Interview Lucinda Riley

Am Donnerstag war in Mannheim eine Lesung mit der wundervollen Lucinda Riley!!!

Es war ein super toller Abend, an dem sie ihr neues Buch "Die sieben Schwestern" vorgestellt hat.
Gelesen wurden die deutschen Texte von der wundervollen Dennenesch Zoude, die eine unglaublich schöne Stimme hat. Lucinda hat mich total begeistert und sie ist so witzig. Frosch Laurent war auch dabei. Sie hat uns mit so lustigen "insider"-Geschichten unterhalten, dass wir aus dem Lachen manchmal nicht rausgekommen sind.

Ich durfte im Vorfeld ein Interview mit ihr führen und sie für euch über ihr neues Buch ausfragen ( Vielen herzlichen Dank hierfür liebe Barbara Henning). Die supertinteressanten Antworten seht ihr hier. Es ist immer sehr spannend zu erfahren, wie so eine Geschichte entsteht und wieviel Herzlut der Autorin in ihr steckt. (Übrigens braucht Lucinda immer ziemlich genau 9 Monate bis eines ihrer "Babys" fertig ist.)






Which of your characters is most similar to you?  
Aurora from ‘Das Madchen auf den Klippen’ is a very special character for me. I wanted her to be other-worldly and almost dream-like, because the book explores and plays with the idea of the ‘fairytale’, on which most romantic fiction is based. But Aurora is also very practical, wise and forgiving - and she understands how precious life is. I suppose she represents two of the key themes in all my books: Understanding and forgiving the mistakes of the past, and taking each day and living it to the full. While I never base a character entirely on a real person, there is undoubtedly more of ‘me’ in Aurora than in any other character I’ve written. 

What inspired you to write The Seven Sisters? What research did you do? 

In January 2013 I was searching for my next story but wanted to find an overarching angle to add another element to my past/present writing, something that would challenge and excite me – and my readers. I had always watched the stars – especially the Seven Sisters in the belt of Orion, and on that frosty night in North Norfolk , I looked up to the heavens, and, thinking also of our own seven children, came up with the idea for a seven book series based allegorically on the legends of the Seven Sisters constellation.  

I was in Brazil promoting my first book and, having fallen in love with the country and its people, realised I had never read a book based there. I went up Corcovado Mountain to see ‘Christ the Redeemer’, stood in front of him and marvelled at the statue. I wondered what stories lay behind its construction almost a century ago. I began to investigate and heard about the mystery of whose hands were actually used as the model… Having done my initial research by reading lots of books, I went back to Brazil for a month and lived in an apartment in Rio. By coincidence, I discovered my neighbour was Bel Noronha, who is the great-granddaughter of Heitor da Silva Costa, the designer and creator of Christ the Redeemer. She gave me access to his diaries and a vast number of documents covering the period of construction. I then went up the mountains to stay in an old coffee farm called Santa Tereza Fazenda which became the setting for Bel’s childhood home in the book. 

Brazil in the 20s. What is so fascinating about this epoch? 

Living in Rio with the Cariocas for a month researching and writing the book enabled me to really understand the rich history and culture of Brazil. I engaged a guide, Suzana Perl, and asked her to show me round and tell me of the history. As I travelled round the city, I went to the old parliament and saw the coffee beans engraved in the tiles of the floor and in the decorations above the doors. I learned how the ‘coffee barons’, who were most ex-Portuguese aristocracy, held power in the government and funded the art, architecture and culture of the country due to their extreme wealth, and how the ‘Wall Street Crash’ led to the terrible depression and near bankruptcy of the country. I then discovered that this ‘Belle Epoque’ era was also when the Christo was being built.    Would you tell us which of the sisters tell us her story in the next book?  The next book will tell Ally’s story and is called ‘The Storm Sister’. This will be published in November. 
  Here’s a short description: 

“A talented sailor and musician, Ally falls in love with a man who competes in one of the world's deadliest sailing races, and tragedy strikes. This leads her to leave her old life on the water behind and follow the clue her father left her to Norway. There, she begins to discover her past – and the story of a young woman, Anna, who lived there over 100 years before – and her links to the composer Edvard Grieg and his world famous music set to Ibsen’s Peer Gynt poem. Please listen to Grieg’s ‘Morning Mood’- you should recognise it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAB16qHuHa8 

 At what time of day/night do you like to write your stories? 

My best times for writing are from mid-morning until about two in the afternoon, and then again from about five till nine in the evening.  I also have a strict timetable of drinks – English Breakfast tea in the morning, coffee at 11am, and rosé wine from Provence at lunchtime! This helps me map out my day and gives me something to work towards.  

  What was your favourite book as a child? 
 ‘A Little Princess’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett and ‘Ballet Shoes’ by Noel Streatfield. 

 Which things makes you happy? 

So many different tiny things make me happy... My family, nature, a beautiful piece of music, a poem... I am so lucky as I was born happy, which is the greatest gift any human can be given. My glass is always half full- even when things are bad, I try to see the positives.' 

 Who has the pleasure to read your books first after completion?  

Whilst I have three girls working for me – known as Team Lulu – my husband, Stephen, always reads the finished manuscript before I send it off to my publishers.  


 Verlag: Goldmann

Klapptext:
 Maia ist die älteste von sechs Schwestern, die alle von ihrem Vater adoptiert wurden, als sie sehr klein waren. Sie lebt als Einzige noch auf dem herrschaftlichen Anwesen ihres Vaters am Genfer See, denn anders als ihre Schwestern, die es drängte, draußen in der Welt ein ganz neues Leben als Erwachsene zu beginnen, fand die eher schüchterne Maia nicht den Mut, ihre vertraute Umgebung zu verlassen. Doch das ändert sich, als ihr Vater überraschend stirbt und ihr einen Umschlag hinterlässt – und sie plötzlich den Schlüssel zu ihrer bisher unbekannten Vorgeschichte in Händen hält: Sie wurde in Rio de Janeiro in einer alten Villa geboren, deren Adresse noch heute existiert. Maia fasst den Entschluss, nach Rio zu fliegen, und an der Seite von Floriano Quintelas, eines befreundeten Schriftstellers, beginnt sie, das Rätsel ihrer Herkunft zu ergründen. Dabei stößt sie auf eine tragische Liebesgeschichte in der Vergangenheit ihrer Familie, und sie taucht ein in das mondäne Paris der Jahrhundertwende, wo einst eine schöne junge Frau aus Rio einem französischen Bildhauer begegnete. Und erst jetzt fängt Maia an zu begreifen, wer sie wirklich ist und was dies für ihr weiteres Leben bedeutet ...
 (Die Rezi folgt die Tage hier auf Blog)