Welcome to The Bibliophagist! Thank you for letting me pick your brain for a bit about your exciting new release…well soon to be release. I am very excited to read your book and I know so many others are. There has been so much buzz around it recently on Twitter.

 

 

Writing is difficult alone but juggling it with life. For some, it is something they do for fun but the world never sees their work, others have a dream of placing their book in the hands of every reader. How do you view writing? As a hobby or passion? What drives you to write?

 

I have actually always viewed writing as a career. (A very passionate career!) I always dreamed of being an author, so I made sure to give my writing the same attention and priority I would a job I was being paid for (even though I didn’t make a penny for many, many years.) I knew if I wanted the world to take me seriously, I needed to take my writing seriously.

 

That is great advice for anyone who aspires to become a well known, accomplished author. It makes complete sense that you need to apply the same amount of effort as your would a job if you expect the same type of outcomes.

 

What drives me to write, though, is the hunger for a good story and the intoxicating magic of losing myself in a new world. I LOVE world building—I almost feel like an archeologist, uncovering hidden civilizations in my mind that were just waiting to be discovered. And it’s so fun to create characters that feel like old friends. Writing is such an exhilarating and creative process (even when it makes me want to pull out all of my hair!)

 

World building is one of my favorite aspects of every good book. It is facinating to read about a world that an author created from scratch, everything from the magic system to the forests and its creatures. Characters that I can relate to, that I feel compelled to befriend…those are the ones I remember. I think from what you desribed it is a love hate relationship. P.S. don’t pull out your hair, it’s gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

Your novel has some great plots hidden within. I really look forward to meeting the characters but more so the world in which they live. Sometimes authors have ideas for novels at the worst times while others have a difficult time thinking of anything. I find that for me, as I have begun exploring the world of writing, I find many ideas…too many. Where did your idea for An Affair of Poisons come from? Was there any real-world inspiration?

 

Yes! An Affair of Poisons is a reimagining of a notorious historical event that took place in France at the end of the 17^th century called, L’affaire des poisons. It all started when members of the nobility began hiring witches and poisoners to get rid of their bothersome husbands and rivals at court. It turned into a huge scandal that reached clear to the king’s inner circle. To me, it sounded like something straight out of a novel–I couldn’t believe it actually happened–and I knew I wanted to dive in deeper and put my own spin on it.

 

Isn’t it amazing that we can find stories in so many things that happened in the past or what we feel will happen in the future? That sounds crazy, I can’t believe something like that happened but I do agree it sounds like it will be a perfect novel. Now thanks to you, we have that!

 

 

 

 

Knowing that this story is based on a shockingly true event, how much historical research went into your novel? Did you find it difficult?

 

I did a LOT of research! Since An Affair of Poisons is technically an alternate history, I had to know the real history like the back of my hand in order to convincingly change it. I poured over books and maps and articles, gathering every bit of information I could get my hands on. It was a ton of fun. I loooooove doing research; it’s actually one of my favorite parts of writing historical novels, so I never felt bogged down by it. That’s not to say it wasn’t difficult at times. There’s definitely a tricky balance, trying to be historically accurate while staying true to your plot and telling a well-paced story.

 

I love doing research too! My husband tried to get me to write his college papers a few times but that did not fly with me. Research is so fulfilling, especially for a topic of interest. I might have to do my own on this event, it is exactly something I would love hearing about.

 

 

 

 

Writing a novel is something very personal, it is your child in a different sense of the word. You create it from the first word and help it grow and develop into something beautiful that people all over the world enjoy. Do you write alone or in public? Can you describe your ideal writing environment?

 

ALONE! I love to be alone in complete silence…which is difficult these days, as I have a toddler. I write at home for the most part, while she’s napping, but I’ve started writing at the gym lately too. (They offer two hours of free childcare a day, bless them!) It was a hard transition at first, learning to write somewhere so busy and crowded, but I’m getting better at blocking out all of the noise and distraction. A good pair of noise-canceling headphones helps a ton.

 

I completely understand the no silence aspect of that! My oldest is seven so he is in school most days during the school year but my youngest is two and a handful. For sure a trouble maker. That gym is a mother’s dream! I will have to look into my local gyms, everyone knows I need more time to actually write my book.

 

 

 

 

As you create this story from the first page to the last, I am sure you’ve had ups and downs. It is a process after all and you have said you wanted to tear your hair out at some point. Let’s talk about the positives though. What is your favorite part of An Affair of Poisons? Favorite Character? Why?

 

Hmmm…I think my favorite part of An Affair of Poisons is probably all of the tension-filled banter between Mirabelle and Josse. Enemies to lovers is one of my all-time favorite tropes, and I had such a great time forcing these two characters to work together. I may have laughed out loud while drafting on more than one occasion.

 

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorites too! It is fun to see someone actually get to know the other and realize they like them more than they ever thought they could. And good tension always makes for great character development.

 

As far as favorite character goes… that’s like asking me to pick a favorite child! I love them all. But if I have to choose, I suppose I’d say Josse. He was just so easy to write. I always knew exactly what he would do or say; it was like he was sitting in my brain dictating to me.

 

It is difficult but I agree that sometimes one character just seems to speak to you more than others. I found myself changing aspects of my plot as I write. The one who was originally going to be a villain become my favorite character. She might still be a little bad, but a little bad is good. She is a character that just speaks to me.

 

 

 

 

As an author, writing takes up a large part of your life but you have a family as well, a beautiful one, and that comes with its own hobbies. When not sitting in silence or at the gym, what are some of your favorite hobbies aside from writing?

 

I love horses! Growing up I competed in show jumping, and now I work part-time as a horse trainer and exercise rider. I also love running, playing soccer, and gallivanting in the woods with my dog. And cookies! Not the baking so much, more the eating.

 

That is amazing! You are very active. We love to walk through the woods in my back yard, talking about what we see etc. Most times my older son will ask a question so we sit and look up more information. I will be getting into running too! Now that my hips have healed from surgery that is, minus the screws being taken out in April.

 

 

 

 

Now, this is difficult because there are so many amazing times and places that I know I’d like to see. If you could travel through time to visit any time period, past or future, what time period would you travel to first and why? (I had to add first because I could never limit you to just one.)

 

This is such a hard question! I’m a huge history nerd, and there are sooo many bygone times I would love to visit. But I think I’d have to choose 17^th century France. It seems to be “my time period.” I’ve written 3 novels set during this era. It’s just so interesting—from Versailles and the courtiers to the witch hunts, to the huge insurgence of the arts. It was a golden age, and I would love to experience it. Though, I wouldn’t want to stay too long. I’m also a fan of modern comforts like flushing toilets and regular baths.

 

You aren’t the only one, I’ve heard a few authors who would love to visit that time period and location. It would be beautiful to see and so enriching, culturewise. The no regular baths would make me want to have only a short stay as well.

 

 

 

 

It has been an amazing honor to have you here on my blog. It was so fun hearing from you about your upcoming release. Sadly, it has come to an end. Let’s close this with another bit of advice from you, something you’ve learned along your journey. If you could only pass on one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?

 

Try to separate the art of writing from the business of publishing. This can be a brutal career, where success isn’t necessarily based on merit. So much of it comes down to subjectivity, and if you let bad reviews or query rejections determine your worth as a human and a writer, it can quickly drag you down. Learn to love writing for what it is—for how it makes you feel, for the reasons you began writing in the first place—and come to the page with those happy, positive feelings. Write the best book you possibly can, constantly strive to improve, and then accept that the rest is up to luck and timing.

 

Can I have a poster made with this on it? What great advice! Thank you, it can be hard to remember why you began writing sometimes. I think we all need to, at some point, take a step back and remember that. So, if you are a writer reading this…do not let others pull you down to the darkness of the writing pit, always remember the joy it first brought you. Think about the publishing and other things as its own beast of a kind.

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Thank you again, Addie, for being a great Saturday Spotlight participant. I had so much fun with this interview and I really look forward to your novel! You are an inspiration to everyone aspiring to become an author and it doesn’t stop there. You are humble and also a great mom, a great person to know. Thank you again for being kind enough to allow me to host you and help to share the word about your amazing upcoming novel, An Affair of Poisons.

Again, If you are an author interested in being hosted on Saturday Spotlight use this form to contact me! I would love to help support you and your work.