So great to invite another Eternal Press author here, Diane! Before we start on the interview, everyone knows how much I love book covers but I have to say, yours are amazing! Was it the same artist for both? They are absolutely beautiful.
Okay, on with the questions!
1) Who is your favourite author and why?
DS Lewis: Rachel, thank you for having me today. My favorite authors change all the time. I’ll read an exciting book by a certain author, then the next book I read of theirs isn’t quite as good. Right now my favorite author is Deborah Swift who wrote The Lady’s Slipper. Her characters are so vivid on the page, you feel you’re right in the middle of the story, experiencing everything they experienced.
2) When did you first consider yourself a writer?
DS Lewis: I started writing stories at age five, wrote my first novel at ten, and received my first rejection at fifteen. I wrote profusely in high school and considered myself a serious writer then, publishing short-stories and poems in school magazines. Then I put it all aside, joined the navy, traveled, married and had two children. I didn’t start seriously writing again until in my early forties. But the rejections still poured in.
3) Describe your writing space?
DS Lewis: It’s a bedroom with no bed. I have a desk, a credenza, three book cases stuffed with books, and a view into my wooded back yard. Oh, and it’s often too dusty and there’s post-it notes everywhere.
4) What are you reading now?
D.S. Lewis: I just finished The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. I’m reviewing it for the Historical Novel Society Reviews Magazine. I loved the book. Again, the characters were outstanding and fascinating.
5) How many books have your written? Which is your favourite?
D.S. Lewis: I’ve written three books. The False Light was published in 2010 by Eternal Press. It’s the story of an aristocratic Frenchwoman’s struggles when she’s forced into poverty in England during the French Revolution. She must discover who murdered her father while attracted to a man who may have strangled his unfaithful wife. My second novel is Elysium, published in April 2011. This is my favorite, a novel of murder and lust on the remote island of St. Helena during Napoleon’s exile. A young servant woman must stop a scoundrel from poisoning Napoleon and joins in his last battle, a dangerous escape. My third novel is Without Refuge. This is the sequel to The False Light. My heroine is thrown back into France and searches for her lover in a country torn apart by war. I’ve just submitted it to Eternal Press for consideration.
6) What comes first, plot or characters?
D.S. Lewis: characters usually come first, with a thin idea of plot. Then I work out the plot around the people. I don’t outline, but I’m trying that with my next project, as it will hopefully help me to write faster.
7) Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?
D.S. Lewis: No, I only suffer from lack of time. With family, writing, critiquing and promoting the books that are published, I need more hours in the day!
8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
D.S. Lewis: I love to read, play with my dog, and travel with my husband. We like to camp and eat out at fancy restaurants. We also enjoy drinking good wine.
9) Tell us about your latest book?
D.S. Lewis: Elysium- In 1815, after the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte is exiled to Saint Helena. On this remote island, Amélie Perrault, the daughter of Napoleon’s head chef, is determined through healing herbs to rise in importance and is fascinated with the fallen French Emperor. When her beautiful singing voice catches Napoleon’s attention, she is drawn into his clash with their British jailers, court intrigues and a burgeoning sexual attraction.
Napoleon is soured on love. Since political maneuvers fail to release him, he desires freedom no matter the risk. Amélie suspects someone in their entourage is poisoning the emperor. Will she uncover the culprit in time and join in Napoleon’s last great battle plan, a dangerous escape?
10) What’s next for you?
D.S. Lewis: I’m finishing up another book set in 18c. Cornwall
Rose Gwynn battles the restrictions against females to study as a physician in 1796 Cornwall, England. Catern Tresidder returns to this remote village to seek revenge against the man who raped her—the earl betrothed to Rose’s sister. Charlie hides a dark secret that threatens a prominent position and could ruin Rose’s future. All three must come together and save each other from heartbreak.
For more information on me and my books, please visit
my website: http://www.dianescottlewis.com
Thanks so much for being here, Diane! As I live in the UK, I love discovering authors writing about the lesser known places such as Cornwall rather than London or Bath. Our country is rich in history and I for one, am guilty of not exploring that enough for my own writing.
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