Some great questions this week provided by Leslie Hachtel
1. Do you prefer to write futuristic, contemporary or historical romances and why?
I have never written a futuristic story before, so can’t comment on that.
I do enjoy writing contemporary, as it’s much easier to just go with the flow as I know language and setting and things.
But I prefer writing historical, because, well, you can really have fun with it 😀 I like the language, the social differences, the settings. Everything from history just adds that bit more excitement to a story.
Contemporary is nice, but everyone knows today’s world is kinda meh. Where as with history you can really romanticise it!
2. What is your favourite time in history and how and why does it inspire you?
Oh, what a toughie!
I would have said Ancient Roman times, but then I researched it for my last book and have kind of gone off the idea now!
I guess medieval times probably. All those knights in shining armour, beautiful dresses and castles. How can that not inspire a writer? 😀
3. How has your life experience contributed to your writing?
I’m not really sure. I haven’t led a very exciting life, I tend to be a rather careful person, not taking many risks.
Though I was never a fan of school, I worked hard, but I never liked it. So, I would often (always!) daydream during class. I think that helped keep my imagination and let it grow. I believe one of my strengths as a writer is my ability to see things visually in my head, and that means I can write things to even a small detail as I can see it play like a movie in my mind.
Maybe all those hours not paying attention to class and playing out stories in my head instead are paying off. Who says school isn’t good for anything? 😀
Now let’s go see what Carrie Elks has to say on the subject!
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Progress Report
Publishing status:
> Stolen- Final read out. (Still to do: Cover, blurb, formatting, marketing).
> The Queen’s Jester- Final edits. (Still to do: Cover, blurb, final read-out, formatting, marketing).
> Third Manuscript- Final edits. (Still to do: Cover, blurb, formatting, marketing).
May E-Book Review: Book chosen.
A Writer's Life For Me. 
Nice questions and answers!
Thank you very much, they were fun to answer 🙂
Great questions.. Historical writing takes so much more research, but it is enjoyable.
Research can be part of the fun though, as long as I don’t get side-tracked by new information 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Great questions and answers! I especially like your answer to question 3. Books written by authors with a less exciting life are often more convincing. Perhaps due to the fact that ‘normal’ authors have more time for thorough research, and more dream potential.
I always enjoy these posts. It’s nice to learn about a writer’s choices and their influences. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it, it is fun answering and finding out what the others have to say. It really goes to show how individual everyone is in the way they write 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Great answers 🙂 I haven’t written anything historical before but like you say, there is something charming about the romanticised settings of the past that I think can work really well, especially in a romance 🙂
There really is, historical setting tend to only add to the magical kind of setting of romance, for me anyway 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Interesting, Leslie. I liked that you weren’t a fan of school but find yourself in a cerebral sort of profession.
I think my favorite historical time would be Victorian, but middle ages are a close second. 🙂
I do like the Victorian era, all those lovely dresses 🙂
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Great interview! My historical novel is set at the time of The Norman Conquest, which many historians regard as the official beginning of the Middle Ages (at least in Britain and France). I have another one in progress that is set only a couple of decades after that, so I guess that might be might era of choice. But every period of history is fascinating and unique in its own way.
Each period of history can provide such a unique and different setting, throwing up whole new ideas for events, that’s what I like 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
My pleasure! Your blog is really good.
I didn’t enjoy school either. I did like to write, they just didn’t like what I wrote. I’m a fan of Ancient Rome, too! Enjoyed your post! 🙂
Yeah, I spent most of my time daydreaming and jotting down doodles or short stories during class 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
I’m currently writing a contemporary romance. I hadn’t really considered writing a historical one. The trouble with that would be being historically accurate, so I’d have to do plenty of research to get it right. So in that respect, writing contemporary romances is a lot easier.
Yeah, that’s how I feel. Contemporary is great fun and I feel more relaxed writing it because I am pretty certain I know the time and language 😀 Where as historical I was more nervous about writing, because of the details and accuracy, still, I hope it was worth it in the end!
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
I’m all for knights in shining armor – the more the better! Great answers.
Yeah, I just wish I could find my own knight in shining armour now 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Some people call it not paying attention. I think we should rename it Dream Time and make it mandatory.
Dream Time should definitely be a must in all schools 😀 I think the imagination and creativity should be encouraged.
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
I love the idea living in Medieval times – King Arthur and Merlin and Guinevere, oh my!
Everything about it is just so swoon-worthy! 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Let’s make Dream Time a class ,no a course, no a degree! 🙂
I totally agree! 😀 I would be straight on that course!
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Well, ya didn’t have me for a teacher! LOL. I wouldn’t let you daydream, but I did teach a lottttt of writing, even how to write screenplays too!
That sounds more like my kind of class! 😀 I used to pay attention in English class, I did have great teachers in that so it helped. They really pushed me to pursue writing, that is one of my great memories from school.
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
That’s how I feel about historicals. And I’m with Kim on getting a degree (master’s or doctorate) in Dream Time.
I do love historicals 😀 And I agree too on the degree! I would totally take that course!
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
You are so courageous to write historical. I’d mess it up within a sentence!
It is good fun to write historical, but I was nervous about getting it right 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Ahhhhh, I’ve always been a daydreamer too 🙂 Enjoyed the questions and your answers!!!
I’m figuring daydreaming is gonna help my writing at some point, right? 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
I think it’s time to take some risks, do something dangerous! How fun with that be?
I wouldn’t even know where to start to begin taking risks! 😀
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
I love historical, imagining what went on in all those castles and palaces 🙂
It is nice to dream about those times, especially romanticised in my head 😀 History does add the bit extra magic to a story I find.
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
Great answers 🙂 It’s a gift, being able to see stories in your head, and as writing is obviously what you were meant to do, those daydreaming classes worked!
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