Here's another in our series of author interviews, this time Vicky Adin has a chance to show us her writing world.
What inspires you to get out of
bed each day?
Wondering what the day will bring
and having the chance to do something different every day. I never know what
words are going to come into my head at any one time and it’s exciting to see
what happens next.
What is your favourite book from
childhood? Tell me about it.
Black
Beauty by Anna Sewell. I was crazy about horses as a child and read endless
adventures stories about horses, girls on horses, and picture books of horses.
Reading a story from the perspective of the horse was out of this world and
made a huge impact on me. Wind in the
Willows, and all the quirky characters, has to be my second favourite.
What are you currently reading?
Tell me about it.
Written
in my Heart’s Own Blood by Diana Gabaldon. At over 820 pages, it is the 8th
book in the Outlander series. You either love the series or hate it. Claire is
a 20th century figure who time travels through an ancient stone
circle to land up in 18th century Scotland where she meets the
incredible Jamie Fraser. Part fiery romance, part historical portrait and part
science-fiction the author weaves the impossible into the plausible with a lot
of historical fact. The plot expands to fit - moving from Scotland to America, and
back and forth through the stones to the present – throughout is all is the
steamy love affair between Claire and Jamie. There is family in both times and
in both countries. Gabaldon’s detailed historical research leads to richly
worded scenes and wonderful characters. This one is weighty and wordy and could
do with an edit.
Do you remember the first story
you ever wrote? Why does it stick in your memory?
I can’t remember the title, but it
was an essay for a school assignment on my favourite things, when I was about
ten. I wrote about horses and my riding lessons. My teacher rated it highly and
had me read it out to the class, but as I was reading all sorts of new ideas
came to mind. I started to add bits in as I was reading and I changed the
ending. I was told off because I hadn’t read what was written. All I was doing
was editing - even back then.
The first book I wrote was ‘Daniel’ – a biographical narrative
about a New Zealand soldier, pioneer, patriarch and pacifist between 1842 and
1926.
What’s the best thing about being
a writer?
Freedom - and knowing that words
have the power to move and influence people. A few words in the right order, in
the right place, can produce huge emotional and psychological responses in a
reader. I love playing with words, hoping to trigger such a response.
What is your writing process?
I write every week day – spending
hours at my desk, doing research and writing. The weekends are reserved for
family. I try to write as many words as possible for my current
work-in-progress or sometimes a scene from my notebook, or on a random topic to
change my thinking. I have a blog page, a website, and I post about books and
writing on Facebook.
When you're not writing, how do
you spend your time?
Reading. I love reading. Reading
helps me understand how other authors put words together. I would put reading
ahead of anything – except family. I always have time for family, my adult
children and my grandchildren. Travel ranks highly. Fortunately, my significant
other and I both enjoy cruising and going anywhere and everywhere in our
caravan, and we have huge plans to do more. When there’s nothing else to do, my
garden fills up my spare time.
What are you currently working on?
I’m writing an historical novel
about Irish immigration to Australia and New Zealand as part of The PastFinders stories. This one is
part romance and part family history with the themes of love and betrayal
wrapped around historical events.
Taken
from the perspective of a young girl who left her home and family at the age of
17, the story tackles the choices needed to make a new life: the hazards of the
journey, the difficulties of adapting to a new country, finding work and the
heartaches in finding love – with a twist.
Books:
Biographical:
Daniel
- A tale of courage and determination, of love and loss.
The
PastFinders:
The
Cornish Knot – Art, mystery and wealth; two centuries, two lives
The
Art of Secrets - Lives bounds by
tragedy and lies
Children:
Kazam!
An adventure story
Website:
Email:
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