Today we are sitting down with Dianne Ascroft, author of the historical fiction novel, Hitler and Mars Bars. Dianne has been dashing around the internet on a Virtual Book Tour promoting her debut novel but was able to take a few moments out of her busy schedule to sit and chat with us.
Delish Fiction: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Crafts Hobbies
Dianne Ascroft: I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Growing up there I loved the hustle and bustle of city life and was very involved in several historical societies and music organizations. I earned a B.A. in History at the University of Windsor, Canada in 1984. When I turned 30 I decided to try something different as well as explore my roots. So, later that year, I moved to Britain; I've lived in Scotland and Northern Ireland since moving here in 1990.
Interview With Historical Novelist Dianne Ascroft
Since I left Toronto I've been downsizing steadily. I moved from Toronto, a city with a population of 3 million people to Belfast, a city of half a million to a small town in Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 18,000. Now I live in the country, on a small farm in Northern Ireland, with my husband and several pets. The farm is wonderful. I have a view of fields and rolling hills from my front window and keep pets that wouldn't be allowed in a city garden.
Although writing isn't my primary occupation, I love it and spend as much time as possible indulging my passion. I've been freelance writing since 2002. Most of my writing focuses on history, arts/music and human interest stories. My articles have been printed in Canadian and Irish newspapers and magazines including the Toronto Star, Mississauga News, Derry Journal, Banbridge Leader and Ireland's Own magazine. Hitler and Mars Bars is my first novel.
Curiosity about the past has inspired my love of history and genealogy as well as spurring me to write historical fiction. Music is also an important part of my life. I especially enjoy folk, Celtic, Americana and bluegrass. I play the bagpipes and am learning to play guitar. Quilting, hiking and travelling number among my hobbies.
Delish Fiction: Hitler and Mars Bars sounds like a very intriguing story. Where did you come up with the idea for it? Additionally, how did you come up with its title?
Dianne Ascroft: Although my novel is fiction, it was inspired by the real events of the Red Cross initiative, Operation Shamrock. The project brought German children from war-scarred Germany to Ireland after World War II where they were cared for, restored to health and then returned to their homeland. Several years ago I met a man who, as a child, had been brought to Ireland as part of the initiative and he told me his story. It was the first time I had heard of Operation Shamrock and his experiences piqued my interest. I wanted to find out more and I read any material I could find on the subject. I also watched an Irish television documentary about the German children's experiences. There is very little written about the project so I searched for people who might remember it. I contacted people in communities that had hosted the children. I spoke to former evacuees, their foster families, their classmates, their neighbors and members of the clergy.
Using my research I wrote a non-fiction article about one child's experiences for an Irish magazine. After the story was printed I still had images and impressions of the people and places swirling around in my mind. I couldn't forget their stories. Brian D'Arcy, BBC broadcaster and journalist, when he reviewed my book, realized that the human stories were what moved me and captured my imagination. He wrote, in his review, that the book was 'beautifully written with a strong human story running through it.' Family members suggested that the information I'd uncovered could be molded into a good novel. Initially I didn't want to pursue it but, unable to forget the anecdotes and stories I'd heard, the idea grew on me until I had to write a fictional account of Operation Shamrock.
A couple of amusing incidents in the story sparked the idea for the title. So I linked words that represented each incident together to form the title. In the first incident, naively and cheekily, my main character, Erich, threatens to send Hitler (unaware even who the dictator was) to exact revenge against a police officer who chastises him for his poor school attendance record.
In the second incident, Erich is caught stealthily eating a Mars Bar during class. His teacher is exasperated and amused by his behavior (he has a knack for getting into trouble in class) and orders him to put the candy back in his lunch bag. With great reluctance, and the eyes of the whole class on him, he puts the chocolate bar away. Both incidents illustrate Erich's irrepressible, indomitable spirit. I wanted to highlight that aspect of his character in the title.
Delish Fiction: Tell us a little bit more about Erich, the main character of your story.
Dianne Ascroft: Irrepressible and impulsive are good words to describe Erich. He gets into mischief but he doesn't mean any harm. Denis the Menace and Erich would be best friends if they ever met. Readers have told me they like Erich because he isn't romanticized; he behaves like a real child.
He's a fighter in the courageous, rather than brawling, sense of the word. Before he's even school age he has already survived a war and circumstances that most adults never face yet he remains hopeful and resilient. He's not easily cowed and doesn't give up even in the times when life just seems to get worse.
Erich is fiercely loyal to the people he loves. Because he feels so deeply, he is also easily hurt by any perceived betrayals. He finds it hard to forgive and can hate as intensely as he loves. Impassivity is not part of his character.
Erich will awaken the reader's parental instincts to love and discipline him in equal measures.
Delish Fiction: Now you are doing what's called a Virtual Book Tour. Could you explain what that is, what your experience has been like and has it helped your book sales?
Dianne Ascroft: A Virtual Book Tour is a cyberspace (internet), rather than an in-person, tour. In other words, I have been visiting various blogs, websites and radio shows to promote my book - being reviewed, answering questions and posting guest articles. Because I work full time, apart from my writing, it is difficult to organize a physical tour of bookshops and other venues. But I can reach lots of people online and over the airwaves.
I have been enjoying my Virtual Book Tour. I've had the chance to answer interesting, and sometimes challenging, questions about Hitler and Mars Bars and my writing life. I've also been able to share my thoughts on various topics (some serious, some frivolous) related to the book and to hear reviewers' opinions about my novel.
Hitler and Mars Bars has been on the market for just over 6 months. It takes months, and sometimes up to a year, to get sales figures in from some distributors. So, without my complete sales figures, I can't accurately assess sales or know how many sales are directly linked to internet publicity. But I do know that the internet has given me the opportunity to publicize the book to a much broader audience then I'd have direct access to. In that respect, the Virtual Book Tour has been worthwhile. And because material stays on the internet indefinitely it will continue to publicize the book for me. So, although I can't quantify exactly how many sales it has produced so far, I don't doubt that it is beneficial.
Delish Fiction: What books influenced you the most in your life?
Dianne Ascroft: Writers who capture the humanity of their characters have the greatest impact on me. Maeve Binchy, Adriana Trigiani, Jodi Picoult and Diana Gabaldon are contemporary writers who create believable characters that I would like to meet in real life. The townspeople of Big Stone Gap in Trigiani's books as well as Claire and Jamie in Gabaldon's Outlander series are people I feel I know. S.E. Hinton made Ponyboy and Johnny step off the page in The Outsiders. I enjoy reading their stories because they bring their characters to life and they have inspired me to aim for this in my own writing. Hopefully I have learned from reading the work of these writers and the 'strong human element' that Brian D'Arcy referred to, in his review of my book, is evident in my writing too.
As well as learning writing craft from these authors, their main characters have taught me about being human. Trigiani's Ave Maria, S. E. Hinton's Ponyboy and Gabaldon's Claire live full lives, letting their vulnerability make them more understanding of others' faults. Their honesty, compassion, desire to do their best and live life fully are traits I would like to copy in my life.
Delish Fiction: Any additional projects on the horizon?
Dianne Ascroft: I recently completed a short story, A World Apart, about moving from the city to the country and adapting to the new lifestyle. Although it's fiction, it draws on my own experiences of moving from Toronto, a metropolis of 3 million people, to a small farm in Northern Ireland. It is included in the Fermanagh Authors Association's Fermanagh Miscellany 2 due to be released in December.
I've been busy promoting Hitler and Mars Bars since it was released in March. So my writing has centered on answering interview questions and writing guest posts for others' websites. I haven't had a chance to write any new material. But I have some ideas in my head for a sequel to the book. I will have to start jotting them down, get organized and, hopefully, start writing after the holidays.
Delish Fiction: Any advice you would like to pass on to your fellow writers?
Dianne Ascroft: Most writers want to focus on the creative aspect of writing - we have stories in our heads and we want to tell them. That's why we write. But it's also important to learn as much as you can about marketing before your book is published. Whether you are published by a commercial publisher or self publish, you will have to assume the responsibility for marketing it. It is disheartening to put a great effort into writing a novel that is never read. Knowing how to market a book is essential if you want your book to be bought and read.
Delish Fiction: That is great advice. Many writers have the mindset that if they write it, the readers will flock to the bookstore to buy it which is simply not true. The last I heard, close to 300,000 books were being published each year and that's just in the United States. Globally that number is well over a million a year. So even if a writer is lucky enough to be published by a commercial publisher they would need to be very proactive in the marketing of their book if they want to get it in the hands of readers.
Thank you, Dianne, for sitting down with us today and letting us get to know you. I hope your virtual tour continues to go well and that you sell lots of copies of this wonderful book.
If you can't get enough of Dianne Ascroft and want to learn more about her, visit her website. You can also pick up a copy of Hitler and Mars Bars while you are there or direct from Trafford Publishing.
Interview With Historical Novelist Dianne Ascroft
Delish Fiction Creative Writing Magazine (http://www.delishfiction.com) moves you from idea to print. Get creative writing prompts, fiction writing tips, and publishing info to help you think, write, and get published.
cell phone watches Buy Best Quoizel Ok8604Ho Oakland 7 1 2 Buy New New Alkaline Battery D Case Pack
