Featured Interview With Julie Anderson
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I live in south London, England and Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. I grew up in a small semi-rural village in Worcestershire, one of those places which are great for children – orchards, cows, wild woods, streams to fish and swim in – but which I found parochial and restricting as I reached adulthood, so I went away, first to university then to work. I now enjoy living in a cosmopolitan capital city and agree with Dr Johnson who said that if you were tired of London you were tired of life. I still love to visit Worcestershire though. Right now, because of travelling regularly to Spain I don’t have pets, but, usually I have at least two cats.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As soon as I could read, I read as much as I could lay my hands on. I even wrote a novel ( which, I am glad to say, was lost long ago ). I gave it to my teacher who must have found it awful but encouraged me nonetheless. I didn’t return to writing until many years later, once I had done lots of other things, but I continued to read, given any opportunity. I will still read the back of the cereal packet at breakfast if I don’t have a book or a newspaper.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I wait with anticipation for publication of the latest books of Hilary Mantel, Julian Barnes, E.Annie Proulx and Graham Swift – generally fairly ‘literary’ books, which are also popular. But I like Neal Stephenson too and Neil Gaiman. I get hooked on historical detective and adventure stories, like those of C.J.Sansom, or Steven Saylor and love the classics, like The Name of the Rose or The Thirty Nine Steps.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is ‘The Silver Rings’. It is the sequel to ‘Reconquista’ an adventure story set in 13th century Al Andalus ( modern day southern Spain ) which was long listed for the Mslexia Children’s Book Award 2016. Both books are set during the turbulent wars of ‘re-conquest’ between the Christian north and the Muslim south, when King battles Emir for possession of the land and power. In ‘The Silver Rings’ my young heroes return home after their first adventures but find that their home town has changed, as have their places within it. How they adjust to their new circumstances and resolve the issues open at the end of the first book, as well as remaining true to their friendship, makes them grow up still further. By the end of ‘The Silver Rings’ they have all left childhood far behind.
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