Linda Buckley-Archer's Blog
March 6, 2020
Recording - Letter to my readers
Hi
I hope you've already discovered lots of books that have made your life richer this year. I was asked to write a letter to my readers and to record it for the Royal Literary Fund's website. That special, invisible relationship between writer and reader has always fascinated me. If you've got a moment to listen to it, here's a link:
https://www.rlf.org.uk/showcase/linda...
I hope you enjoy it!
Linda Buckley-Archer
I hope you've already discovered lots of books that have made your life richer this year. I was asked to write a letter to my readers and to record it for the Royal Literary Fund's website. That special, invisible relationship between writer and reader has always fascinated me. If you've got a moment to listen to it, here's a link:
https://www.rlf.org.uk/showcase/linda...
I hope you enjoy it!
Linda Buckley-Archer
April 30, 2018
The Best Advice I Ever Received
I was asked to write and record an article on 'The best advice I ever received as a writer' by the Royal Literary Fund, a wonderful organisation that supports writers and their work in the UK. The world is full of good advice but for anyone who would like to hear mine, here's a link to the Royal Literary Fund's website and to my recording in particular.
https://www.rlf.org.uk/showcase/linda...
https://www.rlf.org.uk/showcase/linda...
April 10, 2017
The Sun King
I've been watching and enjoying VERSAILLES season 1 for a second time. It's rekindled the interest I've had for decades in the extraordinary personality and drive of Louis XIV. He became a key figure in THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE. Here's a short, edited extract from chapter XVII in which the young John Stone gets to meet the Sun King for the first time:
The King! The King! I had often seen him from a distance, walking in the gardens, a troop of dignitaries and musicians in his wake, or sailing in the royal barge on the Grand Canal, but only once had I got close to him and the knowledge that mere yards separated me from the King had been enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Louis was, after all, the architect of Versailles, God’s representative on earth, he who could raise you up or destroy you on a whim. I know him not – that single phrase, uttered from the lips of the Sun King –would cast you into permanent shadow.
And so it took all my nerve to wait for him alone on the grassy banks of the Yvette River. I had arrived far too early, and was as jumpy as any soldier waiting for the order to charge. I had got mud on my shoes and, wishing to keep my handkerchief clean, wiped off the dirt as best as I could with a handful of grass from the river bank. I realised, too late, that I had grasped hold of a large hornet that stung the palm of my hand two or three times before I managed to fling it into the stream. Its venom inflicted a searing pain, and as I watched the current carry it away, my hand began to throb alarmingly, as if the insect had somehow injected a pulse into my palm.
I wrapped a dampened handkerchief around my hand, trying to compose myself while I watched the river glide slowly by. All at once the world seemed to hold its breath: the mill abruptly stopped turning, and the moorhen chicks, which I had been watching skate in and out of the reeds, vanished from sight. The sound of galloping! Many horses were headed this way; flocks of birds were rising into the air above the tree canopy at their approach. I saw a Swiss Guard appear from behind a tree (the distinctive blue and red uniform was unmistakeable). I wondered how long he had been there, and if he was here to protect me or the King?
It was Louis himself who drove the hunting carriage. Four small, black horses thundered through the trees, the wheels throwing up sods of grass and mud. Two boys accompanied him. One rode postilion while another followed on with the reserve horses, for the King, who adored hunting, often wore out three teams of them in an afternoon. I stood stock still, knowing that I was his quarry, and braced myself, sensing the rush of air and the vibration of the earth as the carriage swerved and the horses came to a halt inches away from the river bank. At the same time, a movement caught my eye upstream. I had assumed that I was alone here in the woods, but I saw four men emerge from the watermill, carrying a chair, a table and a rug. Now the Sun King was climbing out of the carriage. Now he was standing before me. The sun that poured down from behind his shoulders was dazzling, so that I had to squint up at a face familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. A tang of eau de cologne cut through the smell of the river. Nothing seemed quite real. And although my head instructed my body to bow, my body failed to follow orders. Instead, I gawped, wide-eyed, taking in the luxuriant wig, the black hat with its white ostrich feather, the strong nose, the exquisite surtout – black, white, scarlet¬, a flash of gold – the slow, spreading, amused smile—
“You appear to have hurt your hand, Monsieur.”
The King! The King! I had often seen him from a distance, walking in the gardens, a troop of dignitaries and musicians in his wake, or sailing in the royal barge on the Grand Canal, but only once had I got close to him and the knowledge that mere yards separated me from the King had been enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. Louis was, after all, the architect of Versailles, God’s representative on earth, he who could raise you up or destroy you on a whim. I know him not – that single phrase, uttered from the lips of the Sun King –would cast you into permanent shadow.
And so it took all my nerve to wait for him alone on the grassy banks of the Yvette River. I had arrived far too early, and was as jumpy as any soldier waiting for the order to charge. I had got mud on my shoes and, wishing to keep my handkerchief clean, wiped off the dirt as best as I could with a handful of grass from the river bank. I realised, too late, that I had grasped hold of a large hornet that stung the palm of my hand two or three times before I managed to fling it into the stream. Its venom inflicted a searing pain, and as I watched the current carry it away, my hand began to throb alarmingly, as if the insect had somehow injected a pulse into my palm.
I wrapped a dampened handkerchief around my hand, trying to compose myself while I watched the river glide slowly by. All at once the world seemed to hold its breath: the mill abruptly stopped turning, and the moorhen chicks, which I had been watching skate in and out of the reeds, vanished from sight. The sound of galloping! Many horses were headed this way; flocks of birds were rising into the air above the tree canopy at their approach. I saw a Swiss Guard appear from behind a tree (the distinctive blue and red uniform was unmistakeable). I wondered how long he had been there, and if he was here to protect me or the King?
It was Louis himself who drove the hunting carriage. Four small, black horses thundered through the trees, the wheels throwing up sods of grass and mud. Two boys accompanied him. One rode postilion while another followed on with the reserve horses, for the King, who adored hunting, often wore out three teams of them in an afternoon. I stood stock still, knowing that I was his quarry, and braced myself, sensing the rush of air and the vibration of the earth as the carriage swerved and the horses came to a halt inches away from the river bank. At the same time, a movement caught my eye upstream. I had assumed that I was alone here in the woods, but I saw four men emerge from the watermill, carrying a chair, a table and a rug. Now the Sun King was climbing out of the carriage. Now he was standing before me. The sun that poured down from behind his shoulders was dazzling, so that I had to squint up at a face familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. A tang of eau de cologne cut through the smell of the river. Nothing seemed quite real. And although my head instructed my body to bow, my body failed to follow orders. Instead, I gawped, wide-eyed, taking in the luxuriant wig, the black hat with its white ostrich feather, the strong nose, the exquisite surtout – black, white, scarlet¬, a flash of gold – the slow, spreading, amused smile—
“You appear to have hurt your hand, Monsieur.”
August 9, 2016
Why I write
The Royal Literary Fund recently commissioned a three-minute recording entitled 'Why I write'. It's now available on their website, which is a great resource for anyone interested in creative writing. Here's the link:
http://www.rlf.org.uk/showcase/linda-...
http://www.rlf.org.uk/showcase/linda-...
July 1, 2016
Happy Tenth Anniversary!
1st July 2006 a memorable day for me - it was the day my first novel was published.
Happy Tenth Anniversary
to THE TIME TRAVELERS,
1st volume of THE GIDEON TRILOGY
Created for a son who didn’t want to read,
It taught me how to write.
A massive thank you to all the lovely readers
who have given me such encouragement
over the last decade.
Happy Tenth Anniversary
to THE TIME TRAVELERS,
1st volume of THE GIDEON TRILOGY
Created for a son who didn’t want to read,
It taught me how to write.
A massive thank you to all the lovely readers
who have given me such encouragement
over the last decade.
May 11, 2016
Q&A THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE
Q&A
WHAT GENRE IS THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE?
THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE asks what might happen if inheriting a specific genetic profile could result in extreme longevity (not immortality, not vampirism, just aging far more slowly than is normal). My principal character, John Stone, had regular meetings with Louis XIV of France yet hundreds of years later also witnessed men walk on the moon and mastered the art of texting. I’d like to make it clear that, unlike The Gideon Trilogy, which I wrote for younger readers, my latest novel DOES NOT INVOLVE TIME TRAVEL. In terms of genre, it crosses a few boundaries: it’s part historical and part speculative science-fiction; half is set in the present day - mostly in England but also in New York - and half is set in Versailles in 1685, in the magnificent court of Louis XIV. I hope that it can be enjoyed by both teens and adults. There’s action and adventure but, given its subject matter and its audience, I’ve also allowed John Stone, who has reached the age of 350, to reflect on what it is to have lived a life. What is most important? What might he have changed?
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
Years ago, while walking through a cemetery, I wrote down an idea about a story that was “something to do with Eternal Legacies”. I knew that it would involve a person who was long-lived and who needed friends or guardians to help keep his secret over the decades and centuries. Then, some years later, I had what I can only describe as a waking dream in which I saw a boy follow an old man into cave. Neither came out – it wasn’t much to go on but I felt compelled to work out what was going on. I knew from the beginning that this scene happened hundreds of years ago. Since then I have developed the idea a lot, but it all started from there and the cave scene is at the centre of the book.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER?
I love 17-year-old Spark, who is intelligent and full of energy and longing. But my favorite character has got to be John Stone. He’s flawed – which he would be the first to admit – but there’s a goodness, a wisdom and a charm to him which, if he were real, I would find compelling. He understands that he was manipulated by Louis XIV and while he treasures the memory of his first love, he gradually comes to understand that might have played the hand he was dealt differently.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE KING AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ERA?
I’m fascinated by Louis XIV but probably my favorite century is the eighteenth. I wrote about it extensively in The Gideon Trilogy, which featured the criminals of the day: cutpurses, highwaymen and footpads. I also love the 1920s – the era of THE GREAT GATSBY.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE IN YOUR BOOK?
The final scene which takes places in the orchard at John Stone’s sanctuary, Stowney House. It brings the story to an end but hints at more to come.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
Professionally since 2003. But books have been my life one way or another since I was a small child.
IF YOU HAD TO BE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR NOVEL, WHO WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
Curiously, the grizzly, curmudgeonly Jacob – because I would have been through the worst things and survived, was my own person, and there was so much more to me than people would ever imagine to look at me.
My thanks to Charity of 5 Girls Book Reviews for her questions
WHAT GENRE IS THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE?
THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE asks what might happen if inheriting a specific genetic profile could result in extreme longevity (not immortality, not vampirism, just aging far more slowly than is normal). My principal character, John Stone, had regular meetings with Louis XIV of France yet hundreds of years later also witnessed men walk on the moon and mastered the art of texting. I’d like to make it clear that, unlike The Gideon Trilogy, which I wrote for younger readers, my latest novel DOES NOT INVOLVE TIME TRAVEL. In terms of genre, it crosses a few boundaries: it’s part historical and part speculative science-fiction; half is set in the present day - mostly in England but also in New York - and half is set in Versailles in 1685, in the magnificent court of Louis XIV. I hope that it can be enjoyed by both teens and adults. There’s action and adventure but, given its subject matter and its audience, I’ve also allowed John Stone, who has reached the age of 350, to reflect on what it is to have lived a life. What is most important? What might he have changed?
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
Years ago, while walking through a cemetery, I wrote down an idea about a story that was “something to do with Eternal Legacies”. I knew that it would involve a person who was long-lived and who needed friends or guardians to help keep his secret over the decades and centuries. Then, some years later, I had what I can only describe as a waking dream in which I saw a boy follow an old man into cave. Neither came out – it wasn’t much to go on but I felt compelled to work out what was going on. I knew from the beginning that this scene happened hundreds of years ago. Since then I have developed the idea a lot, but it all started from there and the cave scene is at the centre of the book.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER?
I love 17-year-old Spark, who is intelligent and full of energy and longing. But my favorite character has got to be John Stone. He’s flawed – which he would be the first to admit – but there’s a goodness, a wisdom and a charm to him which, if he were real, I would find compelling. He understands that he was manipulated by Louis XIV and while he treasures the memory of his first love, he gradually comes to understand that might have played the hand he was dealt differently.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE KING AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ERA?
I’m fascinated by Louis XIV but probably my favorite century is the eighteenth. I wrote about it extensively in The Gideon Trilogy, which featured the criminals of the day: cutpurses, highwaymen and footpads. I also love the 1920s – the era of THE GREAT GATSBY.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE IN YOUR BOOK?
The final scene which takes places in the orchard at John Stone’s sanctuary, Stowney House. It brings the story to an end but hints at more to come.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
Professionally since 2003. But books have been my life one way or another since I was a small child.
IF YOU HAD TO BE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR NOVEL, WHO WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?
Curiously, the grizzly, curmudgeonly Jacob – because I would have been through the worst things and survived, was my own person, and there was so much more to me than people would ever imagine to look at me.
My thanks to Charity of 5 Girls Book Reviews for her questions
November 11, 2015
Crossing Boundaries (or What Genre is THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE?)
My father - who died four years ago to the day, and whose love for the English language inspired my own – was very fond of saying: “It’s a good job we’re all different”. It’s a phrase he used about everything from politics to why some of his friends had kept their hair into their eighties when he hadn’t. He was a Yorkshireman, fiercely independent, and proud of it, and I suspect that I’ve inherited from him a slight mistrust of following the crowd. My original title for THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE was, as it happens, DIFFERENT. It is, after all, about a man who happens to have inherited a particularly robust set of genes which have allowed him to reach the age of 330. And difference brings with it a sense of separateness, a capacity for observing others and a yearning to belong.
So when I started to think about the character of John Stone, it seemed to me that many teenage readers (and the teen inside adult readers), could identify with his situation. You don’t yet quite know who you are, and that sense of belonging or - being different in some way - is never felt with greater intensity. I decided to split the story into two: one contemporary narrative that brings together John Stone and 17-year-old Spark and the other John Stone’s first-person account of his troubled adolescence in Versailles. I was determined to do justice to this complex character by giving him a voice that was nuanced and that reflected his life experience. It was never an option for me to short-change my - very adult -character nor patronise readers.
At the same time I wanted to show how a contemporary 17-year-old could have a crucial influence on a 350-year-old’s fate. Young, old, middle-aged: no generation stands alone and I wanted to celebrate that in my novel. So is THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE teen or adult fiction or ‘crossover’ or ‘crossunder’? You tell me! As a writer, if you think a story is worth telling, you stay true to it, however many boundaries you might have to cross.
So when I started to think about the character of John Stone, it seemed to me that many teenage readers (and the teen inside adult readers), could identify with his situation. You don’t yet quite know who you are, and that sense of belonging or - being different in some way - is never felt with greater intensity. I decided to split the story into two: one contemporary narrative that brings together John Stone and 17-year-old Spark and the other John Stone’s first-person account of his troubled adolescence in Versailles. I was determined to do justice to this complex character by giving him a voice that was nuanced and that reflected his life experience. It was never an option for me to short-change my - very adult -character nor patronise readers.
At the same time I wanted to show how a contemporary 17-year-old could have a crucial influence on a 350-year-old’s fate. Young, old, middle-aged: no generation stands alone and I wanted to celebrate that in my novel. So is THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE teen or adult fiction or ‘crossover’ or ‘crossunder’? You tell me! As a writer, if you think a story is worth telling, you stay true to it, however many boundaries you might have to cross.
October 26, 2015
Getting a story out of my system
The kind people at Adventures in YA Publishing recently featured an interview with me about, among other things, my inspiration for THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE. Here is a link:
http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.c...
http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.c...
October 4, 2015
THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE
I’m excited to say that THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE will be in bookshops on 20 October, 2015. It’s taken a good four years to write and it’s taught me a lot – about history, about writing and about family. The novel is aimed at a teen/crossover audience and explores the consequences of an encounter between a 17-year-old girl and a 350-year-old man. Unlike the GIDEON TRILOGY, this is not time travel. On the other hand, there are two parallel stories which allow me to explore the past in a much more personal way: one is a third-person, contemporary narrative; the other is John Stone’s own account of his teenage years at the court of Louis XIV at Versailles. In tone, I guess it combines intrigue and adventure with a certain degree of reflection. If you’d like to find out more, or see if this book might appeal, do visit my website and listen to an excerpt.
