Uh, running the household, cooking everything from scratch, homeschooling, novel writing, nursing the wee one and part time with the military....eh, yeah, no comment DH, at least not until you do it all and get up with me a few times a night, every night.
Oops! OK, back on track...
Let's move on to Africa! Yes, we've left space and the Amish behind. We now make our way across the globe to chat with Vered. (Unless you already live there, then it would be nice if you could get the tea ready.)
Could you share a little about yourself and
what led you to become a writer?
For some reason,
that’s such an intimidating question! In a nutshell, I’m South African born,
Canadian raised and Kenyan resident. My husband and I have an assortment of
animals, including the
Do you write full time? How much of your life
is set aside for writing?
It depends. I’m a
consultant, which means I’m either overworked or unemployed. When I’m
unemployed, I write full time. When I have a contract, not so much.
Could you tell us a little about your novel?
My most recent novel is the first in a series concerning dead husbands,
African legends and the search for a perfect spot of tea. I wrote it for those
readers who adore “Pride & Prejudice” and would love to experience “The
Parasol Protectorate” set in colonial Africa. So basically I wrote it for
myself. You make me laugh...and I love the mix found in your book.
Throughout the series, I’ve woven in African mythology and cultural
tidbits into the story, while attempting to be true to the historical facts of
the time and place. This involved a bit (or rather, a lot) of research, but
living in Kenya for the past 15 years helps with getting the ambience and
environment into the book.
Where does the inspiration for you main
character and story come from?
Mrs Knight and I do
share a few interests: we both live on tea and consume far too much of the
substance; we both have a snarky sense of humour (although I draw the line at
laughing when someone dies, barely); and we love being in Kenya. As for the
story… Well, I’ve wanted to write about my current home for a while now, but
couldn’t quite drum up the courage to do so, as modern Kenya is a complex
place. However I love historical fiction and a Kenyan friend of mine began sharing
tribal stories of local myths his grandmother used to tell him. And thus it all
began. Interesting!
What is the message behind the story? Was it
something you specifically wrote a story around or did it develop as your
characters came to life?
The message can be
best summed up with the eloquent words of Mrs Knight: “Being dead is no excuse for bad manners.” (Choked on a sip of tea)
Do you work from an outline or just go with the
flow? If you use an outline, how detailed is it?
A bit of both. I do
sketch out the overall flow of the story, the major plot points, characters,
important directions, that sort of thing. But in the writing process, some
intriguing little detours pop up, and often I didn’t see them coming. For
example, I had no idea Mrs Knight felt that way about a certain person whose
name shall go unmentioned. My kind of characters...the question here is 'How much did you argue with her before letting her have these feelings?'
What is the time span in your novel, weeks,
months, years? How much research went into it?
The novel happens over
a few weeks (not including the passage by ship from London to Mombasa – that
was a very tiresome time and we don’t dwell too much on that). Research – quite
a bit. I needed to study not only the historical facts around Kenya of the
time, but also Victorian dress and conduct, East African culture and myths, the
general events of the time that may have impacted on decisions and attitudes
etc.
Could you tell us how you go about your
research, how you ‘catalogue’ information to make it all work?
Cataloguing makes me
sound far too organised! I started off with a list of questions that I added to
as I wrote. Research happened all through the writing process, and on a few
points, the research actually indicated a new idea or character to add in.
How does this book differ from what you have
written in the past?
My other books have
for the most part also been in the paranormal sphere (apart from a brief dabble
into Sci-Fi, but it still had a bit of the unworldly involved). This series
though is truly dear to my heart, and is one with such a rich world, eccentric
characters and so many opportunities to continue the journey or delve into side
series. Previously, I didn’t write more than two books in a series, but I’ve
already finished the first four in this one, and have a fifth sketched out and
started.
How have the changes in present day publishing
impacted your schedule as a writer?
My schedule, when I’m
not working on a contract, is not much different than if I do go to work
elsewhere. In other words, I treat this as a business. I think that's wise, because a lot of time goes into writing our books, we need to invest as much in the marketing and promoting of our work.
How do you handle marketing? Do you have a
plan, a publicist or just take one day at a time?
I have a plan… sort
of! The first and most important part of marketing is to keep writing. That I
intend to do. I’ve also been reading about marketing and experimenting with
ideas I’ve picked up.
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Keep writing! Also a
book I’d recommend highly is “Write. Publish. Repeat.” Practical and to the
point. I will have to look into that one, I haven't read it.
Could you tell us what you’re working on now?
I’m polishing up the
next three books in the series, and working on the fifth. I also am working on in-between
short stories; these will be given out to anyone who posts a review of a book
in the series. The shorts have secrets that aren’t fully disclosed in the main
books. We're going to have to post a review here too!
Book Blurb:
Armed with Victorian etiquette, a fully loaded walking stick and a
dead husband, Beatrice Knight arrives in colonial Kenya desperate for a pot of
tea and a pinch of cinnamon.
But she’ll need more than that if she’s to unravel the mystery of the Ghosts of
Tsavo without being eaten in the process. All this while surviving the
machinations of her best friend’s dashing godfather and the efforts of her
safari guide to feed her to any lion willing to drag her away. What is a
ghost-chasing widow to do?
Purchase links:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SYWOK84
(Amazon)
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/515424
(Smashwords)
Kobo and
Barnes&Noble to be added shortly
Author bio:
Vered Ehsani has been a writer since she
could hold pen to paper, which is a lot longer than she cares to admit. She
lives in Kenya with her family and various other animals. When she isn’t
writing or running a radio
show, she pretends to work as
an environmental consultant. Visit Vered and her world of African
paranormal thrillers at http://veredehsani.co.za and get a free book. Email her at veredehsani (at) gmail.com – she
loves to hear from her readers.
We can look forward to Vered possibly indulging us with a character interview...I'll keep you posted! Keep your fingers crossed :o)
Most interesting - thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete