Interview: "Tomorrow Belongs to Us: Titanic Novel" by Lynda Dunwell

Today we have Lynda Dunwell on Romance Book Junkies for an interview. She is just coming out with "Tomorrow Belongs to Us: Titanic Novel" just in time or the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. If your anything like me I love all things Titanic and I can't wait to read this one.

I know you get asked this question over and over but can you tell us a little about yourself? Maybe something juicy. ;)

 

Besides being a writer, I am a genealogist and researcher. I have traced my paternal line – that’s the Dunwells – back to 1485 in Yorkshire, England. Although I am based in the English Midlands and could not be further from the sea if I tried, I love anything nautical, unusual, weird and wonderful. I spend most of my vacations on board cruise ships. I don’t know how it got there, but there’s definitely salt in my veins.

When did you first start writing? Are you a full time author or do you do it on the side?

 

I began writing seriously six years ago when my mother died suddenly. She had encouraged me to write and read my early manuscripts with maternal enthusiasm. Although, she didn’t live to see me published, I only have to close my eyes and I can feel her supportive presence. Now I write full-time, usually in the mornings for about four hours a day. The rest of the time I research, read, surf the net and tend my garden. Gardening is my relaxation, I call it my prime thinking time.

Do you have a author that has really inspired you?

 

Aged 12, I read “Gone with the Wind” in three days and got hooked on historical romance for life. Mother was a great film buff, she told me about the movie and I yearned to see it. Fortunately, there was a re-release in our city on a super wide screen and we went.  I have watched the DVD many times since, but that first viewing, like the first read of Margaret Mitchell’s book, was awesome.

 

How long does it normally take you to write an average book or your last book?

 

First draft about six to eight weeks but only after the research has been done. It’s the only way I can get to know my characters by understanding the world they live in. Editing, polishing and sometimes changing aspects of the plot can take longer. I try to write from inside the head of each character, usually heroine, hero and, if the plot demands it, a secondary character.

 

What do you think makes a story great?

 

Emotion, factual accuracy, reader involvement – when I read I like to live the story, experience the characters’ lives, cry with them and celebrate their joy.

 

Can you describe your book "Tomorrow Belongs to Us: Titanic Novel" in one sentence?

Embroiled in naval espionage, Lucy Mainwaring sails on the ill-fated liner - will she and the man she loves survive?

 

What inspired you to write a book about the titanic?

 

When my mother took me to see the movie, “A Night to Remember”, I was an impressionable child. “The film didn’t frightened you, did it?” she asked when we came out of the cinema.

“No,” I said, “because we would have got in a lifeboat.”

 

The survival instinct was obviously sewn very early into my life, I’ve often said, “If I’d sailed on the Titanic, I’d have had a lifeboat ticket in my back pocket.”

 

Several years after seeing the movie, I read Walter Lord’s book of the same title. Over the years, I read most books written about the liner, so it seemed a good idea to place a novel on board.

 

Have you done lots of research for this book or did the story just come to you?

 

The story just came, especially having seen the Winslet/DiCaprio love story in James Cameron’s epic movie, “Titanic.” I wanted to write a novel in the Edwardian period. Titanic seemed the perfect setting.

What are you currently working on?

My current work is a sequel to my debut novel, “Marrying the Admiral’s Daughter” which was a sweet Regency romance also published by Musa Publishing. I didn’t see the villain off in my first novel, but with a new hero and heroine for the romance angle, it’s time for the bad guy to get his comeuppance.

 

Is there anything that I didn't cover that you would like to talk about or say to your potential readers?

 

Just what a fantastic age we live in, with so many good stories, networking facilities, and research at our fingertips via the net, enjoy life everyone – it’s the greatest gift on Earth.

 

Just for fun:

Hardback or Paperback?  Ebooks, first paper next, HB only if no alternative
Dog ears or Bookmarks?  Bookmarks, I like to be creative.
YA novels or Adult novels?  Adult preferred
Library or Bookstore? Both but these days I’m downloading most books
Reading glasses or No glasses? Readers especially at night, even with big format on my reader
Snack while reading or No snacks? Only drinks
Beach or Mountain? Sea but I’m no beach babe
Vampire or Werewolf? Vampire a little more approachable
Hot or Flirty? Hot – we are talking novels?
Movie 1st or Book 1st? Usually book but hey! My Titanic adventure started with a movie.
Contemporary or Historical? Usually historical – I’m an escapist at heart.
Page-Turner or Tear Jerker? Give me both at the same time if possible.

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