Ask the Author: Katherine Webb
Answered Questions (12)
Katherine Webb
Oh - I never saw my grandmother's Africa Star! What a shame. Wishing you luck in your search, all best, K.
Katherine Webb
Hi Graham, thanks so much for getting in touch, and I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed A Half Forgotten Song so much!
I don't usually use real-life figures to inform my characters, but in the case of Charles Aubrey, the character was inspired by (but not based upon) Augustus John, who was an important British artist of the twentieth century. He loved women, and had some very bohemian living arrangements with his wife, his mistress, the sister of his mistress and a variety of their children... A google search should bring up some of the wonderful pencil drawings he did of the women in his life, which inspired my descriptions of Charles Aubrey's work.
My new book, The English Girl, just came out and you might give that one a try - it's a sweeping adventure story, and my long song to the Arabian desert. Or you might go back to the beginning with my debut, The Legacy - a mystery which again plays with memory - how we deal with it and how it deals with us. Great to hear you want to read another!
I don't usually use real-life figures to inform my characters, but in the case of Charles Aubrey, the character was inspired by (but not based upon) Augustus John, who was an important British artist of the twentieth century. He loved women, and had some very bohemian living arrangements with his wife, his mistress, the sister of his mistress and a variety of their children... A google search should bring up some of the wonderful pencil drawings he did of the women in his life, which inspired my descriptions of Charles Aubrey's work.
My new book, The English Girl, just came out and you might give that one a try - it's a sweeping adventure story, and my long song to the Arabian desert. Or you might go back to the beginning with my debut, The Legacy - a mystery which again plays with memory - how we deal with it and how it deals with us. Great to hear you want to read another!
Katherine Webb
Hi Hanna,
Thanks for getting touch, and apologies for taking so long to get back to you - for some reason I don't always get notifications from Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ when I have a new question. Anyway, if your assignment has been and gone, I hope it went well.
You're asking some pretty big questions here, and I'm afraid I simply haven't time to answer them in depth. I'm currently writing my new novel and doing a lot of promotional work for the release of my newest book here in the UK.
So I'll focus on your first question - why I like to write about the role of women in society in the 1900s. I think the answer to this is that to me, an independent woman with all the rights I enjoy today, in 2016, the restrictions placed upon women in the past seem particularly onerous. The difference in the rules between how we live now and how we lived then is one of the things that makes history so interesting to me, since, of course, people themselves - their wants and needs and flaws - haven't changed one bit between then and now. I can't help but react to the injustices that various group of people, including women, were subjected to in the past, and when writing about female characters in a historical setting, I find it impossible to ignore that injustice.
I hope that answers that particular question! And I wish you luck with your assignment. All best wishes,
Katherine
Thanks for getting touch, and apologies for taking so long to get back to you - for some reason I don't always get notifications from Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ when I have a new question. Anyway, if your assignment has been and gone, I hope it went well.
You're asking some pretty big questions here, and I'm afraid I simply haven't time to answer them in depth. I'm currently writing my new novel and doing a lot of promotional work for the release of my newest book here in the UK.
So I'll focus on your first question - why I like to write about the role of women in society in the 1900s. I think the answer to this is that to me, an independent woman with all the rights I enjoy today, in 2016, the restrictions placed upon women in the past seem particularly onerous. The difference in the rules between how we live now and how we lived then is one of the things that makes history so interesting to me, since, of course, people themselves - their wants and needs and flaws - haven't changed one bit between then and now. I can't help but react to the injustices that various group of people, including women, were subjected to in the past, and when writing about female characters in a historical setting, I find it impossible to ignore that injustice.
I hope that answers that particular question! And I wish you luck with your assignment. All best wishes,
Katherine
Katherine Webb
Hi Kathy - I am so sorry I have taken so long to reply to your lovely message! For some reason, I got no notification of it. Yes, is the answer - for as long as I can! So far, I haven't ever been stuck for an idea, so as long as my publisher keep publishing... I'm delighted to hear you've been enjoying my books, and I hope you'll continue to read in the future. All best wishes,
Katherine
Katherine
Katherine Webb
Hello Mary, thanks for your message. I'm afraid I too have found information about ENSA hard to come by. I did go up to the Imperial War Museum in London one time, as they have a folder of old posters and programmes etc in their reference section (I had to make an appointment in advance so it could be dug out of the archive). It was interesting to look through, but quite limited - and I didn't find anything related to any of the plays my grandmother was in. So I fear I can't be much help! I wish you luck if you decide to restart the search. Best wishes, KW
Katherine Webb
Hi Katrina, great stuff! Glad to hear it went well, well done. Yes I'm well thanks, settling down to write my next book, and looking forward to the launch of The English Girl in a couple of months...
Best wishes,
Katherine
Best wishes,
Katherine
Katherine Webb
Hi Katrina,
I've only just found your question here because for some reason I didn't get a notification, but I think you contacted me via my FB page anyway, and we corresponded?
All bets wishes,
Katherine
I've only just found your question here because for some reason I didn't get a notification, but I think you contacted me via my FB page anyway, and we corresponded?
All bets wishes,
Katherine
Katherine Webb
Hello Virginija, thanks so much for your question, and I hope you're enjoying the book. Well, in England, especially in the past, it was very common for there to be donkeys at the beach - donkeys are like asses - which people would pay for their children to have a ride on, up and down the beach. So in that phrase I'm just setting the scene, with the breeze making their long tails fly out. I hope that makes sense?? Here's a link to the donkey's wiki page!
All best wishes,
Katherine
All best wishes,
Katherine
Katherine Webb
Hi Jazmine! I am so sorry - I don't know how I managed to miss your question! I don't remember seeing a notification in my email or anything. So, many apologies for this late reply!
I think that, while a writer's 'voice' is unique to them, is not something that can be influenced, perhaps the kind of stories I tell have been influenced, on some level, by everything I've ever seen and read and either loved or hated! Which is what I mean when I say that these influences are many...
I used to read a lot of fairy tales and fantasy fiction when I was very young, and I love that sense of magic and wonder they give, and the pace of the adventure. I love detective novels (and TV shows) and the solving of mysteries - the dropping of subtle clues. I love Daphne du Maurier, and the thrilling twists she was able to write. I love history, and the idea of all the lost stories and secrets it holds... I am sure that in some way, even subconsciously, I try to put these things that I love into my books! I hope that answers your question?
Thank you for writing!
All best wishes,
Katherine
I think that, while a writer's 'voice' is unique to them, is not something that can be influenced, perhaps the kind of stories I tell have been influenced, on some level, by everything I've ever seen and read and either loved or hated! Which is what I mean when I say that these influences are many...
I used to read a lot of fairy tales and fantasy fiction when I was very young, and I love that sense of magic and wonder they give, and the pace of the adventure. I love detective novels (and TV shows) and the solving of mysteries - the dropping of subtle clues. I love Daphne du Maurier, and the thrilling twists she was able to write. I love history, and the idea of all the lost stories and secrets it holds... I am sure that in some way, even subconsciously, I try to put these things that I love into my books! I hope that answers your question?
Thank you for writing!
All best wishes,
Katherine
Katherine Webb
Hello Elaine, thanks for your message. I'm really pleased to hear you're reading The Unseen! I hope you enjoy it. I don't know whether people compare me to Kate Morton, exactly, but we do seem to have some of the same readership. I read her book 'The House at Riverton' a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Perhaps 'The Unseen' is the book of mine with the most in common to it in terms of era and setting - the big Edwardian country house, and the modern-day characters resolving a mystery from that time. I haven't read any other of Ms Morton's books, but mine do vary a lot in time and place - I hope you'll give some of them a go.
Happy reading!
Best wishes,
KW x
Happy reading!
Best wishes,
KW x
Katherine Webb
Hi Christine, thanks for your question, and I'm glad you've been enjoying my books! I generally start to write with a good 'reveal' in mind, and I then structure the story around that central mystery. It's important that I have it worked out from the word go, so that I can drop little hints and red herrings, and keep readers guessing right to the very end. Sometimes, this does evolve and change as I'm writing the book - I think of a better outcome, or a more dramatic twist, and I'll have to go back and rewrite some parts, and add a few things in. But usually, I set out with the destination in mind. KWx
Katherine Webb
Hi Laura, thank you for your question. I think creating a vivid setting is crucial to the atmosphere of a story, so I really focus on doing exactly that - and I'm glad you find the books immersive! That's exactly what I'm after.
Wherever I can, I travel to the places I'm writing about . The exception was when I wrote The Legacy - I have never been to Oklahoma, and I couldn't afford to make such a long trip for research. I had been to Montana and Wyoming, so I had an idea of the vastness and beauty of those rural states of America. I added to that by reading as much as I could about life there at the time I was writing, and this is also what I do for all my books. First hand accounts are best, and books written at the time I'm setting a story also give useful pointers about vocabulary and turns of phrase at use in the era. Fiction written at the time is also useful. But nothing beats actually visiting a place for then being able to recreate in writing its sights, smells, sounds and life.
For my next book, I'm currently reading everything I can find about the history of Oman, particularly the history of British involvement there, and I'll be travelling out there in a few weeks' time...
Best wishes, KW x
Wherever I can, I travel to the places I'm writing about . The exception was when I wrote The Legacy - I have never been to Oklahoma, and I couldn't afford to make such a long trip for research. I had been to Montana and Wyoming, so I had an idea of the vastness and beauty of those rural states of America. I added to that by reading as much as I could about life there at the time I was writing, and this is also what I do for all my books. First hand accounts are best, and books written at the time I'm setting a story also give useful pointers about vocabulary and turns of phrase at use in the era. Fiction written at the time is also useful. But nothing beats actually visiting a place for then being able to recreate in writing its sights, smells, sounds and life.
For my next book, I'm currently reading everything I can find about the history of Oman, particularly the history of British involvement there, and I'll be travelling out there in a few weeks' time...
Best wishes, KW x
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