What inspired you to become an author?
my
love of reading, an overactive imagination and an ardor for theatrical invention
Do you have a specific writing style?
Visual
and descriptive.
Do you write in different genres?
Not
yet
How did you come up with the title for your latest
book?
The
House was a natural title, because the action starts and ends in the (magic)
house.
Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s
complete?
first
Is there a message in your novel that you want
readers to grasp?
The
power/hope of eternal love
Is the book, characters, or any scenes based on a
true life experience, someone you know, or events in your own life?
The
main character has some philosophies that concur with my own, as a hopeless idealist.
What books/authors have influenced your life?
Wuthering
Heights, Jane Eyre – E&C Bronte; Madame Bovary – Flaubert; Scarlet & Black – Stendhal; The mysteries of Udolpho – Ann Radliffe;
Forsythe Saga- John Galsworthy; Lady of the Camilias – Dumas jnr; The woman in
white – Wilkie Collins; Narnia series – C S Lewis; Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carrol; Lost
Illusions – Balzac; Mill in the floss – George Eliot
If you had to choose, which writer would you
consider a mentor?
George
Eliot
What book are you reading now?
Armadale
by Wilkie Collins
What books are in your to read pile?
The
Inimitable Jeeves –Wodehouse; The autobiog of Benvenuto Cellini; In a glass
darkly – Sheriden Le Fanu; The Garden Party – Katherine Mansfield; Clair de
Lune – Pierre La Mure; A pair of blue eyes – Thomas Hardy
What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?
Working
on novel “The other side” set in New York late 80’s, a paranormal romance
mystery based on revenging ghosts.
A wall street ‘Ponzi’ scheme trader meets and
falls for a contemporary dancer one night in peculiar circumstances. Whilst
unknown to him, his life is being manipulated by the vengeful ghost of his dead
wife. The dancer has her own trials, perpetrated by the ghost of her embittered
showgirl mother, who in pursuit, is also hell bent on causing problems. His
past catches up with him (largely orchestrated by the wife), and drives a wedge
between the love match. Realizing that
her daughter’s happiness is being sabotaged by this meddlesome wife, the
dancer’s mother regrets her own part, and to make amends, akin to a game of
chess, preempts and circumvents the vindictive wife’s maneuvers.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
The
House, is an adult fairy tale, time travel romance. Clad in a torn night dress, a woman finds
herself one afternoon in an arcane forest. How she arrived there remains a
mystery, both to her and the reader. Finally she encounters a scary looking
house (very much like those in traditional fairy tales). Once inside, a magic
portal transports her to a Georgian estate where dramatic events take place.
Unable
to find an escape route, she remains there a long while over many months
interacting with a curiously dysfunctional household. Finally she finds her way to the bewitching
house and a journey to Regency London follows, where the visitor forms a
relationship with a disparate cast of individuals. One foggy night, typical of
London, a down cast man arrives, and encounters the time traveler in his former
home. When their eyes meet, they are both overcome by an inexplicable sense of
familiarity. Having arrived back after a sojourn in Florence, the poet is
instantly taken by the mysterious beauty. This exceptional meeting promises
restoration for the heart broken man. But there are still a few more twists and
turns obstructing this most unusual love match. A past life connection soon
emerges, with many pieces of the puzzle forming a startling picture by the last
pages. Upon the final curtain, the biggest surprise of all is revealed, with a
conclusion, although bizarre, that is positive, as with all good fairy tales.
Who designed the cover of your latest book?
I
did
Is there anything you find particularly challenging
in your writing?
I had to find a language that was fitting for
the period, the house was set in. I suspected
that this would probably be a deterrent for many modern readers. So I had the difficult task of deciding which
way to go, in the end I opted for the lyrical descriptive style, mainly because,
(Spoiler alert) as one discovers later on, the book has in fact been written by
one of the characters, she is a writer from that period and in order to
maintain integrity I voiced it this way. I really believe in the story/theme,
so one day, I may even produce a watered down version with accessible, more
minimalist language. Which I do hate the
idea of, but for commercial reasons I may have to relent.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that
really strikes you about their work?
I
have so many that I love. I mentioned
earlier George Eliot. So she is as good as any of those brilliant stars out
there. Her characters are multi
dimensional. Her narratives are not only extremely engaging, but are really
informative on the socio- political and historical landscape of that period.
Last but not least, her lexicon is vast, and I like the challenge that this
varied approach to language presents, so much so that I can feel new synapses
forming. Particularly Middlemarch.
Who designed the cover of your latest book?
I
did. It is in fact an old dance
photo. I played around with it on
photoshop. There is a scene in the book where the main character is spinning
around in ball gown from the 18th century. I titled the image ‘ spinning through time’.
Being about a time traveler, I thought that appropriate.
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Pembroke Sinclair.
The House
Sebastiana Randone
Genre: Adult fairy tale, regency romance, past-life romance, paranormal/fantasy, time-travel
ISBN: 978-1-4836-1371-0
ASIN: B00DAMPQ8Q
Number of pages: 148
Word Count: 50,000
The House is the tale of a woman, who is so absorbed with historical novels that her own reality ceases to offer any hope of romance and beauty.
One day this dreamy idealist finds herself in a mysterious forest. How she arrived there is unknown. She encounters a ramshackle house, wherein magical rooms that transport to parallel worlds lay in wait. She is transported to historical England, where she interacts with a collection of character's whose dysfunctional lives become apparent immediately.
The first tribulation involves a nefarious lord, an archetypal embodiment of the monstrous creatures that often haunt fairy tales. The ramification of this confrontation sets the tone for the narrative.
Before long, the folly of disdaining her mundane reality is realized, and she desires desperately to return to her former predictable life.
A hidden portal finally enables escape from the austere Georgian dwelling. She is spirited back to the enigmatic house, where a journey to Regency London ensues. A large cast of eccentric identities present themselves.
One day a handsome, despondent poet arrives, following a period in Florence. His introduction to the time traveler offers promise of restoration and love. But upon the face of it, and much to his chagrin, this union cannot be consummated. There are a few more obstacles ahead before her destiny in this strange adventure is made apparent. In the end a past life connection starts to reveal itself. And like all good fairy tales, the ending is pleasing, even though the means of getting there are dark and at times, sinister.
About the Author:
Sebastiana Randone lives in Melbourne, Australia, and is from a dance background.
From an early age, Sebastiana developed a passion for reading, and from that moment has never been without a book.
The desire to write ‘one day’ had been pursuing for a long while. Finally that goal was realized with the debut release of “The House”; an adult fairy tale set in the Regency era.
Sebastiana is presently writing her second book; a paranormal romance novel based in New York late 1980’s.
2 comments:
Thank you for joining us today at Roxanne's Realm
thanks for that roxanne
from sebastiana
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