Since 2012, I have a Twitter account. Almost from the beginning I met some lovely authors such as Lally Brown.
She always posts very interesting tweets. She also has written three fantastic books:
- The Countess, Napoleon and St. Helena,
- The Volcano, Montserrat and Me,
- High and Dry in the BVI.
Here books are a splendid mix of personal memoirs and history as well,
written in a style I like.
When I started this book blog, I really wanted her to ask some interesting?
questions for my author page.
So here is the Author in the picture interview of Lally Brown.
The Interview
Since when
did you start writing stories and books?
I think I must have been born with the urge to
write and tell stories Kathleen! Apparently I wrote my first ‘poem’ (about
three naughty bears) when I was six and I’ve been writing all sorts of stuff
ever since. My sister was an invalid and I would sit beside her bed and make up
stories as I went along, something I now enjoy doing with my four grandsons. I
was a journalist for a while and this enabled me to play with words - great
experience for a wannabe writer!
Do you keep
a diary?
Not anymore, but when I first lived abroad my
parents demanded to know every little detail of my exciting new life. They
insisted on long weekly letters, which they carefully saved. These became known
in the family as ‘Lally’s Journals’ and later formed the foundation of my
memoirs.
You’ve
lived in lots of places around the world. Where was/is your favourite place?
Oh my goodness that’s a hard one to answer.
I’ve loved every home I’ve ever had, from a pretty little house in an English
village (one church, one shop, three pubs, primary school and village green) to
the remote and isolated island of St Helena in the middle of the South
Atlantic. Exiled Napoleon may have hated the island but I loved the peace,
scenery, and the fabulously friendly people.
On reflection I can see that I am obviously devoted
to islands, Caribbean islands in particular. Even the smallest island has a
fascinating history when you begin to dig. Add sunshine, beautiful deserted
beaches, shimmering sapphire sea, spectacular scenery, and you have a winning
combination. Of course nature can and does throw in a wobbly now and again, an
erupting volcano or a hurricane for instance.
Truth be told though I adore where I live now.
The Isle of Wight is tucked into a dimple off the south coast of England. We
have everything. Slow pace of life, history coming out of our ears, wonderful
sandy beaches, nice climate, lovely walking and cycling. No volcanoes and no
hurricanes and I can see my grandsons whenever I like. I feel well blessed to
be living here. Our island motto sums it up perfectly … “All this beauty is of
God.”
Have you
inherited certain habits from places you’ve lived?
Definitely …for instance I am amazingly careful
with water, a precious commodity when you have to collect the rain from your
roof into a cistern built under the house and that’s all you’ve got to last you
through the dry season. I’ve also collected some terrific recipes which I use
often. For instance Jamaican banana bread and St Helena fishcakes, tomato paste
sandwiches and the traditional island ‘Plo’ are regulars in my kitchen. When I
lived in St Helena I edited and published a book of island recipes for my
neighbour who was a great cook, and now I use this myself all the time.
Do you
listen to music while writing?
No I don’t, which is odd considering I’m a huge
fan of classical music (especially Mozart) but when I write I’m in my own little world, totally cut off from
whatever is happening around me. Music would just be a distraction.
Do you have
other interests? I know you have a great knowledge about roses. But what else
do you like or are you interested by? Inspired by?
Ha ha … roses are my husband’s pride and joy
and I’ve absorbed knowledge of them through a sort of osmosis. But I thoroughly
enjoy cooking, making my own cakes, bakes and jams. And when the elderflower
blooms I can be found early morning gathering bunches of blossom to make
elderflower cordial.
Also I thoroughly enjoy walking, especially up
on the cliffs and down by the beach, the sound of the sea is so soothing and
the breeze blows away any cobwebs in my head.
In a later e-mail Lally added:
I realised afterwards I'd forgotten to mention my love of photography ... can't imagine how i could have omitted that since I've been developing and printing my own images since I was 12 ..... digital camera's are just so easy these days!
I liked the way you stayed calm and busy during the volcano eruption. Are you always so cool and calm?
Oh if
only I could say ‘yes’ to this question Kathleen! I’d describe myself as a
worrier, but it does seem that when my back is to the wall something deep
inside just takes over and helps me cope and I can appear cool, calm and
collected in a crisis.
Which other
authors do you like and do you recommend?
Far too many to mention, unless you can give me
a couple of blank pages and I’ll happily list them for you. Way back during my
adolescence, author Dervla Murphy was an inspiration to me, what a woman, ‘Full
Tilt – Ireland to India with a bicycle’ made me dream of being a free-spirit wandering
the globe, I blame her for my lifelong love of travel.
But my current absolute favourite authors
include two lovely ladies, Valerie Poore and Beth Haslam. Both have given me so
much pleasure through their writing, I am forever grateful.
Do you have
new writing plans?
Well I’m supposed to be finalising my new
memoir ready for launch very soon. It’s called ‘Treefrogs Can’t Sing’ and
chronicles a return to the British Virgin Islands with a baby and a toddler. It
is the sequel to my first BVI memoir ‘High and Dry in the BVI’ but stands
alone.
Breaking news!
There is more.... Lally has allowed me to reveal ....
the first cover of her newest book! What a beauty!
To conclude
two books about the BVI.
