Interview with Shehanne Moore, author of The Unraveling of Lady Fury

I am pleased to share an interview with Shehanne Moore. Shehanne wrote The Unraveling of Lady Fury is Historical Romance. Who doesn't love a good historical romance? I know I do. 

How much of yourself is hidden in the characters in your books?

I tell people nothing at all. Unfortunately that is not what they tell me.  Obviously they see similarities in terms of the absolute niceness of my characters. The patience and serenity with which they greet life as a whole, accept defeat and never want the impossible. Ahem. Looking the other way here.

How much of a story do you have in mind before you start writing?

I see the beginning and that’s it.  Obviously since it’s romance and you have to HEA, that too. Then I just hope I can get from one to the other.

Can you tell us about your Historical Romance?

Well, it’s set in Genoa, in a sort of émigré English community and it’s about a woman needing to conceive an heir in order to guarantee her future. All fine till  husband meets with an unfortunate accident and then her ex-lover, the one man in the world who knows all her secrets turns up.

Will you write another book in the series?

It’s a stand alone, although they do have children so you never know.

How do you cope with writer's block?

I don’t think about it. To think is to fear.

How do you develop and differentiate your characters?

I like feisty characters, characters who are glaringly imperfect and not terribly self aware because let’s face it, which of us is truly self aware? I develop them by thinking of their lives before they got to the point where the actual story starts because the things that shape us as people are to be found there. I then think about what their goals are at the point the story starts, to see what little traits to give them they will soon shoot themselves in the foot with. Then I think about physical appearance. Their likes, dislikes. 

Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?

A lot of candlelit baths and optimism.

How (or when) do you decide that you are finished writing a story?

When every end is tied and the conflicts external, then internal, are resolved.

Is there a message in your writing you want readers to grasp?

Even when the subject matter is weighty I think the ability to laugh is a huge thing. So I try to get these touches of humor even in the bleakest circumstances. Also real life isn’t perfect so why should my characters be?

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a story which I see as part of a series about an ex jewel thief.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes. I have actually. And I’ve stuck at all kinds of jobs in the hope that one day this dream would come true. 

At what age did you discover your love of writing?

Seven. But it certainly wasn’t as simple as that.

What was the first story that you wrote?

A god-awful fairy tale. Some unoriginal claptrap about a princess in a forest.

When were you first published? How were you discovered?

It depends what kind of publication we are talking of. For years I’ve done all sorts of writing jobs, from girls’ graphic comics to non fiction.  The Unraveling of lady Fury is my first published book. I subbed it to Etopia Press, I subbed it a lot of places actually, but they came right back offering a contract  so... 

What is the most difficult part of the whole writing process?

Probably accepting that you may fail. That no-one might want to publish your work and not necessarily because it’s no good either. Having a book out is no guarantee of anything. 

What do you like to read?

I love historical stories. But some of my favs are oldies. I also love anyd of the forties noir books.

What writer influences you the most?

I would that impossible to answer when so many do. I love the sprawl of writers like Margaret Mitchell, F.Tennyson Jesse,  the incredible detail of the times, but I also think these thirties/forties writers like Cain and McCoy had a huge talent for keeping it tight, while F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the prose that is a delicacy. 

If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, which actors would you like to see playing your characters?

Talking Margaret Mitchell I could see Vivien Leigh playing Fury. She has the right fire onscreen but I could also see Keira Knightley having that refined edge Fury constantly tries to maintain. Flint, I think Josh Holloway has the right onscreen mix of steel and grit.

Where can people learn more about you and your books?

1.      http://shehannemoore.wordpress.com

2.    http://furiousunravelings.wordpress.com

3.      http://pinterest.com/shehanne

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and your books?

Apart from giving them a chance..! Nah.

I hope you've enjoyed the interview. If you did, definitely pick the book up. :-) Thanks for reading.