Blog Tour Interview + Giveaway: The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift

Please join me in welcoming author Deborah Swift to Let Them Read Books! I recently read Deborah's second novel and brand new release, The Gilded Lily, and I loved the way Deborah brought 17th-century London to life. (Click here to read my review.) She was gracious enough to take on a few of my questions and she's got some really insightful answers! Read on and enter to win your own copy of The Gilded Lily!

Hello, Deborah, and welcome! What was your inspiration for writing the story of The Gilded Lily? 

I wrote about Ella in The Lady’s Slipper where she was a thoroughly unlikeable character. I wanted to see if I could understand what might make somebody so self-serving and also I wanted to see if there was any way she could be redeemed for the reader. I realized that if the reader understands the motivation behind a character’s actions they will be more inclined to understand and accept them. So I invented a past for her which holds the clue to her ambition and selfish behaviour. My research into the Little Ice Age, where the Thames froze over, was a big inspiration too. It changed London, cut it off from the outside world, and I wanted to see what effect that would have on my characters.

I really like that The Gilded Lily is a story that includes characters from all walks of life and that they are "regular" people rather than royalty, especially since most novels taking place during Charles II's reign revolve around his notorious court. How do you think writing about everyday people compares to writing about well-known historical figures?

I enjoy writing about ordinary people because their lives are much closer to our own. The life of a King is a very visible life, which is always on display. The hidden, more private lives of his subjects fascinate me more – the lives of those who have to work for a living, who struggle to attain what Kings and courtiers take for granted. But I hope the book also shows that the influence of life at Court, though distant, still permeates even to the lowest classes.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the novel was the period dialogue. It really enhanced the reading experience without being cumbersome or confusing. What kind of sources did you use to find and recreate the terminology and street slang spoken by the characters in the book?

There are one or two sites online that give details of the “cant” that was used in the London Underworld. I only used one or two words carefully chosen from these as most of the words are quite obscure. I really couldn’t use “dub the Jigger – open the door, or “mill the glaze” – break the window, without it making me laugh! I did use language gleaned from playwrights of the time, such as Dryden and Aphra Behn, and reading them helped me to capture the rhythm of the speech. Other diaries of the time such as those of Pepys and John Aubrey also influenced the language I chose.

The historical detail in The Gilded Lily is so vivid and precise that it seems as though you must have done some serious hands-on research to be able to depict the characters' professions and lifestyles so completely and realistically. Can you tell us about that?

I had to do a lot of research in the London museums to get things right about the Thames River – its direction and tidal flow for instance, and the structure of London Bridge which slowed the passage of water and caused it to freeze over. Wigs were a big part of fashion in the 1660s so for the wig-making I tried some knotting through a theatrical wig-maker, which is the only place such wigs are made and worn today. The technique is very fiddly and repetitive. It takes hours to cover a single centimetre! For the potions in The Gilded Lily I used a wonderful book called “The Artifice of Beauty” by Sally Pointer which gives 17th century beauty recipes, some of which you can try out yourself. I tried some of them, and most were quite messy, but one for a 17th century wash ball was very good, even today. Of course some of them – like making ceruse (white face powder) by soaking lead in acid and scraping off the residue – were not things I wanted to try!

What do you like to read for fun? Who are your favorite authors?

I read a wide variety of authors. I am reading Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress at the moment. I like Mary Renault’s classic fiction which I think is masterful and never dates. I admire Tracy Chevalier and Rose Tremain and wish I could have such an economical style. I also enjoy the Tudor novels of CJ Sansom, and recently whiled away train journeys in the excellent company of Jane Harris and Gabrielle Kimm.

And lastly, what's next for you? Can you tell us what you're working on now?

I’ve just finished another novel – “A Divided Inheritance” which will also be published by Macmillan. It is set in England and Seville in Spain’s Golden Age. Strait-laced Elspet Leviston thinks she will take over her father’s business, until her father brings home her cousin, a man she has never set eyes on before. The appearance of this stranger sets in motion a chain of events that will lead her to the bustling port of Seville, to the great mystical Sword School of La Destreza, and to a battle to save herself and her new-found friends. It was a thrilling book to work on and I’m looking forward to this time next year when it will hit the shelves.

Thanks so much, Deborah! Don't you guys envy the life of a historical fiction author?

I know I do. But I settle for the next best thing, reading the efforts of their labor, and here's your chance to score a free copy of The Gilded Lily!

Simply leave a question or comment for Deborah along with you email address! This giveaway is open internationally and ends at 11:59pm Wednesday October 3. Winner will be selected at random.

Thanks, and good luck!



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