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Today it is a real pleasure to welcome Mary Anne Yarde, author of The Du Lac Chronicles, on BookLikes! If historical fiction is your cup of tea, find yourself a cozy spot and read on.

It's holiday time and Mary decided to play Santa! :) Make sure to take your chance in the giveaway and win a signed copy of the first part of the Mary Anne Yarde's series, The Du Lac Chronicles! What a treat!

Giveaway: Dec. 26, 2017 - Jan. 16, 2017

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The Du Lac Chronicles

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I see that in the space of one year you’ve published three full-length, award-winning books, and one novella (cleverly labeled book # 1.5!).  How often do you write and how long at one time, to keep up this pace? It really seems like a lot of writing!

When you say it like that, it does seem a lot! I should really try and get out of the house more. Joking aside, my writing time is sacred. I write for three hours every day.

How long will be The Du Lac Chronicles series be? Do you have a plan, or will you just keep writing until the characters have something to say? Are you now working on book #4?

The Du Lac Chronicles started out as a trilogy. So much for good intentions! When I finished writing The Du Lac Devil (Book 2 of The Du Lac Chronicles), I realised there was no way I was going to get the story I wanted to tell into three books. I am currently working on book 4, and the way the story is going, there will definitely be a book five as well. Maybe even a six. As for a plan, I know where the story ends. I just have to get my characters there!

The Du Lac Chronicles

You seem to like reading books from various genres, and you read a lot. Do you tend to read specific types of books while writing?

I love reading. If only there were more hours in the day! As you said, I read from a wide and various genres, I always have done. I think if I stuck with one genre to read I would soon become bored.

I still read a lot of fiction when I am writing, but I also spend a lot of my time reading non-fiction books about the era that my books are set in. I have more than my fair share of books on the Saxons, the Celts, the Franks and the Dark Ages. I also have quite a library on the subject of King Arthur and his Knights.

Your books are based on history and mythology, on your blog you say you are inspired by where you live and the history and mythology of England. How much studying did you have to do to get to know all the details behind the setting you created for your characters?

How much studying...? Hours and hours and hours! More hours than can be counted. It has very much been a lifetime of research.

I am very passionate about Folklore. I truly believe that Folklore is its own special brand of history. It is often overlooked by historians, which I think is a shame. You can tell a lot about a people by the stories they tell.

Saying that however, I am also an historian. My books are set in Dark Age Britain, Brittany, and France. I wanted to keep the history as real in the telling as I could. The only way I could do that is by research and that unfortunately takes time. But I enjoy it so it is not too much of a burden.

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Let’s move away from the real world for a minute, since you write about times that are removed from today’s reality. If you could choose one character from a favorite book to have dinner with, or spend a day with, who would that be? What would you ask that person?

Oh my, that is quite a question. Who would I choose to have dinner with? I don't know. Umm... I'll get back to you on that!

Who designs your book covers? Do you personally design them, or only oversee the process?

I wish I were clever enough to design book covers! I am afraid that is something that I do not have any talent for. I work with the brilliant designer, Peter O'Connor, from Bespoke Book Covers. All credit must go to him for my covers. He came up with the whole concept of what the series would look like. He is also very patient with me and never complains when I want him to change something. He is a treasure!

Follow Mary Anne Yarde's blog on BookLikes: http://maryyarde.booklikes.com/

Mary Anne Yarde's book on BookLikes (click the covers to add the books to your shelf):