WELCOME AUTHOR
VICTORIA TROUT
Author bio:
I come from a long line of
storytellers. I remember sitting on the living room floor while the adults told
stories, my imagination running gamut over all the possibilities.
But I didn’t have the same
fascination with the written word; in fact, English was my worst subject in
school. I wasn’t able to understand grammar and all the rules and exceptions,
let alone understand all the spelling rules and exceptions.
However I loved reading, even tho
my mind would add words to the pages or miss important words in paragraphs. As
an adult working with my children’s homeschooling, I had to deal with their
different learning styles. I accidently discovered the main issues I have with
“English” are dyslexia. This is self-diagnosed, but it answered many questions
I had about learning and why I simply wasn’t able to wrap my mind around
grammar and spelling. Coming to the understanding that I really was trying my
hardest to do the simple things, the same things others like my mom excelled
at, opened my mind to the possibility I was not stupid or lazy.
That was how our team worked, Mom
was the nuts and bolts and I did the research and out of the box thinking. I
have a lot to be grateful for in my writing career. My mother was my rock, and
was able to take what I wrote and make it into what I meant. During the last
year of her illness she spoke with our friends and family urging them to
support me when I was able to pick up the pieces and start writing again.
Apparently my children took her
pleas to heart. They kept telling me to keep writing, they believe I still have
stories to tell. Mom also contacted our mentor, JoEllen Conger, and asked her
to be my editor and whip cracker if needed. She kept her promise to my mom and
has helped me fulfil the dream mom and I had of getting our first manuscript
usable.
I have faith that all that has
happened was meant to be. I fully believe in a reason, a season or a lifetime.
I am grateful for all the support I have from my family and friends and every
word I write means success.
Book title:
Legacy From Yesteryear
Brief synopsis of your book:
Legacy From Yesteryear is set in
early December 1810 in London, England. Margaret Wentworth cared for her
mother, Melody, until she died from the wasting sickness. The day of her
passing her husband, and Meg’s father, rushed to get doctor. When he returned,
Melody died in his arms. He gently
returned her to the bed, and upon standing had a heart attack and died
instantly. Thus Legacy begins after the double funeral/burial of her parents.
Meg finds out she is destitute and must live with distant relatives she has
never met.
During her travel from London,
England to The Haven, the family estate a full days carriage ride, Meg meets
James Cunningham, the fifth son to the Duke of Sommerville. She is returning
from the Inn they stopped to switch horses to the carriage when she is
separated from her travelling companion. Lost in a fog of grief she doesn’t
realize she is alone until two questionable gentlemen accost her as she is
walking in the yard.
Jamie, recognizing the cut of
cloth of her pelisse and the aura of gentility, comes to her rescue. Once he
has dispatched the dandies, he returns Meg to the relative safety of her
carriage. Names are not exchanged, although he does hear her addressed as Miss
Meg. He notes the direction the carriage takes, namely away from London,
determined to discover her identity and situation. Unbeknownst to Jamie, he
works as a solicitor for Meg’s family and his boss is in charge of Meg’s
father’s will and estate.
Meg arrives after dark and is
escorted upstairs to a room for the night. The next morning, after breakfast,
she is presented to her new guardian, the Duke of Rochester. His opinion of
females is very low, and his conversation is very uncaring of Meg’s emotional
state. He demands that she begins her duties as secretary for his wife
immediately. Still in shock from losing everything, and his indifferent manner
of communication, she mutely complies.
She is able to sort all the
communications and discovers, to her delight, her favorite cousin is coming to
visit The Haven, will be arriving the very next day. Lady Tabitha Phillips was
a lady-in-waiting to Queen Charlotte and is arriving to determine if one of the
Duke’s daughters is ready for her come out.
Meg’s duties are to help prepare
the household for the upcoming holiday house party the Duke and Duchess are
having for Boxing Day. They feel since they didn’t know Meg’s family they will
not be cancelling their holiday. Meg is told she will help prepare for events
but would not be attending due to her “being in morning”. Also Meg’s room will
remain in the servants’ quarters, at least until their guests leave after the
holiday. Also she is to take her meals with the servants and rise early and
take the “load” off the Duchess’ shoulder and run the household.
Fortunately, Meg’s mother had been
preparing her to take care of a household, since Meg was supposed to have come
out the year prior to Melody’s illness. Meg is able to perform her duties to
the satisfaction of the Duchess.
Lady Phillips arrival still throws
the estate into an uproar, as the Duke and Lady Phillips have a kind of feud
going on. However, the Duke hopes his daughter, Tabitha the second will become
Lady Phillips heir, as she is a wealthy woman in her own right. However,
Tabitha II is not ready for a come out. Lady Phillips requires Meg’s assistance
in grooming the younger woman into someone that Lady Phillips feels can go “out
in society”.
The evening Lady Phillips’ arrives
and the family and guests are having dinner, the housekeeper discovers Meg will
be stuck in the in hospitable room, away from the family. Immediately she and
several other servants troop to the attic to retrieve items that can make Meg’s
room more “liveable”, among them an armoire and a tapestry that will play
important part in our story. Meg is able to spend some time unpacking,
including hanging an unfinished portrait of her parents.
Soon after, when dressing for the
day, Meg discovers a hidden drawer with a journal from her ancestress, Serena
and a clue for proving her intelligence in her ability to solve the mystery
left behind. Meg shares her discovery with Lady Phillips and the hunt is on.
Meg searches the attic for more
journals seeking to know the mind that left a seemingly easy puzzle behind that
has so far stumped every attempt to solve it. Meg meets a young painter who has
been retained to paint the Duke’s family portraits. He sees Meg’s portrait of
her parents on the wall, and discovers he has been speaking with his mentor’s
daughter. He implores Meg to allow him to finish the portrait originally
intended to be a gift for her anyway. As he leaves he sees the tapestry as
well, and inadvertently gives Meg the answer to the clue she needs.
In the mean time, Jamie has
reported his concern to Mr. Smith, the family solicitor, about the care, or
lack there of, for Meg. He finds out her entire situation and is disappointed
he has no reason to check in on her. However the crafty Mr. Smith’s family has
been handling the legal affairs of the Rochester’s for several generations. He is
certain there must be something that can be a legitimate reason for Jamie’s
visit. Jamie gets all the old files, and is able to discover unfinished
business that requires his attention at the estate.
Jamie enlists his mother in an
attempt to find out more about the Duke and Duchess of Rochester, only to
discover the current one has not held the title for long, nor have they visited
London or the Ton.
Soon the firm has communication of
other matters that also need attention at The Haven. Jamie acts as Mr. Smith’s
emissary to see what solutions he can bring. He is finally, officially
introduced to Ms. Margaret Wentworth. When apprized of her quest, he is
delighted for her good fortune. He appreciates she needs time to come out of
morning before he can begin to court her, but he is delighted to lend his
support in solving any clues he can.
The estate has been without a
steward for the entire time the current Duke has held the title and in dire
need of assistance. Jamie has someone in mind that can lend a hand in digging
the estate out of the suds, and keep an eye on Ms. Wentworth. Jamie fears the
Duke will be abusive towards his ward, and Jamie wants to have someone to watch
over her until he can legally remove her from her guardian.
Unfortunately, Jamie doesn’t meet
the Duke on his first visit, and upon his return visit, ends up in an
altercation with the Duke that leaves him suffering a concussion and unable to
travel. This news arrives as his parents
are arriving at their estate for the holiday. Jamie’s parents don't take this
news well, travelling by horseback to The Haven, intending to settle matters
Duke to Duke, to Jamie’s mortification.
The eve of their arrival also
brings the first snowstorm of the season. The unwelcomed guests are stuck. Soon
it’s apparent something else is also going on in the background, which the Duke
of Sommerville is determined to discover.
The first book concludes with the
discovery of the first hidden jewel and the second clue revealed.
Current book or
project you’re working on:
I am working on the next book in
the Legacy From Yesteryear Series, tentatively titled – Legacy From Yesteryear:
All Roads Lead To Love
What was the
inspiration for your novel?
I was looking for a “happily ever after” ending for myself
as a child, but I couldn’t bear for one of my family members to die for it to
happen, so I made up a rich relative that left a treasure hunt. The idea
germinated for years before it sprung fully developed when Mom and I first
started writing together.
Please share
three interesting facts about your book, which are not covered in the synopsis.
1) Marty
the painter is based on Martin Short from Father of the Bride.
2) When
we started this manuscript we didn’t start at the beginning, we started more
towards the middle of the Epic Whole Manuscript that ended up being over
300,000 (yes, the comma is in the right spot) word novel.
3) Mom
and I had about two weeks of pure fun thinking of actors and actresses that we
would cast as our characters. That’s when they really came to life for us, and
why they sometimes read as someone familiar.
Who is the most
complex character from your current novel?
Mary Bellows, the Duchess of Rochester. Her character goes
from a forgotten little mouse to a full blown interesting person by the end of
the series.
Are there any
characters in your book that remind you of yourself?
No, not of myself. Cousin Tabitha reminds me a lot of my
mom, whether she ever saw it or not, I’ll never know.
If you could pick
any well known or famous author to review your book who would you pick and why?
I would pick Catherine Coulter, because she writes the
same time period and she also writes mystery. She writes both historical and
modern mystery/adventures. Once I have the manuscripts Mom and I completed
through the editing process, I would like to give a modern day
mystery/adventure story a try. I can feel an idea working behind the scenes, so
I have confidence when I am ready, it will attack me.
Genre/Author/Reader:
What genre does
your book fall into?
Legacy From Yesteryear is a historical set, sweet romance
adventure with mystery elements. I took EVERYTHING I loved in a story and put
it in my writing. Then I found out that wasn’t the way it was supposed to work.
10+ years later I am able to use Indie Publishing and do exactly what I
expected to be able to do.
What is the first
book you remember reading, that affected how you thought or felt about
something?
Wow, I really had to think about this one. I have been
surrounded by books my whole life, so to pick the ONE that most affected
me…well, it wasn’t the answer I expected.
I would have to say it’s between the Bible and The Secret
by Rhonda Byrne. I had thought of myself as a “thankful” person as is
encouraged by Bible writings, but Ms. Byrne’s book taught me the difference
between thankfulness and gratitude. Coming to that understanding changed so
many things in my personal life and my writing.
Which three
authors have inspired you the most, and why?
1) Diana
Gabaldon, her Outlander series is the whole reason my mom and I started writing
in the first place. Our idle hands needed a book to fill them, and Ms. Gabaldon
was going as fast as she could. It took longer then we could understand at the
time. Now I can truly say, “I am sorry we weren’t more patient with your
process.” Not that I think she was holding her breath waiting for that apology.
2) Lynn
Kirkland, time travel is a favourite story concept for me, and she also writes
a fantasy series I enjoy.
3) Terry
Brooks, Epic fantasy writer that also wrote a book describing his writing
process. His process is very similar to mine, and I appreciated understanding I
wasn’t alone. A very big plus for me is he is prolific, as are both of the
other two authors I’ve mentioned.
Have you ever read
a book you couldn’t finish reading?
Yes, I have. I can’t imagine any author not having at
least one they couldn’t finish reading. I’m not going to name names or books,
but those are the reason I really felt I had a chance to succeed as an author.
I also feel that life’s too short to be stuck reading a book you are not
enjoying. Not every book is for everyone just like every movie isn’t for
everyone.
Do you read a
book, while you are writing a book?
Yes, I read books when writing my book. Two reasons: First
of all for research. I never realized how much I didn’t know until I had to
write about that period in time.
Second, it takes a long time for us to write a novel. Epic
is as short as it has ever been. Plus sometimes research takes a long time to
discover exactly what we need, there are times when you just can’t figure out
the right string of words to search or ask a question of a knowledgeable person
in the right way.
Some days the writing is emotionally impactive or very
draining. Then I just need to read something else, hopefully not more draining
or emotional.
The process:
How many books
have you written? Which book is your favourite and why? Mom
and I wrote 5 Epic novels together, and she wrote many others herself, that
have been lost in various moves.
As for a favourite, I would have to say the second book in
the Ethan’s Flight series is my favorite.
Is there anything
that helps get you in the mood to write?
I don’t usually need help to get into the mood to write.
We have eight people and a dog that live in a 3-bedroom townhouse. Mostly I
just have to plug in earphones and stare down anyone who dares to stop the
creative flow. Funny how life threatening I can look when the house isn’t on
fire and I just lost that train of thought.
What were three
challenges you faced when writing your book?
1) When
we first started, we didn’t know how much we didn’t know. But it didn’t take
long to figure out we were trying for ideas and methods that were not the
accepted methods. That was the worst, knowing we had a good story, but it sat
on our shelf for years until the available, “acceptable” methods changed and we
were able to move ahead with the story that we’ve loved for years.
Unfortunately, Mom didn’t live to see this happen.
2) My
Mom’s death really set me back for several reasons. On a personal level I lost
one of my best friends, and of course my mom. There are days when the loss is a
fresh as the day it happened, and not just for me. On a professional level, Mom
was the editor of the team. English may be my only language, but on paper
grammar and I just glare at each other. I am also the Queen of the “Run On”
Sentence. If you haven’t noticed by now, I am sure you will figure it out
before too long. So, I’ve had to find someone that could help me through the
editing process. She was part of the plan, Mom made sure of that before she
died, and JoEllen Conger has been so supportive and patient with my learning
process. I literally couldn’t have published Legacy From Yesteryear without
her.
3) The
dreaded Blank Page is my third biggest challenge. I can take something already
written and make it into something different/better but starting that first run
through is very difficult. I have done it in the past, but I do better editing
the story, not the grammar edit.
What lessons have
you learned as an aspiring writer? The first, BEST,
advice we ever got was to join Romance Writers of America. We did write
romance, but even if we didn’t write romance, we would have joined. They have a
training program that is fantastic. I don’t know what the traditional colleges or
universities offer for writing, but RWA offers classes that are exactly what
authors need from character development to marketing to how to be a career
writer to, well, just about anything.
The next thing I learned was that whatever your genre
there is a group just like RWA out there and you should join, for at least a
year. Some groups you will stay in, some you will take what you learn and part
ways.
Writing is a solitary career (except for all the people
that populate your mind) and it can be lonely, and these groups are places you
can go an talk with others that know where you are coming from.
Do you ever
experience writer’s block? If so what helps you to ‘overcome’? I
haven’t really experienced writer’s block in the traditional sense of the word.
Legacy From Yesteryear is the first book I’ve worked on since my mom died, and
there were times when I just couldn’t work on it at all. I would have to read
it with a box of tissues next to me and tears pouring down my face.
I don’t generally have a problem with not being able to
write a story, my writer’s block is more writers’ interruption. After I get
interrupted so many times, I can’t get my flow of the story and lose where I
was going. That sometimes I can restart, other times it’s gone.
What is the most
important thing you’ve learned, either in the self-publishing or traditional
publisher, route?
Do the research and follow the rules the “traditional”
publisher has. Rejection can be a part of the process, but it doesn’t have to
be. With our second book, Ethan’s Flight, we did the research. We made the
decision to not go with an agent, so anyone that required you have an agent we
didn’t apply to. That took out most of the brick and mortar publishers and left
the small publishers. The guidelines are there for a reason. We pick the
publisher that fit what we wanted, and we had what they wanted. We sent one
submission for Ethan’s Flight and were offered a contract from that publisher.
Your publisher is one of the most important decisions you can make. Take the
time and do it right the first time.
How long does it
usually take for you to complete a book? I haven’t written
a book entirely by myself, I don’t know. I still have 4 manuscripts to get
polished before I tackle a story that I start from scratch. It took us between
a year to a year and a half per book. Legacy took almost three because we had
to learn our craft too. Ethan’s Flight took about a year and a half, but that
we mostly because we had different research to do. Ethan’s Flight II only took
about 10 months because we already had the research mostly done.
Do you have any
ideas for your book and Hollywood? Actors, directors, music. I don’t really have Hollywood
aspirations. So many times the book and the movie are not compatible. I will be
interested to see how Outlander translates into a series. My kids read the
Harry Potter books and with one movie exception, they felt it followed the
books very well.
Which book to
movie conversion is your favourite? The Di Vinci Code
Do you watch a
lot of science fiction or fantasy movies? Yup, and mystery
and action.
Do you study
science, the planets, history or anything special to help you with your
writing? Only when I am writing about a certain period in history
will I watch documentaries or read books for that time period. I do plan on
more non-fiction reading once I am able to have more control over my schedule.
I am still working a J O B, but I plan to be in a position to take a leave of
absence soon.
What, who, and
when were you first inspired you to write?
For my mom writing was the first thing she thought about
every day when she got up, and the last thing she thought about before going to
sleep. And pretty much every moment in between.
So I grew up around writing, and storytelling. I never
felt that driven to write, but I always had some story playing like a movie in
my head.
But it wasn’t until we were waiting for Diana Gabaldon’s
next book in the Outlander series, and since we were all caught up with our
other favourite authors, that Mom and I took matters into our own hands.
So I guess the true answer to this question is my mom
inspired me to write, because without her I would never have tried to get my
stories on paper or screen or into other reader’s hands.
Personal favs:
Drink – Occasionally,
I like mixed alcohol drinks. I drink coffee first thing in the morning, but I
drink water the rest of the time.
Food – Pot
roast with all the trimmings including salad, biscuits and a chocolate dessert.
Vacation – Yellowstone
National Park
TV show –
Castle and The Voice
Movie – Thor
Animal – Dog
Sport – None
Book – I have
too many and too many favourite authors.
How can people
connect with you?
Website/Blog: http://victoriatrout.com
Twitter: VictoriaTrout1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoria.trout.58
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Trout/488403311253556?ref=hl
Amazon Author: http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Trout/e/B00HZ7CWYS
Where can readers
find your book? :
At
the moment,
Legacy From Yesteryear is only a digital e-read from Amazon.
The
link is here:
It’s free the 15th to the 17th
I am working with a crowdfunding project that will help me
get the rest of the money together so I can get the back cover and have a print
book to offer readers and have the funds available for Indie Publishing the
second book in the Legacy Series. Anyone that would like to know more about
this process, the link is here:
http://bit.ly/1cTuUyq
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