Writers On Wednesday: Kellie Wallace Talks About Her Latest Historical Fiction Release
Kathryn has given me the opportunity to
write a small post today so I'm going to give in to some harmless self
promotion. My latest release, historical fiction novel Her Sweetest Downfall
gave me another chance to explore my love for the 1940's. I've written two
previous books, Darkness before Dawn and Skylark in the same era, and it's a
time I just fell in love with. While its hard to visualise the clothes and the
environment I know its vivid in my mind and hopefully, my reader's.
Her Sweetest Downfall can be described as a
forbidden love story. At the height of the London Blitz, Viola
Craft, a sexually repressed young woman is trapped in a loveless marriage to
her God fearing husband Vernon. She spends her days working in her mother's
dress shop while Vernon pulls the dead from the rubble with his rescue crew.
Their
marriage is turbulent and Viola feels pressured to bear a child. After failed
attempts, Vernon believes she's barren and alienates himself from their
marriage. One night during an air raid, she meets alluring German born Kristoff
Richter. They make an instant connection. He's young, good looking and
emphatic. They embark on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences.
A few
years ago, I could pump out three books in one year but I found the quality
wasn't substantial – at least to me. When I wrote HSD, I was going through
something which hindered my writing. It took almost twelve months to write. The
first draft was finished in October 2014 and it was released April 2015. Quite
a quick turnaround! I felt the novel represented my ability to get over my
hurdles and succeed. I'm very proud of Her Sweetest Downfall and my characters.
Any author will tell you they put a little bit of themselves into every
character they create. They are our babies, our creations. As I wrote the
novel, I felt for Viola and her unfortunate situation. While many will believe
she's a weak woman, I wrote her as a voice for any woman out there. While she
tries to achieve one thing – happiness – it seems every time she gets close it,
someone or something takes it away.
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