I am absolutely delighted to welcome author; Katherine Blakeman to Chicks, Rogues and Scandals for an exclusive interview. I am very excited to be sharing this wonderfully insightful interview with you today, and to learn more about Katherine and her debut book; The Silent Chapter – which sounds amazing, I have already purchased a copy to add to my toppling TBR, go on take a look.
Interview
Hello Katherine, Welcome to Chicks, Rogues and Scandals! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me today.
Firstly, what five words would you use to describe yourself?
Lighthearted version: ‘serial procrastinator and Twitter addict’.
Serious version: ‘altruistic writer full of love’. (Full credit to my friend for the
‘altruistic’ part of that!)
Can you tell us a little about your book; The Silent Chapter?
If you’re a fan of a cosy, immersive twentieth-century romance that talks about all the things that were never really talked about, The Silent Chapter is perfect for you. Readers will be transported to a time with a slower, more meaningful pace of life, when people lived out their emotions in real time. The Silent Chapter follows the lives of a passionate ex-suffragist and a traumatised ex-soldier in the aftermath of World War One, who soon realise that life isn’t the straightforward road they were led to believe, but a winding road full of joy, pain, responsibility and hope.
I love the sound of The Silent Chapter!! When not writing, what do you like to do to relax?
…Reading!
I’m not a big fan of films or television series (mostly because I struggle to process things that aren’t written down), but I also love watching Gentleman Jack, and easy-watching films such as Mamma Mia!, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and Julie & Julia. I also love cooking and baking, but I normally leave a trail of disaster in my wake so I don’t do it as often as I’d like!
If you could have a holiday home anywhere in the world, where would it be?
My first thought was Christchurch, in Dorset. That place, and the surrounding towns and villages, is the location of so many happy childhood memories for me, that every time I go there I never want to leave. One day, I’ll write a book set there. One day.
If you could have one of your books made into a film, which book would it be and who would play your lead characters?
At the moment, there is only one book, so it would have to be The Silent Chapter! I think Melissa McCarthy or Joanna Scanlan would be a wonderful Dorothy, and Zachary Levi for Patrick. Dominic West would be an excellent Bruce (mostly because he played a similar character in The Pursuit of Love) and Imelda Staunton for Edna. I could go on…!
When writing, do you plot or just go with the flow?
With The Silent Chapter, I actually started off by writing Chapter Eight, the penultimate chapter. Then I loved it so much that I decided to write in what happened before that, and that was what became The Silent Chapter. I mostly went with the flow, although with subsequent WIPs I’ve tried to plan.
What three tips would you pass on to an aspiring author?
Firstly, if you really need to get something done, the do-not-disturb function is your friend.
But secondly, and equally, don’t force it.
And thirdly, be aware of vanity publishers. These are people who will take your money in return for publishing your book, but they won’t do a very good job of it. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
If you were hosting a dinner party what three people (dead or alive) would you invite?
I’d invite the artist Kim Noble (who published her autobiography All of Me in 2011), singer-songwriter Agnetha Fältskog (one of the members of ABBA) and Meryl Streep. I’m sure they’d all get along just fine!
What is your biggest source of inspiration for your writing?
Music! Always music. I’ll hear a line of lyrics and immediately feel something, and then want to recreate those same feelings in my readers. If a film were to be made of The Silent Chapter, I think the song Fields of Gold (the Ella Fitzgerald cover, specifically) would be the perfect song for it, because I listened to it so much when writing various scenes. Can you tell I’ve thought this through a lot…?
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with me today, I have just one more cheeky question, just for fun; What is your favourite snacking food?
Chocolate! Any chocolate. Provided it doesn’t have nuts in it. (I’m allergic!)
Thank you, Frankie
About the Author
I am the author of The Silent Chapter, a sweeping love story set in early/mid 1900s Britain. I have always had a keen interest in history, from the very first time I opened a copy of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers when I was six or seven, and now I am combining that with my other long-term interest: writing. The Silent Chapter has been in progress for four years now, and I can’t wait for you all to read it. At the moment, I work in retail, but who knows what’s around the corner…?
My Instagram is @katherineblakemanwriter, my Twitter is @kblakemanwriter and I also have a Facebook page. My website is http://www.katherineblakeman.com, where you can subscribe to my monthly mailing list. Keep up with me on any of those!
Happy reading everybody!
Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram
About the Book
How far can one couple be pushed?
On a mud-caked Manchester lakeside at Christmas 1918, the unlikeliest of romance blossoms. One a disturbed ex-soldier and the other a headstrong ex-suffragist, yet Patrick and Dorothy Hammond fit together like pieces of a jigsaw. The quiet village of Little Wychwood is just the place for them to escape the confines of their old lives. There, at last, they are free to realise their dreams: restoring a farm and starting a family.
Except it’s not quite as simple as that. Things start to go wrong very quickly, and the Hammonds are swung around and around on an emotional trapeze as they battle their way through the next forty years. With their own families being rocked apart and revealing horrifying secrets, not to mention the wars they fight inside their own minds, will they manage to hold it all together for the sake of their children, their faith… and their village?
Perfect for fans of Rachel Hore and Lyn Andrews, prepare to be swept away as this enchanting tale of love, loss and forgiveness is sure to tug at your heartstrings.Content Warning: domestic abuse, child loss and suicide.
Purchase here: mybook.to/thesilentchapter
PRAISE
‘You can feel Blakeman’s heart beat in every well-penned sentence. She gives voice to the challenges faced with a gentleness and realness … and does it so well that readers will forget it is fiction.’ ~ REBECCA HOLLAND, HOLLAND MEDIA SERVICES
‘This isn’t afraid to shine a light onto some difficult subject matters, but does so carefully and thoughtfully, adding to the emotional depth … The ending is just perfect. It is something that will stay with me, and in my opinion, is universally relatable.’~ EMMA HARDY, BOBS & BOOKS
‘One of the best debut books I have read in a while … The definition of the opposites attract love story.’ ~ BRIONY MOLLY, BRIONY MOLLY MEDIA
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