This week, we're welcoming historical romance author, Jennie Marsland. Her latest title, SHATTERED, is set against the background of the Halifax Explosion of 1917, one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century. Jennie is here to talk about the novel and give away a copy. Please, leave your comment for a chance to win. Here's the blurb:
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Alice O’Neill has never belonged. Able to read notes, but not words, she dreams of teaching music – and of Liam, who has held her heart for years and never known. But Liam has shadowy ties in England that he’s revealed to no one, and in that fall of 1917, Halifax is on a collision course with fate. On December 6, a horrific accident of war will devastate the city’s North End. What will be left for Liam and Alice when their world is shattered?
**Q&A with Jennie Marsland**
Welcome, Jennie. What is your book about?
Shattered is the story of
a returned World War 1 soldier who finds love and healing with a young woman
who’s struggling to make a place for herself in her family and in her world, in
spite of dyslexia. It’s a story of triumph over adversity, set in Halifax, Nova
Scotia, against the background of the Halifax Explosion of 1917, which is still
the largest non-nuclear, man-made explosion in history. It occurred on December
6, when two ships, one of which was loaded with explosives, collided in Halifax
Harbour. Half the city was devastated. Here’s a picture of the city’s downtown,
which was spared the worst of the damage, a few years after the time of my
story:
What inspired you to write this particular story?
Well,
the Halifax Explosion was a major event in the city’s history, and I worked for
ten years in the part of town that was most affected. During that time, a
friend of mind told me about an unsettling experience. She came home from work
one day, glanced in her kitchen window and saw a man dressed in old-fashioned
clothes, sitting at her table. While she was looking at him, he vanished. The
Explosion killed over 2000 people, so it’s not surprising that supernatural
stories from that time abound, but my friend’s experience got my imagination
spinning.
Tell us a little about your main characters.
Liam
Cochrane, the hero, is trying to overcome the trauma of his experience in the
trenches of World War 1. He’s coping with a physical wound and with the loss of
his younger brother. He survives from day to day by keeping to the surface of
life, because going deeper is too painful. Liam’s a quick-tempered tough guy,
but he’s really hiding a soft heart. Alice O’Neill has always seen the
gentleness beneath Liam’s tough exterior and she’s loved him for it for years,
but her family has labeled her as slow because she can’t read, and she doesn’t
believe Liam could ever care for her. I like both of them because of their
inner strength in the face of adversity, and Liam’s
I’ll-fight-you-in-an-alley-and-drink-with-you-afterward attitude makes me
smile.
How does your environment/upbringing colour your writing?
My
family roots are here in Nova Scotia, and I’ve always enjoyed hearing my
parents and grandparents talk about what life was like when they were young.
I’ve lived in Halifax for the last thirty years, and stories of the Explosion
are woven into the fabric of the city’s culture. There’s endless material here
for a history buff like me.
Also,
I find the First World War era fascinating. There was so much change happening
so quickly – cars replacing horses, people having electricity and telephones
installed in their homes, women reaching for political power and sexual
freedom. People felt as if their world was turning upside down. I tried to
capture this feeling of restlessness and change in the story.
Have you ever had difficulty killing off a character?
The
hardest part of writing Shattered was
deciding who among my cast of characters was going to die. There was no way I
could keep the story realistic if I let them all survive. The hero and heroine
live and have a happy ending, of course, but I had to sacrifice some other
characters that I loved. It’s the first time I’ve done that.
What do you like to read?
I
grew up reading my father’s Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour collection, and I still
enjoy Westerns. I enjoy historical romance by authors like Julianne Maclean,
Anna Campbell and Pamela Clare, as well as everything by Jane Austen and the
Brontes. I’m an avid reader who doesn’t really stick to one genre. One author
I’ve loved since childhood is a fellow Maritimer, Lucy Maud Montgomery.
What, in your opinion, are the essentials of a good story?
Character
and conflict. My writing is character-driven. The plot grows out of the
personalities and flaws of the characters. A good story has a balance of action
and character development.
Thank you, Jennie, and best of luck with SHATTERED!