Already from the start of my other blog - the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog - and my big
debut on Twitter 😃, I 'met' Geri Walton, an author and historian fascinated by
the 18th. and the 19th. century.
She also wrote several books inter alia Napoleon's downfall, which I read and reviewed
on this blog.
I was very happy that Geri Walton was interested to participate in an Author in the picture
blogpost, so here we go.
The Questions & Answers
Hello
Geri, Could you tell me more about you? Who is Geri Walton?
I am a
historian of the 18th and 19th century and host of my own blog that
I
established in mid-October 2013. Because of all the fascinating subjects
and
people from these eras, I learned a lot while writing my blog and have
written
four books that have a connection to France. These books are
"Marie
Antoinette's Confidante" (a tale about the Princesse de Lamballe
who was a
friend and superintendent of the household to Marie Antoinette),
"Madame
Tussaud" (a story about the famous wax figure sculptress
who established
Madame Tussaud’s wax museum and provided
her version of the French Revolution),
"Napoleon's Downfall" (an account about a French socialite,
Madame
Juliette Récamier, who butted heads with the Emperor Napoleon),
and my latest
book, "Jane Austen's Cousin" (a story about Eliza de Feuillide
who
married a French count, survived the French Revolution, and then
married her
cousin Henry Austen).
How
did you get involved with history?
I have
always been fascinated by people and history. During high school,
I constantly
read books related to people and history so it was inevitable that
when I went
to college I would major in history.
Do
you have other interests than history and writing?
I have
several outside interests. One is gardening. I have a raised bed where
I grow
tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, radishes, tomatillos, onions,
hot
peppers, and a dozen herbs. In addition, I like to cook and make everything
from chicken pot pies to braised ribs and luscious cookies and cakes.
I also began
knitting when I was eight and find it a relaxing hobby.
I often knit while watching
TV.
How do
you start writing books? For ex. How do you choose your topics?
My interest
is usually piqued by something I read while working on
my blog or reading tweets.
Then, I start researching and decide whether
to write a book, which I do partly
to learn more about the subject and
partly to satisfy my own curious nature.
Do
you like to travel?
I love to
travel and have visited Germany, France, Austria, and England.
Some of these
trips were for pleasure and some of them were related to
the books I have
written. For instance, when I wrote
“Marie Antoinette’s Confidante,” I
travelled to the Chateau Rambouillet
in France to learn more about the chateau
and estate because both the
Princesse de Lamballe and Marie Antoinette lived
there. Then when
I wrote my book on Madame Tussaud, I visited London, England,
as that
was the site of Madame Tussaud’s first wax museum. I have also
travelled
throughout the U.S. and visited numerous historical sites on the east
and west coasts.
Which
person(s) in history fascinate you the most?
There is no
one person that I find fascinating. Rather I find the 1700 and 1800s
fascinating and like to learn about the lifestyle and insights of people from
those
time periods. It is interesting to try and figure out how they saw the
world, what
they worried about, and why they approached life the way they did.
Which
events in history are special to you?
I like
almost any event that happened in the 1700 or 1800s. For instance,
I have
enjoyed learning about the revolutionary periods both in America and
France and
have tried to understand what motivated people during those times.
I also like
the Victorian Era because it was such a time of reform and
improvement,
families were also a dominate feature, and religion and morality
became a
battleground among agnostics, free thinkers, and theologians.
In addition, so
many interesting people of the 1700 and 1800s
(such as Queen Victoria, George
Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte,
Benjamin Franklin, or Louis XVI) changed the
world. I find that
I am always learning something new whenever I study the
eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries.
Do
you have a daily routine?
I have a
loose routine where I schedule my Facebook posts and tweets
for Twitter each
morning. Then I spend four to five hours writing. Sometimes
extra material from
a book becomes a blog post and sometimes a blog post
I’ve already written ends
up becoming part of a book.
I
always end with the same question: what are your wishes
for yourself and the
world?
I am extremely
grateful that my immediate family and I survived the pandemic
despite my
father-in-law succumbing to Covid. With everything returning to normal
in the
U.S., and as more and more people around the world get Covid vaccinations
and
as covid cases go down, I hope everyone will realize how blessed they are
to be
alive. I know that I am taking more time to appreciate the many wonderful
blessings that I enjoy.
Thank you
Thank you very much Geri Walton for this interview and your participation in
your author in the picture blogpost.
Good luck with the publication of your new book(s) and keep me updated!
Where to follow Geri Walton?
https://www.geriwalton.com/ .
