Lorraine Mace: Getting to know ... Liza Perrat

What genre would you say your novels fall into, or do they defy classification?

Historical Fiction.

What made you choose that genre?

I wrote several contemporary novels and couldn’t seem to get the voice right. I felt it came more easily when writing HF, so I think the genre chose me. Though I do love history, so it doesn’t surprise me that I ended up writing about it.

How long does it take you to write a book?

About 18 months - 2 years, with research included.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

My best time to write is mornings. So I try to write most mornings of the week and leave other jobs to the afternoon, when the brain starts winding down. Once I'm stuck in a novel, I tend to ignore everything, and everyone, so I generally lose a few friends with each new book.

Where do you get your ideas for your books?

Usually from factual historical events, people or places that I visit, or hear about.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I was about eleven and it featured a group of 5 famous teenagers and a dog who get up to all kinds of mischief and adventure.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Read and eat chocolate, or watch crime TV and eat chocolate, but my notion of bliss is a sea-water pool on a sunny day with only me in it.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That it’s a hard, frustrating slog, and it never quite comes out on the page how you’d imagined it in your mind. And, once you've written the book, the hard work really starts.

How many books have you written?

Four novels and one short story collection, only two of which are published.

Which is your favourite and why?

I’d have to say the second in L’Auberge des Anges series––Wolfsangel––is my favourite, as the entire story came to me during the day of haze following a general anaesthetic. That’s never happened before. I usually have to wrestle the story out of my mind, but there it was, fully formed, beginning, middle and end. That was so exciting, so I rushed to get it all down before I forgot it. Hence, this book was by far the quickest and easiest to write.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

Professional tennis player. It looked so easy, they earned a fortune and got to strut about in pretty dresses with lacy underdaks.

What are you working on now?

The final book in L’Auberge des Anges series––Blood Rose Angel––that features the same village and family as the previous two books, but in 14th century plague-stricken France.

Liza Bio:

Liza grew up in Wollongong, Australia, where she worked as a general nurse and midwife for fifteen years.

When she met her French husband on a Bangkok bus, she moved to France, where she has been living with her husband and three children for twenty years. She works part-time as a French-English medical translator.

Since completing a Creative Writing course ten years ago, several of her short stories have won awards, notably the Writers Bureau annual competition of 2004 and her stories have been published widely in anthologies and small press magazines. Her articles on French culture and tradition have been published in international magazines such as France Magazine and France Today.

She has completed four novels and one short-story collection, and is represented by Judith Murdoch of the Judith Murdoch Literary Agency.

Spirit of Lost Angels is the first in a historical series set against a backdrop of rural France.

Published Works:

Spiritof Lost Angels

Friends,Family and Other Strangers from Downunder

Liza’s Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Liza-Perrat/e/B008385OF2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Liza’s blog: http://lizaperrat.blogspot.com

Liza’s website: www.lizaperrat.com

Triskele Books blog: http://triskelebooks.blogspot.com

Triskele Books Website: www.triskelebooks.co.uk

Follow Liza on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LizaPerrat

Find Liza on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779584.Liza_Perrat