Author Interview & Giveaway - Mary Hooper (Fallen Grace)

Today I have the pleasure to welcome the fantastic Mary Hooper to my blog. Mary is the author of a plethora of books for both children and young adults. Her books really do bring history to life.
I recently reviewed Fallen Grace here.


Enjoy the interview.

Hi Mary, thanks very much for being here today!


Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I started writing short stories for teen magazines about twenty-odd years ago, and then progressed to serials and then, eventually, books. I live in Henley, about forty miles outside London, with husband, cat and piles of books.


You started out with contemporary books but your more recent stuff has been historical, what motivated this change in genre?
I ran out of “modern” ideas. Anything that can happen to a fifteen year old girl had happened in one of my books. Also, the whole technology thing was a bit of a turn-off. I didn’t want to write books which had i-phones and blackberries and texting and all that stuff in them. Neither did I want to go down the fantasy route.


Writing historical novels must take a lot of research, especially books like Newes of the Dead, which was based on a real life incident, do you enjoy researching or does it bother you?
I think researching is the best thing about being a writer. It’s where you find out all those little bits and pieces that will make your book come to life. Also it gives you guidelines: you’re writing about things that really happened – and truth really is stranger than fiction. Queen Elizabeth I really DID have a magician at her court who purported to speak to angels; a girl in the 17th Century really was hanged, almost dissected and lived to tell the tale; in Victorian times there really WAS a steam train running on a line called the Necropolis Railway upon which you could travel with your coffin in First, Second or Third Class.


I'm not embarrassed to gush about the fact that everything I have ever read by you I have loved, but I'm going to have to ask, do you have a favorite out of all of your own books?
That is like asking a mother which is her favourite child! Um...I think possibly it would be between FALLEN GRACE and THE REMARKABLE LIFE AND TIMES OF ELIZA ROSE.


And what about the characters, do you have a favorite character?
Ditto!


If you could have tea with any author (dead or alive) who would you pick?
The obvious one would be Shakespeare, but I’ll go for Byron. I rather like the idea of tea with someone “mad, bad and dangerous to know”.


Do you have anything to say to your fans?
Please join my Facebook page - and do keep reading!


Thanks very much for your time Mary! It's been fantastic having you!
It’s a pleasure! Look out for VELVET coming in September.

It's giveaway time!


Mary has kindly offered me one SIGNED copy of Fallen Grace to a lucky UK winner.


To enter the giveaway just fill in the form at the bottom of the post.


Her are the rules:

• The winner must be from the UK, as Mary is kindly sending out the prizes.
• You must be a follower to enter (yes, I am shamelessly recruiting followers.)
• The giveaway is open until Midnight on the 6th July, the winner will be notified later that day and must respond within 48 hours.

There are a few ways to get extra entries;

• Follow Mary of Facebook here (+1)
• Advertise this giveaway on your blog/twitter/facebook (+1)

Here is the form

-Jadey