She was born in England and has lived in
New Zealand and Africa before settling again in her home county of Kent. Her début
novel is set in Kent and is a Time Travel Romance.
Welcome Anna Faversham!
Please share some of the best memories of your childhood
When I was quite young my family moved to live by the sea. These were some of the happiest days when I could roam the sandy beaches and sit on the cliffs and watch the wildlife. I loved the sea on sunny days but also on wild, wet and windy days. The power of the sea still fascinates me.
About your education?
Teachers have been very important to me. I did not realize it at the time though and I’ve never been able to thank any of the inspirational people who taught me and changed my life. I have a tendency now to thank every teacher I meet to tell them of their worth to children who, perhaps, have little to inspire them in their homes.
At college I studied English Law, Economics, Economic Geography, and British Constitution. These subjects have had a lasting effect on much of what I have done.
What is your biggest source of inspiration in life?
Books would come high up the list. I learnt to read at a very early age and always had my head in a book. In terms of what inspires me in my writing, I find people interesting and modified forms of people I have met turn up in my books. Travelling also inspires. When my husband is driving, he doesn’t like a lot of chatter, so I sit quietly (mostly) and plot!
The source of inspiration for my first book “Hide in Time” came from being in St Paul’s Cathedral in London at new year. The Dean was talking about the past and the future. On the early morning drive home, the words “past and future” kept turning over in my mind and “Hide in Time” was conceived. The gestation period was longer than an elephant’s – nearly four years.
What hurts you most in this world?
To see children suffering.
Fortunately, where I lived in Africa, the land – if cared for properly – was fertile and I did not see starvation although it was very much a hand-to-mouth existence.
Children suffer in many ways and it hurts to see any kind of suffering. There are neglected children all over the world, I suspect, and they don’t deserve the pain of not being loved and cared for.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced? How did you overcome it?
My life has been full of challenges, some of these are fed into my writing.
One of the most unforgettable was when I was confronted by a man with a gun. I was not a policewoman so this was a surprise. I overcame it because, like many young people, I had no fear of death. I would die in God’s time – not his. I asked the gunman questions about his life and I spoke about his future. To cut a long story short, I reminded him there was a gun amnesty at that particular time and this was a good moment to start a new life. He handed me the gun. Suddenly I realized the gun was not a fake, it was real and had bullets in it. He even showed me how to take the bullets out!
Words are powerful.
If you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why?
I find this question incredibly difficult to answer. There must be thousands of lives that would be good to dip into – just for a day. It would not be a living personality, I’m happy in my own life now and wouldn’t want to exchange it. Yet to experience the life of an historical character would be eye opening and give me a greater understanding of how our civilization has developed. Perhaps if I thought for another year or so, I could come up with my definitive answer. For now, I think I’d settle for becoming a nurse on the front lines in the First World War.
What is your favorite genre and why?
I enjoy historical novels. There is something about the past which takes me into a different world more so than contemporary work. I am interested in the way people used to live. I also enjoy a well-written romance with a good chase. An historical crime series I enjoyed was by C.J. Sansom – The Shardlake Series.
When did you start writing? What is the purpose of your writing?
I started keeping a journal when I was about twelve. I think that counts as writing because the discipline and thought that goes into keeping a diary is good training for a writer/author.
When we lived in Africa, we were on a bush mission – school, hospital, farm, leprosarium – and about seventy miles from anything pretending to be a bookshop (and that was in a different country). There was no television either. Writing stories for my two small children was something I could do in the evenings. When we returned to England and my husband took a job which necessitated lots of travelling, I used the time when he was away to write my first novel.
I have been asked to step in for the BBC’s Thought for the Day slot when the regular man has been on holiday and I knew I had to write with a purpose – to leave people with something worth thinking about. Writing a novel has the same purpose for me.
Which of your work has been published so far? Would you like to share a synopsis of your work?
The first book I published through Amazon and is available only as an ebook. One day I hope to find the time to put it into print too.
Synopsis of “Hide in Time”:
Hide in Time is a time travel romance: part mystery, part historical, part romance. Misjudging the man she loves, Laura leaves for America in 1814, but is shipwrecked in the English channel and washed ashore in 2009. Too late, she learns the truth about him.
She is assisted in adjusting to twenty-first century living by a psychologist who is fascinated by her and her story of Regency times, highwaymen and her ship wrecked on treacherous sands.
Events confirm Laura's suspicion that the destiny of a woman she meets is linked with her own and she sees a way to restore happiness to the man she still loves and cannot forget. She risks her life and chance of fulfilment to return to 1814. Fortunately someone very special understands.
I have also had short stories published.
What are your forthcoming writings?
I shall shortly be publishing another book set in the Isle of Thanet in Kent. When I met my husband (many years ago now) he told me that there was a smuggler amongst his ancestors. As I had grown up by the sea, with smugglers’ caves being one of the local attractions, I thought this was exciting. I have since learned otherwise!
The title is still wobbly but here is the synopsis:
In 1821smuggling is rife on the Kent coast. One man is determined, not only to stop this violent trade, but also to hang the perpetrators - one in particular. Lucy has her own problems and they get worse when these two men enter her life.
Early reviewers have compared it to Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier. Am I pleased about that? Definitely!
What are your future plans?
I have begun mapping out another time travel book. I seem to make life difficult for myself because I am not choosing the same time period as in Hide in Time. Secretly, of course, I love the research and all that I dig up. I was pretty hopeless at history in school, so I have lots to learn!
How much real life goes into a fiction writing?
Quite a lot. In “Hide in Time” I use historical facts and characters and add a little fiction to their lives! Faction also features in my forthcoming book.
I use incidents from my own life too but I’m not telling you which ones!
Your origin of birth and other countries you have visited/ stayed. What best things you liked in these countries around the globe?
I am English. I have visited European countries – it’s easy to hop across the channel. My work took me to the U.S.A. for a short while and I have enjoyed a holiday in wonderful Cape Cod.
I have lived and worked in New Zealand and Africa.
What were the best things about New Zealand? The people - so friendly, helpful, and self-sufficient; they taught me a lot. And the scenery is magnificent.
All I learnt in New Zealand stood me in good stead for Africa where, if you didn’t grow your own food, you’d be hungry. I also learnt that unless you have lived in a country it is very easy to misjudge the situation and the people. Living in the bush, I learnt more about myself: who I am, my strengths and my weaknesses. What did I like best? Again, the people. The simple life. And the sunshine.
Some quickies: Sun or Moon, Sun Laughter or Smile, Laughter Morning or Evening, Morning Coffee or Tea, Tea Mountain or Sea, Sea Long Drive or Short Drive, Long drive Mars or Jupiter, Jupiter Tulip or Rose, Rose Red or Blue, Blue
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6905076.Anna_Faversham
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anna-Faversham/e/B00A9T0UIY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
