What inspired you to start writing?
I fell into writing historical novels by accident, when I was studying for an MA. The first novel started as a writing exercise, but it just kept on growing! By then I’d found that I loved it. Historical fiction uses some of the skills I learned in my previous job as a designer for stage and TV, such as the ability to research and plan, and manage my own time, and the ability to think around insurmountable problems (essential when plotting!). I am passionate about the past, and love anything old and interesting. My ideal day out would encompass a visit to a historic house or museum or archives, followed by afternoon tea (with scones and jam, naturally).
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Definitely to keep all the points of view rolling along. In this novel Giulia Tofana, stepmother to my main character Mia, is the hidden force behind the book, but there are three other main characters, so to keep her in mind whilst writing was always going to be juggling act. All the timelines of the main characters and their actions intersect, so I had to have a ‘train timetable’ of who was where, when, in order to make sure they arrived in the scene at the right time, and weren’t left for days with nothing to do. This is usually my difficulty when writing books with multiple points of view – that reconciling the plot timelines with the real history timeline is a challenge and a brain teaser. And the history can’t be changed, of course.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
I really enjoyed writing about Jacopo, who was a character that used to be a gondolier in Venice but in this book he’ s training to become a surgeon. The training of physicians in those days was completely fascinating, and different from a medical training today. The world of 17th Century Italian medicine was a cut-throat, competitive business, and Jacopo, who is a kind and compassionate man, has to reconcile his desire to heal, with his desire to rise in the ranks of the hospital. He has a run-in with his superior, Savario, and we are really rooting for him to win, and that Savario gets what he deserves.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
No idea. If I was lucky enough to have it made into a film, I would trust the director to make those choices. Books and films are very different visions, and books focus far more on the interiority of the character. A film has to bring all those interior moments into sharp focus to make them visible, and people look so different once they are in costume. Each actor would bring something different to a role, so as long as they are able to ‘live’ it, I will be happy.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I’m hoping that readers will be entertained, and feel they are there, in Renaissance Rome. That they will wonder what’s going to happen next and how the desperate problems for the two main characters will resolve. I also hope they’ll learn something new – about the female Pope, La Papessa, for instance, or about medicine in Renaissance Rome and how it conflicted with old ways of thinking. I also hope they’ll get to the end of the book and feel they know more about Rome than they did in the beginning, and particularly about the role of women in that society.
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Thank you so much for hosting Deborah Swift today, with such a lovely chat about her fabulous new novel, The Cameo Keeper.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club