Interview Hazel Statham

by

Marilyn Gardiner

1) Tell us a bit about yourself. Marital status, number of children, pets?

I live in the UK and have been married to my husband since 1969. We have a married daughter and a lovely grandson, who is a constant delight. Apart from reading and writing historical romance, my other passion is my animals. Currently we share our home with two lovely Labradors--Lucy, who is ten and Mollie who is just five months old. As you can imagine, it is a very lively mix!

2) Is this your first book? And what is the genre and the log-line?

This is my third book with wings. I write mainly in the Regency and Georgian eras and ‘His Shadowed Heart’ is a Regency Romance. Here is the log line:

Can a shadowed heart be healed? Can love grow where least expected? The Earl of Waverly believes not. How wrong can he be!

3) What else do you write besides novels?

Over the years, I have had two short stories and several poems published, but mainly I write novels.

4) What was your inspiration to write this novel? Something you read in the newspaper, an actual, real-life event, or just an interesting idea/question that you couldn’t get out of your mind?

The idea just came to me as I was finishing my previous novel and I mulled it over for a while, developing characters and their story.

5) Do you write from plot or character development? And where do your characters come from?

A little of both really. Inspiration for a plot or character can come from many different areas, a line from a song, a dream, or as in this case, purely my imagination and a series of ‘what if…?’. I ‘live’ with my characters and develop the plot before I even put pen to paper.

6) Do you have an outside job and have to fit in writing in your spare time? Tell us about a typical writing day for you.

I no longer work, therefore I am free to write as and when the urge takes me. I go to the computer as soon as I get up in the morning and am happy to stay there for as long as the story flows. Quite often, the words flow late at night and I have been known to start writing at midnight and continue on into the small hours. If I encounter writer’s block, I just do something else until the urge to write comes on me again. I write when I’m alone in the house and everywhere is quiet--noise of any kind is a distraction.

7) Do you have a particular philosophy of life you’d care to share with us?

If you have a desire to write, don’t ignore it or put it off to another day. You may not create an earth shattering novel but you will feel a great sense of achievement. Originally, I started writing with no thought of publication, I just wanted to create my own historical world, but the lecturer who headed a writing group to which I belonged badgered me into submitting.

8) What is in your CD player right now? What is your favorite kind of music? And, while we’re probing your mind: What is your favorite movie of all time?

I don’t listen to music very often but my favorite is 60’s music and there are some classical pieces that can inspire me to write. As to films, my all time favorite is not a film but the BBC’s 1982 version of Jane Eyre with Timothy Dalton and Zella Clarke. It was the most accurate version I have seen and keeps closely to the book, which by the way, is also my favorite read.

9) For you, what is the most difficult part of writing a book? (For me it’s choosing the title!)

Oh, I agree. Titles are so difficult to choose and they are so important as it is what usually grabs the readers interest in the first instance. Sometimes, the title is obvious and presents itself as you go along, but other times it can be very illusive. I ever worry that I have chosen the wrong one.

10) What is your one true self-indulgence?

Books! I have hundreds, and once purchased, I find it very difficult to part with them. My husband often complains that he is being overrun with books, but they still remain. Apart from my books, it is my dogs as I could never imagine life without at least one in the house. Two is ideal, but sadly, not always practicable.