Sue Lawson blog tour

Thank you so much for asking to be visit your blog on the Forget Me Not Blog Tour. Also, a huge thank you to those people who read Forget Me Not and took the time to ask me questions. There’s only one I’ve been vague on and that was simply because it would spoil the novel for those who haven’t read it.

Let’s get straight into the questions…

VH: Do you have a favourite memory of the time you spent writing this book?
Hmmm – probably when I stumbled across my great-aunt’s autograph book, dated 1911. The moment I opened it, Eve’s story fell into place. As well as that my great- grandfather and grandfather (my great-aunt’s brother) were jewellers during that era, so I knew the style of jewellery well.

Sue's autograph book

Researching The Titanic

VH: Your book is brought alive with a wealth of historical detail about the Titanic, her passengers and crew, daily life on board the ship and subsequent sinking. What research methods did you use to find all this information?
I read everything I could find – book after book from libraries, book stores, friends’ collections and on the internet. I read hundreds of Titanic related websites and discussion boards, and visited and took copious notes at the exhibition held at the Melbourne Museum in 2009. I read non-fiction, fiction, speculation, survivors accounts, in fact I read so much, I filled an A4 and an A 5 spiral bound note book. The biggest challenge, apart from knowing when to stop researching was deciding what to use and what to discard, and which version of events to follow. There is so much conflicting information written about the Titanic.

JL: Is it coincidence of planned that the book is being published around the centenary of its foundering? 
A bit of both – the book was conceived in 2009 when my publisher at the time, Andrew Kelly, and I were discussing the Titanic Exhibition. He suggested I write a junior novel about it and the result is Forget Me Not. Its release in 2012, the centenary of the ship’s demise, is a timing decision.

JL: Obviously you studied the story of the Titanic in depth – in your opinion who was at fault? The designer/ the captain/ White Star Lines or was it just an “act of God” 
That’s a tough one – all of the above? None of the above? It was just meant to be?
Okay so that’s a cop out. In the mountains of reading, it became clear the incident was causing by a number of issues, so blame can be attributed in all kinds of places. Here’s a list, in no particular order, of where I think things went wrong:

a. Ice warnings didn’t reach the bridge or were ignored.
b. A desire to break trans-Atlantic crossing record.
c. Over-confidence in the ship and perhaps a lack of respect for the sea/nature.
d. Not enough lifeboats on board, a decision made by the White Star Line executives as they were worried they would make the boat deck ‘unsightly’.
e. The California (a ship reported to be nearby when the Titanic hit the iceberg) didn’t see or receive distress messages.
f. A new telegraph system had been introduced and could have caused confusion.
g. Many of the lifeboats were launched well below capacity.
h. A belief that the ship was unsinkable.
i. The ship was travelling too fast in icy water.
j. No binoculars in the crow’s nest.

And so the list goes on – when combined together, the disaster was inevitable.

Talking about the characters

TD: Was Evelyn really 16 Years old?
Evelyn was younger than 16 – I know her age, but I try to avoid saying it explicitly in my stories, as it can be off-putting to readers. She was younger than Thomas and Hugh.

KH: I felt that Father and Thomas got cut off too abruptly – why did you choose not to drag that part of the story out more?
Hmmm – if I tell you that, it will spoil the book for people who haven’t read it. Think about when their story ended and what was happening. Sorry, that’s a dreadful answer, but honestly, it will ruin the story for others. You can contact me via my website www.suelawson.com.au if you’d like to know more!

KH: The character of Bea – what was actually wrong with her lungs, I would have liked it if we had got to know her character a little more – did you chose not to spend too much time on her as she was a minor character?
Bea was always going to be a minor character as I wanted her to be a source of love and angst for Eve and to be the reason the family was leaving England. Also, as the intended audience is junior fiction, readers identify better with characters their own age.

Bea had what was referred to at that time as ‘weak lungs’ – she caught bronchitis, pneumonia, colds etc constantly and had a permanent cough. Know she would most probably be diagnosed as a chronic asthmatic.

TD : I found it fascinating how you told the story of Alice Gilmore , the mother, how she lets slip about not wanting to lose another baby, and this dumbfounded siblings Evelyn and Thomas. What inspired you to weave this into the story?
I added this story line after the first draft, as basically Alice was far too fierce. I knew why she was angry, but I hadn’t let the reader in on what had gone on for her before. Once my editor and I talked about the early draft, I knew the reader had to see more of Alice to understand why she was so snappy with everyone.

JL: Do you see a story for Evelyn and Hugh in the future? (also see question below)

and 

TD: Do you intend to write a sequel to “Forget me Not”, to venture on and tell the story of Evelyn and how she and her family “got on” once they arrived in America. I feel no one has ever written about what happens after the Titanic. I would love to know if Eve & Hugh eventually marry? Does Eve become a Nurse as she hoped and dreamed of? How does she build a new future? Do they stay in America?
I’ll answer these two questions together. I haven’t thought about writing a sequel to Forget Me Not, but do agree, there is little fiction written about life for the survivors. There are many actual accounts, however. As for Eve and Hugh – well, I’m a tragic romantic – does that answer your questions?

VH: If you could be transported to yet another time in history, where would you go?
Do I have to pick just one? As much as I love my life and the times in which we love, there are so many eras that fascinate me. I’d go to 1912 – the language, the clothes, the lifestyle are amazing; though I suspect I’d find all the expectations frustrating. I’d also love to visit the middle ages, feudal Japan, pre 1800 Africa – gee, I could keep going. Of course, I’d only like to visit, not actually experience the hardships – I’m not that brave!

Thanks so much for the fantastic questions. They’ve really made me think! Join me tomorrow at Novels on The Run for the last day of the Forget Me Not Blog Tour, where we’ll chat about critique groups.

About our interviewers
Our interviewers live around New Zealand; they’re all fans of our Facebook page, which is how we found them. Here’s a short profile of each one: 

Julia Leathwick is a part time actress and full time Customer Relations Manager from Auckland. An avid book reader and Titanic Aficionado, Julia jumped at the chance to review Forget Me Not and hopes it is the beginning of a “beautiful friendship”.

Vicki Harris lives with her husband on a small farmlet in Taranaki, shared with Charlie the cat, 3 hens and a sizeable flock of sheep. She enjoys shepherdess duties and also works part-time in a school library. She’s keen on photography, reading and tree-planting.

Kylie Howat from Hawkes Bay is the wife of a police officer and mother of one lovely 7 year old girl. She works in the travel industry, and enjoys socialising, reading and sports.

Tarsh Dixon is a stay at home mum to two girls aged 4 and 18 months. She has one lovely fiancée, who she will marry this December; owner of one cat, named “Twelve”, which is named because we got her on the 12th February 2012, and the wedding date is on the 12th! Book devourer with a bad book worm habit, that she refuses to kick, and also knits and sews.