Give us a little bit about your background and when you first started publishing.
I live in the UK, where I’m lucky enough to get to see some of the places I write about. I started publishing way back in the Wild West of epublishing, long before Amazon! My first book was published in 2002. But I’ve written forever. When I was seven, I wrote my first story, and I’ve never stopped. I usually write in series, about families, issues and places, and my historical period of choice is the Georgian era, which includes the Regency, but is much, much more.
Historical Setting Related:
- Have you visited the places you’ve written about or just read about them?
I’ve visited them. When I write about London, I choose a house to use, locate a plan and work from that. I fictionalize the country houses I’ve visited, make versions where my family lives there instead of the real ones. You can’t get the atmosphere of a place without going there, so I do all I can to visit.
- What interesting settings have you used (homes, battlefields, events in history, etc)?
I did a whole series about the Jacobites, but from the Hanoverian side. The disgraced Stuarts were a thorn in the side of the government for years, and it was great fun to dig up little-known facts and weave them into stories.
I read a lot of newspapers, letters and other accounts from the period, and I often use them as the basis for a story. I’ve used fictionalized versions of the families of the times.
For A Touch of Silver, the heroine lives in Shoreditch, where many businesses and houses were based. The Denis Severs House in Spitalfields is a magical place, so I based her home on that one.
I have visited an awful lot of stately homes over the years, and they have all found their way in to the books. I used to live near Chatsworth, so I know that house very well. Then there are the museums like the Geffrye and the Victoria and Albert which have whole rooms. The Frick in New York has some treasures, too.
- Why did you choose the particular period you write in? What is it about that era that speaks to you?
I fell in love with the Georgian era when I was nine years old. We did a class project on tea and coffee, and when the teacher showed us a slide of an old coffee house, I fell in love. It’s the longest love affair of my life. I’ve never stopped reading about it, researching it and creating characters to live there. I love the elegance of the period, the extravagance, the differences between rich and poor, the development of the modern legal and criminal system, and the way the people of the era threw themselves into living. Even the politics interest me!
Writing Process:
- What inspires you to create a certain character (give example)? Have you ever changed the character arc because it didn’t work with the story-line?
I usually have the character sorted. I start from the character and go from there, so it’s more likely that the plot is changed to suit the character. I think you can always tell when a character has been shoehorned into a plot, so I’d prefer to do a bit of tweaking to that instead!
- Do you have a certain quirk in your writing process? Do the stars have to be aligned or do you have to have your favorite tea? Where do you do your best writing?
I’m a night owl. I have tried to be a morning person, but it doesn’t work, however hard I try. I start to write in the evening, and sometimes I won’t stop until dawn. It’s quiet and mysterious.
Miscellaneous:
- From all your books, who is your favorite hero and why?
Always it’s the one I’m writing now. I engross myself with him, live his life, and try to see things his way. My first hero, Richard Kerre from the Richard and Rose series, stayed with me for seven books. I couldn’t get rid of him, he kept telling me stories and I kept writing them!
- Outside of your own genre, what’s your favorite genre?
I do enjoy paranormal romance. It seems to be in a bit of a dip right now, but you know what they say, vampires never die!
Be sure to check out Lynne’s new book releasing July 2, 2019 titled “A Touch of Silver” https://amzn.to/2WVFKkK
We hope you enjoyed reading about Author Lynne Connolly, our next interview will be with Dragonblade Author Elizabeth Ellen Carter. Stay Tuned!!
