Interview with Haunted Heart Author Tania Donald
Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a writer and artist. I have a Ph.D in English Literature, and I’ve worked as a freelance writer, mystery shopper, university tutor, and dog groomer – among other assorted jobs! I’ve also written comedy for theatre, cabaret and radio.
I’ve always been fascinated by the supernatural, and in the past few years I’ve become addicted to classic supernatural fiction (H P Lovecraft, M R James, etc). Writing a novel had been a lifelong ambition of mine, and I decided that I wanted to try writing something in the tradition of the kind of stories I love; supernatural, historical – a story of psychological horror with plenty of twists and turns.
Could you tell us a little about Haunted Heart?
Haunted Heart is a Gothic tale of intrigue, seduction, and a new kind of supernatural predator…
It’s set in 1838 and follows Eloise, a young woman in a quiet English village, as she falls in love with a handsome and aristocratic newcomer, Dolour White. But their romantic courtship quickly descends into something more dark and sinister; mind-games, witchcraft, strange erotic dreams, and a dangerous obsession.
Suddenly Eloise finds herself alone, and transformed in a way she can’t understand. She sets sail for colonial Sydney, in search of both her lover, Dolour, and the truth about herself; what she has become and the dark appetites that now compel her. Along the way, Eloise discovers that a mysterious man is now hunting them both, intent on their destruction. Sydney provides the setting for a dramatic climax…
Which character did you enjoy writing the most?
I guess it would have to be Eloise/Dammora. She undergoes such a transformation, from the shy young girl she is at the beginning, to the very naughty girl she is by the end – that was a lot of fun to write! She really goes through a lot, and I tried to add depth and psychological dimensions to her that would keep the reader on her side, even when she is doing very bad things. Ultimately, she does what she must to survive, and I like that she is strong, determined and powerful. She has freedoms and powers we can’t have – but she is all too aware of the terrible price she has paid for them.
When you are creating your characters, do you base them on people you know or are they completely made up?
Some are purely products of my imagination while others are inspired by real people, to varying degrees. The character of Arthur Grayton, for example, was partly inspired by a most beautiful painting that I have long admired. It’s the portrait of novelist Georges Rodenbach, painted by Lucien Levy-Dhurmer (1895). Rodenbach’s haunted, melancholy eyes, and his dreamy, ethereal appearance encapsulated what I wanted Grayton to be, and I often looked at that painting while I was writing Haunted Heart.( You can find it here: http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=15905&size=large)
The way you ended Haunted Heart made it feel like there was going to be a sequel, is this the case?
Yes indeed! It’s funny, when I first started writing Haunted Heart I was worried I wouldn’t be able to write a whole novel. But I soon realised that what I had in mind for the characters was actually more than would fit into one novel – much more! The sequel is written, and I still have a great deal more that I want to do with these characters. They continue to fascinate me, and I often think about them. I hope that readers are intrigued by them too.
I liked that Eloise’s journey lead her to Australia. Did you begin the book with the idea that Australia was going to be featured?
Yes, I am quite interested in colonial Australia, and I really liked the idea of transposing the sort of British Gothic genre that we’re all familiar with onto an early Australian setting. This is something I’m planning to pursue further in another novel.
I think colonial Australia represents certain worrying things to the characters in that time period – the absence of “civilisation” as they know it, wilderness, criminality, and a kind of dissolving of the rigid social order that they come from – it’s like an untamed, disturbing underbelly of their own society. For me, that sort of setting, and that suggestion of chaos, worked well as the central characters move further and further away from the familiar, into danger and the unknown, and the world of the supernatural.
Ok now we move on to The Fictional Fantasy Five! (These are questions I ask all our favourite authors :))
What book are you currently reading?
“History of the Australian Gold Rushes” edited by Nancy Keesing. (This is research for a new novel I’m developing.)
Who is one of your favourite Authors?
H P Lovecraft. No-one else evokes the kind of psychological horror that he does. His works create a cohesive, dark and thrilling world that I always long to return to.
What is your all time favourite book?
It’s so tough to pick one! Maybe Iain Banks’ “The Wasp Factory,” because of the impact it had on me when I first read it, at about fifteen. It would eventually lead me to write my doctoral thesis, inspired by its themes and its relationship to a whole genre of dystopian novels set on islands.
What is your all time favourite movie?
Now I really can’t pick just one!
Favourite comedy: The Producers. Favourite drama: Velvet Goldmine. Favourite horror: The Wicker Man
Where is your favourite place to write?
I have a little studio where I do my art and my writing. It’s nice and quiet.
A huge thank you to Tania for taking the time to answer my questions! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series :)
