) How did you find James Ravencroft?
When I first started writing Stone Angels, my son was going through heartache after his first serious relationship ended and spent most of his time in his bedroom. One day, in passing, he said, ‘Mum, it’s all your fault.’ That got me thinking about how mothers, being the main caregiver, are blamed for who their children become as adults. In most criminal cases, they examine the perpetrator's childhood and their relationship with their parents, mainly their mother’s, is highlighted.
I wanted to examine Sigmund Freud’s theory of the Oedipus complex. Not so much that James marries his mother, but his love for his mother drives his passion. In my tale, his relationship with his mother isn’t healthy. The famous artist, Jane Elspeth Maedere, is more of a mythological creature to him, while the family housekeeper cares deeply for him. James’ passion for art is born out of his love for his mother’s notoriety rather than her role as his mother.
2) You are also an artist. How do you find inspiration for your artwork? I imagine in a very different way from James.
Like James, I seek beauty, but unlike him, my artwork reflects my love for the British countryside and the countless walks I’ve enjoyed in Essex and Yorkshire. My passion for nature inspired me to draw the natural world in my childhood, along with book illustrations, particularly those from the Victorian era. When I was six, my grandmother gave me a box camera with a small spool of black-and-white film. This ignited my fascination with capturing the world around me in photographs. Over time, I amassed a vast collection of wildlife and landscape photographs, which I now use as references for my artwork.
3) In your opinion, does James have any redeeming qualities?
Yes, I like to think so. However, the problem, as I see it, is where the reader draws the line between his passion for his art and his drive for fame. I thought long and hard about how James would treat his unwilling models. He isn’t driven by lust but searches for the purest of beauty. If he had sexually assaulted his victims, they would lose their beauty for him. For me, I felt I would lose my readers if James sullied the girls, as it would be a predictable outcome. Of course, the ending isn’t kind to his models.
4) Did you do any research for this story? Maybe about buying and selling art? While writing Stone Angels, I uncovered a few interesting facts that I was able to weave into the storyline. Things like the first vegetarian restaurant opened in London, and the London Metropolitan Police set up a unit that specialised in the theft of Art and Antiques in the late 1960s. I looked into the sort of cars, pop music, and the driving names behind the Pop Art era.
5) Do you have a favourite character in the story?
I enjoyed writing James because I stepped out of myself to write from a male’s point of view. Jenny (the secretary to Basil Hallward), a small character, became a pivotal one as the storyline developed, allowing me to convey information to carry the story forward.
ye, I like her too.
6) You created the image for the front cover: tell us a little about that.
When Darkstokes, a small publishing company, originally published Stone Angels, I wasn’t really happy with the cover as it gave no hint of the tale within. I’m a big fan of 1940s-60s paperback art. Those early publishers with their bright cover art gave the readers a hint of what the story was about, so I tried to create that in my design. The trapped butterfly, a Clouded Yellow, symbolises James’ mother, and her past decisions that left her feelings trapped.
7) Tell us a little about some of the places you used:
An old map I have shows the original road system between Suffolk and London, highlighting sites of lost villages, including one that became James’ family home. During the Black Plague, the villagers of Halghetree were wiped out, leaving only the ruins of the church and part of the graveyard. Dunwich was once a remarkable ancient city, complete with a king’s palace, a bishop’s seat, and a busy port. On a fateful night in 1328, a powerful storm began destroying the city, and over the years, the North Sea gradually claimed more of it until 1739, when it took even more. Today, only the ruined church on the cliff remains. During the 1960s, London became a hub of British Pop Art and the music scene. The city still bore signs of wartime damage, with bomb sites that became squats where James lived. Notable landmarks included St Paul’s Cathedral's Golden Gallery, the Grafton Gallery, Potter’s Bar Golf Club, and the John Kasmin Gallery, where David Hockney held his first exhibition.
8) This is a born-again book 0- Renascent. Tell us a little about that process.
I was so lucky when Renascent republished my first novel, Stone Angels. It gave me the opportunity to read the book again, with distance. After being so close to the storyline, having a long break is helpful to see where small improvements can be made, plus having a new proofreader, too.
9) Are you working on any new projects?
Not any new writing project now, as my art career has grown wings. I’ve signed up for three local art shows. I have two other novels I hope to republish, but I need to re-read them. Distance helps to clarify the storyline.
10) What else do you write?
I enjoy writing short stories, and novellas. It is amazing how powerful these can be. They do push the writer to work hard at telling a great tale in a short word count. My taste in telling tales has changed from dark to light. The world has become too dark for me, which I think is why I have moved back to painting instead of writing.
11) Do you have any events planned?
Three villages in the area where I live have art shows, so I hand out cards that advertise both my books and paintings. In the summertime, at Strawberry Fair held in a local church, I find my books do sell well at this event.
12) Do you have any tips for anyone planning to write a long novel?
Keep the word count as tight as possible by making sure every word counts. Remember, the reader won’t have you looking over their shoulder, ready to explain what you mean if your description is cloudy, so clarity matters. Find someone honest who won’t just praise your writing but will pick it apart if scenes don’t make sense, are too wordy, if the plotline is weak, or your opening takes too long.
Remember, all good books hook you straightaway, and the ending ties up all the loose ends. Most important of all, read a wide range of books, too. It’s the only way you can tell good writing from bad: by reading.
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