commentary, cultural perspective, and updates on various creative adventures at www.RockPaperMusic.com, with all other links and information available at www.lorrainedevonwilke.com.

Interview with B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Katelyne Parker

Please join me in welcoming B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Katelyne Parker to A Literary Vacation today! Award-winning author, Katelyne Parker, was born in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, but came of age in South Florida. After she graduated from Barry University, she worked as an educator for over fifteen years. Her debut novel, Hosanna, is a captivating story that will confront the mind and inspire the soul. Today, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son.

Hi Katelyne, and welcome to A Literary Vacation! To start off with, please tell us a little about your book, Hosanna.

Thank you so much, Colleen. 

Hosanna is a story of a young woman born illegally to a black man and a white woman during the reign of Jim Crow. To hide the truth of Hosanna’s birth story, her racist maternal grandmother forces her to be a maid in her own home. 

After years of rejection and pretense, Hosanna grows infuriatingly rebellious toward her tight-lipped family and insists the truth be told. But she learns soon enough, that sordid truths aren’t welcomed in this small Georgia town where social traditions and segregation laws are a bulwark standing between her and the family she desperately craves.

Hosanna sounds like such a fascinating, unique character that has faced, and continues to face, a myriad of difficulties and pain in her life. What drew you to tell her story? Do you think your readers will be able to relate to aspects of her story?

Hosanna first appeared to me in a dream in 1998 when I saw Miss Margret, Hosanna’s maternal grandmother, sitting on the porch railing of her stately antebellum home. It wasn’t strange to see her drinking out of a cup as gracefully as she was, but it was strange to see her unfazed as she witnessed a fire blazing from a distance. That’s when I awakened, confused but curious. The questions came suddenly: Who is this woman? Where is she from? And why isn’t she troubled? After all, a fire was blazing! That’s when I took pen to paper and began recording what I recalled from that vision and started my frequent visits to the local library to research Georgia segregation history. I’ve always been attracted to stories of the South like, To Kill a Mockingbird and Gone with the Wind, so Hosanna’s story was a natural evolution from those beloved classics. I knew in short order, that this unexpected dream would become one of many scenes I felt compelled to expand and build around. 

I can imagine many readers relating to Hosanna’s feelings of rejection and her relentless need to feel valued. And I’m almost certain that quite a few of us, out of all generations, have had to wrestle with our views on race at some point in our lives. Perhaps older generations would have raw recollections or experiences from that era and could relate to Hosanna in that way. Conceivably, individuals of all ages and ethnicities could draw parallels to the racial tensions we currently have in our country today. But I too, can imagine many of us wanting to find a semblance of hope on the other side of those tensions where we could see a way forward. I’d like to think Hosanna could be that launch point for such a discussion and that discussion would then lead to a newer way of seeing these issues, and that new way, I hope, could lead to a more profound healing that many well-intentioned people seek.

Being that Hosanna is historical fiction, did you have to do any research while writing? If so, was there anything you found particularly interesting during that process? Anything you wish you could have incorporated that didn’t make it into the story?

Yes, I researched Georgia and U.S. History from the pre-Civil War era to 1967, the year the Supreme Court ruled state bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional. 

I found the first person accounts from blacks and whites during that time the most riveting. If any reader believes the characters in Hosanna ring authentic, they can credit the real life people who left accounts of their experiences during the era of Jim Crow. 

As for historical research that didn’t make the cut, I purposely and without regret excluded the events of southern history I felt would not move the story forward. If a historical event or fact did not relate significantly to the plot, then I had no desire to bring it in, especially if I felt it would detract from the reader’s understanding of the story.

Historical fiction happens to be my all-time favorite genre and I find myself going back and forth between what periods of history are my favorite to read about. Do you have a favorite time period to write and/or read about, or do you enjoy jumping around as I do?

I admire people like you who have broad historical interests. But I’m afraid I don’t ever jump around time periods. I am particularly fixed on reading and writing about southern history from the pre-Civil War era through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

What does a typical day (if there is one) look like for you? How do you balance writing and the rest of your life?

Well, I’m a homeschool teacher, so my mornings are primarily dedicated to my son’s academic and athletic development. Since we have full control over our schedule, I teach in the mornings, then write and conduct research when necessary in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends. 

I balance my time by creating a schedule that we try to stick to in earnest. There are rare times that I wake up at two or three o’clock in the morning inspired to write pages and pages of scenes. So I don’t hinder that inspiration. I wake up and immerse myself in the world of my characters. There are times when I’m devoid of inspiration, so I read, research, or ask myself questions to provoke creativity. And that seems to work well for me. 

In the end, I go with the flow of life. If life tells me, my family needs more of my time, I follow that gut instinct. If life tells me that my inspiration is overflowing and a scene must be unveiled, I go with that. I don’t force what’s not there. I live in the present. And have learned through experience to exercise what I call extreme patience.

Are you working on anything now that you can share with us?

Years ago, Danelle McCafferty, a wonderful editor with amazing foresight and talent helped me in the very early stages of this project. From her insightful feedback, I decided there was more to Hosanna’s story, but it didn’t have to be all in one book. I learned to zoom in from the bird’s eye view I found myself perched on. Then I removed two extensive story-lines from Hosanna. One of which, I’ve now entitled, M’donia. For those who’ve read Hosanna, M’donia is a section of Midville where a group of black residents were living on land designated white-only. Sadly, these residents suffered persecution for refusing to vacate land that they strongly believed was rightfully theirs. Hosanna’s love interest, John Irvin, is the main character in M’donia and he tells his story of overcoming adversity and opposition with perseverance and grace. I am extremely excited about this project. I strongly believe M’donia will be just as engaging, powerful, and thought-provoking as Hosanna.

What drew you towards independent publishing as opposed to seeking out a traditional publisher?

It’s no secret that traditional publishers are inundated with author queries. I strongly believe it’s almost impossible to find all the quality first-time writers in that kind of environment. In the early years, I sought traditional representation, but that door did not open to me. However, independent publishing provided me the forum to express myself freely, to take my work directly to the readers, who I’m convinced are the ultimate arbiters of excellence. Those same readers are my unbiased reviewers. They provide me with invaluable feedback and that feedback encourages me and informs me that this work has brought inspiration and enjoyment to their lives. I’m profoundly humbled for the opportunity to reach my audience through independent publishing. But that doesn’t mean I am not open to traditional publishing, it only means independent publishing is the most viable avenue for me at this point in my career.

How did you discover indieBRAG and what does it mean to you to have Hosanna awarded the BRAG Medallion?

I began by learning more about the book industry. I soon discovered that if an independent author wanted to distinguish themselves from the innumerable books in the literary marketplace, they would first need to write a quality book and acquire recognition through reviews and awards. So I submitted Hosanna to one of the most prestigious literary groups available to independent authors today—indieBRAG. 

It means so much to be honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion for literary fiction. For years, I had been seeking validation for the painstaking work I had put into Hosanna. And so to win this award fulfilled that desire. I will be forever honored and grateful to indieBRAG, the vanguard of the literary world, founded on the magnanimous mission of recognizing and promoting quality works of fiction to the reading public, who’d otherwise be unaware of emerging authors like me.

Thank you so much, Katelyne, for sharing your answers with me today!

You can learn more about Katelyne and her book on her website and well as the IndieBRAG site. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest. 

You can purchase a copy of Hosanna on Amazon. 

A Message from indieBRAG:


We are delighted that Colleen has chosen to interview Katelyne Parker, who is the author of Hosanna, our medallion honoree at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ® , a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as Hosanna merits the investment of a reader’s time and money.

Interview with B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Vincent LoCoco

Please join me in welcoming B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Vincent LoCoco to A Literary Vacation!! His first novel, Tempesta's Dream - A Story of Love, Friendship and Opera, became an Amazon bestselling novel and was awarded the 2014 Pinnacle Achievement Award in Historical Fiction. Amazon also has named his book as a Top Rated Novel in Italian Historical Fiction.


His most recent novel, A Song for Bellafortuna, was shortlisted in the William Faulkner - William Wisdom Competition and was named a Best Reads for 2015 and was awarded the prestigious B.R.A.G. Medallion Award in Historical Fiction. He is an estate planning attorney in New Orleans, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Hello, Vincent, and welcome to A Literary Vacation! To start off with, please tell us a little about your book, A Song for Bellafortuna?

Thanks for inviting me to discuss my novel, A Song for Bellafortuna. The story is set in the beautiful Sicilian hills. Bellafortuna is a small village and a great producer of wine and olive oil. The entire village prospers. However, after the arrival of the Vasaio family, production dwindles and the villagers soon find themselves in crushing debt to the Vasaios. Only the Sanguinetti family remains outside the control of the Vasaios, but the reason haunts Antonio Sanguinetti every day of his life, and he offers financial and emotional support to his fellow villagers. When Antonio's only son, Giuseppe, discovers his family's past, he becomes determined to take on the Vasaios and remove them from power. Led by the young Giuseppe, a plan is hatched that could result in either complete freedom for the villagers, or if it fails, forever solidify the Vasaios' control.

 

What drew you to tell this particular story?

I live in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina devastated my city, I knew I wanted to write a story of rebirth and redemption. Somehow, that story transformed into the story that I told. Like New Orleans, Bellafortuna enjoyed its own rebirth.

What sort of research went into writing A Song for Bellafortuna? Did you do any traveling as part of your research?

I did a lot of research on Sicilian life at the turn of the century. I read a lot of travel type books on Sicily to get a good feeling of the country and its people. I did not travel there specifically for the novel, but had traveled to Italy a few times in the past and recalled my memories form those trips.

Was there anything you discovered as part of your research that you found surprising or shocking? Was there anything you wanted to incorporate into the story but had to cut for whatever reason?

 

The poverty of the Sicilian people at the turn of the century really surprised me. Luckily, there was nothing that I wanted to incorporate in the story but left out. Everything I had to say is in the story.

I would imagine that there is a lot of reading involved in the process of researching and writing a novel. Did you come across any books you would recommend for those that have read A Song for Bellafortuna and that want to read more about the settings and situations discussed?

I really have only one recommendation as it is the best book on the Sicily. On Persephone's Island, A book by Mary Taylor Simet.

Historical fiction happens to be my all-time favorite genre and I find myself going back and forth between what periods of history are my favorite to read about. Do you have a favorite time period to write and/or read about, or do you enjoy jumping around as I do? 



I like to jump around as well. I joke with my friends all the time that I must hate cell phones, as being a historical fiction writer means I never have to write about cell phones, email or faxes. A much slower paced life.

What does a typical day (if there is one) look like for you? How do you balance writing and the rest of your life?

I am an attorney, so all of my writing takes place either late at night or first thing in the morning – usually at a coffee shop for an hour before work.

What drew you to independently publish A Song for Bellafortuna as opposed to seeking traditional publishing?

I loved the element of control afforded by self-publishing.

How did you discover indieBRAG and what does it mean to you to have A Song for Bellafortuna awarded the BRAG Medallion?

Some other novels in my genre were winners. It means so much to be awarded a B.R.A.G. Award as the process is very selective and it means that a few readers fell in love with the story and thought it worthy of being named an award winner.

Thank you so much, Vincent, for answering my questions!

You can learn more about Vincent and his books on his website and connect with him Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. You can  purchase a copy of A Song for Bellafortuna at  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Audible.

A Message from indieBRAG:


We are delighted that Colleen has chosen to interview Vincent LoCoco, who is the author of A Song for Bellafortuna, our medallion honoree at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ® , a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as A Song for Bellafortuna merits the investment of a reader’s time and money.





Interview with B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Dean Hamilton

Please join me in welcoming B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Dean Hamilton to A Literary Vacation!! Dean was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He spent the first half of his childhood chasing around the prairies and western Canada before relocating to Toronto, Ontario. He has three degrees (BA, MA & MBA), reads an unhealthy amount of history, works as a marketing professional by day and prowls the imaginary alleyways of the Elizabethan era in his off-hours.

Much of his winter is spent hanging around hockey arenas and shouting at referees. He is married, with a son, a dog, four cats and a turtle named Tortuga. THE JESUIT LETTER is his first novel of a planned series called THE TYBURN FOLIOS. A short prequel novella, BLACK DOG is also available on Amazon.

 

A sequel to THE JESUIT LETTER, called THIEVES CASTLE, is currently under development and expected to be completed sometime in 2017.

 

 

 

Hello, Dean, and welcome to A Literary Vacation! To start off with, please tell us a little about your book, The Jesuit Letter?

The Jesuit Letter is historical fiction, set in England in 1575. Most fiction embedded in the Elizabethan era tends to be tales of Court intrigue, set amidst the silken splendor of palaces. Mine tends to hang about in ale-soaked taverns, muddy streets and fetid back-alleys where cold-steel by lantern light offers redemption or grim death by turns…

The main character in The Jesuit Letter, is an ex-soldier turned play-actor named Christopher Tyburn . Tyburn abandoned the war against the Spanish in Flanders, but remains haunted by his brutal wartime experiences. Now returned to England, he is the newest member of The Earl of Worcester’s Men.

Since the inn yards of London are closed due to plague, the troupe are on the road, touring the market-towns of the Midlands. When Tyburn accidentally intercepts a coded letter from a hidden Jesuit priest in Warwickshire, he is entangled in a dangerous conspiracy, caught between a secret group of Catholic recusants and their hunters. He must track down the Jesuit to clear his name... or die a traitor's death. His only hope happens to be an eleven-year old glover's son named William Shakespeare.

What drew you to tell this story, about this particular time and place in history?

I’ve always had a deep fascination with all aspects of the Elizabethan era and the Renaissance, and in particular a long-standing interest in the life of William Shakespeare. The Elizabethan era is really one of the first recognizably modern periods in history, marking the shift in the Western world from a medieval worldview to a more modern state. It saw a flowering of literature, theatre, art, music, science, exploration, government and politics that permeated and utterly changed the culture that preceded it.

It also had its horror stories, and one in particular that stands out is the massive shift in English religious beliefs that permeated the century and the often horrific results that transformation created. The English Reformation saw the country transform from Catholic to Protestant to Catholic and back to Protestant, all in a time period of less than 30 years. For the average person, landing on the wrong side of the fence at the wrong time could mean anything from fines to imprisonment, savage torture and death.

I’ve tried to reflect some of that ambiguity in the world of The Jesuit Letter, with the dangerous political machinations of the various powers, the nobility and the monarchy, and the quiet, secret lives of recusants and priests that saw themselves as trying to bring about the religious salvation of a country while others saw them fomenting a violent and inescapable political turmoil and treason.

Toss in some dangerous conspiracies, a hidden Jesuit priest, coded letters, a little romance and an eleven-year old future Bard of Avon, and you have a fun mixture for story-telling.

It sounds like The Jesuit Letter is a wonderful mix of real people, places, and events from history mixed in with fictional elements. How did you decide where to stick to the facts as they are known, and where to alter what is known or add your own touches?

I tried to stick to factual events, locations and historical characters as accurately as possible. The reality is that historical fiction requires hard and meticulous research, a critical eye and the ability to parse from history the day-to-day that governs your characters and your settings. Changes that deviate too widely from the real-world elements of the era pulls the reader out of the period and the setting, detracting from the story-line and the overall credibility of the tale. Research, context and, more importantly, being able to reflect and mirror the feel for the era in the story, are critical elements in making historical fiction work.

I think writers of historical fiction need to be careful that research doesn't overwhelm storyline. It is very easy to suffer from excessive inclusion - the need to make certain that your depth of research is reflected on the page. It is very easy to get distracted by the need to explain and the temptation, when a terrific piece of research needs to be incorporated into a scene, is to make the scene about the research rather than the character or the story. When something takes you days or weeks to research and plan, the urge to have that fictional moment encompass more to justify all the hard work that went into it, can be an easy and common trap.

Historical fiction is best when the author is painting in the corners, dropping in the innocuous and oft un-noted details that help make the era and the landscape come alive in ways that the reader barely overtly notices, but builds and supports the overall world and setting. It is found in the canted timber walls and the worn pasteboards, the sour warm ale and the mud-caked cobbles, the taste of spiced wine and the rancid stench of a urine-soaked alley. The research leads the writer, helping enter into that world, where they need to critically pick the elements and moments to entrap in prose, and pull the reader into their time-warp and an engrossing story.

What sort of research went into writing The Jesuit Letter? Did you do any traveling as part of your research?

Probably more research than was needed! The germ of the idea behind The Jesuit Letter came out of reading a biography of William Shakespeare but once the idea had been fleshed out came the realization that I needed to know more. The next three years were spent on immersing myself in the history of the period. I have at least three shelves worth of history books and biographies, and another of binders filled with articles, art and miscellaneous information. Historical fiction research is a bit like an iceberg, only about 10% ever shows up in the work, but the hidden 90% lurks under the surface. By way of example, there is one scene of cardplay in the book. This required extensive research into the history of playing cards, researching the rules behind primero (a card game), as well as some hours dealing mock hands at my kitchen table to understand the play and rhythm of the game…all for a scene that encompasses maybe two and a half pages.

The research still hasn’t stopped. If anything, it has broadened to encompass some wider aspects of the Elizabethan and Renaissance era. I’ve looked at everything from clothing and diet, card-playing, Elizabethan theatre, sword-play and fighting skills to spycraft and politics. I regularly bore people about the subject, if they make the mistake of asking!

With regards to research travel - unfortunately not at this point. I’m hoping to get a research trip in sometime in the coming year for a new book.

Was there anything you discovered as part of your research that you found surprising or shocking?

I think prior to becoming immersed in the era, that I had failed to grasp the complexity and nuanced view of the religious and political situation that Queen Elizabeth and her contemporaries had faced. They very much walked a knife-edge in dealing with both the multitude of Catholic recusants on one side and the hard-line Puritans on the other. It is very hard for a modern reader to get a clear appreciation of the religious absolutism that drove the Catholic Church to deliberately set about to undermine and destroy what they saw as a heretical power governing England – one that threatened the souls of an entire country and the validity of the Papacy. It ended up being an immensely political issue – to whom do people owe their allegiance, Queen or Pope? A wrong choice could, and often did, end fatally.

Historical fiction happens to be my all-time favorite genre and I find myself going back and forth between what periods of history are my favorite to read about. Do you have a favorite time period to write and/or read about, or do you enjoy jumping around as I do?

 

 

I tend to jump about, both in my historical fiction and in my history reading. The Elizabethan and Renaissance eras are one obsession, but I read ancient history as well, Greek and Roman history, the history of exploration and trade - the Silk Road remains a topic of much fascination, and the medieval era, as well as more modern works covering international politics, the World Wars and the post-9/11 world.

In historical fiction I will confess to reading *anything* by Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden, both of whom are superlative writers. I have a great fondness for George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman series. I also highly recommend Arturo Perez-Reverte’s Captain Alatriste series, which is both poetic and brilliant.

What does a typical day (if there is one) look like for you? How do you balance writing and the rest of your life?

Writing and life are a tough balance. Squeezing in time to put words to paper is often frustratingly slow. I had the advantage of having a hugely supportive wife who helped me find the time I needed on weekends, holidays and evenings to drop in and out of the Elizabethan world and tell my story. The biggest single issue I ran into was, oddly enough, entirely seasonal. My son was enrolled in competitive hockey, so seven months out of the year, from September through to March, I was haunting hockey arenas four to five days a week. Between driving him to and from practices and games, writing time became a scarce commodity. I was able to scare up some time by dragging my laptop into the arena restaurant on occasion. Most of my “prequel” novella BLACK DOG was written sitting at hockey arenas. Once spring and summer arrive, it becomes writing season for me.

What drew you to independently publish The Jesuit Letter as opposed to seeking traditional publishing?

I spent about a year or so sending out agent query letters while researching self-publishing at the same time. More and more, it began to look like a viable possible alternative and the lack of response from agencies helped spur on the decision to look at new options. I finally just got tired of waiting for an agent to say yes and wanted to find out what readers thought of my work.

I wanted to present the most professional work possible, so I ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for hiring a professional editor and a cover designer. I successfully raised $3200 and after much work launched the book last year – on April 23rd, Shakespeare’s birthday.

During the last year, The Jesuit Letter landed an Editor’s Choice selection from the Historical Novel Society (HNS), and was one of nine books short-listed for the 2016 HNS Indie Award. It was also short-listed as one of ten semi-finalists for the 2016 M.M. Bennet’s Award for Historical Fiction. And now, a BRAG Medallion! Obviously, I must be doing something right.

Wow, congratulations on all the accolades! How wonderful! Speaking of indieBRAG, How did you discover indieBRAG and what does it mean to you to have The Jesuit Letter awarded the BRAG Medallion?

Indie Brag and the BRAG Medallion are hard to miss, once you start looking at independently published books. They just keep turning up – really good books, all with a BRAG Medallion on them! It was fairly clear very early that the BRAG Medallion was a terrific sign of quality writing and quality books that any author would be honoured to have bestowed on their work.

There are just so many self-published books available on the market today, sometimes of highly variable quality, it becomes maddeningly hard to separate your book from the rest and effectively market your work to have it stand-out. The BRAG Medallion offers readers an independent evaluation and a visible symbol of a quality work, vetted and evaluated for that quality. It is a tremendous help for both readers and authors. I feel privileged and honoured to have The Jesuit Letter to receive a BRAG Medallion. I literally jumped from my chair when I received the news.

Thank you for the chance to talk to your readers! I hope they enjoy the interview and take the opportunity to read The Jesuit Letter.

 



 

 

Thank you so much, Dean, for answering my questions! The Jesuit Letter sounds spectacular!

 

You can learn more about Dean Hamilton and his books on his website, and connect with him on Facebook and Twitter. You can purchase a copy of The Jesuit Letter on Amazon. You can also purchase a copy of the prequel novella, Black Dog, on Amazon.

 

 

A Message from indieBRAG:

We are delighted that Colleen has chosen to interview Dean Hamilton, who is the author of The Jesuit Letter, our medallion honoree at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ® , a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as Past Encounters merits the investment of a reader’s time and money.

 

 

 



Interview with B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Rosaline Riley

Please join me in welcoming B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Rosaline Riley to A Literary Vacation!  Rosaline was born and grew up in Lancashire in the north of England. She lives in London now, and has one husband, four grown up children and five grandchildren.

For many years she was a literature tutor in the Lifelong Learning Department at Warwick University where she specialised in teaching 20th century and contemporary novels, both on the university campus and in outreach locations around the area. For her this was a dream job. What could be better than studying novels with groups of interested readers?

When she moved to London in 2006 she began writing seriously, attending novel writing courses at Birkbeck College and the Faber Academy.

To date, she has written and published two novels – The End of the Road which has recently been awarded a BRAG Medallion and Clad in Armour of Radiant White which was awarded the Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence.

She is now working on her third novel – which is set in Australia, a country that she and her husband fell in love with eleven years ago and are always looking for excuses to revisit.

 

 

 

Hello, Rosaline, and welcome to A Literary Vacation! To start off with, please tell us a little about your book, The End of the Road?

Thank you Colleen. I’m delighted to be here.

The End of the Road is about two women - Jane, whose husband Neil has recently died, and her friend Fran who also happens to be the mother-in-law of her daughter Lucy. The novel opens when Fran, who has just arrived for a weekend visit with Jane, suddenly and inexplicably goes missing, throwing Jane’s life and those of their inter-related families into turmoil. 

In the days and months following this traumatic event, one guilty secret after another comes to light and Jane is forced to re-assess both her marriage and her relationship with Fran.

So it is a novel about betrayal and deception and the problem of forgiveness. ‘Forgive and forget’ – easy to say, impossible to do. It is also, though, about friendship – female friendship, a complex subject which seems to be something of a preoccupation of mine as it also figures large in my other novel Clad in Armour of Radiant White.

 

It sounds like The End of the Road is chock-full of familial loss and drama as well as a mystery component. Where did the idea for the story originate from?

The End of the Road is the second novel I wrote. When the first one wasn’t considered ‘commercial’ enough I set about looking for something that might be considered more so. Having someone go missing seemed like a good idea, so I started from there.

 

 



Did you have an outline of how things would proceed and conclude from the beginning, or did you develop the story as you wrote it?

For me there’s a whole creative process to be gone through before I even think about starting to write. Ideas appear, I start to play around with possible plot scenarios, characters begin to take shape in my mind. The more time I spend on this preliminary phase the more things change. And once I start the actual writing, this creative process continues and yes, I do change and develop the story (and the characters) as I go along.

With The End of the Road it became clear, quite early on, that the ‘missing person’ opening was merely a catalyst for what is essentially a novel about relationships. And once the themes of the novel became clear it became easier to plot my way towards what I hope is a psychologically satisfying ending.

 

 

 

Did you do any research, possibly into the grieving process or procedures when a person goes missing, before writing the story? If so, was there anything you learned as part of the research process that surprised or shocked you?

When I started down the missing persons track I did a bit of online research on police procedure and prosecution policy. Similarly, I did look into bereavement counselling. But it was reading up about the complex psychological implications of forgiveness that I found the most interesting and revealing as this became a theme which found its way into my novel in ways that I hadn’t anticipated at the outset.  


"The question of forgiveness, though, continued to exercise her. Who benefitted from it, she wondered, the forgiver or the forgivee? (If there was such a word?) If the forgivee was dead – which Neil was – it couldn’t possibly matter to him whether she forgave him or not. However, it might make a difference to her. If she could bring herself to forgive him – not necessarily right away, but in time – then she might rid herself of all this destructive rage. Forgive and forget, isn’t that what they say? (Them again.) But how hard it was to forgive. And how utterly impossible it would be to forget – regardless of the benefits of doing so." - (The End of the Road)

 

 

I know that many authors are often big readers as well. Do you have a favorite genre, or do you like to jump around a bit? Do you have any favorite authors?

 

 

When I was teaching, my focus was on literary fiction (does that counts as a genre?) - mainly 20th century and contemporary fiction, with an emphasis on women writers.

But since becoming an indie author myself I’ve been reading a lot of other indies across a variety of genres, e.g. historical, crime, thrillers. So far, though, I haven’t been tempted by fantasy and/or the paranormal, of which there seems to be such a lot around!

There are many authors whose books I have enjoyed reading. One of my all-time favourites has to be Virginia Woolf. I have read To the Lighthouse many times. I’m also an admirer of Katherine Mansfield, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Anne Tyler, to name a very few. Recently I discovered the novels of Elena Ferrante and read them all compulsively. A wonderful experience!

And male writers? I love Peter Carey’s novels, and I have enjoyed reading Jonathan Franzen. (Not sure why that sounds a bit like a confession!)

 

 


What does a typical day (if there is one) look like for you? How do you balance writing and the rest of your life?

 

I try very hard to have a consistent, daily writing routine, but needless to say I rarely manage this for any length of time.

After breakfast I do yoga (gentle yoga, you understand!) then I aim to write for the rest of the morning. The idea is to make these morning writing sessions compulsory. Life, however, will keep getting in the way of them. Sometimes this is unavoidable, but I have to admit that often I’m guilty of using ‘life’ as an excuse for my own lack of self-discipline.

Once I’m into a novel it becomes easier to sit down and get on with it. But I don’t plough on until I get to the end. I edit and edit as I go along. (If editing were an Olympic sport I’d be a medal contender.) And then when I do get to the end I start editing all over again. This is the part of novel writing I like the best and when I’m at this stage I can sit down for hours at a time every day. 

I’m now embarking on my third novel, having just spent six weeks in Australia (where it is set) researching it, and I’m so full of enthusiasm and determination at the moment that my morning sessions are going well.

 

 

What drew you to independently publish The End of the Road as opposed to seeking traditional publishing?

 

 

I wrote most of The End of the Road while on the Faber Academy’s six-month Novel Writing course. At the end of the course, I did have a couple of agents interested in it but (at the end of the day) they didn’t take it further. Times are hard in the publishing industry; people are reluctant to take on first-time novelists.

I then sent it out to a bunch of other agents but it soon became clear that I was wasting my time. So I was faced with the choice of either giving up on it, or publishing it myself. I felt that it was good enough, so I chose to do the latter. And I have to say that I’ve been very pleased with my decision.

 

 

 

How did you discover indieBRAG and what does it mean to you to have The End of the Road awarded the BRAG Medallion?

 

I am a member of a wonderful organization called ALLi – the Alliance of Independent Authors – and it was through this that I heard about indieBRAG. It comes very highly recommended and many of its members are themselves BRAG Medallion Honorees.

I submitted The End of the Road because, like I said, I thought it was good enough to be published, but it is one thing to think that oneself, another to have quality external validation. When I heard it had been awarded the medallion I was absolutely thrilled!

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Rosaline, for taking the time to answer my questions!!

 

You can learn more about Rosaline and her books on her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. You can purchase The End of the Road on Amazon and Amazon UK.

 

 

 

A Message from indieBRAG:

We are delighted that Colleen has chosen to interview Rosaline Riley, who is the author of The End of the Road, our medallion honoree at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ® , a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as Past Encounters merits the investment of a reader’s time and money.

 

 

 

 



 



Interview with B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Helen Hollick

Please join me in welcoming B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Helen Hollick to A Literary Vacation today! Helen lives with her family in North Devon, England, in an eighteenth century farmhouse, surrounded by thirteen acres of fields and woodland. A variety of pets include horses, two Exmoor ponies, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, and geese.

A passionate supporter of indie, Helen is Managing Editor for the Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews, and with her editor, Jo Field, Helen co-wrote Discovering the Diamond, a short advice guide for new and novice writers who are interested in self-publishing.

Her main passion is her pirate character, Captain Jesamiah Acorne of The Sea Witch Voyages which carry the quality endorsement of Indie B.R.A.G. medallions. Helen is also published traditionally in the US, and became a USA Today Bestseller with The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) – the story of Saxon Queen, Emma of Normandy. Her novel Harold the King (titled I Am The Chosen King in the US) is an acclaimed re-telling of events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings.

Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy, set in the fifth century, is widely acclaimed as a different telling of the Arthurian Myth.

Helen is published in various languages including Turkish, Italian and German.

 

 

Hello, Helen, and welcome to A Literary Vacation! To start off with, please tell us a little about the books in your Sea Witch Voyages series?



The Voyages, as the series is called, are set in the early eighteenth century – the Golden Age of Piracy. We first meet my pirate, Jesamiah Acorne, in the first book, Sea Witch. Attacking an East Indiaman merchant ship off the coast of Africa he notices a young girl on the deck – their paths are to cross several times, but he is completely unaware that she - Tiola Oldstagh – is no ordinary girl. Only when she saves his life does he discover two things: that he is deeply in love with her, and that she is also a White Witch.

 Written for adults (the books have some adult content) each Voyage is a stand-alone story, but there is also a continuous thread of finding out about Jesamiah and Tiola’s background running through the entire series – their characters developing as we voyage with them. In Pirate Code, Voyage Two, Jesamiah has given up piracy, but is tricked into finding some missing cargo. He then gets embroiled in a rebellion on the island of Hispaniola – while trying to avoid an unpleasant death from the less than friendly Spanish Governor, and resisting temptation from a beautiful widow.


Voyage three, Bring It Close, sees him going against that famous pirate, Blackbeard and dealing with the ghost of his father. In Voyage Four, Ripples In The Sand, he sails to England, where yet again he finds himself in unexpected trouble.

There is an element of supernatural in each book – the ghost of his father, Tiola’s ‘Craft’, and the spirit of the sea, Tethys, who wants Jesamiah for herself.

Before I get any further, I just have to say that I am thoroughly impressed that each book in this series has been awarded a B.R.A. G. Medallion! This speaks to your incredible capabilities as a storyteller. Can you tell us a little bit about how you’ve honed your skills as a writer?

 

I’ve been a published author for over twenty years, initially published by William Heinemann of Random House, UK, so I guess practice has played a large part! I also highly value my editors’ input to my books. They are the professionals and their advice is always worth taking on board.


I am not an academic, I left school at sixteen with only a few low-grade certificates to my name, but I have always loved reading and writing. As a teenager I desperately wanted a pony, but we could not afford to keep one, so I made one up. I wrote dozens of stories about our adventures together – many of them, I must confess, during the more boring lessons at school. I even wrote one story during an important exam! Well, I’d finished the questions and had time to spare, so I started a story. I filled up both sides of an A4 sheet of paper, and asked for more paper. Filled that up. Asked for more. It was a good story (well, I thought so at the time, it probably wasn’t though.) What I didn’t realise, all the other girls in the examination room thought I was still answering the questions and were worried that they had only one sheet of paper to hand in, while I had a whole pile. When they discovered the truth I wasn’t very popular for a while!


My first real foray into writing came from my English teacher. I’d written an essay and it came back with those dreaded words: “See me after class”. What had I done wrong?


“Now then Helen!” she said, “This is good, but it could be a lot better.” She then spent about an hour (it was the last lesson of the day) showing me how I could improve my writing by not repeating words and not using so many adjectives. Show not tell; build the story up; have a clear start, middle and end. I’ve never forgotten her encouragement. It’s a shame she isn’t still alive to see my achievement, but this was almost forty-five years ago and she was nearing retirement even then.


I wonder what she would have made of my pirate?

I love that your series seems a wonderful mix of history and fantasy. Which aspect do you enjoy writing more? Did you do any research before writing the books? If you did conduct research, did you find out anything during the process that surprised you?

It can be a challenge to get the blend just right. Although Tiola is a White Witch she has her limitations – I didn’t want her able to click her fingers and ‘hey-presto’ get Jesamiah out of trouble. She doesn’t do ‘magic’ so I think of her Craft as more like the Force in Star Wars, not the spells of Harry Potter.


I do a lot of research for the ‘everyday’ things of the period, clothing, food, transport etc. I have been to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, three times now as I have several scenes set there in Bring It Close (and possibly the sixth Voyage, Gallows Wake – I’m not sure yet though, as the book is not written!) I also meticulously research my nautical detail: get those facts right then the made-up bits seem plausible. The trick is to blend the fact, the fiction, and the fantasy seamlessly together so the reader is not certain which is which!


One thing really surprised me and came so unexpected that I felt the hairs on the nape of my neck rise up, one of those ‘oo-er’ moments! While preparing to write the fourth Voyage, Ripples In the Sand, I had decided to bring Jesamiah and his ship, Sea Witch, to Devon, England, to make a change of scenery for me and my readers. I lived on the outskirts of London at the time and chose Devon because that was where my Editor used to live. I used to visit her quite often, but only when researching did I discover that Bideford on the North Coast of Devon, the town I was to bring Jesamiah to, had in the 16-1700s been one of the main English ports used for the tobacco trade. I’d chosen it at random – you could have knocked me down with a feather.


And another unexpected surprise – completely out of the blue, in 2013 my family had the chance to move away from London. We moved to Devon, about eighteen miles from where Ripples is set!

I’m sure it’s impossible to say, but do you have a favorite book from this series? How about a favorite character?

Sea Witch itself, of course, because it was the first, but possible my favourite is Bring It Close. I loved being able to trundle history around and fit my pirate into the known facts about Blackbeard! My favourite character has to be Jesamiah himself. I adore him.

Historical fiction happens to be my all-time favorite genre and I find myself going back and forth between what periods of history are my favorite to read about. Do you have a favorite time period to write and/or read about, or do you enjoy jumping around as I do?

I have a few periods I don’t enjoy: I can’t stand the Tudors, and I have very little interest in the 1400s or the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Otherwise, anything goes as long as it is well written and exciting.

What does a typical day (if there is one) look like for you? How do you balance writing and the rest of your life?

I’d like to say I’m organized, but I’m not! I answer my emails and deal with social media stuff of a morning, then write in the afternoons. The trouble is, I now live on a thirteen-acre farm and there’s always something that needs doing outside: we have horses, dogs, chickens, geese, ducks…. The fields to harrow and roll, horses to ride, eggs to collect… So I tend to get more writing done when its raining or at night!

What drew you to independently publish The Voyages series as opposed to seeking traditional publishing?

As I said above, I used to be published by Random House UK, but unfortunately my ex-agent let me down badly and I was dropped about ten years ago. I had written Sea Witch with such enthusiasm (it took me just three months to write) and I was devastated when ex-agent said she hated it. (It transpired that she also disliked the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.) She wanted me to write the story for teenage boys – but I had deliberately set out to write Sea Witch for adults. You see I loved The Curse of the Black Pearl with Johnny Depp’s wonderful portrayal of Jack Sparrow. The plot was daft, I know, but it was fun! Nautical adventure about pirates with an addition of romance and fantasy; pure escapism.


I searched for adult novels of the same sort of thing, found plenty of children’s books (a bit lacking in adult matters) and plenty of good nautical fiction (C.S.Forrester and Patrick O’Brian for instance) but they were all straight fiction, no fantasy. In the end, I gave up looking and wrote the book I wanted to read.


Sadly ex-agent did not share my enthusiasm, but I stuck to my guns and we parted company. I did offer Sea Witch to a few publishers, but they all came back with the same response: ”Love it, but no one is interested in pirates.” (I seem to recall them saying the same about wizards …)


I had faith in Jesamiah and Sea Witch, so decided to go Indie.


Best thing I ever did.

 How did you discover indieBRAG and what does it mean to you to have your books awarded the BRAG Medallion? 

IndieBRAG discovered me, well CEO Geri Clouston did! I think we ‘met’ because of her husband’s excellent books (read them, they’re very good.) and Geri floated the idea of what did I think about her forming a good review-type platform for Indie books. I told her it was a good idea – but I honestly didn’t think she was serious! So many review sites start up then fall by the wayside. I soon came to realise that Geri was perfectly serious, and I am delighted that IndieBRAG is becoming the huge success that it is.


What I want to see now, is IndieBRAG getting the recognition it deserves here in the UK as well as in the US. It is much needed over here …. Come on Geri, your next goal!

 

 

 

Thank you, Helen, for taking the time to answer my questions!

 

You can learn more about Helen and her books on her website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also email her and find updated news on her online newsletter. You can find all links to purchase the books in her Voyages series HERE.

 

 

 

A Message from indieBRAG:

We are delighted that Colleen has chosen to interview Helen Hollick, who is the author of The Voyages series, our medallion honorees at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ® , a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as Past Encounters merits the investment of a reader’s time and money.