Today I'm kicking off the blog tour for THE FORBIDDEN ORCHID by Sharon Biggs Waller!!! I have an interview with Sharon to share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a finished copy of the book!
Haven't heard of THE FORBIDDEN ORCHID? Check it out!
Author: Sharon Biggs Waller
Pub. Date: March 8, 2016
Publisher: Viking
Format: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters living in a small English market town in 1861. The girls' father is a plant hunter, usually off adventuring through the jungles of China.
Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan fails to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid, meaning that he will be thrown into debtors' prison and the girls will be sent to the orphanage or the poorhouse. Elodie's father has one last chance to return to China, find the orchid, and save the family—and this time, thanks to an unforeseen twist of fate, Elodie is going with him. Elodie has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China.
But even if she can find the orchid, how can she find herself now that staid, responsible Elodie has seen how much the world has to offer?
Now on to the interview!
Hi Sharon! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books!
I am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!
Thank you! So happy to
be here.
For the
readers: can you tell us a little bit about THE FORBIDDEN ORCHID and the
characters?
ORCHID is about Elodie Buchanan, the eldest of ten sisters
growing up in a tiny village in England in 1862. Their father is a plant hunter who they
barely know or see as he’s always off adventuring through China, finding new
plants for his employer. When he reneges
on his contract to collect a costly orchid due to a terrible accident, Elodie
has to take action to help her father return to China to hunt down the
flower. She’s stows away on the tea
clipper her father travels on with the help of a handsome Russian sailor named
Alex. Elodie discovers that the world
and her place in it are much bigger than she’d ever imagined. And she has no idea how she’ll ever go back
to being the Elodie that everyone depends on.
This is a
standalone correct? So what are you working on now?
Yes, a standalone. I’m
working on a contemporary YA and an adult historical romance.
Who was
your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
Aside from Elodie, I loved writing Alex. He’s such a strong yet
vulnerable character who is doing the best he can despite his own history. Both he and Elodie have a hard time reaching
out to other people for help. His dog,
Kukla, is also so cute. I love to write
a memorable “meet cute” type of scene with the MC meets her love interest for
the first time. And this one was super
fun to write. Kukla is sort of based on
my dog, Daisy, who appeared on my doorstep two weeks after I wrote Kukla into
the story. They look exactly alike and
both are food thieves! It’s kind of
eerie, really.
Least favorite to write…let’s see. I don’t think I have a least favorite
character, although Mr. Howell, the journalist in China, was pretty
odious. But I like writing characters
like that too.
What is
your favorite passage/scene in THE FORBIDDEN ORCHID?
I love the scene where Alex and Elodie are alone for the first
time on the ship and have to work out how to be together in a small space for
the first time. I wrote that scene early
on, actually. Some scenes pop up out of
order and I just go ahead and write them.
Usually they end up being important turning-point scenes.
I also like the dialogue between Elodie and her sister
Violetta. Violetta is really funny with a
biting wit and she lends a lot of humor to the story. She keeps Elodie from becoming too serious.
What kind
of research did you have to do for the story?
So much research! But
I’m a non-fiction writer too and I adore research. It’s like going on an archeological dig for a
story. I start out with an idea and then
dive in with the research, and the story begins to develop from there. So I researched tea clippers, tea, orchids,
china, opium, opium addiction in the Victorian era, the Opium Wars, Manchu
custom, foot binding, plant exploration, torture and imprisonment in China,
debtor’s prison and the workhouse in England, Victorian clothing, women’s
rights in Victorian England and Imperial China.
I own shelves of books!
This summer my husband and I returned to England for our son’s
wedding and I went to Kew, Darwin’s home, and the tea clipper Cutty Sark. It’s always great to walk in my character’s footsteps. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go to China, but
I’d love to someday.
What are
you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to
read?
My TBR list is huge and I keep adding to it. I have several books on the go at once, both
print books and on my Kindle. I’m
currently reading Christa Desir’s OTHER BROKEN THINGS, which is downright
amazing. And I’m reading ALEXANDER HAMILTON by Alex Chernow, which was the
inspiration for the musical HAMILTON (so addicted to that soundtrack). I’m looking forward to INTO THE DIM by Janet
B. Taylor, which is marketed as OUTLANDER for teens (my favorite book). I love anything time-travelly, so I have high
hopes for that one.
Who is
your ultimate Book Boyfriend?
Jamie Fraser from OUTLANDER.
Hands down.
What
inspired you to write YA?
Teen books were so important to me when I was growing up. I was super-shy and really bookish and I
never felt comfortable in my own skin. I
had no idea how to be, who I was, or what to do in the world. I found myself in the pages of a book and
learned that I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. I grew up in the 80s and some of my favorite
books were LORI by Gloria Goldreich, Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden, DEENIE
and FOREVER by Judy Blume. When I open
these books today and re-read the stories I’m whisked back into teen me
again.
Lightening
Round Questions
Twitter or
Facebook?
Oh gosh, um…Twitter?
Only because I met my agent on Twitter!
What
Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
I thought I was Gryffindor but the Sorting Hat put me in
Hufflepuff, which makes more sense to me now that I think about it. Nymphadora Tonks is in that house, and she’s
my favorite Harry Potter character. I
actually named one of my goats after her!
Favorite
Superhero?
Wonder Woman
Favorite
TV show?
Series: OUTLANDER, DOWNTON ABBEY and GIRLS
Comedy: THE BIG BANG THEORY
Guilty Pleasure: DANCE MOMS
Sweet or
Salty?
Sweet!
Any
Phobias?
Clowns. Terrified of
clowns.
Song you
can’t get enough of right now?
Everything on the HAMILTON soundtrack
Upcoming
Movie you’re most looking forward to?
Nothing that I can think of.
I’m not a huge movie fan and so lots of things escape me. I’m probably the only person on earth who
hasn’t seen AVATAR, for instance.
Thanks so much Sharon for answering my questions!
Sharon Biggs Waller grew up around artists and developed a
passion for Edwardian history and the Pre-Raphaelites when she moved to England
in 2000. She did extensive research on the British suffragettes for her novel,
A MAD, WICKED FOLLY when she wasn’t working as a riding instructor at the Royal
Mews in Buckingham Palace and as a freelance magazine writer. She also writes
non-fiction books about horses under her maiden name, Sharon Biggs. She is a
dressage rider and trainer and lives on a 10-acre sustainable farm in Northwest
Indiana with her British husband, Mark. Visit her atwww.sharonbiggswaller.com.
Giveaway
Details:
1 winner will receive signed finished copies of THE FORBIDDEN
ORCHID, A MAD WICKED FOLLY & swag, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
2/29/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
3/1/2016- Bookish Lifestyle- Review
3/2/2016- IceyBooks- Guest
Post
3/3/2016- Great Imaginations- Review
3/4/2016- The Book Belles- Interview
Week 2:
3/7/2016- The Eater of Books!- Review
3/8/2016- Addicted Readers- Guest Post
3/9/2016- Fiction Fare- Review
3/410/2016- Wishful Endings- Interview
3/1/2016- Mundie Moms- Review
Christina R. in the rafflecopter
ReplyDeleteLOVE stories about girls who break societal norms, who become their own selves and who go on adventures! And I love how she did all the research to really bring it all to life!!
What a lovely interview! thank you so very much :)
I have a US address but rafflecopter might show my location outside the US because I'm doing a semester abroad.
I love historical fiction and to put a strong female character on this dangerous journey means I get an exciting read full of adventure! Love the cover and can't wait to read this book.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read. Enjoyed the interview.
ReplyDeleteI love historical fiction and this sounds like such an amazing read! Plus that cover is so pretty!!
ReplyDeleteHistorical is my first fav genre! I fell in love with the cover! Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fabulous adventure. Thanks for the post and the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThe cover on this book is so stunning and drew me in right away!!! Thank you for the awesome giveaway!
ReplyDelete