Spirit of Lost Angels by Liza Perrat - Triskele Books giveaway week Day 6

Welcome to an awesome week brought to us by Triskele Books:

Day 1 - Complicit by Gillian Hamer
Day 2 - Tristan & Iseult by JD Smith
Day 3 - Tread Softly by JJ Marsh
Day 4 - Gift of Raven by Catriona Troth
Day 5 - The Open Arms of the Sea by Jasper Dorgan

Triskele Books Day 6

Jasper interviews Liza Perrat.

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Spirit of Lost Angels
by Liza Perrat
Paperback, 378 pages
Published June 2, 2012

Spirit of Lost Angels is a compelling story set in the turbulence of 18^th century revolutionary France which follows the extraordinary life, loves and fortunes of the remarkable heroine, Victoire – from rural peasant squalor to the vitality and dangers of Paris in revolution.

What were the attractions of setting your story in 18^th century revolutionary France?

In the late 18^th century, the world was changing fast. Pre-revolutionary France was a time of great turmoil at all levels of society, as people were, finally, questioning the old regime. I wanted to explore what led the people to revolt, and how this affected the mass of the population: the peasants and the poverty-stricken. More particularly, I hoped to show how women were affected by this conflict; how they reacted, struggled and fought, and how they changed in the face of this great upheaval.

Victoire is a very strong, brave and resolute young woman. Creating her must have been both exhilarating and exhausting. She was part of you while you were writing her, does she still live in you now that you aren’t?

Not really, perhaps only in that Victoire is an ancestor of the present novel’s heroine, and a predecessor of the heroine of the next one. So, just keeping in mind family traits, professions and character, to carry over to preceding and following generations. But generally, once a novel is done with, it’s time to immerse myself in the next protagonist.

There must have been a great deal of research to so expertly bring the times, places and people of 18^th century France to life on the page, but you manage to wear such research very lightly. What’s your secret?

Oh that’s lovely of you to say so, Jasper, and many of my “beta” readers were kind enough to point out instances where the narrative did stray into “history lesson”. I then tried to weave all those areas more into the narration.

One of the many interesting themes of the book is the fight for new political and governance rights for the people interlaced with the emerging fight for women’s rights as championed by Mary Wollstonecroft, who appears in a cameo role in the narrative. Mary is obviously a heroine of yours but are there problems in introducing real and well documented historical people into a historical fiction?

Definitely. The writer must try to adhere, as much as possible, to what we know about a particular historical figure, as well as imagine how and why that person may have behaved in such a way. It’s a fine line.

If you had the choice to live in any historical time and place, when and where would it be?

I’d love to go back to 14^th century rural France, but only for a day, to see how it really was. Then, before I caught the plague, smallpox or tuberculosis, I’d like to quickly return to the clean comforts of the present day.

What are you writing now?

I’m about a quarter of the way into the third novel in this series––Blood Rose Angel––which explores the same family as the first two books, in 14^th century rural France.

Which favourite book on your shelf demonstrates a real sense of time and place?

Ooh, that’s a hard one; that goes for so many of my favourite books. But what comes first to mind is Kate Grenville’s Sarah Thornhill and The Secret River. I really felt I was back in early 19^th century colonial Australia.

Spirit of Lost Angels is available now.

See Liza’s list of Indie-friendly book reviewers in the Triskele blog Toolbox.

Liza Perrat has visited Colorimetry - for an interview and a follow-up Guest Post on Writing Historical Fiction.

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Follow Liza on Twitter @LizaPerrat

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Liza is offering an e-copy giveaway of Spirit of Lost Angels.

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Guest Post... Liza Perrat, author of Spirit of Lost Angels, on Writing Historical Fiction

Recently on Colorimetry, Liza Perrat shared her book, Spirit of Lost Angels, and the response was very fun. She has answered all the comments... and there were a LOT... but I thought it would be nice to invite her back to address some of them here. Yes... names are mentioned. You might be in this post.

Liza Perrat on Writing Historical Fiction

Firstly, thank you to all those entrants who entered the giveaway of my historical fiction novel, Spirit of Lost Angels, and thank you for all the Tweets about the giveaway; they were much appreciated. The five winners have now been contacted and the signed paperbacks, and e-copies, sent out. And last, but not least, a big thank you to Laura and Colorimetry for interviewing me and for hosting this giveaway.

There were so many good questions and comments that I’ve decided to write a short post, in an effort to better answer them.

Lisa Vazquezanzua and Alyssa Palmer asked about research for historical novels. Well, I am only on my third historical fiction novel, so I’m far from an expert, but this is what I’ve gleaned so far about researching historical fiction.

It seems that very few historical fiction writers have university degrees in history. Authors of historical fiction are, first and foremost, novelists who must master the craft of fiction in the same way as any other novelist. Learning how to write a good story that hooks readers and keeps them turning the pages is as vital as getting the historical details right.

Yet those period customs and technological details must be nailed. Historical fiction falls flat on its face when the characters jump off the page as modern-day people disguised in period garb. But these days, with all the historical resources available, not to mention the internet, authors can usually unearth those nuggets that will breathe life into their story.

However, public archives, the web, old letters, postcards and diaries aside, there’s nothing more inspiring than spending time in the place in which your story is set, trying to imagine how it might have looked, felt and smelled, in the past. Even if your story takes place centuries ago, sensing the spirit of a place –– the trees and flowers, the seasonal light, the scents –– pulls a reader into a story. People are quickly bored with history lessons though, so the historical fiction author also has the task of knitting this detail into the narration, so it doesn’t come across as a textbook.

To answer Debby Chandler’s question about inspiration for this novel: a walk around the rural village of Messimy, France, where I live, gave me the idea for Spirit of Lost Angels. On the banks of the Garon River sits a stone cross named croix à gros ventre (cross with a big belly). Engraved with a heart shape, it is dated 1717 and commemorates two children who drowned in the river. Who were they? How did they drown, and where are they buried? I felt the urge to write the story of these lost children –– to give them a family, a village, an identity.

Historical monuments and structures also evoke the past and I like to study them as closely as possible, taking photographs from all angles (preferably minus the tourists!). For Wolfsangel, the second in my series, I visited the haunting memorial of Oradour-sur-Glane, site of a tragic WWII massacre.

If you are fortunate enough to live in a historical place, local fairs, festivals and events also provide great sources of inspiration for the historical fiction novelist. A local one I know well is the annual Bush Peach Festival. But what’s so historical about this succulent fruit with flesh the colour of blood you might ask? Well, the bush peach has long been grown alongside grape vines. Susceptible to the same diseases as the vines but quicker to develop the signs, vine growers plant peach trees next to their vineyards to warn them of potential problems. The bush peach has thus been part of the arboricultural patrimony of this region since the seventeenth century so, despite its questionable history as martyr, even the humble peach is firmly anchored in the village history.

Local people can also provide insight into past professions. One of the characters in Spirit of Lost Angels is a rémouleur –– an itinerant knife-grinder, and local resident, Georges, is a vestige of this profession that dates back to 1300. Lugging his odd-looking bicycle along to the marketplace every Saturday morning, Georges sits amidst the convivial banter, punnets of raspberries and strawberries, the boudins and saucissons, cycling in earnest to sharpen our knives and scissors. 

Historical fiction has become a hot genre in recent years, with many historical novels featuring on bestseller lists, but many more contemporary novels appear. So, it seems that to interest a publisher, or to gain a readership for self-publishers, a historical novel must encompass those same qualities as a contemporary novel –– well written and highly polished –– coupled with historical accuracy.

Awhartness asked if I had taken any other courses besides the Creative Writing class. The answer is no. I think the best way to learn (and keep learning) is by writing as much as possible. And, of course, reading widely, both in the genre in which you are writing, and other genres. There are also loads of excellent books out now, on the writing process. Here are a few I have found helpful, and which I would recommend:

On Writing, by Stephen King
Techniques of the Selling Writer, by Dwight V. Swain
Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande
Plot and Structure, by James Scott Bell,
Self-Editing For Fiction Writers, by Browne and King
The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White
Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynne Truss

This takes me to BookLady’s question about some of my favourite historical fiction authors. I steer clear of most novels that deal with kings and queens, and other famous historical people. I feel they have been “done to death” and I prefer to read, and to write stories from the point of view of the commoner, the peasant, the lowly man. At the moment, I’d have to say Karen Maitland’s medieval novels are my favourites; stories you can curl up with and lose yourself in. I also love Sarah Waters' books. I think in a great HF novel, the reader is completely transported back to that particular time in history.

So, to conclude, I’d just like to say thanks once again to everyone, for your support. And if you are interested, the second book in this series – Wolfsangel – will be publisher in December this year, under the Triskele Books label (www.triskelebooks.co.uk). I hope you’ll join me again on Colorimetry for another fun giveaway and discussion session! 

MORE: A colleague at Triskele Books has recently written an interesting post on researching historical fiction: http://triskelebooks.blogspot.com/search/label/historical%20fiction

Hoppy Easter - Spirit of Lost Angels

Woohoo!!  Amidst all the chocolate, bunnies and... hoppiness!  I have a seriously great read for a lot of winners. It's time (drum roll please) to bring in... the angels!!

Or rather... one angel, really... more of a talisman, actually. Oh, I'll hush now and let you check it out for yourself...

Hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer & Read Now Sleep Later

Spirit of Lost Angels
by Liza Perrat
Paperback, 378 pages
Published June 2nd 2012 by Perrat Publishing

Her mother executed for witchcraft, her father dead at the hand of a noble, Victoire Charpentier vows to rise above her poor peasant roots.

Forced to leave her village of Lucie-sur-Vionne for domestic work in Paris, Victoire suffers gruesome abuse under the ancien régime. Can she muster the bravery and skill to join the revolutionary force gripping France, and overthrow the corrupt, diabolical aristocracy?

Spirit of Lost Angels traces the journey of a bone angel talisman passed down through generations. The women of L’Auberge des Anges face tragedy and betrayal in a world where their gift can be their curse. 

Amidst the tumult of revolutionary France, this is a story of courage, hope and love.

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Please welcome Liza Perrat to Colorimetry to talk about her book!!

What kind of research did you do for Spirit of Lost Angels?

A lot. Before I wrote the novel, I knew nothing about the French Revolution, or the 18^th century. I read everything about the period I could get my hands on: fiction and non-fiction. The best part was watching all those revolution-related movies; relaxation and entertainment under the guise of research! Pre-revolutionary France was a time of great turmoil at all levels of society, as people were, finally, questioning the old regime. I wanted to explore what led the people to revolt, and how this affected the mass of the population: the peasants and the poverty-stricken. More particularly, I hoped to show how women were affected by this conflict; how they reacted, struggled and fought, and how they evolved in the face of such great upheaval.

Do you have a favorite scene?

My favourite scene, or rather scenes, would have to be in La Salpêtrière asylum of Paris. I was fascinated, and appalled by the conditions under which the women were imprisoned, and the rules women had to learn to survive. Located in the 13^th arrondissement of Paris, it was known as a cruel and harsh place to which people suffering from “mental” problems were sent … as well as other “conditions” such as beggars, prostitutes, epileptics, orphans, Jews, drunks, witches, blind women, adulteresses, magicians, bohemians and suicidals. The old, the young, the children, all imprisoned together, sent there by husbands, doctors, neighbours…

I have written a post about La Salpêtrière on my blog:

http://lizaperrat.blogspot.fr/2012/10/mad-women-of-hell-of-la-salpetriere.html

Can you share more of how you met your husband in Bangkok?

I’d been working as a midwife in Sydney, and was on my way to a 12-month midwifery job in Saudi Arabia, a fairly fashionable thing to do for Australians in the late 80s. I’d planned a month in Thailand, 3 months trekking in Nepal, then a month in India, before arriving in Saudi Arabia. Meeting a man was the furthest thing from my mind. On my first day in Bangkok, I caught an overnight bus south, and sat next to two young French lads. I knew not a word of French, and one of them couldn’t speak English, so we “conversed” via his friend, who had some English. We spent a wonderful month in Thailand together and, as I headed off for Nepal, he asked me to come to France. We got married a year later and, twenty-four years on, I’ve still never taken that job in Saudi Arabia.

Ha! How fun!!  Thank you for coming to visit... and sharing about your book and your life! 

Thank you kindly, Laura, for giving me this opportunity to feature on Colorimetry.

Liza grew up in Wollongong, Australia, where she worked as a general nurse and midwife for fifteen years.

When she met her French husband on a Bangkok bus, she moved to France, where she has been living with her husband and three children for twenty years. She works part-time as a French-English medical translator.

Since completing a Creative Writing course ten years ago, several of her short stories have won awards, notably the Writers Bureau annual competition of 2004 and her stories have been published widely in anthologies and small press magazines. Her articles on French culture and tradition have been published in international magazines such as France Magazine and France Today.

She is represented by Judith Murdoch of the Judith Murdoch Literary Agency and has completed four novels, and a short-story collection (Friends, Family and OtherStrangers from Downunder)

Spirit of Lost Angels is the first in a historical series set against a backdrop of rural France. The second novel in this series – Wolfsangel – will be published in December this year. Liza is working on the third in the series – Angel of the Blood Rose – the story of a 14^th century French midwife, set against a backdrop of the Black Plague.

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