Featured Interview With Fiona Forsyth
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born in the south of England and now live in the north – a big deal for the UK, where the North/South divide is alive and kicking. I’ve never regretted my move up here though – I had a great job in the wonderful city of Manchester, even if it rained all the time. (My American friends tell me it’s like Seattle)
I have a strong background in Classics – Greek, Latin, and ancient history – having studied the subject at Oxford and taught it for many years. That first Greek myth you read can lead to great things. I love the twisty, sneaky politics of Rome, the way they were constantly plotting, the ruthlessness of Julius Cicero, the magnificence of Cicero’s oratory, the stupidity of Mark Antony. Rome has everything a novelist could ask for, and there are so many shadows cast by Rome on our own world.
I am otherwise a pretty ordinary person, a three-cat lady with a family, neighbors and friends. I read voraciously, cannot cook for toffee and get great satisfaction if a tomato appears on my single tomato plant.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was six when my teacher gave me Theseus and the Minotaur to read and it all led from there. I also loved all the kids’ adventure stories that were popular when I was young, and had to ask special permission from the Librarian to be allowed to borrow the Sherlock Homes stories. So a mixture of the ancient world and mystery is not very surprising!
I wrote my first story when I was five. It was about a little girl and a witch and a cat. They all liked each other, apparently, but nothing happened. I hope I have improved in my plotting since then.
Throughout my teaching of the Romans, I kept thinking, “This would make the start of a good book!” And in my fifties, I began writing the novels based on those ideas. It is never too late to write.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
The author I go back to time after time is Terry Pratchett, because he always makes me laugh. He doesn’t just juggle with the English language, he makes fireworks out of words.
I am a big fan of historical fiction and mystery, so Roman mysteries such as those written by John Maddox Robert’s and Steven Saylor are big favourites. I have to acknowledge their influence on my determination to write about the Romans.
But the writers who influenced me most are the historical writers of my childhood – Geoffrey Trease and Rosemary Sutcliff. They introduced me to the people of the past, and made me realize that history really matters, if we are to learn and develop as human beings. We cannot afford to ignore history or pretend that we are “better” than the people we read about. History tells us “Keep trying”.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
“Blood and Shadows” is the third in a trilogy of mysteries following a real Roman, Lucius Sestius Quirinalis. It was written to explore the effect of war on the people of my books, in particular the horrible civil war battle of Philippi. So many men died and were injured, it must have had a huge impact on Rome and Italy. I also wanted to explore the period when two men, Octavian and Mark Antony, were jockeying for power, and everyone must have know that it would all lead to yet another war. No wonder, once Octavian won, Rome was prepared to accept his rule: everyone must have been exhausted and desperate for peace.
I will also admit that I cried a lot while writing this book! The characters had got under my skin, and I knew that as it was the third of the Sestius trilogy I was going to have to relinquish them. I had to keep telling myself to be sensible, to think of them as just characters in a book, but it didn’t work.
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