Today I am pleased to welcome author Kate Murdoch to my blog answering a few questions about her work and inspiration. Her debut novel Stone Circle is available NOW in ebook and paperback format and was published by Fireship Press.
To buy link: http://amzn.to/2nPc4ZZ
Hello Kate and welcome …
- I understand you were a widely recognised artist prior to writing. Has your love, skill and experience in painting helped at all with the research work for your writing?
In the case of Stone Circle, it helped in that I’d done a lot of study of the Renaissance period at art school, so I had a sense of the aesthetic, the culture and the society. Most importantly, the art history gave me a fascination with the period in Italy. As a result, I enjoyed delving into further research focusing on alchemy, the role of women and the social hierarchy.
- Where did the inspiration come for Stone Circle?
Originally from a dream I had of two young men and an old man, rowing in a canoe on a calm stretch of water. I knew the old man was imparting knowledge and that the time period was long ago. Then it was a matter of narrowing down the period, which led me to alchemy and the fact that it was practised at the time.
- Can you give us a brief overview of Stone Circle?
Stone Circle tells the story of Antonius, a fisherman’s son with psychic abilities, who wins a competition to be apprentice to the town seer. The son of a nobleman also wins, and there is intense rivalry between them for their mentor’s favour and the affection of his daughter as they study alchemy and magic rituals.
- Do you have a set writing time in your day? And, do you have a writing room?
Not really. Although my most productive time is the middle of the day and, quite often, the hour before I must pick up my children from school. I don’t have a dedicated writing room – I mainly write in the living room, looking out to the garden. If I have something more challenging, like intensive edits, I sit at the dining table.
- Do you prefer writing a full length novel or short stories?
I love both. I’ve written many short stories and flash fiction pieces as well as two novels. There is satisfaction in creating a complete narrative in fewer words, but there’s also much enjoyment to be had in long-form, where you can create more detailed descriptions and delve deeper into characterisations. I also like the mystery of long-form – I enter it fairly blindly, never sure where the story will go.
- If you’ve had time to relax and read this last year, what was your most outstanding book?
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. This was a book that impressed me for many reasons. The luminous prose and the exploration into choices and moral ambiguity. The fact that there is so much we don’t understand about peoples’ actions and the turmoil that can provoke them. Along with the heartbreak of being unable to turn back the clock. I found it deeply moving.
Thank you so much Kate for joining me today. To learn more about Kate Murdoch and her work please do visit the following pages:
Website: https://katemurdochauthor.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@KateMurdoch3/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katemurdochauthor/
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