Author Interview: Anne Merino / Hawkesmoor
JMR-Welcome to the Books
Delight, Anne. Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun and what
does the perfect day look like?
AM- Thank you so much, Jeanie,
for inviting me to your excellent site to talk about books and writing! Talk
about a perfect day!
I live in Northern California
these days after many, many years in Los Angeles/NYC and the entertainment
industry as a choreographer/ballet dancer, writer and occasional actress. I
really love the American West – the grandeur of its vast natural spaces and
spirit of optimism in which anything seems possible if one simply applies
themselves. I spend a lot of time at the remorseless computer screen so getting
out and about in the fresh air – preferably on the back of a good horse – is my
idea of breezy fun and a perfect day. However, if bested by stormy weather, I
do like to slip away to a wonderful Indian restaurant and read a good detective
novel over a curry.
JMR-What’s your favorite
historical time period? Why?
AM- As with many of us who love
books and write books, I am mesmerized by history. I find, in my writing, that
I return time and again to the Georgian period – the 18th century.
It was a tumultuous time but one riven with the highest level of intellectual
and artistic achievement. In my novel, Hawkesmoor, the hero is a
reluctant vampire whose human years were spent in the mid-18th
century. He was the son of an earl, allowing him fully appreciate and
participate in this vibrant era of art, theatre and intellectual pursuit. It
was a joy to write of these things – the extraordinary beauty of the clothes,
furnishings and architecture.
JMR-Who is your favorite
historical figure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what would it be?
AM- So difficult to narrow it
down to just one! I have a particular love for Benjamin Disraeli – he was such
an acutely intelligent man with sparkling wit. The master of the bon mot!
But I am going to go with Teddy
Roosevelt – my definition of the Great American. No hothouse European, he was
as comfortable rounding up cattle on the trail as he was attending opening
night at the opera. He could sit on a log and chat happily to the blacksmith or
discussing the finer points of the Japanese Bushido Code with a scholar. What a
great American! I would ask Teddy about one of his expeditions in which he
apparently had a run-in with Bigfoot. I would ask our 26th president
for all the details!
JMR- The majority of authors I
interview write some form of historical fiction. Your book, which we’ll get to
in a moment, is a paranormal mystery, but has strong elements of historical
fiction embedded in it. How integral is history to your story? How do you
classify your book by genre?
AM- I actually kind of struggle
to define its perfect genre category. Hawkesmoor crosses several
traditional genres in my opinion – murder mystery, fantasy, romance, historical
fiction. In the end, I think paranormal mystery, perhaps, suits it best.
History is absolutely
essential to Hawkesmoor. The past and its ramifications swirl around
the protagonist, Robin Dashwood with every step he takes in the plot. It seeps
into every aspect of the story from Mediaeval Hawkesmoor Castle through the
myriad of characters both human and vampire to the brutal murder itself.
Indeed, the reader travels back to Georgian England with Robin Dashwood on
numerous occasions as he attempts to solve a long-forgotten murder.
JMR- How important is it to
you as a reader that an author gets their history spot on? What do you do as a
writer to give your book the perfect historical feel?
AM- My father was a noted
classical philosopher and military historian. My mother was a teacher with a
specific interest in period textiles and art. History was something that was
discussed at great length over every family dinner. One was expected to know
their bit and be able to contribute something interesting to the conversation –
a wonderful education for a writer! That said, getting the details for a
particular era right in a novel is important and an obligation, I feel, a
writer to the reader. Of course, that doesn’t mean a writer can’t – in the name
of a good tale – bend a few things here and there to suit the plot. In Hawkesmoor,
I stretch the truth just a little concerning the great composer Handel’s
personal opinion on casting castrati singers. But in the main, it is crucial to
get things right. Readers are smart! They know the real deal when they read it.
JMR- When did you know you
wanted to be a writer?
AM- Funny – I just wrote about
this for a lovely little book called I, the Writer (Sweetycat Press) – a
collection of essays from professional writers concerning just this moment in
one’s life. It’s a fascinating volume to sift through, reading about that
personal turning point – some harrowing, some hilarious – from over a hundred
gifted authors.
My parents, my aunts, my uncles,
my grandparents were all published writers. Being traditionally published was
seen as a rite of passage in my family. I think I always thought of myself as a
writer from the time I grasped the extra-large, easy to hold pencil to write a
sentence about the cat and the mat.
JMR- Anne, tell us about your
new book, Hawkesmoor: A Novel of Vampire and Faerie.
AM- This is that moment when a
writer takes in a breath of air and wonders two things – 1. How to talk about a
beloved writing project without sounding pompous and insufferable 2. How to relate
a little of the flavour and story without giving too much away. Here goes:
I began the novel with the idea
that I’d might like to write about a historic location with a notable murder from
a long-gone century. After dreaming up with the basic concept of Hawkesmoor
Castle, a lovely but haunted Mediaeval keep in Yorkshire, I wondered who might
live at the castle in modern times and, perhaps, be in the process of doing a major,
important restoration. I decided that the De Barry family had inherited the
castle sometime in the early 19th century and in the current family
incarnation, Lady Caroline De Barry would be fighting to ensure that the
historic landmark had its needed repairs.
It occurred to me that having a
character who had known the castle in its distant past would be a really fascinating
way to explore Hawkesmoor Castle and its history. I created Robin Dashwood, formerly Lord
Merritt of Hawkesmoor Castle who lost his human life in 1750, becoming a
vampire against his will.
There is a chance encounter at a Manhattan
fundraiser that brings Lady Caroline and Robin Dashwood together. He learns
someone he loved in his human life was viciously murdered at Hawkesmoor Castle
and decides to finally return home to confront his past. What he uncovers there
will shake the foundations of vampire lore and its brutal hierarchy, putting
Lady Caroline in terrible danger and setting into motion events that will lead
to a final bloody confrontation between a revenant army and human kind.
I think Hawkesmoor is good
fun! I can promise lots of colourful trips into the past, a very different sort
of vampire universe, Celtic mysticism and eerie things that go bump in the
night. Always love a novel that inspires me to brew up a cup of hot tea and
settle in for a good read. Very much hoping readers will find Hawkesmoor
that kind of novel!
JMR-What projects do you have
in the pipeline? I believe Hawkesmoor is a series.
AM- There’s quite a lot in the
pipeline thanks to the lovely people at Rivercliff! I am almost finished
writing the second novel in the Hawkesmoor Trilogy that will continue the
adventures of Robin Dashwood, British vampire. Rivercliff has also acquired Spider
Hall – a haunted house story set on the southern coast of England and A
Season for Wolves – a suspense story set around events of the French
Revolution. I have done a screenplay adaption of A Season for Wolves
which is currently an official selection of the 2021 Los Angeles Motion Picture
Film Festival and just won the Critic’s Choice Award at the Madras Independent
Film Festival. Fingers all crossed that 2021 will be a lively and vibrant
creative year!
JMR- Tell our readers how to
find you on social media and the web.
AM- How very kind of you. It’s
been a genuine pleasure dropping in to the Books Delights!
On Facebook, I have a page for Hawkesmoor
called The Hawkesmoor Club and would very much welcome interested visitors!
I can be found in the dark and
lonely byways of Twitter at @AnneMerino4.
My publisher, Rivercliff Books,
has a terrific page about Hawkesmoor with all sorts of interesting bits about
it. This can be found at https://rivercliffbooks.com/hawkesmoor/
JMR- What question were you
hoping I’d ask but didn’t?
AM- I keep hoping someone will
ask me how I manage to look so incredibly young and dynamic for my age. I don’t
– I just keep hoping someone will ask.
JMR- Thank you Anne for stopping by. We've really enjoyed chatting with you. Good luck with you book and series. Readers, if you are interested in seeing more about Anne's book, click on the Amazon button.
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