|
|
|  Helen Hollick
Interview by Tonya Tzianakakis Tonya speaks to respected historical fiction author, Helen Hollick and finds out what it's like after 16 years of being in print.
 Helen, as an avid historical fiction/non fiction reader myself, what inspired you to choose this genre? Was there a strong family influence towards history growing up? No influence at all – and I hated history at school, so-o-o boring! The teacher read from a book in a monotonous drone. Most of us did our geography homework during her lessons! While working as a library assistant. I re-discovered the wonderful Rosemary Sutcliff – her Roman novels are superb. I‘ve read Mark of the Horse Lord so many times – but still cry at the end. Then I came across Mary Stewart’s Hollow Hills/Crystal Cave and realised that Arthur was not the armour-clad knight of Medieval tales but very probably belonged to the post-Roman era circa 400-500 A.D I started researching the “real” Arthur – and was hooked. Have you considered writing about foreign historical dramas, such as Greek, Irish, or Asian? I was tempted to write a novel about the events in Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted – one day perhaps…
 For those still struggling on the market, what advice can you give to help both inspire new authors and direct them? Sadly, getting a book published – even having your manuscript read by an agent or publisher – is often an uphill struggle, but with self publishing now gaining respect via “Independent Publishing” every aspiring author can attain their dream of seeing their work in print. However: if you decide on this route make sure you go to a reputable company. Contact a few of the authors they have published – look at the quality of the book and the print. E-mail the author, look on Amazon, are there any reviews? There are some very good SP books on the market – but there are even more that are not very good. Why? Because the majority of self published authors do not have their work professionally edited – and I don’t mean just for the punctuation, spelling & grammar. You need a fresh pair of eyes to check for continuity; does the story flow, make sense, read well etc. Don’t rely on family & friends for this… all too often you will not get an honest opinion. Yes, a freelance editor costs money – but the better the quality of the book the more likely people are to read it. If you do not want to go down the self publish route and have the stamina and determination to find an agent/publisher, it may be wise to seek an independent critique of your work – especially if you have been getting more than a few rejections. You may think your novel is wonderful, and your mother/husband/favourite aunt may agree with you, but they are biased. Maybe you are making a few typical novice errors which is why you have enough rejection slips to paper the bathroom. A professional critique could help iron out the wrinkles. As a start you might find this link useful http://www.helenhollick.net/culpa41.html my own hints and tips for aspiring writers.
 What are good writing tips for those embarking into the historical genre? Is there a direct path to research or does it play on a minor role in characterizing the book/plot? The majority of readers of historical fiction expect a good proportion of historical accuracy, so in-depth research is important. For instance, you will lose a reader’s respect if you have errors such as a Roman eating potato stew, or Henry VIII smoking a cigarette. If you want to write history choose your subject and research it to the best of your ability – and this is just as important for writing teenage/YA fiction. What historical novel do you admire the most? And of course, which of your own novels is your favourite? Can I choose two of each? Sharon Kay Penman’s Here be Dragons and Rosemary Sutcliff’s Frontier Wolf And for my own Sea Witch and The Kingmaking
 Finally, how exciting was it when your first novel was finally published? Was there a mayhem of media or was it a quiet walk to fame? It was 16 years ago – but I still remember the excitement! A London newspaper wanted to do an exclusive interview when I was accepted for publication for the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy so they took me, my husband and daughter out for the day – wined and dined us in style. When we got back there were hordes of reporters on the doorstep! When the Kingmaking was first published a TV crew for a London news programme spent the afternoon with us – what fun! Sadly, William Heinemann never built on the publicity after that, so it was only a fleeting five minutes of fame. I have since learned my lesson the hard way – if you want your book to be noticed you have to do a lot of the marketing yourself. This is, of course, now possible because of the Internet. Publishers have other books that they have to promote, yours will get its initial slot but then it is up to you to keep the momentum going (especially applicable if you go self publish). It’s all very well having your book on Amazon or designing a fine website, but if no one knows your book is on Amazon, or that you have a website, nothing much will happen.
 More from Helen Hollick
| |
|
|