Postcard For Reader

Interview: Michaela MacColl

Stopping by today is the fantastic author Michaela MacColl! Michaela's debut novel, Prisoners in the Palace was published earlier this year by Chronicle Books. What is it about, you ask?

London, 1836. Sixteen-year-old Liza's dreams of her society debut are dashed when her parents are killed in an accident. Penniless, she accepts the position of lady's maid to young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant's world below-stairs as well as the trickery and treason above. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

I adored it when I read it two months ago, and I'm positive you will too. And hey, you'll get a chance to win it in a few hours - there's a giveaway coming up! But before that comes, you should read this fantastic interview with Michaela.

Not only do we talk about Kensington Palace, but about being invisible and getting lost in the forest.

How can you possibly go wrong?

N: Welcome to WORD, Michaela! Do you have a favorite character in Prisoners in the Palace? Victoria? Liza?

M: Oddly enough, I think my favorite character isn’t either of my main ones but a minor one, Inside Boy. I loved how he doesn’t fit into any of the traditional roles. By living in the wall, he transcends class and rank. And how fun is it to learn thieves’ slang?

N: I have to say, he was my favorite part of the book. You visited Kensington Palace and the rest of London while writing PitP. Did you have a favorite place within the palace?

M: Unfortunately, you don’t have a lot of freedom to wander around the palace. But one room I was able to spend a lot of time in was Victoria’s room. It’s been recreated to show exactly how she lived as a child. Even the bon bons are on the duchess’s dresser. Another place I found interesting was the ballroom. I could see exactly how Victoria’s birthday party would play out: what the view of the fireworks would be and how Albert could successfully avoid Victoria!

N: You grew up in upstate New York and went to college at Vassar - which is in my hometown! Did you have a favorite spot on campus?

M: My favorite spot at Vassar has to be the library, under the stained glass window of the first woman receiving her doctorate. I loved the gothic feel of the space and all it represents for women’s education.

N: Isn't the library the favorite spot of every writer? Your next book, Beryl Above Africa [tentative title], is a big leap from writing about Queen Victoria. Did you do anything differently while writing this?

M: Beryl required a very different type of research. The life in colonial Africa was not documented as the early Victorian period. So you find yourself relying on memoirs, not only Beryl Markham’s but other great writers like Elspeth Huxley or Isak Dinesen. It’s interesting to see how the spirit of these brave ladies get distilled in your writing.

N: If you were invited to Victoria's birthday ball, what would you wear?

M: I hate, hate, hate getting dressed up. All the beautiful clothes in Prisoners in the Palace were done as an afterthought. A wise friend read the book and said “what about the dresses?” So I visited a lot of websites run by people who do care about clothes. So I think I would put off thinking about what I would wear until the very last minute – and then think of an excuse not to go!

N: Really? I LOVE any excuse to dress up. Maybe because I do it so infrequently. What's your favorite book to use for research? Or books - so much research has to be done for historical fiction!

M: My first go-to books for any project are biographies. I love the variety in the types of biography… some are psychological, others are feminist or salacious. Everyone has a different way of portraying the same subject. That’s where I start. Later in the process, after I’ve identified specific needs, I find that books from academic presses are the most useful. People write books to satisfy their doctoral requirements, and often contain fascinating nuggets of information. For instance, one book I found useful was “A Royal Conflict: Sir John Conroy and Young Victoria,” or “The Victorian Domestic Servant.”

N: If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?

M: What an interesting question! I think I might hang out at my house and watch my family make do without me!

N: You're lost in a forest. A genie approaches you. You can make THREE WISHES, but none of them can be getting removed from the forest. What do you wish for?
M: Well, if I’m going to be there for a while, I guess I want some good books and a comfortable chair. Then perhaps an endless supply of diet coke and salt and vinegar potato chips. Finally, maybe a portable GPS for when wishes one and two get old…