You are so good at making readers feel like they are experiencing first-hand the period of history that you are writing about. What inspired this setting and how did you go about creating the backdrop to the events of this book?
Somerset is my home, I was born and raised here, so I get a lot of my inspiration from the landscape and local history. The places affected by the 1607 flood are all known to me. What I also needed was a personal narrative to run alongside that of the flood, and when I delved into the Jacobean era, fears of witchcraft and the growing trade in sugar were two things that leaped out at me. So I decided to weave these in to Fortune’s story.
Fortune is hired to tend to Ellis to make him more ‘manly’; women thriving by themselves are seen to be a nuisance and in need of a man to take charge; and if women are right about their intuition, they are quickly accused of being a witch. Did you consciously set out to challenge gender stereotypes when writing this book?
I hope all my stories explore gender in some way. We live in a world where, even now, gender roles are constantly challenged – in the workplace, in the media, by politicians. I’m all for people and personalities rather than narrowing things down to boy/girl characters. The early seventeenth century is particularly vivid and violent example of what happens when gender roles are enforced to the extreme.
What are the main messages you would like readers to take from this story?
That we’re all individuals with our own quirks and characters, and should embrace our differences, not try to hide or change them.
What did you edit out of this book and why?
Originally, the story started at the trial. There was another Sharpe sister called Eleanor who was rather duplicitous. She over-complicated the plot so had to go!
Can you talk us through the transformation of Fortune throughout the story, her character development and growth?
We first meet Fortune as a noisy, reckless girl who thinks of life as one big adventure. When events at home take a sinister turn, she’s forced to grow up fast and make her own way in the world. Despite feeling overwhelmed and constantly out of place, she finds friendship and courage where she least expects it, and learns that appearances can be deceptive.
How important are your characters’ names? How do you go about creating them?
Naming characters is one of my favourite parts to writing a story. For ideas, I’ll look up birth registers for the year characters would’ve been born, so their names feel appropriate to the era. Sometimes a name will just land in my head, sometimes it’ll come from research. Fortune, Susannah and Ellis are all early seventeenth century names. Occasionally, I’ll be inspired by a real name: Dr Blood is named after my own childhood dentist, who was brilliant – and female – so nothing at all like the character in this book!
Family and relationships are often a focus in your stories. Do you ever see yourself or your family in any of your characters? And if you had to pick one character that is most like you from your books, who it would be and why?
Family and friends are hugely significant in my life, so yes, there are lots of echoes of my own experiences in the stories I write. Many of the names I use come from relatives – Tilly, Louie, Will, Cliff, Ephraim, are all named after my grandparents and great-grandparents. The character who is most like me is probably Tilly in Frost Hollow Hall!
Your books always have such a distinctive and authentic aesthetic about them. What do you feel that the cover artwork brings to your books?
Faber hit on an absolute super-talent when they asked Julian De Narvaez to illustrate my covers. His artwork so cleverly mixes the eerie with the nostalgic, so you feel as if you’re about to read something old-fashioned, yet not quite traditional, which is exactly how I try to approach writing historical fiction. Julian’s art, coupled with Faber’s designers, makes those covers really arresting. They don’t look like other book covers, somehow. As far as I know I’m the only UK author Julian does cover art for – and I love that!
If you could have lived through any period of history, which would it be and why?
I think the Victorian era would be fascinating, with so many new inventions and ideas whizzing about. Also the end of the eighteenth century because revolution was in the air.
Which books have been most influential to you throughout your writing career?
I grew up on a diet of pony books, ghost stories and the Moomins. As an adult, I became hooked on historical fiction in my twenties after reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I’m also a huge Daphne Du Maurier fan. Both these writers have a very strong sense of place in their writing, and an undercurrent of something unsettling going on, which I love.
What does a day in the life of Emma Carroll look like when you’re writing?
I’ve recently discovered I write better later in the day, which isn’t just an excuse for a lie-in, honest! A writing day for me consists of getting up, walking my dogs, doing a couple of hours writing at my desk, then lunch, then writing downstairs on the sofa, surrounded by dogs. I tend to find the first 30k of an early draft the hardest part. My favourite part of the process is editing, because this is when the story thickens up and I can weave in the layers.
As a former teacher yourself, what advice would you give to teachers about how to develop reading for pleasure – especially historical fiction – in their schools?
Make sure your school has a skilled librarian and a proper library. Model reading to your pupils: the best reading practice I’ve seen is where the teachers are massively enthusiastic about kids’ books, both old and new. Approach historical fiction story first. This is how I do it as a writer. The adventure, the characters, always come first. The history part of things is world-building, just as it would be in a fantasy novel.
What advice would you give to any budding young authors?
Read, read, read. All writers are passionate readers. It’s where a lot of inspiration comes from, and where we learn how to craft a story. Also, getting it right takes time. Be patient and let your story grow.