#Interview with Isabel Mancini The Violinist’s Apprentice
Today I’m very happy to welcome Isabella Mancini, author of ‘The Violinist’s Apprentice’ and thank her for answering my questions and allowing me to share her responses with you.
Read on to discover what she said, find out more about this book and author as well as have the opportunity to enter the rafflecopter giveaway with the chance to win a signed paperback of ‘An Englishwoman in America’.
Where did you get the inspiration for the book/series?
Ever since the phenomenal success of Harry Potter, I thought how wonderful it would be to create a series comprising girls, but with added elements such as fighting personal problems both in themselves and in the wider world.
What is your writing process?
As inspiration hits, I rush out to my tiny conservatory, which has plenty of natural light to fight my innate SAD syndrome, and wait an interminable time for my laptop to warm up.
Do you write using pen and paper or on a computer?
About 50 years ago, when first I started to write, I used a small, portable typewriter – long before electric ones were available. Mercifully, as IT came into being at work, I was forced to learn everything – from early AppleMac models through to PCs etc. This was invaluable as it paved the way for me to write both fiction and non-fiction on my laptop and ipad today.
Who is your favourite character out of your stories and why?
I rather like Verdigris, the enigmatic, spiritual being in The Violinist’s Apprentice. He displays all the best human qualities together with broader concerns about the planet.
If you were a character in your story, which would you like to be?
Antonio Stradivari – the finest violin maker who ever lived. How wonderful to have such a skill that’s still revered centuries later.
How and why did you choose the names for your main characters?
Clementina: the second colour of the rainbow.
Saleh, the ancient professor: from the bible
Verdigris: green to match his environmental concerns
Andrea: he is going blind and likes music, rather like acclaimed opera star Andrea Bocelli
The Violinist’s Apprentice
A dark journey through time.
It’s on a group trip to Rome that something terrifying and mysterious happens, whirling musical Clementina back in time to 17th century Italy. Amidst court intrigue and creaking carriages, Rome becomes a chiaroscuro backdrop to her growing feelings for young violin-maker Antonio Stradivari. But soon he discovers that Clementina is not all she appears. She must surely be a witch. How can she return to the 21st century again? Meanwhile, in an icy corner of the Arctic, a professor plots.
Purchase Links:
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Violinists-Apprentice-Isabella-Mancini-ebook/dp/B0811Y35MV
US – https://www.amazon.com/Violinists-Apprentice-Isabella-Mancini-ebook/dp/B0811Y35MV
Author Bio –
Isabella Mancini is the nom de plume of prolific author Olga Swan, published by Crooked Cat Books. She has a BA Hons (Open) in English Language and Literature and a lifelong love for writing and language. For 12 years she lived in SW France, but returned to the UK in 2017, where she now lives in the West Midlands with her husband and elderly French rescue dog Bruno.
Previous books by Olga Swan:
An Englishwoman in America
From Paradis to Perdition
Pensioners in Paradis
The Mazurek Express
Lamplight
Vichyssoise
3rd Degree Murder
Social Media Links –
Twitter: @IsabellaManci10.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManciniIsabella1
Facebook Group: Books, Music and the Past
Amazon page for Isabella Mancini: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Isabella-Mancini/e/B08127KJJW/
Amazon page for Olga Swan:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B013IBD4PU
Giveaway to Win a signed paperback of An Englishwoman in America (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the link to the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494325/?
Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for providing content for this post and organising the tour it is part of.
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