Interview with author G.L. Francis

Welcome Readers to another installment of
our author interview series. Today we have the pleasure of chatting with G.L.
Francis, author of historical fantasy.

JMR-Welcome to the Books Delight, G.L.
Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun and what does the perfect
day look like?

GLF- After a lot of moving when younger, I
settled in Missouri, my family’s home State. Aside from writing & reading
(as much passion as fun for me), I enjoy many hobbies/interests, among them
drawing, watercolors, occasionally book illustration, metalwork, fiber arts,
gardening, carving, working annoying & playing with our pets…
For me, a perfect day is spending time on one creative pursuit after another,
alone or with my hubby (some of our interests coincide). Preferably without
shopping or major/minor catastrophes.

 

JMR-What’s your favorite historical time
period? Why? 

GLF- To look at my personal library’s
history section, it’d be hard to discern a favorite time period, but there’s a
slight predominance ranging from ~1830 to 1950. The 1 st
& 2 nd
Industrial Revolutions heralded so many rapid changes—both good and bad--that
impact our lives to this day.

Part of my interest is also because I’m
old enough to have known people—relatives, family friends &
acquaintances—who lived in the late 1800s. I loved listening to them relate
firsts they encountered (e.g. telephone, motorcar, biplane, etc.), their personal
tragedies & triumphs before/through/after two World Wars.

 

JMR-Who is your favorite historical
figure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what would it be?

GLF- I don’t really have a favorite,
though the one question I’d ask any historical figure I might consider is “What
were you thinking ‽ ‽”

But that’s a hindsight question, spoken
from the luxury of seeing how one event or one person’s actions/decisions/etc.
played out over time. Removing modern lenses (& cultural filters) is
difficult but important to better grasp things of an era decades or centuries
past. 

JMR- How did you come to be a writer of
historical fantasy?

GLF- Because sometimes I’m the writer
equivalent of a mad scientist.