A warm welcome to Laura Strickland. Please
get comfortable, Laura, and tell us a little about your adventure.
What
books have most influenced your life most?
Wow,
this is a difficult question. I’ve read
a lot of books over the years, and treasured a great many of them. I suspect that every book I’ve read – good
or bad – has influenced me on some subatomic level, sculpting the stuff of my
brain and adding a little something.
I’ve always said I learned to write by reading great writers, most of
them British. Maybe I learned a bit
about how not to write by reading the other kind.
When
I was younger, I measured my love for a book by my desire to own a copy. I would save my allowance until I could
order copies of books like Sally Watson’s Witch of the Glens. After I read Louisa May Alcott’s Rose in
Bloom I made up my mind to memorize it word for word – and that was long before
I saw the movie Fahrenheit 451! I
didn’t prove too successful, but the effort did give me time to save enough
money to purchase a copy, which I still own.
I
think I’ve actually been most influenced by books that created a world that
then drew me in, like Tolkien’s The Hobbit and the Discworld Series by Sir
Terry Pratchett, who qualifies as my favourite author of all time. Those kinds of books inspired me to create
worlds of my own, like that inhabited by the characters of my latest release,
Daughter of Sherwood.
What
book are you reading now?
Well,
I’m a voracious reader, so I tend to go through books very quickly and I have a
wide range of interests when it comes to reading fiction. I generally choose what to read based on my
mood of the moment, but once I start a book I always finish, even if I don’t
particularly like the story. It’s as if
having opened a book, I feel I’ve entered into a pact with the author and
committed myself to follow through. I
have the good fortune to work for a Library System (right, could it be more
perfect?) so I have access to a wide range of books at all times. I read Historical, Mysteries, Romances,
Humor, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult and occasionally even
Westerns.
I
also love to read books written by my fellow authors. The Wild Rose Press is publishing an amazing array of fiction and
there’s definitely something to meet every taste and every mood. When I see the talent of my fellow Roses,
I’m humbled to be in their company.
Right
now, though, I’m reading a Young Adult novel by Michael Rubens called Sons of
the 613, a coming of age story that’s so funny it makes me laugh out loud.
Can
you give us some details about your upcoming release/s?
My
latest book, DAUGHTER OF SHERWOOD, is Book One of The Guardians of Sherwood
Trilogy, and the next book, Champion of Sherwood, has an estimated
release date some time next spring.
It’s a funny thing, because when I wrote Daughter of Sherwood and
submitted it to my publisher I had no notion of writing a trilogy. Not till I received a contract from my
editor did that idea strike me.
Daughter
of Sherwood is
a story of threes: the heroine, Wren, is born three days after the death of her
father, Robin Hood; her mother, Marian, cares for her three days before
succumbing to her grief and withdrawing to a convent. At the beginning of the book Wren learns she is destined to be
part of a magical triad that guards Sherwood Forest, along with the sons of two
of Robin’s men, Martin Scarlet and Sparrow Little. It just seemed a given that there should be a trilogy and I began
work almost at once on the second book, Champion of Sherwood, which
tells the tale of Wren’s daughters and a young Norman knight. The final book of the trilogy, called Lord
of Sherwood, is now in the final stages of editing. It brings the tale round in a circle to end
where it began. Each book can be read
and enjoyed separately, as each tells a complete story, but I’m particularly
proud of how the three books fit together to advance the legend of Robin Hood
and his descendants.
What
historical person would you want to meet and why?
There
are so many people I’d love to meet. I
love ancient Celtic music so I’ve always wished I could meet the 17th-Century
Irish harper, Turlough O’Carolan. Only
imagine sitting and listening to him play and tell stories! I’ll bet Thomas Jefferson would have been a
fascinating conversationalist. And I’d
find it hard to turn down a meeting with Leif Ericson or William Wallace. Do I really have to choose? Can’t I have a banquet? Jefferson can bring vegetables from his
garden, Ericson can catch some fish in the fjord, Wallace can bring down a deer
off a Scottish hillside and O’Carolan can keep us all entertained while we
eat. We’ll talk late into the night,
share a dram or two, and they can give me ideas for stories.
If
you could time travel back, or forward, for one day, where would it be and why?
I
love this question! If I could time
travel for a day, it would definitely be back and I’d land myself in Celtic
Iron Age Britain. In fact, the first
Celtic Historical I ever wrote was a story about a man who crashes his car and,
while in a coma, wakes up in Iron Age Scotland to find he’s a warrior in an
ancient clan. So it’s not much of a
stretch to imagine myself doing the same thing.
Just
plop me down anywhere along the coast of Kintyre or near the foot of Glen Etive
and I believe my imagination will do the rest.
I did visit both places when I was in Scotland several years ago,
because both are settings for books I’ve written. I found them to be wondrously similar to the way I’d pictured
them in my mind. I’d like nothing more
than an opportunity to see them in days of yore when factories, automobiles and
airplanes were mere concepts in the minds of dreamers. The problem is, I’m not
sure I’d want to return after my day was done!
Have
you ever cried during a movie? If yes, which one and why?
When
I was in grade school, we had something called “film day” once a month. Each student was asked to bring ten cents
from home and a movie would be rented and shown for the whole student body, in
the auditorium. I remember I was in
sixth grade and seated next to my best friend, Debbie, the day they showed a
movie called “A Dog of Flanders”. I
don’t know if you’ve ever seen it, but it’s a touching story about a young boy
whose dog – a Bouvier des Flandres – is his only companion and his sole means
of support. The dog would do anything
for the boy, and vice versa. Well, to
make a long story short, the dog does not survive the film and this animal
lover was reduced to a state of inconsolable grief. When the movie finished and the lights came up, Debbie and I were
both still wallowing in tears though no one else seemed so terribly
affected. Embarrassing, but even to
this day I flinch when anyone mentions a movie that involves animals, and I
refuse to watch unless I’m promised any and all animal characters will still be
alive at the end.
DAUGHTER OF SHERWOOD blurb:
Raised
in the kitchens of Nottingham Castle, Wren has no idea she is the daughter of
the legendary Robin Hood until she is summoned to Sherwood Forest. Since Robin’s death many years before, the
resistance against Norman tyranny has been upheld by a magical triad, but now
one of the guardians has died. With two
young men, Sparrow and Martin, Wren must form a new triad with a bond strong
enough to defend Sherwood’s magic. To
one of them, she will also give her heart.
From
the moment Wren bursts into his life, Sparrow loves her. But he knows she may choose his lifelong
rival, Martin, as her mate. Martin
wants Wren also, but Sparrow fears Martin is driven not by love but
ambition. When Martin is captured and
held at Nottingham Castle, will the conflict between love and duty destroy the
triad?
DAUGHTER
OF SHERWOOD excerpt:
In the gathering gloom, the
man looked tall and slender, a shadow seen only indistinctly. But she knew him,
had seen him numerous times in both dream and imagination.
A sob burst from her throat.
"You are dead."
“But I live on, here in
Sherwood. That to which we give our love in life is never lost."
Rennie continued to examine him
through narrowed eyes. This must be how he had looked at the time of his death,
strong and handsome, vital as the forest itself.
"Long have I tried to reach you,
Daughter, to tell you the importance of your place here."
There, he had said it: daughter. A
chill chased its way through Rennie's limbs.
"Wren, life is a series
of cycles. The flesh rises and falls as do the stars in the sky; the spirit
endures. The three of you – Sparrow,
Martin and yourself – must prepare to take your places on the wheel."
"The wheel?"
"Of life."
"It is not fair,"
Rennie cried, suddenly aware of how much she would have liked knowing this man.
"It is not fair," he
agreed, "when a child is born into serfdom, an old woman bled to death for
the king's taxes, or the father of a family deprived of his hand, so those he
loves must starve. There is but one thing fair about our world."
"And, what is that?"
"That love does not die, but rides the wheel and goes round
until it meets with those who love, again. You must do as you must do. Keep the magic strong."
Bio:
Born
and raised in Western New York, Laura Strickland has pursued lifelong interests
in lore, legend, magic and music, all reflected in her writing. Though her
imagination frequently takes her to far off places, she is usually happiest at
home not far from Lake Ontario with her husband and her "fur" child,
a rescue dog. Currently she is at work on the third book of the Guardians of
Sherwood series.
Buy
link for Daughter of Sherwood:
Or via author’s web page: http://www.laurastricklandbooks.com
