How The Next Big Thing Blog hop works: An author answers ten questions and then tags five authors (if you are able to find them at Christmas time!) to do the same thing the following week on the same day, which in this case is a Wednesday.
Here are the answers to the ten questions.
What is the working
title of your next book?
The Golden Dice is
the second book in a trilogy set in Ancient Rome and Etruria. It will be
released in 2013. The novel follows on from The Wedding Shroud. Once again, the fates of familiar characters will be
revealed as Etruscan and Roman worlds collide in a bitter siege. In addition to
Caecilia, the young protagonist of the first book, I introduce the reader to Semni
- a young Etruscan girl who finds herself embroiled in the dramas of the House
of Mastarna, and Pinna - a Roman grave-whore uses blackmail to escape her grim
life and ultimately gain the attention of a Consular General.
Where did the idea
come from for the book?
I have always been interested the Classical period of C5th –
C4th BCE. Knowing that women
weren’t commemorated after death during this era, I was amazed when I saw a
photograph of a casket depicting a husband and wife lying in a tender embrace
upon their dining couch. I discovered that the couple were Etruscans, whose
people existed in Italy from before archaic times in the areas now known as
Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Etruria was a sophisticated society rivalling
Athens. There was one major difference, though; the Etruscans granted
independence, education and sexual freedom to their women. As a result they
were considered wicked, decadent and corrupt by the rest of the ancient world.
When I decided to write about the Etruscans I thought it
would have more impact if I could compare their sophisticated civilisation to
Rome’s (which was still a tribal society scrapping with its Latin neighbours).
That is when I learned of the little known story of the war between Rome and
the Etruscan city of Veii. These cities were located only twelve miles across
the Tiber River and were sworn enemies. It intrigued me that just by crossing a
strip of water you could move from the equivalent of the Dark Ages into
something similar to the Renaissance. The
Wedding Shroud is set in the lead up to the war. The Golden Dice takes up the story seven years later at the height
of the siege.
What genre does your
book fall under?
Historical fiction.
What actors would you
choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Strangely enough I have an image in my mind’s eye of my
characters and it would be difficult for me to cast actors to play them. I
think I’d end up fighting with the director as to whom to choose! However, I see an opportunity for three
young actresses to secure debut performances playing Caecilia, Semni and Pinna.
One thing I know is that Mastarna has to have Russell Crowe’s voice!
What is the
one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Against the backdrop of a conflict between two implacable
enemies of the ancient world, three women who are loyal to very different cultures
must find courage to survive a ten year siege.
Will your book be
self-published or represented by an agency?
I am represented in Australia by The Naher Agency but will be independently publishing the e-book of The
Golden Dice in all territories in 2013. I’ve been encouraged because the
e-book of The Wedding Shroud rose to the top 10 on the Amazon historical fiction popularity list. So going ‘indie’
has worked there.
How long did it take
you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
It took me 12 months to write the first draft of The Golden Dice, then I revised it for
another 6 months. It was a completely different experience to writing The Wedding Shroud which took ten years!
What other books
would you compare this story to within your genre?
I like to think my writing is similar to that of Tracy
Chevalier or Sarah Dunant even though my novels are set in ancient Rome. I like
the way those authors explore a character’s psyche while instilling a sense
of historical place. If you like Kate Quinn or Michelle Moran’s books, then you
might also like The Wedding Shroud or
The Golden Dice.
Who or what inspired
you to write this book?
As I mentioned above, Etruscan art inspired the trilogy. In
fact whenever I’m stuck for ideas, I always turn to the beautiful images of the
life loving Etruscans. The author who most inspired me to write historical
fiction was Mary Renault. If only I could write prose like hers!
What else about the
book might pique the reader's interest?
The Wedding Shroud explores
sexuality in the ancient world together with the politics of Rome and Etruria.
I continue to delve into these subjects in The
Golden Dice. Also, the Etruscans practised a sophisticated religion that raised
the art of prophecy to a science. The reader might be interested to learn how these
societies relied on a pantheon of gods to determine their destinies.
Authors who I have tagged are:
Colin Falconer is
the author of so many books that I refer you to his Goodreads page
for his entire bibliography. His most recent book is Stigmata
which introduces the reader to the Cathars of C13th France. Born in north
London, Colin worked for many years in TV and radio and freelanced for many of
Australia’s leading newspapers and magazines. He has been a novelist for the
last twenty years, with his work published widely in the UK, US and Europe and
translated into nearly twenty languages. Colin
blogs at Looking for Mr Good
Story.
Diane Ascroft, author of Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves: A Short Story Collection and Hitler and Mars Bars, loves to lose herself in the past, particularly in stories set in
Ireland and Scotland. Dancing
Shadows, Tramping Hooves includes tales of outsiders who discover they
belong, a humorous slice of life yarn, heartwarming love stories and a tale of
taming fear. The shadows are on the wall, in the heart and clouding a woman’s
memories while tangible foes tramp through the physical landscape.
Dianne’s Facebook
Diane’s Website
Author and playwright, Wendy J. Dunn is obsessed with Tudor History. Her first published novel, the award-winning "Dear Heart, How Like You This?" is described as "one of the best novels ever written about Anne Boleyn's life."
After completing her Masters in Writing at Swinburne University in 2009, Wendy took up a position as a sessional tutor in Writing. She became a PhD Candidate in August, 2010. Of course, the artefact for her PhD is another Tudor novel, this time a YA novel that revisits Anne Boleyn in the last months of her life.
Wendy's wordpress site:
Reviews of her first novel:
What we do for the sake of fiction:
Speaking the Silences: Writing, advocacy and enabling voice:
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