Ever since I could hold a pen, I’ve written stories and
poems, and I’ll write till my dying day. I became a published author in 2011,
but in 2020 I’ve decided to narrow my genre to Historical Fiction and launch my
first four books in the Resistance Girl Series.
I have a fondness for history, heroines, and high stakes.
So, these days you can often find me researching the world wars of the 20th
century. I’m fascinated by that period and how it has shaped the world you and
I live in today. Especially the opportunities for women. Think only of simple
things as the right to vote!
Combining research with creating fictional stories about
ordinary women who do extraordinary things is what I absolutely adore. If
you’re interested in finding more about the golden nuggets of my archive
digging, do check out my blog ‘Historical Facts & Fiction’.
My prose has been described as character-driven and
descriptive. I’m heavily influenced by the early Russian, European, and
American novelists… and by the stacks of Harlequin novellas I used to read. A
cocktail of the absolute best with the quick & dirty is a favourite of
mine.
It is my wish to enthral you with my European stories from a
time when life was perhaps less rushed but certainly as complicated.
…………………………………….
Hannah Byron (pen-name of Hannah Ferguson) was born in 1956
in Paris (Fr.). She is of British/Irish/Dutch descent and lives in The
Netherlands. Next to writing historical fiction, she is a part-time translator
for a Dutch university. Hannah has two grown sons and lost her 29-year-old daughter
in 2014.
Hannah's latest book is now on preorder:
Two young women of noble birth, a persevering surgeon and
a plucky spy wield their own weapons to impact the First World War
Baroness Agnès de Saint-Aubin is a young Parisian doctor
with a mysterious past. She follows the attractive—but married—Dr. Alan Bell to
the front lines at the Château de Dragoncourt in Picardy, where they help
battle the horrors of the trench war. When the castle is captured by German
soldiers, the war turns personal as Agnès’s secret becomes both a terrible
liability—and a mighty weapon. Until Alan is severely injured and her world
falls apart.
Countess Madeleine, the young go-getter of the Dragoncourt
family, is furious that she’s been sidelined to a Swiss finishing school.
Knowing her place is in the thick of the action, she runs away to join her
siblings who are working as medics at the Château. Upon learning that it’s
fallen to the Germans, Madeleine is determined to effect a rescue of the French
doctors and nurses held prisoner within. But what can a mere teenager do
against the German army?
Told from Agnès’s and Madeleine’s perspectives, In Picardy’s Fields is a tribute to the
brave young women of WW1. Through their work and courage, they set in motion
the true liberation of 20th century women.
I always love talking to Hannah about her writing, for she has such an interesting take on the process. Thus, without further ado, here we go:
Every writer feels the pull of a story and
yet the why and when is different for all. What sat you down to start writing again?
Oh, that’s an
intriguing question! And a very appropriate one in my case because I used to be
the incorrigible fits-and-starts type of writer. With long stretches of not
writing interspersed with feverish activity.
Uhm… how long have we
got? *do grab a coffee or tea!*
I’ve written stories
and poems since I was a kid but I became a published author in 2011 at the ripe
age of 55. If I now see my first books, I’m actually glad I just went for it
and did not give the whole process too much consideration or I’d never have dared
to publish them. Don’t get me wrong, I probably had a dash of talent already, I
just knew very little about storytelling and plotting, and about the other side
of the coin: marketing my books.
By nature, I’m an
intuitive so I was happily ‘pantsering’ along and wrote the books and uploaded
them on the various platforms with the help of small Indie publishing groups.
It was a grand time, in which I met many of my now writer friends. You among them,
Elaina!
Serious stuff going
on in my life between 2012-2015 resulted in an abrupt end to this rather
charming innocence I had around writing and publishing. It made me think seriously
about life in general and about what a ‘writing career’ meant to me.
In my darkest hours I
had experienced that just keeping my pen going over the paper, writing
anything, anytime, was a LIFESAVING activity but somehow I hadn’t yet pieced
together that not writing fiction was also detrimental to my health. Now I know
and it’s as simple as rolling off a log: if I don’t write I become edgy and depressed.
My everyday writing quota is vital. I have to tap into my creativity or I
wither.
In the past years I
did quite some courses in plotting, writing, editing, publishing, and marketing,
until - at the beginning of 2020 - I declared myself ready for a total rebrand
in Historical Fiction. And then things went south! I had been SO looking forward
to this new decade – leaving behind the 2010s with relief – and believing we
were embarking on the Roaring Twenties of the 21st century. But no.
Three months in and we’re all sent back to our own hearths with our tails
between our legs, forced to reboot and adapt to a totally changed society. No opportunities
for putting on dancing shoes and pretty cocktail dresses. Not even romance is
possible with this social distancing. Alas! It’s been a shock, a wake-up call, showing
us how vulnerable we humans really are. But we can – at least - be thankful for
two things: Internet and writing! Again lifesavers, at least for me.
Oh, indeed, 2020 caught us off guard! I, too, remember expounding about 20/20 vision and how great a year it would be ... alas. Tell us a bit about your process. Do you
have a schedule? Do you plan or are you a seat-of-my-pants writer?
I’m still in the
process of finding my routine but I can share what I’ve learnt so far.
I made one important switch
connected to the rebrand: writing is no longer a hobby for me, it’s work.
The difference? For work:
1. 1. You
show up. This means I write
every day. It’s either writing scenes for a new WIP, or edit the one that I’ve just
finished, or plot a next one. Most days this is done simultaneously and that
can be pretty challenging because I also still have a day job. Currently, I’m
in the final stages of prepping no. 1 coming out on 24 September, working on
the edits of no. 2 just back from the editor and plotting no.3. But who ever said
work was easy?
2. 2. You
get paid. Ho! Wait. Did I say
‘get paid’? The investments I’ve made and am making for this rebrand are impressive
(understatement) and no book has yet been published, so no money comes in.
That’s correct, but I consider myself a writer-entrepreneur. My business is
called Hannah Byron Books – everything official – and I’m now in the stage
where I have to invest in my business. You can’t open a shoe shop without
having at least some pairs of pretty high heels and sturdy boots on display. So
you invest in sprucing up your COME AND BUY MY SHOES store. It’s the same in
the writing business. I’ve invested in my professional knowledge, website,
covers, editors, software programmes, email automation. The list goes on and
on. It’s scary, but so is opening a shoe shop - which I would never be able to
do 😊, though I love shoes. Every woman has her trade
and we know there are no guarantees in life. But I refuse to go down like a row
of ninepins.
3. 3. You love
to do, you’re willing to work off your ass. Since I launched my business in March and became my own
boss, I have not needed to take off one day, not travelled (who has?), not
watched television, not been much on the socials. I’ve been tough on myself but
I always make sure to eat healthily, exercise, walk and do daily meditations. This
life sometimes feels a bit like doing elite sports. It’s all about training,
focus and time management. But I’m used to it now.
I realise this
approach to writing is not for everyone but it works for me. My plan is to
write series and then do rapid release (a book every 2 to 3 months). My
historical range is from 1850-1960 but the Resistance Girl Series in about the
world wars.
Last part of your
question on whether I plot or not. Naturally being an organic writer, it has
been hard for me to learn to plot and I still tend to ‘go off on my own’ while
I write. However, I knew I lacked something important when ‘flying by the seat
of my pants’ so I’ve read dozens of plotting books and listened to podcasts and
subsequently tried many methods and approaches.
Now I stick to only
one that’s almost like psychoanalysis for me as it asks such deep questions of me
and my characters but hey I love it! Quite sure I will use it for the rest of
my life with no need to look elsewhere. It’s John Truby’s “The Anatomy of Story:
22 steps to becoming a Master Storyteller.” Written for screenwriters but also
pure gold for novelists. If you want to use this method you must take at least
a week (or two) for the plotting phase as it’s not like: character traits,
tick; story arc, tick; plot, tick; beats, tick. It’s intense and it’s immense. Done
correctly it should lead to deep, original stories, woven together into an
intricate and solid network with all the ingredients being necessary.
Hannah, thanks for the above. Your insight into what it means to be a writer full-time will help others (myself included!).
Now that the world has changed due to a
pandemic, how has your writing changed?
I already briefly
mentioned our changed world and I will keep it brief. My policy is to stick to
the rules, stay away from watching the news too much, protect my creative
bubble at all times, stay healthy and respectful. And so yes I just continue to
write every day.
Many writers in the present either write
far more or find themselves unable to write. Have you experienced one or the
other in this life-altering time we now live in?
Not really. My
writing comes from within and I protect that sacred place with all I have. It’s
that important to me. I believe storytellers have a role to play in all this.
As the French author Albert Camus said: “the purpose of a writer is to keep
civilization from destroying itself.” Sounds perhaps overrated but we writers
have the creativity to offer a different perspective to society. It’s one of
the reasons I write about the world wars, to continue giving a perspective.
And isn't it a truth that during our various lockdown situations stories kept us sane!
On a more personal front, which four words
would you use to describe yourself?
Tenacious, warm,
imaginative, humorous.
Which four words would you use to describe
your work?
Lyrical, emotive,
descriptive, psychological
Give us an overview of your books, and know
that we love to read excerpts. Share with us your favourite bit of writing from
you latest book.
Coming 24 September
2020: In
Picardy’s Fields, Prequel to The Diamond Courier #1
Coming mid-November
2020: The Diamond Courier, A
Resistance Girl Novel #2
Coming mid-January
2021 The Parisian Spy, A
Resistance Girl Novel #3
Coming mid-March 2021
The Norwegian Assassin,
A Resistance Girl Novel #4
Coming mid-May 2021 The Crystal Butterfly, A
Resistance Girl Novel #5
Let’s pick the first
few paragraphs from In Picardy’s Fields so your readers can judge for
themselves if they’d like to read the book:
Paris, 20 March 1918The late afternoon sun set ablaze the upper windows of the operation room in the Lycée Pasteur, creating a golden aureole over the electric lamps that illuminated the wounded soldier on the table and the medical staff around him. There was a concentrated silence in the room, interrupted only by the faint hissing of the Heidbrink anesthetizer gas machine and the short commands Professor Alan Bell issued from behind his surgical mask: Harmonic scalpel … retractor… lancet, which were promptly handed to him by the American nurse at his side.
From the other side of the table, the young assistant doctor Agnès de Saint-Aubin followed the surgeon’s swift and practiced hands as he removed the bullet from the patient’s neck. There was an intense, steady focus in her blue eyes.
“Voilà ! Another 5mm bullet from those bloody G98s.” For a moment, Dr. Bell studied the round ball between his tweezers before depositing it in a metal tray that the nurse held ready. It clattered, metal hitting metal.
“More oxygen… antiseptics!” The surgeon had already moved to the next stage.
Agnès knew how complicated and dangerous this gunshot wound was. It had hit the young French soldier at high velocity, and the trajectory of the bullet had damaged his nervous system. He was bleeding profusely and was greatly in need of a blood transfusion, which another nurse was hastily preparing. With the strong medicinal odor of the chlorine prickling her nostrils, Agnès let her gaze rest for a moment on the young man’s still profile, the roman nose, the dark, almost girlish eyelashes over his closed lids, black locks of matted hair emerging from under his operation cap. He still retained a vague glow of health under his ashen color. How old was he? Seventeen, eighteen? What had he dreamt of achieving in this war? And what would become of him now?
“Stitch him up, Doctor de Saint-Aubin, and when you’re done, come and see me in the canteen.”
Agnès startled. Her eyes met those of her American professor, and she thought she saw a softening in the steel-gray gaze.
“Of course, Professor Bell, right away.” Her words were more straightforward than her voice, but she hastened around the table to take up his position next to the stout nurse. The head surgeon had already removed the white cap from his brown curls and was now snapping off his surgical gloves. With his gaze still on Agnès, he gave his last orders to the nurse.
“Nurse Simpson, assist the new doctor. Make sure you check her multilayer sutures. Nurse Belliard, blood transfusion – now!”
“Yes, Professor Bell,” both nurses answered, while Agnès took a deep breath and ceased following the movements of her professor to give all her attention to the young patient on the table. His life; not hers.
She heard him disappear through the swinging doors that flapped for a couple of times before falling still. Agnès took another deep breath, steadying her hands before she said in a subdued voice, “Needle…”
As always, your words draw me in! Tell us about your next book (we love to
know what to look forward to!).
In Picardy’s Fields
is a complete rewrite from a novella I wrote for an anthology together with you
and our then Thorstruck gang in 2016. The book is set in 1918 France, the last
year of WW1. The largest part of the book takes place at a fictive castle Dragoncourt
near Amiens, which has been turned into a war hospital. Because it is a bit of
a “medical” book, I’ve dedicated it to the medical frontline workers, whether in
1918 or in 2020, and to my great-uncles, who died in WW1. I also blog about the
war on my blog Historical Facts & Fiction.
In Picardy’s Fields
is the Prequel to four books in the Resistance Girl Series (WW2), in which
family members and other characters from the first book reappear. The covers
and (preliminary) blurbs of these books can be found on my website.
I needed to write
this Prequel so I’d have a book I can offer for free to people subscribing to
my newsletter. Which you must all do now, of course!
But if not, here’s
the Preorder links for In Picardy’s Fields:
Amazon US: https://hannahbyron.com/IPFam
Amazon UK: https://hannahbyron.com/IPFuk
Amazon CA: https://hannahbyron.com/IPCca
Amazon AU: https://hannahbyron.com/IPFau
Beautiful covers! I'm sure every reader will agree :) Now for fun, let’s ask about the favourite
things we all like to read about …
Favourite book: Anthony
Doerr - All The Light We Cannot See
Favourite movie: Let’s
go for an old classic, after all I’m a historical fiction author: Gone With The
Wind
Favourite TV series: Downtown Abbey
Favourite place: Paris
Favourite place to write: my office. It’s the only place where I can write😊
Favourite pastime (other than writing!): Hiking
Let’s laugh together! Will you share with
us your most embarrassing moment?
I’ve been thinking
long and hard about this question and I feel terrible that I can’t really come
up with an answer. Nothing pops up. That doesn’t mean I don’t do stupid things
– I do more of those than I do smart things but they’re just not embarrassing
or fun. So sorry, have to pass.
No worries! And, actually, I find this to be part of your uniqueness.
On the flipside, which moment do you regard
as your most inspirational?
This is mostly with
hindsight, right? Joining Authonomy in 2009. Definitely paved the way to make
some wonderful author friends and become one myself. I don’t think any of this
would have happened without good ol’ Authonomy.
Oh, yes, dear Authonomy. For writers who came after that time, Authonomy was a platform created by HarperCollins for writers to share their work and reach for the 'desk' of an editor every month, but it became so much more than that. Authors who connected there are still friends to this day!
And finally, Hannah, if you could choose one
person, living or dead, you would like to meet, who would it be and what would
you ask of that person?
May that person be
you, dear Elaina Davidson? Go for a hike and a chat together? Either in
Ireland, in Holland or in Antwerp. You choose! 😉
Aw, thanks! You're on, my friend!! Thank you for sharing your insights with us, Hannah, and good luck with your new series :)
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