Author Interview with Joanne Harris

April 19, 2011 by Fifi Flowers

Joanne Harris was born in 1964, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and was a teacher for fifteen years, during which time she published three novels; The Evil Seed (1989), Sleep, Pale Sister (1993) and Chocolat (1999), which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.

Since then, she has written eight more novels; Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, Coastliners, Holy Fools, Gentlemen and Players, The Lollipop Shoes and Runemarks, and most recently blueeyedboy which was published in March 2010, plus; Jigs & Reels, a collection of short stories and, with cookery writer Fran Warde, two cookbooks; The French Kitchen and The French Market. Her books are now published in over 40 countries and have won a number of British and international awards. In 2004, Joanne was one of the judges of the Whitbread prize (categories; first novel and overall winner); and in 2005 she was a judge of the Orange prize.

Her hobbies are listed in Who’s Who as: “mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion of the system”, although she also enjoys obfuscation, sleaze, rebellion, witchcraft, armed robbery, tea and biscuits. She is not above bribery and would not necessarily refuse an offer involving exotic travel, champagne or yellow diamonds from Graff. She plays bass guitar in a band first formed when she was 16, is currently studying Old Norse and lives with her husband Kevin and her daughter Anouchka, about 15 miles from the place she was born. (via Joanne Harris' Site)

____________________________

Now... let's ask her a few questions about her writing, latest project and more...

Where are you from?

I was born in Barnsley, in Yorkshire.

Tell us your latest news?

My new book, BLUEEYEDBOY, is out in paperback.

When and why did you begin writing?

I've been writing ever since I can remember. I guess I must enjoy it.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I prefer not to put labels on myself.

What inspired you to write your first book?

The desire to annoy my mother. (THE EVIL SEED was a vampire novel, and she'd
banned all horror fiction from the house.)

Do you have a specific writing style?

I think everyone does.

How did you come up with the title(s)?

Titles sometimes evolve as the story progresses, but more often I have a
title in mind from the start.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I'd much rather ask questions than answer them. In the case of BLUEEYEDBOY,
they're questions about the nature of identity and perception, whether
someone can be inherently bad , and what makes us what we are.

How much of the book is realistic?

I think all of it is. Stories have no life if there isn't a certain
emotional realism to make us want to believe in them.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Always, but you have to know where to look to identify them.

What books have most influenced your life most?

Victor Hugo's LES MISERABLES, Ray Bradbury's GOLDEN APPLES OF THE SUN,
Mervyn Peake's GORMENGHAST.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Christopher Fowler, who has been my friend since I was first published.

What book are you reading now?

Elif Sharak's FORTY RULES OF LOVE.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Too many to name. I wouldn't want to leave anyone out.

What are your current projects?

I don't tend to talk much about what I'm writing.

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Apart from my husband Kevin and my friend Chris, I'm not sure anyone was
even aware I was writing anything...


Do you see writing as a career?

I do now, although I struggle to see it as a proper job...

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your
latest book?

I rarely look back at books that are published - you can become far too
obsessive about making changes. At some point, you have to know when to let
go.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

The day I realized that books were written by real people.


Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I don't talk much about works-in-progress.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

It's filled with challenges; making characters plausible, creating a
meaningful plot, avoiding self-indulgence, pulling a complex plot structure
together.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about
their work?

Victor Hugo, for his astonishing natural storytelling ability and his
unerring gift for characterization.

Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

Yes, I travel to 6-10 foreign countries a year, as well as a lot of
travelling to festivals around the UK.

Who designed the covers?

The publisher's art department, with Jeff Cottenden, the photographer.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Pulling it all together.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I enjoy experimenting, and I like to think that I learn a little more about
different techniques every time I write something new.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Read; experiment; enjoy yourself; know when to take advice where necessary.
Persevere.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I like my readers to think for themselves, to draw their own conclusions and
to judge a story on its merits, not on reputations, false expectations or
hype. I'm very glad that most of them do, and I'm grateful to have so many
loyal and supportive fans.

Best,
Joanne
x

________________________________

Thank you to Joanne Harris for indulging moi with an interview... LOVED it!

nowwwwwwwwwwwww...

I would like to donate my copy of  Joanne Harris' Five Quarter of the Orange ... 

Set in a small village near Angers on the Loire, it deals with the fortunes of a widow and her three children, Cassis, Reine-Claude and Framboise, against the background of the German Occupation. With no father and only their harsh and overworked mother to care for them, the three children inhabit a strange and brutal world in which adults are a different race, and which works according to a completely different set of moral values. Into this circle comes Tomas Leibnitz, a German soldier who secretly befriends the three children and leads them step-by-step into a world of betrayal, blackmail and lies.

A lifetime later, Framboise, the last survivor of the ill-fated group, returns under a different identity to the village in which she was born, meaning to make a new start as the proprietor of a small crêperie-restaurant. But she is still haunted by the past and by an unresolved mystery, recalled once more to life by the encrypted writing in her mother's old book of recipes. (read more about the book background via HERE)

JUST ADDED TO THIS GIVEAWAY... and ORIGINAL Fifi Flowers
HANDPAINTED bookmark (unseen side of the bookmark has a painting on it too!)...

 J'adore this book and if YOU have not read it... I suggested YOU leave a COMMENT to WIN this book!!! Deadline to Enter this Giveaway is April 28th @ NOON California time...
Winner will be announced on April 29th on the GIVEAWAY PAGE!!!