An Interview with Hazel Statham

by

Rhobin Courtright

It is my pleasure to interview Hazel Statham, author of Dominic, and the new release My Dearest Friend.

1) I read the historical romance, Dominic and enjoyed it very much. From the blurb My Dearest Friend sounds like another historical set in the Regency Period. What enticing bits can you tell readers about this story?

Yes, My Dearest Friend is a Regency set romance and is a book that is very dear to my heart. Here is a brief blurb:

Robert Blake, Duke of Lear, is a man of intense emotions who loves deeply and protects fiercely. Devastated and wracked with guilt by the death of his younger brother, Stefan, in the Peninsular War, he readily agrees to aid Jane Chandler to bring her seriously wounded brother back from Portugal.

Much against Jane’s wishes, he decides to accompany her and together they embark on the hazardous mission to retrieve the young soldier. However, the journey holds many revelations, not least of all the abiding friendship and growing love between the two travelers.

That special love is put severely to the test by the treachery that awaits them upon their return to England, when a tenant of Jane’s former home invades their lives, maliciously creating jealousy and misunderstandings for his own nefarious reasons.

Can their friendship and love conquer the emotions that threaten to tear them asunder?

2) Does living in England make it easier to visualize the historical settings in your stories? Do you visit different sites to get a ‘feel’ for a possible setting in your stories?

Definitely! You can let your imagination run riot. In one of my books I use Buxton in Derbyshire as part of the setting. It’s a small quaint town situated in the Peak District. Plus, London is a great place to get a feel of English history. When I was young I had a friend who was a history teacher and we devoured London. We also went to Paris which is just as steeped in history.

3) Are you already working on another story? Can you tell us anything about it? Another historical?

I’m currently working on ‘Sarah’ (this is just a working title), another Regency. It’s about a young bride who absconds from her husband after just one month of marriage. I can’t reveal her motives as it is on this that the story hinges, but you can be assured of a happy ending.

4) The Georgian and Regency periods are both hugely popular eras for historical romances with readers, and I must admit I love them, too. What is it in the Georgian and Regency periods that attracts your interest and what do you think makes these particular settings so popular?

For me it’s the romance and elegance of the era. Such a contrast to the harshness of today. Men were gentlemen and treated women accordingly. Well, that’s the theory. I know that in reality it probably wasn’t half as romantic as we imagine, but that’s the pleasure of being able to create you own historical world in your work, your characters behave how you want them to.

5) Any chance you might write a story set in a Medieval or Renaissance England? How about another European country?

I had a Medieval story published in an anthology and also have a free one on my web-site. I keep promising myself that I will write another Medieval but, for the moment, I am caught up in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

6) How do you develop your characters?

They tend to develop themselves. I have a preconceived idea of who they are and how I want them to act, but once my characters are on stage, I follow where they lead. I usually think about them long and hard before ever putting pen to paper so, in part, I know what their reactions are going to be in certain situations.

7) Have any secondary characters demanded their own story?

Major Harry Chandler from My Dearest Friend keeps popping into my mind, but I want to develop his story more before I attempt to write anything down.

8) In your last interview you stated that horses, cats and dogs were a part of your life. Please tell us about your pets, what type and names. Do any have special characteristics that have played a part in one of your stories?

It’s fatal to start me talking about my animals as I often don’t know when to stop. However, due to my health, I have only one dog at the moment--a lovely yellow Labrador named Lucy. Unfortunately, Lucy is not a well girl. In January, 2007, she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and given a prognosis of three weeks. We took her the National Animal Trust in Newmarket and they put her on permanent chemotherapy and the prognosis has now changed to two years. She is in remission and is far brighter than many dogs of her age. We have owned Labs and Golden Retrievers for many years and each one has been special to us.

Until she had her son, my daughter was a veterinary nurse and of course, many animals found their way to our house that otherwise would not have been re-homed. We’ve had cats and dogs and even a cavy was left on our doorstep. My daughter also had three horses, Megan, a bay TB filly, Marius, a grey Welsh Cob (a real gentleman), and Sharn a black Fell mare but, with work commitments and a little one to look after she sadly had to let them go.

The animals in my books are not based on any particular animal we have owned but I have no doubt that the time will come when one of them will make a personal appearance.

9) I’m sorry to hear about Lucy. While writing is not physically rigorous, it is mentally tiring. What do you do to relax and recharge for the next go-round?

Believe it or not, I don’t stray very far from books--I read! My other delight is my six-year-old grandson and we are great pals. He adores Lucy, and Lucy adores him. Wherever one is, you will find the other. Luckily (or unluckily, according to how you view the case), he has inherited our love of animals.

10) You live in Staffordshire, which sounds very romantic. Can you give readers an idea of what your surroundings are like?

Staffordshire is an industrial area but we are lucky to live on the outskirts of the town. We live in a small development of bungalows that were built on the edge of the Duke of Sutherland’s land. Trentham Gardens (about a quarter-of-a-mile away) was once the estate of the Duke of Sutherland. Trentham Gardens and the surrounding parkland was bequeathed to the people of Staffordshire upon his death and whilst the gardens and parkland are open to the public, the house itself has been transformed into many ventures over the years. There’s a large lake that is used for jet skiing and at one time a small train ran around the perimeter of the estate but sadly it is no longer in use. The Italian Gardens are beautiful and my daughter was married in the lovely stone church there. Quite often, during the wee small hours, we see a family of foxes playing in our avenue and numerous squirrels flit about our garden during the day. However, travel just three short miles in the opposite direction and you are into city life. I suppose we really have the best of both worlds--just two minutes one way and we are into the country, just a few minutes more the other and there is everything you could wish for.