Today's #HistFicThursdays blog is a brilliant interview with Susan Appleyard , as part of her Yarde Book Promotion tour! I was very excited to be a part of this tour as Susan is a fellow member of the Historical Writers' Forum , too. Read on to find out about her influences, inspirations, and the thrilling story readers can expect to share in with Escape of the Grand Duchess . But first, let's meet the book... Blurb Escape of the Grand Duchess by Susan Appleyard is a gripping historical novel that shatters the notion that royalty is synonymous with privilege and ease. At its heart is Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, the youngest sister of Tsar Nicholas II—a Romanov who defied a doomed destiny and survived. Unlike her ill-fated brother and his family, Olga’s story is one of resilience, sacrifice, and daring escape. Trapped in a loveless marriage to a reckless gambler—who harbours secrets of his own—she finds hope in the arms of a dashing army lieutenant. But be...
What do you say when people ask you if you like poetry? It's one of those questions where a single word answer just does not work for most people. Like all artforms - writing included - poetry is hugely subjective. But, when you do find a poem you love, it can be one of the most inspiring things of all.
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| Blake's original plate for The Little Black Boy |
My family saga draws constantly from poetry. I love the poetry of the Romantics - Byron in particular - and their poetry weaves in and out of the books, right down to the titles: Day's Dying Glory (from Byron's Lachin y Gair); and Beneath Black Clouds and White (from Blake's The Little Black Boy). I'm someone whose writing style is rather sumptuous (or should that be: overindulgent?!), and these flowery poems of depth and flow serve to add to my inspiration and also find a common ground between me and my characters, for whom they are contemporaneous.
The way we interact with words can say a great deal about about us. Where nonfiction writers use words to inform, and prose writers use words to project, poets paint with words. I like to believe there is a poem for everyone out there, and similarly one for every character - all beautifully different. So, spill the beans, what is the most inspirational poem you've ever read?
Spot on! Enjoyed this! Thank you xx
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