Tell us a little about your latest or
upcoming release.
I published book 1 in my series A Tale of
Something New in March, and book 2 A Tale of Something Red will come
out at the end of July (25th for the ebook). I describe it as low,
supernatural fantasy with a healthy dose of family drama, slow-burn romance, mystery,
and (from book 2 onwards) political intrigue. The world is loosely based on Europe
(Switzerland, Southern Germany, and Great Britain) around 1800. It is a series
for readers who don’t mind surprises and prefer to read a bit outside the
mainstream.
The story follows a young woman who finds a wounded stranger in the forest and decides to bring him home to her father’s farm to nurse him back to health. However, when he regains consciousness, he doesn’t remember who he is or what happened to him. Little does she know that the appearance of this handsome stranger might endanger everything and everyone she holds dear …
Have you ever based your book or
characters on actual events or people from your own life?
I want to say no, but then my family will point out everything I have in common with the main character Liliana, so I guess there’s no escaping it. I don’t purposefully base events or characters on my life, but ultimately, that’s where my understanding of what it means to be human comes from. Leaving the family you grew up in to build your own family (in whatever form that may be), and life in the countryside are some of the more obvious experiences I have incorporated in my series.
Is there a theme or message in your work
that you would like readers to connect to?
My current series has several themes that are important
to me and to the story. One is motherhood and the value of life. Another one is
making decisions and taking responsibility. My protagonist Liliana makes
several decisions that completely change her life as well as the lives of those
around her. Often, we can’t possibly foresee the consequences of the choices we
face, and to me, owning them anyway is a crucial part of life.
The willingness to discuss moral questions is another theme as well as love and allowing oneself to be vulnerable. Sometimes what we feel can be scary or painful, especially if it involves empathy and caring for others. But feeling those things is important, and so much better than getting to a point of not feeling anymore.
When you’re not writing what do you do?
Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
My daughter, my husband, and I have little dance
parties in our living room – or sometimes we do Bluey fitness, featuring the
floor is lava and hopping races. I occasionally tend to our big,
wild garden full of abandoned vegetable boxes and the worst kinds of weeds.
Also, I love drinking tea and eating chocolate (but I’m Swiss, so the latter is
expected of me, right?).
Of all the characters you’ve ever
written, who is your favorite and why?
That would probably be Eldric (the stranger from
book 1). He combines so many interesting contradictions in his person, and he
will always be close to my heart because I seem to have equipped him with my
fears and some of my coping mechanisms. Oh, and of course, because he’s the
cold, broody type of guy I would totally fall for, too, if I were Liliana.
If this book is part of a series…what is
the next book? Any details you can share?
I have planned 4 books in total for this series
(although I want to offer my readers two alternative paths or perspectives for
book 3, due to … reasons *cough*).
In book 2 A Tale of Something Red, Liliana gets
dragged into the affairs of the scheming nobles and does her best to protect her
loved ones while also trying to uncover a traitor lurking in Castle Finsterwald.
What is in your to read pile?
My TBR pile is constantly growing, and I’m starting
to think that a lifetime is not enough to read them all. But I want to finish
the Daindreth series by Elisabeth Wheatley, and the Stormlight Archive, which
in itself is quite the task.
Excerpt:
At dinner, Liliana repeated what the stranger had said. After all, he now had a name.
Then the weather was discussed, and the whole table agreed that they were expecting another cold snap. Grandmother felt it in her bones, the farmhands and Cedric observed it in the animals’ behaviour and Father smelled it in the air. The chicken broth was well received.
Armed with a portion of said broth, Liliana ventured to the stranger’s bed after dinner. He awoke immediately and swallowed greedily, his gaze fixed on the bowl. There were so many questions swirling around in her head that she didn’t quite know where to start. If he was missing his memories, he couldn’t answer most of them, and she didn’t want to overwhelm him.
‘Do you remember me?’
He looked up briefly. ‘Yes.’
The fact that he could remember newer things was a good sign.
‘How’s the pain?’
‘Don’t ask.’
Liliana would’ve liked to know if his curt manner was part of his personality or due to the pain he was in. To wake up in a strange environment, in this agonising state and unable to recollect anything … No, she didn’t envy him.
Once the bowl was empty, she gave him the medicine, and Grandmother came to look at his wounds. She loosened the bandages in some places, careful not to damage the skin that had already healed. She rubbed on some of the ointment containing the resin Liliana had collected.
The stranger grimaced but made no sound.
‘That’s my grandmother,’ Liliana said. ‘She’s nursed many people back to health.’
Since he lay there quietly afterwards, Liliana stayed in the room. She was eager to talk to him more, but he kept his eyes closed, exhaustion on his face. So she sat down with her book, in front of the wardrobe. It was a precious, carved piece of furniture that Father had given to her mother after their wedding.
‘How did I get here?’
Astonished, she looked up. His eyes were still closed, but it seemed he felt her presence in the room. ‘I found you half-dead in the woods and brought you here.’
A pause followed, during which Liliana watched him over the edge of the book. What a peculiar way of speaking he had … Although she understood him clearly, the melody of his sentences sounded strange to her ears. His lips formed the words with precision, as if every single one of them deserved to be heard.
‘Be honest, what are my chances?’
‘The fact that you survived the first few days is amazing. If you keep going like this, I’m sure you’ll make it.’
A hint of a smile appeared on his lips. He opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to look at her, quietly grunting with pain. ‘What … are you reading?’
The bronze colour of his eyes still fascinated her. ‘Oh, this? A collection of fairy tales.’
Another pause followed while they studied each other.
‘You like books?’
‘I do. Would you like me to read you one of the stories?’
‘Yes, please.’
Liliana cleared her throat. ‘Most farmers struggle with reading. While I am by far the best reader in the family, it probably still sounds bungled to trained ears.’
The stranger gave her another smile to acknowledge her efforts and closed his eyes.
Liliana began to read. She hadn’t read out loud in a long time. No one here shared her enthusiasm for books. Why would they? There always seemed to be gossip to share, and after a day of hard work, most people in the village didn’t want to overexert their tired brains. For them, books were an expensive and superfluous possession. When Cedi had been younger, she’d taught him to read. As with many other activities, her little brother started on it with great zeal, only to lose interest after the first few strides. Reading to someone who may be well educated made her nervous. But she soon found her rhythm. As intended, the stranger relaxed. Distraction was a good antidote to pain.
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1 comment:
Thank you for the interview <3
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