A Book's Soul

Here's something I've been saying when I give talks on my tour and it is true. There's usually a book behind the books I write, like a bright shadow or a soul. The book, well really the play, behind The Hunter's Moon is Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Like his work, my book is a mostly-happy fairy romp where all the lovers wind up together at the end. The book behind The Summer King is actually mentioned in my book -- Ian carries it in his knapsack -- Wuthering Heights, one of the few books I like to re-read. Darker, dealing with death and love, Emily Bronte's book has a hero who is also its villain (sound familiar?) And if you look at the accent of Sandy, the English hippie, you will see it is the same accent as the servant in Wuthering Heights. Ah, these little things that keep a writer inspired and happy while she is working.