A Journey Home
Set in early Medieval England and wishing to live a life out of the limitations of being the Grand Duke's daughter, Liliana finds herself on a different path after being kidnapped by an unsuspecting foe. Tempers lead to depression as all attempts to find Liliana are deterred. Fearing for the worst to come, Liliana is surprised to be rescued by Alistair, who has a forgotten past of his own, and his friend Thibault. With love and rage searching for Liliana, suspense among all rise. Threats come in all directions as Liliana and her rescuers travel back home. Can she make it before her kidnappers find her and will they meet their demise? Or will fate shelter them so they can finish their journey home?
Now, a little about the author:)
After having published her poem/song Family of Friends in the 2011-2012 Jacksonville
College yearbook, Margaret J. H. Shaw began to journey of writing historical fiction.
Margaret has self-published A Journey Home (2013), the first novel in the Adventurous
Heart series. She continues the series with her upcoming novel Battle of Hearts. While
spending time with family in East Texas, Shaw pursues a Bachelor degree in History.
This book was, overall, amazing! I don't remember a single thing that I didn't like about it. Wait, yes, I do: the cliffhanger ending!;P I immediately messaged Margaret and asked her if she would tell me anything about book 2. Like any good author who likes to torture her readers, she wouldn't. Her characters were my favorite part! They were all well thought out and carefully created. Each one seemed real. And I'm not very good at the whole book review thing because I tend to love everything and hate nothing. I'm like that for real, not just with booksXD
Now, the interview!
Where did you get your inspiration for A Journey Home?
Admittedly, my own life in the beginning. As I was growing up I wanted to see the world. Still do, but I realized that there were people around me that I had been taking for granted. Liliana is like a fictional me. She goes through different trials, of course, but in the end, family is very important to her.
Family is always important:) I've always wanted to see the
world, too. Then I realized my fear of heights. Anywho, What
was the hardest part of the writing process? The easiest?
Probably the hardest part of the writing process was being curious of whether or not people would enjoy the story.I nearly quit several times because of the fear that no one would like it. The easiest, though, was letting my imagination take over the pages. When I stopped really thinking everything through, I was able to write then go back and make corrections.
Well, I, for one, am glad you didn't quit!:) Beginnings,
Middles, or Endings: Which was hardest?
The middle of the novel was hardest, truthfully. I had the beginning and end all planned out. I knew how it began because I had already written it, and I knew where I wanted it to go because of the title. I had to really pace myself so I didn't get too far ahead.
How long did it take to completely finish your manuscript?
The manuscript took two years to be completed. The longest two years ever, haha.
Haha! I know exactly what you mean! Which character was
your favorite to write? Which character was the hardest/least
favorite?
My favorite character would have to be Alistair. He has so much against him as he journeys to his homeland, and he had this broken past, too, that made me just want to hug him. The hardest to write and the least favorite are two different characters. The hardest was probably Sir Maven/Wolfe. I needed a dark and mysterious character with a difficult past. Not only that, but he had to be considered ruthless, but on the verge of losing his touch of evil.
Alistair was awesome! Do you have a favorite quote from the
book?
My goodness. My absolute favorite quotes would come from two places. The first is when Wynflaeth is warning Wolfe and the men of Alistair, and Wolfe asks her if she is sure of it and she responds, "More than you were at the altar." Then, at the end: "One matter remained true: in some fashion, they each had made their journey home. Some found home where they never thought possible. Others looked within and found the home they had been searching for. The remaining few had only to make a journey around strange terrain in order to journey to the home they never thought they were searching for." Which clearly defines the entirety of the novel.
Both amazing quotes. Wynflaeth's was hilarious! I loved that
part. There were several POVs throughout the book. Was it
hard keeping everything straight and not getting confused?
Yes, very much so. I repeatedly had to go back to make sure I was not repeating myself or leaving an event out that might affect someone else down the line.
What was the best piece of writing advice you were ever
given? What is the best that you can give?
The best piece of advice was actually something I read from one of my favorite modern authors, J. K. Rowling who said, "Read as much as you can." She apparently read that from on of my favorite classic authors, Jane Austen. And it's very true because the books you read are already successful and can help you along your writing way. I would tell aspiring authors, "Read as much as you can, and let your imagination fly."
All very good advice:) How is the second book coming along?
Can you tell us when it might be coming out?
The second book is slow coming at the moment. I expect to complete it at the New Year, though. A great time for either completing or beginning a task.
How did it feel to finish A Journey Home?
Finishing a two year long journey in a three-month 'left excerpt' of the characters' lives made me ecstatic. Sadly, it didn't help that it was in the middle of the night. I received a huge adrenaline boost upon completion, haha.
Once again, thank you to Margaret for doing this!:) Everyone go get A Journey Home on e-book, amazon, or Barnes and Noble! By the way, I've seen the cover and read the synopsis for book two and it looks amazing, just so you know;P
I hope you guys liked my first interview!:)
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