Margaret Pinard has spent her first few decades traveling the globe in search of adventures to incorporate into her writing, including living in the lands of the Celts, the cities of European fashion, and several dolce far niente Mediterranean cultures. Her favorite genre is historical fiction, and she especially delights in fiction that transports the reader to a different time and place.
What was the inspiration for your most recent book?
My upcoming release, Orla Rafferty Seeks Her Fortune, is a novel about a woman on the cusp of settling into a comfortable life, when she is threatened with the loss of the stability she thinks she’s earned. It’s set in 1830s Glasgow; an age of revolutions and a city full of entrepreneurs on the make. Originally, I was inspired by populist movements and progressive politics in the U.S., but when I got stuck with that story, I returned to the U.K., my favorite writing destination. If the decadence and reform were too hard to write about, I figured I could go closer to the beginning of the reform movement—the voting franchise, abolition, Catholic Emancipation—it all happened in a single decade in the UK! When I realized that, I knew there had to be personal stories about how people coped with the upheaval. Since we’re in such an ‘interesting time to be alive,’ I may have subconsciously needed to spotlight someone else having a hard time of it, too.
Do you tend to write about places you’ve been to, or places you wish you could go to?
Ah! I’ve got a third way to answer this question! I tend to get inspired by an event happening in a specific time and place, visit that place, and then it comes home with me. The most telling example of this would be Scotland, as, having read Outlander and gone on a solo trip in 2011, I came back with ‘my head turned,’ as they say. Having now returned many times to different Scottish locations to search out stories, I can confidently say I would love to live in many of those locations; on picturesque Mull, outside industrial Glasgow, on the Cowal peninsula where I have ancestral ties, or plonked in Inverness near the church that housed the defeated soldiers of the ‘45. There’s something magic that comes out of feeling connected to events and people long forgotten. I’ve got a powerful curiosity about what it would feel like to live there long-term, and whether it would wear off or just enchant me more deeply.
What piece of clothing tells an interesting story about your life?
Can brogues count? I have several pieces of clothing that date back to some of my earliest travels, but the brogues I acquired in Montreal are probably the oldest, at a respectable 26 years (and one re-soling). Every time I see them, changing my summer clothes for winter clothes, I remember family trips with my parents and brother, both in the U.S. and outside it. We focused on learning wherever we traveled, and any souvenirs had to be educational, or otherwise practical. I took to collecting souvenir pencils and postcards. But on this occasion, as a high school student when Doc Martens were cool (but I was not), I saw these and knew they were Quality. I could buck the trend and claim my own style, while also sporting shoes that were really versatile. Brogues have persisted through many trends, so it’s sort of like wearing history. And now, when thrift and the circular economy are so important to me, I’m glad to cherish this reminder that a commitment to quirky quality started early—and by instinct! Not to mention they supposedly got their decorative hole punches from shoes worn through Irish and Scottish bogs, so the water would evaporate faster!
Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long?
If you weighed everything in my apartment, the majority of the weight (barring furniture) would likely be paper. And of course, I can’t say I collect books, so what else is there? Letters! And cards. I love sending and receiving personal, handwritten correspondence, and I cherish letters from decades ago. More recent cards get displayed on the wall or stuck to my cabinet doors, to remind me that connections last if you take care of them. I keep a reasonable-sized hoard of blank stationery and postcards as well, ready to be dispatched when needed, or deployed as part of my Patreon ‘Words in the Post’ benefit. I figure since I love receiving mail that isn’t junk mail, others would too. I send about a dozen random, vintage postcards out every month to Patrons, which spreads a little joy in the world. I’ve been collecting postcards and beautiful cards since I was a teen traveling with my family, so you never know what you’ll get!
What brings you great joy as a writer?
There is a lot of nitpicking involved in producing a full-length novel. In the various phases an author goes through, she can get really bogged down with details. But the moment when I re-read a passage I’ve written and find myself swept up in a current of emotion from the arc of the story, that gives me joy. To realize I’ve created something that a stranger can read and feel connected to—not only the distant past, but also me and this tiny seed of an idea that started the story—that is truly the reward.
Margaret Pinard is a soul from the 19th century who finds it easiest to disguise herself by drinking tea, writing historical fiction, and popping off to the British Isles for ‘research.’ She has published six novels and one collection of short stories. Her latest historical fiction work dives into 1830s Glasgow to highlight one woman’s political awakening to an age of revolutions—the first of a planned trilogy. Margaret has co-founded an indie book festival, hosts an active Youtube channel, and is a firm ally of independent bookstores.
Pre-Order Orla Rafferty Seeks Her Fortune – Release date 30th November 2024
Jonathan writes action and adventure novels set in Tudor England, with fiesty female heroines. He has a trilogy that starts with a modern-day girl time-travelling back to the 16th century, as well as a two-book (soon to be three) spin-off series featuring swashbuckling heroine Mary Fox.
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