Welcome to Inside the Mind where we here at The Faerie Review interview authors and creators.
Our guest today is Jan Foster, the author behind Disrupting Destiny

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Jan I enjoyed reading Disrupting Destiny. How did you choose the setting for this book?

Jan:  I’ve long had a fascination with the Tudor age, for which I blame Shakespeare. So when it came to writing a historical fantasy fiction novel, it was a way for me to combine more research into my favourite period with imagining the ”what if’s.” What if you had to live and hide in Tudor England, with wings. What if you had a secret which you couldn’t even tell your husband. And what if you lost the love of your life suddenly. 

In terms of location, although I live in the North West of England, the landscapes of the North East, with their stretches of woodland, rolling arable fields and of course, the rich heritage there, better suited the journey which the storyline follows. Also, I’m a big fan of stories which make you think about the current times as well, so I wanted to base my work in specific time-periods where there is a lot of upset which is reflected in or a part of the storyline for the ordinary man. Disrupting Destiny explores the time when England was splitting from the Catholic faith and when I was drafting the novel, England was grappling with Brexit. It struck me the emotions running high then were very similar to that parting of ways, so it was quite easy to imagine the arguments which people would be having in their houses or in pubs because it was happening all around me. The core theme of belief, and exploring different aspects of it runs through the entire Naturae series and is explored in a historical context.

Lily:  I think you did a great job of bringing it all to life and weaving everything together. Can you give us an insight into Annabella and Joshua? Were they inspired by anyone?

Jan:  I’m sure there are elements of people I know in them, but that wasn’t consciously written! I wrote Joshua to be the sort of man which would appeal to someone like me, I suppose, not your traditional swashbuckling hero, but a steady, warm guy who likes a plan but can rise to the occasion and think on his feet when the need is there. Annabella is more of the reluctant heroine, a bit flighty, but adventurous, feisty and brave. Neither are the sort of people who expect to end up in the situations they find themselves in, part of my ‘what if’ imaginings!

Lily:  I loved both of them! They felt real, if that makes sense. Without spoilers, what’s your favorite part of the book?

Jan:  I loved researching and writing the scenes at sea, which is peculiar as I wouldn’t dream of getting on a boat and get terribly seasick!

Lily:  Hehe those were some fun scenes. Is there a sequel in the works?

Jan:  Anarchic Destiny is already about 2/3 written and takes place in 1553 – another year of upheaval! Aioffe, Joshua and most of the other side characters have to deal with the problems of continuing a dynasty, and being in a high profile relationship. There’s a new character, Henry Fitzroy, who is desperate to rule and hungry for acceptance. The clue is in the title… it’s not going to go according to a plan.

Lily:  I can’t wait for it to come out! Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. What inspired you to start writing?

Jan:  I’ve always written and loved doing it, but what I wrote was for business – tenders, proposals, marketing strategies, articles etc. After having children, I was in an odd place mentally and work wise – too long out of the workforce as I’d been a stay at home mum for 7 years as my husband travelled a lot and it wasn’t feasible for me to return to my former job and juggle children as well. So I found myself writing little stories for kids, plays, just for fun and to keep my mind alive. Then I was commissioned to write a screenplay by an old university friend, now a film producer. The focus of doing that sci-fi adaptation was the push I needed really, I hadn’t realized the missing link was a setting a goal which was time sensitive and had an end product – quite businessy really. I liked the escape of disappearing into another world, so when my children both started school full time I published a children’s book and set myself the new goal of writing a series of novels.  Now, writing is definitely my favourite part of the day and I get a little angsty if I’ve not done something towards this goal.

Lily:  That’s awesome! What is the most difficult part about writing for you?

Jan: Hiding so I avoid interruptions! Because I write third person omniscient, I have to really be ‘in’ there with the characters, imaging how they move, feel etc within the setting. I’m getting better at dipping in and out of this the more time I spend in this period, but it’s really annoying when my head is deep in C16th and the C20th washing machine starts beeping or the doorbell goes!

Lily:  Hehe I can imagine that would be frustrating. Do you prefer to write with pen and paper, a typewriter, a computer, or using dictation? Or a combination?

Jan:    Laptop, Scrivener. If I had to physically write something I would never get anything actually published as my handwriting is near illegible!

Lily:  I totally understand that struggle, I can’t always read my own handwriting. Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. If you could spend 24 hours with a character from any book, who would it be, and from what book?

Jan:  I’m really interested in morally grey characters right now as my antagonist in Book 2 – Anarchic Destiny, is one. I also quite like baddies who are actually goodies – Snape from Harry Potter for example. Although it would be a testing day, I think I’d quite like to be in his company to see what makes him tick. I also like his snarkiness!

Lily:  I would love to be a fly on the wall for that day. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Jan:  I write better in the morning definitely, save the editing for when I’m more tired in the afternoon.

Lily:  Sounds like a good schedule to have. What’s your favorite holiday?

Jan:  Tricky one – probably anywhere quiet with loads of books, coupled with historic places I can wander around and get lost in imagining what it would be like to live there way back when.  Definitely somewhere (I’m kinda not sorry to say) on my own. I love my family, but the last 10 years has taught me that it’s not actually a holiday when you go away with kids – just the same battles but in a different place! So now a holiday is an actual break from the norm, not just a location, it’s being able to do what I want, when I want, without having to consider other people in the equation. I am very fortunate to have a husband who understands this and enables me to get away for a few days most years to escape the humdrum of real life and recuperate that way.

Lily:  Books definitely make for a relaxing way to escape on new adventures. Is a hot dog a sandwich? Why or why not?

Jan:  Anything between two pieces of bread is a sandwich.

Lily:  Very important question now, what mythical creature would improve the world most if it existed?

Jan:  My daughter would say unicorns, and I think I’d probably agree with her, although I’d say a Pegasus as I love to fly! Horn being optional… Not quite sure how it would improve the world though, but it would make travel a whole lot more exciting.

Lily:  I think both would definitely make the world more fun. Would you rather have skin that changes color based on your emotions, or tattoos appear all over your body depicting what you did yesterday?

Jan:  Great question! My background is in drama, acting and directing, so skin which changed colour would be a bit of a giveaway with any form of deception on stage. I’d therefore have to go with tattoos. I wonder though, as I’m quite literal (one could say sensory) in terms of I like to visualize everything as I write as if I am living through it, would this translate into tattoos? I am quite amused by the idea of being a walking diary, but I’m not sure I’m on board with announcing everything I did the day before to the world 😉 I’m not sure how well it would go down well at the school gates if someone asked me why I got burnt on a stake, or how does one stop a fire aboard a ship, or crawl through dank tunnels during an earthquake…

Lily:  That would be an interesting twist – having your adventures while writing also appear on your skin. It would definitely by a conversation starter. Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Jan:  Just that I hope your readers enjoy my worlds and escaping into my stories. Thank you very much for chatting to me, I’ve really enjoyed it!

Lily:  So glad you could stop by for a chat, I love poking around author’s minds. How can readers discover more about you and you work?

Jan:  Lots of ways to connect with me, and I have a monthly newsletter which shares writing updates, history facts, book recommendations, short stories, articles etc – sign up here: https://www.subscribepage.com/mailingsubscribe and I’ll send you a free copy of the Naturae Series prequel Risking Destiny (a full length novel set in Viking Age Orkney!) to enjoy.