A Shape on the Air by Julia Ibbotson - Book Tour + Giveaway
A Shape on the Air
Unlocking a love that lasts for lifetimes - and beyond! When Dr Viv DuLac, a medievalist, slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady Vivianne, little does she realise that both their lives across the centuries will become intertwined as they fight for their dreams … and their lives. How can the key which Viv bring back with her to the present unlock the love they both crave, and help them through the dangers they both face? And how can they help each other across the centuries, without changing the course of history?
Author Q&A
1. What is the first book that
made you cry?
Little
Women (Louisa May Alcott) because I was mad with Jo and I thought that the
gorgeous male protagonist married the wrong person (trying not to give
spoilers). I was very young! Then One Day (David Nicholls) and latterly A
Single Thread (Tracy Chevalier). I cry very easily, at just about everything! I
even cry at my own books; A Shape on the
Air, for example – what happened with Dr Viv’s partner, her mother,
betrayal, Lady Vivianne’s betrothal, the mystery they had to solve … I’m almost
in tears now!
2. How long, on average, does it
take you to write a book?
I usually reckon 6 months for research and 6 months to write the book. Even
if I know the historical research base well (as with early medieval/Anglo-Saxon
England which was my original research field), I have to research specifics for
that particular book. For A Shape on the
Air I had to research minute details of daily life in 499 AD. The same with
my Drumbeats Trilogy, which begins in
Ghana, West Africa in the 1960s, even though I had lived there I had to
research the locations and what was happening at that time (music, books,
politics, current events, etc). I love reading about how people lived in a
different historical period so it’s a joy to do the research. My problem is
where to stop!
3. How do you select the names of
your characters?
Oddly the names often arrive in my head before the complete plot. I tend
to have a character and inciting incident/initial situation/conflict before I
start. I always have a ‘mood board’ for each novel WIP on my pinboard beside my
desk and when I have a picture of my character on it, the name follows pretty
quickly. Maybe because when I sit in a restaurant/bus/train and do my naughty
‘people watching’ I give them names as well as jobs and situations. For A Shape on the Air, I chose a picture of
Rachel Weiss and thought of Dr Viv, and James Norton and thought of Rev Rory.
Don’t ask me why! But it’s also true that I had to find similar names that
fitted both time periods: Dr Viv in the present and Lady Vivianne in 499 AD,
Rev Rory/Sir Roland, Tilly/Tilda, and so on. I decided not to use completely
authentic names for 499 AD as the
characters were from different ‘tribes’ or ethnicities (Roman, Celtic, Briton,
Saxon etc) and some would not be so easy to read for the modern reader. For
myself, I always found it hard to read names I have to really concentrate on to
remember.
4. What creature do you consider
your "spirit animal" to be?
I’d like
it to be a wise owl or an elegant horse or gazelle, but it’s probably a cat
(curled up by the fire and looking piercingly at what’s going on around).
5. What fictional character would
you want to be friends with in real life?
Cormoran
Strike (Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling). I think he’s fascinating, hard but a
softy at heart. He’s had such interesting experiences and I think he’d be full
of anecdotes. I feel he’d keep me laughing as well.
6. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Don’t
give up; keep at it and believe in yourself. Read through your finished draft
as though you are the reader, not the writer; if it doesn’t capture your
attention throughout, then it won’t for anyone else. Make a great opening that
grabs the reader’s attention and a great ending that makes them rave about your
book. Create memorable characters and get to know them inside out: make a
profile of them, what do they look like (very important), what are their little
foibles, what are their likes/dislikes, what’s their history? And for heavens’
sake, do your research!
7. What book do you wish you had
written?
Kate
Atkinson’s Time After Time. Brilliant.
What an intriguing concept: what if there were different ‘realities’ and history could repeat itself, but change
for the better (hopefully). It’s a bit like a time-slip, I guess, but one that
actually alters history – something we normally try not to do in time-slips –
for the benefit of mankind.
8. Tell us 10 fun facts about yourself! :)
·
I love rhubarb and ginger gin and hate beer
·
I like rugby (watching!) and hate football
·
I love walking in the countryside and hate running (mainly because I
have a spinal injury)
·
I love baking for family and friends: my current specialisms are ginger
flapjacks (there seems to be a ginger theme going on here!) and almond
macaroons, granary bread, and cauliflower & blue stilton cheese soup
·
I love crime novels, police procedurals and psychological thrillers, but
I could never write them
·
I like gardening and growing my own vegetables and fruit
·
I’m really into healthy eating – all things fresh and homemade, not
shop-bought, plastic wrapped and transport-miles
·
I actually have a PhD! In socio-linguistics, how men and women talk to
each other. The research was fascinating!
·
I’m a qualified yoga teacher
·
I love clothes but hate shopping and changing rooms
Acclaimed, award-winning author Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and concepts of time travel. She read English at Keele University, England (after a turbulent but exciting gap year in Ghana, West Africa) specialising in medieval language, literature and history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. She wrote her first novel at 10 years of age, but became a school teacher, then an academic as a senior university lecturer and researcher. As well as medieval time-slip, she has published a number of books, including memoir/history of food (The Old Rectory), children’s medieval fantasy (S.C.A.R.S), a trilogy opening in 1960s Ghana (Drumbeats), and many academic works. Apart from insatiable reading, she loves travelling the world, singing in choirs, swimming, yoga and walking in the countryside in England and Madeira where she and her husband divide their time.
Social Media Links –
Website/blog https://www.juliaibbotsonauthor.com
Twitter @JuliaIbbotson
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.co.uk/juliai1
Giveaway to Win a Paperback copy of The Old Rectory, book mark, postcard, key ring, handbag fob. (UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
2 Comments
Thank you for the lovely interview and for participating in my book tour this week. Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :)
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.