Thank you to wonderful Che Golden, uthor of The Feral Child and liver of life that includes horses and of which I am most jealous for tagging me. I feel incredibly un writery at the moment. I am almost coming to the end of the BBC Writers Academy which has been a roller coaster of wonder and I am already sad that it will be coming to an end in a few weeks. But because of this I have READ NO BOOKS SINCE SEPTEMBER. This must be a record for me, and doubly sad because I squeezed in a coffee with Jo at Victoria Park Books who gave me some truly wonderful looking Hot Key proofs….
Anyway. I thought this would be a good idea to do this, because I never know what to blog about. So I thought it would be helpful.
In the happy future that is next year I might have two books out. Now, I am well aware that I could end up with no books out at all so I am loathe to talk about Caraboo, even though she does seem a step closer to publication. But there having said it might just have jinxed her so I’ll talk about SAWBONES instead.
It’s another historical thriller, not for the squeamish as there’s anatomy, grave robbing, and operations without anasthectics, but then it is set in 1792. If NEST OF VIPERS was Hustle with teenagers in the eighteenth century, think of SAWBONES as SILENT WITNESS, only our Hero, Ezra is 16 and the best anatomists apprentice in London. But his life and those he loves are in danger, there’s murder and politics and a magician’s assitant called Loveday. I’ve posted the drawings my daughter did and I’ll post them again. I loved writing it. It was very good fun.
What genre does your book fall under?
I hope it’s thrilling. If it isn’t don’t read it! I love love love Ez and Loveday, they are chalk and cheese, Ezra the careful clinician and Loveday the hot head, not averse to doing totally the wrong thing if it means she can find out who killed her father.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
For Ezra I’d like someone nerdy but charming and clever. There’s no one I can think who’s the right age, but maybe Daniel Kaluuya from The Fades, and maybe if she was real and a little bit older Merida from Brave. Mehmet – we’ll he’d have to be a young actor who could do princely yet street urchin and be believable doing both.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Silent Witness in the Eighteenth Century with teenagers.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
SAWBONES will be published by Walker books in October 2013
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
This was the quickest book ever! I loved it so much I go to the end of the first draft in 8 weeks! I couldn’t stop…
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Oooh, there are lots of really good historical mystery/ capers. I would hope to be at least a little bit like lovely Caroline Lawrence’s Western mysteries, only I think this is a tiny bit older…
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The Hunterian Museum in Lincoln’s Inn feilds. I went to the Museum and then wrote the book almost immediately. It’s the museum of the royal college of suregeons and houses the collection put together by John Hunter, the model for Ezra McAdam’s master. John Hunter had a private anatomy school in his house in Soho, and collected loads of bits and bobs, from skeletons to tumours he’s removed to a Bishop’s anus. Yes I know that is a rude word. And it doesn’t look like anything so much as a flower. Honest.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The wonderful cover. I wish wish wish I could show it to you but I have been banned by Walker from putting it on the web. I swear it is the best cover I have ever had and I have been writing books for far too long. I would definitely read it!
Ho hum back to work…..
I am not tagging anyone execpt Wendy Meddour http://wendymeddour.wordpress.com/ as like one of those terrible pyramid shemes we ran out of writers so,
if you read this try Wendy next
and thanks and good luck to Che! http://chegolden.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/the-next-big-thing/
x