Hi Helena! So thrilled to have you here - looking forward to learning more about you and your work :) Wishing you much sales and success with your latest release, "A Way From Heart to Heart."
1.)
What
is your favourite thing about yourself?
That’s a great question. I
suffer from depression quite a lot, so there are often long periods where there
isn’t anything at all much I like about myself. I should get your question out
and think about it more often. It would be good therapy :) I suppose one thing I
do have is a lot of empathy for other people. I think the ability to empathise
is something writers share in common, and this is how we are able to dream up
characters outside ourselves.
2.)
What
do you wish you’d known before you started writing?
A lot! Mainly I wish I’d
started earlier and had more confidence in my ability to write.
3.)
Share
a romantic moment in your life.
I’ve been married for quite
a long time, and the older I’ve grown the more I appreciate the small moments
rather than dramatic declarations. As I mentioned, I often suffer from
depression. I can be lying on the settee consumed with self-loathing and all of
a sudden my husband will look up from the television and mention how much he
loves me. That sort of thing means far more to me now than being whisked off to
Paris or given a whopping diamond!
4.)
Is
there one subject you’d never write about as an author? What is it?
Since I mainly write romance
my heroes and heroines are basically decent people with the sort of ordinary
flaws we all have. I’d never write a hero or heroine who had a flaw I couldn’t
forgive, such as bigotry, bullying, etc. I know there are authors who write
from the point of view of a completely unsympathetic character (for example
Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley novels), but I don’t think I could stay in that
person’s head for the length of time it takes me to write a book.
5.)
Do
you have any suggestions to help someone become a better writer? If so, what
are they?
Read as much as you can in
the genre that you’re writing, and try and analyse why a book works well/isn’t
working. Reading ordinary readers’ reviews of books also helps me understand
what readers enjoy in a story. Also, if you can find someone you trust to
critique your work, their advice can often be invaluable. I still remember the
advice I received from my reader in the Romantic Novelists’ Association New
Writers’ Scheme.
6.)
If
you could be the original author for any book, what would it be? Why?
Any one of Jane Austen’s
books. I would love to have her ear for dialogue, her wit, and her ability to
create characters that have endured for centuries.
7.)
What
did you do growing up that got you into trouble?
I did a lot of things that
ought to have got me into trouble, but I was very quiet at school and mainly
got away with it because of my look of fresh-faced innocence. I once got
detention after I stayed in the playground engrossed in Pride and Prejudice after everyone had gone inside. I hadn’t
noticed the bell had gone. Getting in trouble for reading is probably as rock
and roll as my life ever got!
8.)
If I
came to your house for dinner what would you prepare for me? Why?
I’d try and find out what sort
of things you like to eat, but if I didn’t know, I’d make things that I could
prepare in advance, so we could spend time talking instead of cooking.
Something like a lamb casserole or curry. I’ve recently discovered how easy it
is to make your own ice-cream, so pistachio ice-cream would definitely be on
the menu!
Thanks so much for having me, Rachel. I loved your questions. Hope you
can come round one day for that meal in real life one day!
Bio
Helena Fairfax was born in Uganda and came to England as a child. She's grown used to the cold now, and these days she lives in an old Victorian mill town in Yorkshire. After many years working in factories and dark, satanic mills, Helena now writes full-time. Her first novel, The Silk Romance, was a contender for the Romantic Novelists' Association Joan Hessayon Award and a runner-up in the Global Ebook Awards in the contemporary romance category. Her present work in progress, a YA time-slip novel, was shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize 2014.
When not writing,
Helena walks the Yorkshire moors every day with her rescue dog, finding this
romantic landscape the perfect place to dream up her heroes and her happy
endings.
Social links:
Website/blog: www.helenafairfax.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelenaFairfax
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HelenaFairfax
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/helenafairfax/
Helena’s latest contemporary romance, A Way from Heart
to Heart, was released by Accent Press in November 2014. Here is the blurb:
A novel about friendship, loss, and the human heart’s enduring capacity for love.
A knock at the door shatters Kate Hemingway’s life when she’s told of her husband’s death in Afghanistan. Piece by fragile piece she begins to rebuild her world and her son’s, spending her free time with a charity for teenage girls in London.
Reserved, ex-public school journalist Paul Farrell is everything Kate and her teenage charges aren’t. But when Paul agrees to help Kate with her teenagers on a trip to the Yorkshire moors, he makes a stunning revelation that changes everything.
Can Kate take a risk with her son’s happiness as well as her own?
Buy links:
Amazon: http://authl.it/B00PQRJ0WQ
and other online retailers
Helena is waiting to chat! Comments? Questions?
Thanks so much for having me, Rachel. I enjoyed answering your questions very much!
ReplyDeleteHelena, I didn't know you suffered from depression. But what a hubby to lift your spirits in that way. Glad he is supportive of you. And, that ice cream recipe would be a great addition to your blog and my recipe box! Loved this book. Continued success in your writing career!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for dropping by, JQ. What a great idea to post the ice cream recipe on my blog. When the weather gets warmer it would be a great post. (Although that may be some time here in the north!) Thanks for your lovely comment, and for taking the time to drop in.
DeleteHelena, I didn't know you suffered from depression. But what a hubby to lift your spirits in that way. Glad he is supportive of you. And, that ice cream recipe would be a great addition to your blog and my recipe box! Loved this book. Continued success in your writing career!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great interview, Helena! Rachel's interview were tough indeed but your answers are just great! I am sorry to hear that you suffer from depression. Your husband sounds wonderful and supportive, and I do hope you take some comfort in knowing that you are a very talented writer and a lovely person.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your lovely comment, Marie! One of the great things about writing romance is that the romance community is so supportive. Thank you so much for dropping in!
DeleteWhat a nice group of questions and answers. I think depression is the price we pay for the urge to create. It gives the mind a chance to rest from the high of writing.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting comment, Ken and Anne. My writing and depression do seem bound up. Writing has been great therapy in the past, and yet sometimes I just can't write at all. You're right about the highs and lows. Thanks so much for dropping in.
DeleteHelena and Rachel and these were tough questions. I'm sorry Helena that you suffer from depression. Your husband sounds like a wonderful, supportive person. I wish you well.
ReplyDeleteWhen having guests over, Iike you, I also try and get as much done as possible so that I can sit and visit.
I love that you were late for class because you were so absorbed in reading Jane Austen. What a romantic! I love it! :)
Thank you so much, Susan! It was a great idea of JQ's to put recipes on my blog. Perhaps a "dinner party" theme would be a good idea. I'd love to know what you make your guests. Thanks very much for dropping in, and for taking the time to comment!
DeleteWhat a delightful interview. Rachel certainly turned the tables on you with her super questions. I share your experience of forgetting to go inside after recess. I wasn't reading but playing with an imaginary friend. I was new to the school and didn't notice my class had gone in.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of pistachio ice cream! I'll share. :)
Oh, that's a lovely story about the imaginary friend, Marsha! I do hope you made some real friends pretty soon after that. My oldest daughter had three imaginary friends after we moved house to a new area. She made new friends at nursery though, and so Marmaduke, Napoleon and Bertie the Hen were soon forgotten :) Thanks for your lovely comment!
Delete