I'm so happy to have author Marion Croslydon here with me today! Lert's get to know her a little better.
Marion, tell
us about yourself.
I’ve been living in London for
almost twelve years, but before that, I travelled a lot. I was born in West
Africa, grew up in the south of France, studied in Paris, Cape Town, and
Oxford… I worked in Finance for a long time, but something was missing in my
life. I had always wanted to create stories and write them. When I had my baby
girl, I stopped procrastinating and took a leap of faith.
Since my time at Oxford, I had
wanted to write a story set there. When I sat down in front of my computer to
write the first words, the characters in my head shouted to me: “At last.”
It was one of the most beautiful
moments in my life.
Do
you prefer... Milk chocolate or
Dark?
Milk chocolate because dark gives me
a migraine.
Coke
or Pepsi?
I’d say Coke. There’s only one thing
I feel strongly about and it’s the full-fat element in it. I don’t drink a lot
of soda, but when I do, it has to be the full-sugar, full-caffeine original.
Almond
Joy or Mounds?
Almond Joy
Romance
or a Thriller?
Can I answer Romantic Suspense?
If not, it will have to be romance,
of course.
Mystery or
Horror?
Mystery. Agatha Christie was my first love…
Mystery. Agatha Christie was my first love…
Did
you always want to be an author?
Yes, for as long as I can remember I
wanted to be a romance writer. I’ve never wanted to write literary masterpieces
but stories that would make the readers dream a bit bigger and their hearts to
beat a little faster.
What
authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
The analytical genius of Agatha
Christie definitely influenced me (not that I’m a genius in any way). I loved
the claustrophobic world she created, how she always shown how much the past
influences the present, and how love (happy or tragic) is at the roots of
everything in life, even murder.
I discovered romance when I picked
my first book by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. It’s funny because I tried and re-read
it a few months ago, and, I have to admit, it felt a bit dated… But at the
time, I absolutely LOVED it.
Did
anyone in your life influence you or encouraged you to be a
writer? (teacher, family member, friend)
My father… He’s a very serious
doctor and has spent his career saving lives, particularly during his time in
Africa (where I was born). He had to deal and witnessed very dangerous
situations and faced death more than once, his own and the people he was taking
care of.
Still, he shared with me his love
for Alexandre Dumas and I grew up re-enacting with him The Three Muskateers. I
even named my first dog, Athos, one of D’Artagnan’s partner-in-crimes. My dad
loves a powerful love story either in books or in movies. He loved epic and we
fought each other to be the first one to read John Jakes’ North and South.
What
is your writing atmosphere like?
Very stuffy… I write in a small
room, with the shutters closed… I have a candle burning, one of those Yankee
Candles with delicious/sickening flavors like Vanilla Cupcake or Strawberry
Cheesecake. My husband thinks they stink, but I obviously strongly disagree
since I consume one every week.
What
is your favorite aspect or writing? Your Least Favorite?
My least favorite, it’s easy: the
first draft. I try and get it out of the way in three months. There’s nothing
more difficult to fix than a blank page (I think those were the words of Nora
Roberts). Once it’s done, I start the self-editing process, then involve my
editor, beta readers and critique partners.
Writing is a lonely job. I love
cooperating with others and receiving feedbacks, even bad ones (slightly
masochistic, I know). I write to share my stories, so hearing from others about
what they liked or disliked, is really what it is all about.
Your
current book your promoting is:
Oxford Whispers is the story of Madison
LeBon, an American student at Oxford University, with psychic powers she
prefers to ignore. But when the tragic lovers in a painting begin to haunt her,
she must learn to accept her gift. Otherwise, life will imitate art and
Madison's own first love will be doomed.
It’s the first book in The Oxford
Trilogy. I’m currently writing the second book, tentatively titled Oxford
Shadows, before it goes out to my editor/beta readers/critique partners. It
should be out next spring.
I’ve drawn inspiration from my own
time at Oxford and my passion as a romantic teenager for a Pre-Raphaelite
painting by William Shakespeare Burton, The
Wounded Cavalier. It is set during the English Civil War.
Also, there’s a strong Voodoo component
through Madison—who is kind of an “Ivy-League Sookie Stackhouse”—because I was
born in West Africa where Voodoo originates, and spent a lot of time in New
Orleans and Louisiana.
How
do you choose your characters names?
I don’t do
it on purpose but I tend to use names of people I know. In no way, the
characters are like their namesakes though. But there’re just names I’m
familiar with. My hero’s name is Rupert, which happens to be the name of… my
brother-in-law. I hope he won’t mind too much…
OXFORD WHISPERS
Two star-crossed lovers in the
English Civil War
A painting with haunting
powers
A murderous ghost back for
revenge
Madison LeBon is dead set against the
dead. She has vowed to ignore her Voodoo-stamped heritage and the psychic gift
passed down through her Louisiana family. The world of the living is where she
wants to belong.
But her resolution shatters when the
ill-fated lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class at
Oxford—begin to haunt her. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a
Puritan from the English Civil War.
In misty present-day Oxford, Madison
embarks on a quest to unravel the secrets of the past and understand her
personal bond with the painting. To protect herself, she must learn to accept
her gift before life imitates art, in all its tragedy.
College becomes more complicated when
she falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of
the characters in the painting.
With the spirit of a murderer in hot
pursuit, Madison comes to realize that her own first love may be doomed…
Based on a real Pre-Raphaelite
painting, Oxford Whispers is full of romance, drama and suspense.
Fall in love for the first time…
Again
Watch the Tralier:
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
I am a true citizen of the world. I was born in West Africa,
grew up in the South of France, and studied in Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Cape Town,
and Oxford before finally settling down in London. This wide variety of cities
has provided lots of inspiration for my writing. Talk about culture exposure!
In addition to being an author, I work as an entrepreneur,
wife and mother-of-one but spend a good deal of time with books, DVDs and
listening to my mp3 player; all for the sake of inspiration, of course. My
debut series, The Oxford Trilogy, has
been a blast to write because I can indulge in my favorite types of music: Country
and English rock.
My main goal as a writer is to make readers dream bigger and
cause their hearts to beat a little faster. Since my writing is all about
sharing dreams and stories, I love connecting with fellow readers and authors.
Thank you for hosting Marion today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely questions!
ReplyDeleteYour welcome!
DeleteThis story sounds really awesome. I love this genre.
ReplyDeleteNice interview. What a great influence.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Goodd share
ReplyDelete