Leigh Grant Interview Published on: 21, Mar 2023

I was born in Greenwich, CT

I prefer nonfiction for research and fiction for leisure.

I read a lot of old books from my mother's library like the ones on wild animals by Ernest Thompson Seton. In grade school, I read endless books about the Happy Hollisters (that dates me!), Albert Payson Terhune's stories about collies, and the huge orders of fiction we could get through the school from Scholastic. Later it was Mary Stewart and similar writers. I loved the Arthurian legends.

I guess that's a “was” question these days. It was my husband Tony. These days, it's my sister, Libby.

I couldn't believe it! It was a really big deal! I was very excited!

As one does when something one wrote is successful (Twelve Days of Christmas), I had a “big frog in a little pond” moment. I started Mask based on a Chinese fairy tale a friend sent me. The original idea came from the premise: “a man of good character has a beautiful face.” It was quite similar to a Neo-Platonic belief from the Italian Renaissance: “the beauty of the soul is reflected in the beauty of the face.” In both cases masking and deceit are part of the story. The ending in the Chinese tale is very different. Despite the use of Magic Realism for the mask in Mask of Dreams, the ending is based on realism.

Reading the books. I like to imagine the characters in my mind. There are of course exceptions where I thought film got it right. Wolf Hall would be an example of that.

Well, speaking for myself, I avoid “bodice rippers” (as they are called) because I think they can be superficial. Sex is substituted for emotion. What's important is what your characters feel. Let the relationship develop through events and interaction. Allow conflict. Allow attraction, usually one-sided in the beginning. Insert competition. Distinguish between lust and love. Then let it happen.

The richness of the period: Humanism, Venice as the center of printing, fear of the Ottoman Empire, the beauty of the Italian cities, the wilderness of the Balkans, the Venetian civic rituals, the vestiges of past civilizations like Rome, fabrics, food, galleys and the sea, the interaction of men and women (even though it was the former who enjoyed the most freedom), and the importance of the concept of honor.

A stack of research books and articles, my computer, and the daylight hours.

I'm not sure that I ever considered the “tricks” of the craft. I would say this: learn as much as you can about language, music, poetry, literature, dress, and manners. I learned this from the Scottish writer Dorothy Dunnett who was a superlative role model. A book where Michelangelo replies “okay” to Leonardo has totally missed the mark. There is such a book. I read it.

Four or five hours, rarely all day, and never all night. I need a long walk before I write and the inclination to tell the story. Sometimes I haven't worked what happens next out in my head. On those days, I don't write. Some days what I wrote gets deleted. Most chapters are revised and rewritten many times. It definitely helps to have a writers' group and discerning readers.

Read everything you can about what you want to write about. Some writers outline their books, some don't. I'm in the latter group called “pantsers.” Taken from that old expression “fly by the seat of your pants” - substitute “write” for “fly.” You have to decide which one you are.

Once you've built a world and the characters in it, don't laugh, the characters end up living in your house. You can't let go of them.

There are a lot of useful terms on your website besides the basic listing. I just realized there was even a five-star rating I hadn't added. I really enjoy the mockup banners. They are a lot of fun and they are creative. In my book, or for my book, AllAuthor deserves a 10.