Today it's my pleasure to welcome author Maggie Christensen back to the blog to talk about her latest book A Mother's Story which was published last week.
I’ve always been an avid reader and, as an only child, loved making up stories and playing with my imaginary friends. But it wasn’t till I was close to retirement that I started writing fiction.
I grew up in Scotland and became a primary teacher, but always wanted to travel. When I was twenty-five I came to Australia to teach for two years, lured by the call to “Come and teach in the sun” and a picture of a bare-chested man wearing swim shorts and a gown and mortar board. I loved Australia so much I decided to stay.
Now retired, I live with my husband of over thirty-five years on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast and, when not writing, spend my time reading, walking on the beach or having coffee in one of our favourite cafes by the river.
If you had to give an elevator pitch for your latest book A Mother's Story, what would it be?
In Scotland in 1941, Rhona Begg defies her parents to join the ATS. At the same time in Australia, Nell worries for her husband fighting in the Far East. Years later the two women’s lives collide in an unexpected manner. A sweeping family saga filled with emotion taking the reader from wartime Scotland to present day Australia.
In Scotland, in1941, as WW2 increases in ferocity, Rhona Begg goes against her parents’ wishes and enlists in the ATS—a decision that brings with it heart-breaking consequences. After the war, weighed down with regret and grief, Rhona receives news that has the power to change her life.
Across the ocean in Australia, Nell Duncan worries about her husband who is fighting in the Far East. When she receives the dreaded news that he is missing in action, her world collapses. The end of the war brings changes to Nell’s life, but her dream of bearing a child is no longer possible and she grieves for what might have been.
In 1971, when Joy Baker gives birth to her daughter, she begins the journey to discover her ancestry. What she finds shocks her to the core and propels her on a journey to the land of her birth.
Three women. Three mothers. Three astonishing stories.
Probably an unfair question but which character was your favourite to create, Rhona, Nell or Joy?
Definitely Rhona. I think it was because she was Scottish, so I was able to relate to her more. Also, the name of the town she and her family live in is never mentioned in the book, but is based on the one I grew up in. I certainly felt I lived her experiences as I wrote, even though much of her story takes place before I was born.
What message do you want readers to take away from this book?
There is nothing more powerful than a mother’s love.
Having previously published mainly contemporary novels, what inspired you to write a timeslip novel?
A Mother’s Story is actually my second historical novel. I published The Good Sister in 2017, also set in Scotland with Australian references and spanning the period from W2 to present day. It was based on a story my aunt told me and I vowed never to write another historical novel.. However, another story I heard years ago, niggled at the back of my mind and it has resulted in A Mother’s Story.
What are the challenges of writing a timeslip novel?
The research and blending the different time period, or in this case, the different settings. I really admire those authors who can turn out these books on a regular basis and do mammoth amounts of research.
How much research do you undertake before starting writing/planning your novels?
I tend to do the research as I go along which is probably not the best policy. But, as I don’t; know exactly what will emerge as the plot progresses it’s easier to do it on the run. In A Mother’s Story, I had to do a fair bit at the beginning as the book starts during WW2 in both Scotland and Australia. But I did the research for the later years as I went along. It’s so easy to get lost in researching something that only appears in one sentence.
What comes first for you, characters or plot?
The characters always come first for me, and the setting. I usually also have several ideas of things that might happen and how the book might end, but no real plot. In The Mother’s Story, I started to write three generations of women in the same family. But I could soon see it wasn’t working. So I started again with Rhona, then Nell appeared on the scene and I knew it was not going to be a dual timeframe story but the parallel stories of Rhona and Nell as they lived through the war and the years which followed in UK and Australia. The plot emerged as I wrote. I never know what’s going to happen next in my writing.
Do you have a typical writing day or routine?
I don’t really have a typical day.
Since I am usually writing one book, editing another and marketing yet another, my routine can become a bit jumbled. I aim to write to a deadline, writing till I have reached my daily word count. I start the day by checking on my marketing and replying to emails. Then, if I have edits back from my editor that comes next. I like to spend the bulk of my mornings writing, after reading over what I have written the previous day. I take breaks when I catch up with my reading or do housework and think about what to write next.
Website: https://maggiechristensenauthor.com
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Twitter: @MaggieChriste33
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Instagram: @maggiechriste33
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