Author interview with Faye Hall: On historical Aussie fiction, juggling parenting and writing, and what to expect next.
Today on the blog, i'm chatting with Australian author, Faye Hall.
Faye Hall's passion driven, mystery filled books are set in small townships of North Queensland, Australia during the late 1800's. Each of her novels bring something symbolically Australian to her readers, from Aboriginal herbal remedies, to certain gemstones naturally only found in this part of the world. Each of her books tell of a passionate connection between the hero and heroine, surrounded and threatened by deceit, scandal, theft and sometimes even murder. These romances swerve from the traditional romances as Faye aims to give her readers so much more intrigue, whilst also revealing the hidden histories of rural townships of North Queensland. Faye finds her inspiration from the histories of not only the township she grew up in, but the many surrounding it. She also bases most of her characters on people she has met in her life. Faye was able to live her own passion driven romance, marrying the love of her life after a whirlwind romance in 2013. Together they are raising their 9 children in a remote country town in northern Queensland, Australia.Faye, thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog to talk about your books, publishing journey and your writing process. So, why do you write small-town mysteries set in North-Queensland in the late 1800’s? I grew up in a small town in North Queensland near the Burdekin River. My family were some of the first land developers here during the late 1800's, so I grew up listening to their stories and about the kind of lives they lived. I loved them and began writing my own stories with them as the background. Before long I had my first novel written.How would you describe your latest novel, Amorous Redemption, in just five words? Intriguing. Passionate. Steamy. Mysterious. Factual.What kind of research do you do for your genre? I rely a lot on local people and their photo's and personal history. Few locals have written books about the towns history which I've been lucky to get a copy of. I use a lot of my own family history too, as well as my husband's.What do you like about the romance reader (and writer) community? I have most of them to be so very helpful and supportive. Usually very good to have a chat to and throw ideas around with too.You have nine children (!!!), how do you fit in writing? What does your writing routine look like? Yeah lol. We have 6 of the nine left at home and at school so my life is very busy and very full. I do have a wonderful husband who helps out despite being on shift work. I write when I can basically, usually in the evenings after kids are in bed and I try for the weekends too.Can you tell us about your publishing journey? I was first published in 1996 just after I finished high school by a small publisher who unfortunately went bust a few years later. I was then taken on by Nobel romance but due to an upheaval in their company my contract was terminated. I was then picked up by Red Sage Publishing who I published several books through. I've also been lucky to be taken on by Beachwalk Press for several of my books. Has been a bumpy road and a lot of hard work and set backs but I 'just keep swimming' as they say.What can readers expect from you next? Are you working on another novel? I’m finalising a script called Heart of Stone. It is a beautiful romance that comes out of the horror of the Australian slave trade. I'm also part way through a seven book series about the sins of the flesh.And just for fun, here’s a few questions to give us insight into your writing process. When writing, do you prefer…Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? coffeePlotting, pantsing or both? bothQuiet solitude or background noise? depends really. Usually music when I'm writing and silence when I'm editing.A warm, sunny day or a cold, rainy day?Cold rainy day - a rare thing in North Queensland.Typing or a pen and notebook? bothThank you so much for stopping by and sharing your writer journey with us. To connect with Faye and learn more about her books, you can find her at: http://www.faye-hall.com 