2 May 2016

Author Q&A Session #73: With Deborah Lawrenson



AL 'right I'm once again officially on a roll and so many talented and amazing authors are here to share their stories with me.

And this time, it's Deborah Lawrenson who is here to talk about her book, 300 Days of Sun.
Let's discuss with her about this new book, her writing and her life beyond books and all.

Keep reading!

Read the review of 300 Days of Sun


Me: Hello and welcome to my blog, Deborah. Congratulations on your new book, 300 Days of Sun. How will you express your feelings about this book that has already won the hearts of so many readers?

Deborah: I’m so happy that readers are enjoying it, and how many are saying that it’s the rather unexpected mixture of thriller and historical fiction and armchair travel that appeals to them.


Me: Did you travel extensively to Faro for your research? Tell us about your experience.

Deborah: I went to Faro with my daughter, who is a keen linguist and had signed herself up for a Portuguese language course lasting two weeks. She was only seventeen and I didn’t think I could let her go on her own. While she went to class every morning, I wandered around Faro with my notebook and camera, letting my imagination run free. In the afternoons, we went exploring: to the beaches on the ferries, the islands across the sea marshes and the narrow streets of Faro’s old town.


Me: How could you capture so vividly the espionage era in Lisbon back in those times?

Deborah: I read a lot about it! Almost everything I wrote about in the sections of the book set in the past actually happened, in some form. It was an extraordinary time, when no one was sure what was true and what was an elaborate lie, and behind all the fog of misinformation were noble causes. The art is in taking real-life events recorded as history, and breathing life into them so that the actions and observations and conversations of the fictional characters ring true.


Me: Tell us one trait about your main characters, Joanna and Alva, that intrigues you the most.

Deborah: If there is one trait that links them, it would be determination and self-reliance. They are both, in different ways, adrift in a world that is beyond their control, but when they see the reality of that world, the urge to seek justice makes them face it head-on and grow stronger. 


Me: How will you describe your journey so far as an author?

Deborah: Many ups and downs, when my own determination has been the only thing that has kept me going!


Me: Was it always your one true dream to be an author?

Deborah: I would say so, yes. Thought I never told anyone that was what I wanted to do until I got my first book deal. I worked as a journalist after university because it was a way of writing and telling stories for a living. 


Me: What other passions do you have apart from writing?

Deborah: I love reading! I don’t think anyone can be a good writer unless they love reading, too, and understand the pleasure – and the techniques - of a well-written book, whether that is fiction or non-fiction. I also enjoy walking in the countryside, practicing yoga and photography. Travelling, too, especially to the South of France with family and friends.


Me: What's next up on your writing sleeves? Please tell us briefly about it.

Deborah: I have started another novel set in the South of France, with even more of a dark thriller element.


Me: Thanks Deborah for joining me today on this interview session. I wish you luck for all your future endeavors.

Deborah: Thank you, Aditi, for all your kind words.
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Deborah's Bio:


After a childhood of constant moves around the world - my family lived at various times in Kuwait, China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore - I read English at Trinity College, Cambridge. I trained as a journalist on a weekly South London newspaper, then worked on several national newspapers and magazines.
My first novel Hot Gossip (1994) was a satire based on my experiences working on Nigel Dempster's diary column, and was followed by a sequel, Idol Chatter (1995). The Moonbathers, a black comedy, followed in 1998.
The Art of Falling was a complete change of direction, which took five years to research and write. But trying to get it published was like starting from scratch again. In the end, after many false dawns and disappointments, I published it myself under the Stamp Publishing imprint in September 2003.
Almost immediately it became clear that the novel had struck a chord with booksellers and reading groups around my home in Kent. Ottakar's liked it enough to recommend it to their stores nationwide, and the rights were sold to Random House.
The Art of Falling was republished by Arrow in July 2005 and chosen as one of the books for the WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion that summer. It went on to sell more than all the others put together!
Songs of Blue and Gold is in a similar style: a story that grew out of my curiousity about past events and a love for the warmer shores and colours of southern Europe.
My latest novel, The Lantern, has been chosen for The TV Book Club Summer Reads 2011 on Channel4 and More4. I have also written a linked short story for Woman&Home magazine's 2011 summer reading supplement.
I currently divide my time between rural Kent and a crumbling hamlet in Provence, which is the atmospheric setting for The Lantern.


Connect with Deborah on: WebsiteFacebook Twitter

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