Interview with Elizabeth Davies…..
Hi, Kerry, and thank you for having me on your blog!
You’re very welcome, Elizabeth 🙂 Thanks for joining me.
For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?
I’m a fifty-something Welsh woman with a liking for old places and the stories they tell – and to be fair, those stories are usually about murders, and ghosts, and torrid affairs! But because I’m a romantic at heart, I like to combine all those elements in my writing with the addition of love, romance and a hunky male character, or two.
Where did/do you get your ideas from?
I’m not really sure, though sometimes they come from the castles I visit (I drag my poor husband around loads of them!), when I discover a juicy titbit about one of the people who used to live there. Or an idea may come to me from something someone says, and I think “that’s a good premise”! But occasionally, my subconscious works without my even realising it, and I wake up with an idea in my head that I simply have to get down on paper right now!
Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?
Yes, no, no comment! Seriously though, I tend to take bits of people I know or meet, and add more bits until I’m left with a sort of Frankenstein’s Monster of a character, though hopefully much nicer.
How do you pick your characters names?
For the historical novels, many of the characters come supplied with their own. Take the witch in this book for instance; she is based on the mother of William the Conqueror, and history isn’t totally clear what her name was. However, the common consensus is that she was either called Herleva or Arlette. So, I decided to split her into two characters. With the name “Caitlyn” I was looking for something inherently Welsh, but also one that was easy to say (believe me, some Welsh names aren’t!), and was old enough to have been used in the eleventh century. Besides, I like it!
Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?
It often starts with a vague idea, a loose premise, a strong notion of the first chapter, a less clear notion of the ending, then I simply open a new document and start writing. It’s rare for me to plot things out, and when I do, I never stick to the plan, anyway.
Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
I adore Barbara Erskine for her skilful weaving of the past and the present, all bound up in the supernatural.
I also love Sara Woodbury, of course (who doesn’t!), especially because she writes about myth and magic in Wales. Then there is Dianne Duval, Avril Borthiry, and Ginger Myrick, who are also on my list of must-reads, whenever they release a new novel.
If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Actually, I would like to meet Stephen King, because although he sticks to his genre, that genre has evolved over the years, and now he can span horror, supernatural and fantasy, yet still be true to his writing. I’d love to ask him how he does it!
Were you a big reader as a child?
Yes, very. I can’t actually recall a time when I wasn’t able to read – though of course, there must have been, because I was definitely no child genius! Books featured strongly in my life from a very young age, and the family home always, always, had loads of books scattered everywhere.
When did you start to write?
I dabbled (very unsuccessfully, I might add) in my twenties, scribbled ideas which never came to anything in my thirties, and finally wrote my first novel when I was in my forties. It was a huge 300,000 word monster, and it will never see the light of day, but I proved to myself that I could do it, and that’s what kickstarted my writing career.
If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?
Okay, if you don’t like spoilers, look away now! I’d change the ending of The Martian by Andy Weir – it would have had so much more poignancy, impact and believability of the MC had died. Sorry, folks…
Is there a book you wish you had written?
I don’t know where to start on this one – there are loads, probably hundreds. From Wuthering Heights to Harry Potter. You’ve just got to admire the talent and the imagination of those writers.
If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?
‘With My Head in a Book’ – because if I’m not busy writing my own, then I’m busy reading someone else’s.
If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?
Rhett Butler and I’d take him to my house, but not necessarily for coffee!
What are you working on right now?
I don’t want to say too much about it, because with the way I write, things have a habit of changing, but I’ve got an idea for a new vampire series, and hopefully these darlings will be considerably nastier and deadlier than the ones in my Resurrection series. I love writing about the dark side!
Do you have a new release due?
I have two!! The second in the Caitlyn series, A Stain on the Soul, will be released on 4th October, and the final one, Another Kind of Magic, is due for publication on 1st November.
What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?
I don’t celebrate – I sit nervously in front of the computer and bite my nails, while drinking gallons of coffee.
How can readers keep in touch with you?
My website – https://www.elizabethdaviesauthor.co.uk, Twitter – https://twitter.com/BethsBooks or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethDaviesAuthor/
Is there anything else you would like us to know?
I like liquorice. There, I’ve admitted it!
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Elizabeth 🙂
Three Bloody Pieces
A dead king, a queen who is more than she seems, and a witch who uses the dark arts to entrap her.
Queen, widow, beggar – Lady Caitlyn is all three, and now she can add murderer to the list.
When death and treachery propel her south to Normandy, to seek sanctuary with the exiled Prince Alfred, visions of a woman with ancient eyes travel with her.
Herleva is a woman filled with ambition and greed. A woman who intends to be more than a commoner. A woman who gets what she wants by whatever means possible, even if she has to practice the dark arts to achieve her goals.
A woman who is a witch.
Caitlyn finds herself caught up in a magic which changes her very being. A magic which produces a king to change the lives of every man, woman, and child in England.
Purchase links…..
Amazon –
Apple –
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1287207080
B&N –
Kobo –
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/three-bloody-pieces
Author Bio –
Elizabeth Davies is a paranormal author, whose books have a romantic flavour with more than a hint of suspense. And death. There’s usually death…
Social Media Links –
Website –
www.elizabethdaviesauthor.co.uk
Twitter –
Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethDaviesAuthor/
Instagram –
Giveaway –
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