Ask the Author: Lizzie Page
Answered Questions (6)
Lizzie Page
Hello Kathleen, hope you are well. I've written five historical fiction books. The War Nurses and Daughters of War are based on real-life women who served as Nurses in WW1. When I was Yours is about a woman who takes in an evacuated child - and this brings back many of her experiences in WW1 and hopes for the future. The Forgotten Girls is a dual narrative focussing on the girlfriend of the war photographer Robert Capa. And the Wartime Nanny is about a young woman who comes to London from Austria in the 1930's and then has to try to get her family out after the Nazi occupation. I'd love to hear what you think. xx
Lizzie Page
Hey Lauren, thank you for the question. I remember when I was a kid, finding out that there was an actual person behind all the books I loved - a writer! - and then not much after, I met an actual writer and she was quite normal, :) and I thought, ooh, I would like to be like her. So from quite a young age really. It took me years and years to actually get to it though!
Lizzie Page
Most of my stories are inspired by real-life women in history - and 'When I was Yours' is no exception. I had been wanting to write about Lena Guilbert Ford - the woman who wrote 'Keep the Home Fires burning' with Ivor Novello, for some time. Then I became interested in a WW1 war-artist, named Olive Mudie-Cooke and I worked out a way I could weave a story around them. But 'When I was Yours' was also inspired by my Dad. He was evacuated from London to Leicester during WW2 and I had always found his experiences fascinating. I wanted to write about how it might have felt to host an evacuee child - what kind of emotions would it bring up...
Lizzie Page
Ooh, you know this! - Perseverance is key. No one would tell otherwise. :)
Get on with it, and once you're getting on with it, keep going and keep going some more. Other than that, I'd advise reading lots and reading with a critical eye, ask yourself how the author did such and such, look at the choices they made. I'd also suggest joining a writing group or course. Interacting with other writers and discussing your and other writers' work is brilliant fun and a sure-fire way to improve.
Get on with it, and once you're getting on with it, keep going and keep going some more. Other than that, I'd advise reading lots and reading with a critical eye, ask yourself how the author did such and such, look at the choices they made. I'd also suggest joining a writing group or course. Interacting with other writers and discussing your and other writers' work is brilliant fun and a sure-fire way to improve.
Lizzie Page
I'm currently writing my fourth historical fiction book for Bookouture. I'm really, really excited about it. It's *probably* going to be dual-timeline - modern and WW2, and there's going to be an epic love story. Fingers crossed!
Lizzie Page
The biggest block to my writing is not having enough time/my family. :) Once I'm sitting at the computer, I feel finally able to get down all the things I've been thinking about and mostly the words pour out.
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