16 year old Lidie Brunier has everything; looks, wealth, health and a charming suitor but there are dark clouds on the horizon. Lidie and her family are committed Huguenots and Louis XIV has sworn to stamp out this ‘false religion’ and make France a wholly Catholic country. Gradually Lidie’s comfortable life starts to disintegrate as Huguenots are stripped of all rights and the King sends his brutal soldiers into their homes to force them to become Catholics. Others around her break under pressure but Lidie and her family refuse to convert. With spies everywhere and the ever present threat of violence, they struggle on. Then a shocking betrayal forces Lidie’s hand and her only option is to try and flee the country. A decision that brings unimaginable hardship, terror and tragedy and changes her life for ever.
Sandra Robinson, Huguenot Ancestry Expert
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Writing Interview Questions
Why did you choose to write your book in this era?
I had always known that I had Huguenot ancestors but I didn’t know why they came to England in the late 17th century. Then a chance remark by a cousin sparked my interest. ‘They fled persecution,’ she said. I decided to find out more.
Did you find researching this era particularly difficult? What was the hardest thing to find out, and did you come across anything particularly surprising?
Many of those who try to trace their Huguenot roots find the process laborious and frustrating, coming across contradictions and going down blind alleys, but I was lucky. A lot is known about my Huguenot forebears so it wasn’t particularly hard to find out about them. They feature in the Annals of the Huguenot Society and some meticulous research was done on them by an Edwardian ancestor of mine, so I had a head start.
I knew where they lived in France; in a small town in Gascony, not far from Bordeaux. I knew what they did (they were predominately lawyers, physicians and minor nobles) and that they were friends with other prominent Protestant families in the region with whom they inter married and socialised. The Edwardian ancestor states that they lived just outside the town centre in ‘the pleasant faubourg’ and, although I found no evidence of this, it seems likely to be true. And I knew that they fled to London in 1692.
The King’s Command is only very loosely based on the experience of these ancestors of mine and I’ve given them strong and individualistic characters, probably making them more interesting than they were in reality. I’ve invented a lot of other characters, too, and included a great deal of tension and jeopardy in the plot.
The most surprising thing, to me, was to discover the level of hatred between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) in France during the 16th and 17th centuries and the determination of Louis XIV to stamp out Protestanism – the ‘false religion’ as he called it – by any means.
Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?
There are two slow-burning love stories in the book and some near misses when the main protagonists are nearly caught when they are trying to escape. Also, there’s a strong willed young maid who plays a crucial part in the story. I became very fond of her. I know what happens to her, but no one else does!
If you had to describe your protagonist(s), in three words, what would those three words be and why?
Lidie is the main protagonist. Devout, determined, passionate. She has to be devout, otherwise she could have taken the easy way out and denied her faith, and determined, for the same reason. But she’s full of joie de vivre, too, adores beautiful clothes and is a passionate lover.
What was the most challenging part about writing your book?
Probably describing the death of a child.
Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in?
No. I did a lot of editing, but this was removing ploddy prose, repetition and preachiness.
What are you currently working on?
A trilogy of novellas that have been commissioned by my publisher. They will be set at the time of the Napoleonic wars and feature a flawed, ex military spy.
What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities?
Keep writing. The more you write, the better you will be. Do a little every day and crack on, even if you aren’t feeling inspired. You can always come back to your writing later and redraft. And read lots; see how writers you admire bring places and people to life.
Personal Interview questions.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
So many things! Seeing friends, travelling, reading, listening to music, going to concerts and the theatre, singing, walking, eating good food.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to write stories. I first sent a story to a publisher when I was ten! I’m sure it was terrible and I wish I had kept it. Needless to say, the publisher rejected it, but they did send me a lovely encouraging letter, too.
What’s for dinner tonight? What would you rather be eating?
As I write, it’s a very hot day, so it will probably be a salad of some sort, almost certainly involving an avocado pear. But I quite fancy lobster.
What would be a perfect day?
A day spent with my whole family, eating, drinking, chatting, walking dogs in glorious countryside and then watching the sun go down.
What is the best part of your day?
I work best in the morning; the middle of the day is often a bit soggy. And the evening is the time for relaxing.
Either or!
Tea or coffee: definitely coffee
Hot or cold: hot mostly
Movie or book: book
Morning person or Night owl: morning
City or country: I love living in the country but always enjoy my jaunts to the city
Social Media or book: book
Paperback or ebook: both. If I’ve enjoyed an ebook then I’ll buy the pb.
Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark), historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigine and Forgotten Footprints), middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Child and Break Out) to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.
Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well-known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.
Rosemary has recently turned her hand to adult fiction and her historical novel ‘The King’s Command’ is about the terror and tragedy suffered by the French Huguenots during the reign of Louis XIV.
Website • Twitter • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads
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Thank you for featuring Rosemary Hayes on your blog today. A fabulous interview!
ReplyDeleteCathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club