I get excited when I encounter a new author, especially one whose book(s) have captivated me. These discoveries are one of the benefits of being a reviewer and blogger. After I read The Boundary Stone by Gail Avery Halverson, I knew she was the next author I wanted to interview. Lucky for me, she agreed to take time away from writing her next book to answer a few questions.
ME: What energizes you to write?
Halverson: I am energized to write when I find a great story idea, and have a clear picture of where that story will go – a solid sense of the beginning, the middle and the end. I tend to see the story as a movie, although honestly, sometimes I can only see one scene or several random scenes at a time. If I have patience to let the ideas marinate for a bit, it all starts to come together and the writing flows. Thinking about the world I’m creating while doing nearly anything else except writing sometimes brings about those exciting moments of inspiration when a plot puzzle or a character puzzle piece falls together. I write every day, and if I’m having trouble moving forward, it’s usually because I’m not seeing the story clearly enough. If that happens, I’ll relax into it and go back and edit what I’ve already written. Usually that process clears the weeds and I am energized to move forward again.
ME: Are you currently working on a novel? If so, can you tell me a little bit about it?
Halverson: I am! I’ve just begun the sequel to “The Boundary Stone,” which will be a continuation of the various stories from the first book. There were so many amazing scientific discoveries made in England during the latter half of the 17th century, along with so many fascinating people who came together to examine their collective knowledge. They were really beginning to connect the dots in medicine, the arts and sciences, architecture and so many other disciplines. The sequel will be an intersection of the fictitious characters from book one, along with several of the actual people and events making history during that time.
ME: Do you have a favorite genre/topic that you like to write about?
Halverson: I am a big fan of historical fiction. I love reading and writing about the very real lives of the people who came before us. The way they lived, who they loved, their humor, their troubles, and their joys – it’s all fascinating to me. “The Boundary Stone,” is set in 17th century England, but I’m equally intrigued by many other historical time periods. I’m not the biggest fan of stories about people who make terrible choices that really muck up their lives and the lives of people around them. What I really love are stories about good people leading quiet lives who are thrown into circumstances far beyond their control and the way they figure things out – making history in the process.
ME: The subtitle for The Boundary Stone is The Stockbridge Series Book 1. Do you have a plan for a set number of books in the series?
Halverson: There will absolutely be a second in the series, and possibly a third, as I can see this family (for various reasons) immigrating to the Colonies. However, after completing the second book, I may be ready to explore other subjects. We’ll have to see as the second one comes to an end.
ME: Where did you get the idea for The Boundary Stone?
Halverson: I am one of those people who will happily read anything; newspapers, medical journals, the Enquirer, books on nearly any subject and almost anything else that catches my interest. I don’t keep a journal, but every now and again, a story will bubble up in my memory over and over. That’s what happened when I read the story of Eyam, England (known as The Plague Village), and the self-sacrifice of the townspeople who voluntarily quarantined themselves within the village boundaries to keep the plague from spreading further into England. Although nearly 80% of the villagers died, I could not get the bravery of these people out of my mind – and that’s when I knew I had to write a story about it. About the same time that I read the Eyam story, I also read in a medical journal that a philosophical shift in medicine was beginning to take hold in the latter part of the 17th century. Medicine was beginning to move from the idea of helping people die to trying to figure out how to save their lives. I began to wonder if a (handsome, of course :)) young doctor with this new philosophy had been in the village – would the outcome in Eyam have been different? Would more villagers have lived? That idea formed the basis of my story. Continue reading “Interview with Gail Avery Halverson”
