The Highlander’s Sword, Amanda Forester – Author Interview

TITLE: The Highlander’s Sword
AUTHOR: Amanda Forester
PUBLISHER: SourceBooks Casablanca
PUBLICATION DATE: March 2, 2010
PAGES: 352
GENRE: Fiction, Historical Romance

A quiet, flame-haired beauty with secrets of her own…

Lady Aila Graham is destined for the convent, until her brother’s death leaves her an heiress. Soon she is caught between hastily arranged marriage with a Highland warrior, the Abbot’s insistence that she take her vows, the Scottish Laird who kidnaps her, and the traitor from within who betrays them all.

She’s nothing he expected and everything he really needs…

Padyn MacLaren, a battled-hardened knight, returns home to the Highlands after years of fighting the English in France. MacLaren bears the physical scars of battle, but it is the deeper wounds of betrayal that have rocked his faith. Arriving with only a band of war-weary knights, MacLaren finds his land pillaged and his clan scattered. Determined to restore his clan, he sees Aila’s fortune as the answer to his problems…but maybe it’s the woman herself.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…My review will come out later this month but so far the book’s got me interested. In the meantime, I wanted to share with you all my interview with the author, Amanda Forester. Feel free to ask her a question while you’re hear as she should be stopping by later to say hello.

How did you come up with the idea for The Highlander’s Sword?

I’ve always had storylines floating around in my head.  The challenge for me is to place my basic idea for a love story into the historical setting.  Of course that requires lots of research, which is a lot of fun!

Who was your favorite character and why?

It’s hard to pick a favorite character – I love all my children!  I identified with my heroine, I fell in love with my hero, but the funnest character to write was Chaumont, a knight errant, who mocked my hero whenever he took himself too seriously.

What was the most challenging part of writing The Highlander’s Sword?

The begining.  I must have revised the start of my novel so many times I’ve lost track.  In my first version, I had several chapters that provided what I now regard as back story.  With every subsequent version, more got cut off the beginning, until about four chapters had been left on the cutting room floor.  It was hard to do, but now the story starts when my hero and heroine meet and the pace moves much faster!

Who or which authors inspired you to become a writer?

I have loved Jane Austen since I first read her in junior high.  I still have that original paperback that started my love of historical fiction.  More recently, I went to a writers conference where I met so many great authors who were tremendously encouraging.  Historical romance author Gerri Russell went out of her way to help me and Cherry Adair sponsored a “Write the Damn Book” challenge, which was the incentive and motivation I needed to write that darn book!

How long have you been writing and what advice do you give aspiring authors?

Though I have always had story lines floating around in my head, I never gave myself permission to write them down until a few years ago.  For me, I needed to let go of being afraid of what others might think of me and be willing to put myself out there and be true to myself and my story.  For aspiring authors I encourage you to try to shake off that internal critic and give yourself the freedom of finding your true, unique voice.

What does your personal library look like?

I have books everywhere in my house.  Bookcases tend to get shoved on any spare wall or corner.  My husband and I have a lot of differences in what we like to read (oddly my husband is not into romance novels like me!) but the one thing we agree on is our love for history.

When you’re not writing, what are you doing? Family? Other work? Hobbies?

I am a mommy of two and I work part time in addition.  The combination keeps me very busy!  After taking care of the kids, going to work, and writing in the evenings, my main hobby right now is sleeping – I hope to do a little more of it some time in the future!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Amanda Forester holds a PhD in psychology and worked for many years in academia before discovering that writing historical romance novels was way more fun. She lives in the Pacific Northwest outside Tacoma, Washington with her husband, two energetic children, and one lazy dog. You can visit her at www.amandaforester.com.