Author Interview: Mary Martin Devlin: The La Motte Woman
JMR-Welcome to the Books Delight, Mary.
Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun and what does the perfect
day look like?
MMD-Hello, Jeanie. For the past few years I have lived part-time
in Atlanta, a very beautiful city, where I was born and grew up, but where I
have never lived after I went away for college.
The rest of the year I live in France, in the Dordogne now after selling
my house in Provence.
For the moment, I am relaxing with the
publication of my latest novel, The La Motte Woman, scheduled for
mid-June. Since I miss my regular sessions at the computer, I spend a few hours
every day poking around the Biblothèque
Nationale website, browsing through obscure memoirs and public records.
A perfect day? A sunny day, reading and an hour or so of
exercise, a long, sniffing walk with my dog, Millie, and evening cocktails with
friends on the roof terrace of our building
JMR-What’s your favorite historical time period? Why?
MMD- the eighteenth century in
England, but especially in France. I
think of it as a very “brainy” century: the century of Benjamin Franklin, Dr.
Johnson, Voltaire, Diderot, etc.
There was a strong belief in
science, in progress. It was a period of
great optimism for mankind, some of it foolish complacency, as Voltaire was
quick to point out.
JMR-Who is your favorite historical
figure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what would it be?
MMD-Madame de Pompadour would be high
on my list. In an era when women were
mere chattel, the property of fathers, husbands, brothers, she rose to a
position of immense power, appointing ambassadors, approving treaties while the
titular head of the country, Louis XV, sank deeper and deeper into
depravity. I would ask her: Was there
ever a moment when you realized that you had more power than any man in the
kingdom?
JMR- How did you come to be a
writer of historical fiction?
MMD-As a college professor I
specialized in the American novel, but I also taught a course each year in
creative writing. With historical
fiction I was able to combine my love of research with my imagination.
JMR- Would you describe your books
as Romantic Historical or Historical Romance?
MMD-Romantic historical. I look
for authenticity in historical fiction.
I want a compelling narrative, but I also want to learn a great deal.
JMR- Did you visit anyone of the
places in your book? Where did you feel closest to your characters?
MMD-Yes, I visited the Chateau de
Corcheval in Beaubery, France, where the heroine of my novel, Precious Pawn,
was born. This novel was inspired by the
unpublished memoirs of a provincial
eighteenth-century countess. I had friends who lived near the chateau, and one
day during a visit, almost on a dare, I called to ask permission to visit the
chateau. Luckily ,the owners were down
from Paris and very kindly invited me to come over for tea and a visit. In the lovely chapel on the grounds of the
chateau I felt such sorrow standing at
the altar where my heroine was given in a marriage that would destroy her.
JMR- Mary, tell us about your new
book, The La Motte Woman.
MMD-I wonder how much I can tell that
won’t involve spoilers! It is a story of
obsessions, of love and ambition set against the background of the court of
Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. At the center of the novel is one of the most
fascinating women in French history:
Jeanne de Valois-La Motte.
JMR-What projects do you have in
the pipeline?
MMD-I’m beginning to think seriously
about writing another novel inspired by my years in Africa. I keep getting more and more serious interest
in and enthusiasm for Death in the Rainy Season.
JMR- Tell our readers how to find
you on social media and the web.
MMD-My only social media activity is
Facebook.
JMR- What question were you hoping
I’d
ask but didn’t?
MMD- Actually, I’m happy that there
were not more questions about my complicated life.
JMR- Well Mary, thanks for stopping by. Your new book looks wonderful and I'm putting it on my TBR list. Readers, I've included a link to Mary's book below, be sure to check it out!
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