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Join Us Every Friday! #NovConv |
To be a little different from the usual
'meet the author'
'meet the author'
let's meet
a character ...
Bao
from
Melissa Addey
Author & Speaker
Creative Writing PhD student at the University of Surrey
Winner 2019 Novel London award
The Consorts has been reviewed by
Discovering Diamonds
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufyCYeL0V6ksr22aUy3I0oViLWJy8dZXoTYlJ5Gs4gSLWZeJ3nqSS7Uc5Agh3n3vx6Ulq-6vsJ7-erjoFjE5fmcFO0qT6JEuUWJwlLJuCtKSX-5yTvW2eL2X-KItJ6ToKRUQ_dH3m6R0/s200/%2521A+Discovered+Diamond.png)
and has been awarded an
a character ...
Wikipedia Eunuchs carrying the Empress 18th Century http://puyi.netor.com/gallery |
from
Q: Hello, I’m Helen, host of Novel Conversations, please do make yourself comfortable. Would you
like a drink? Tea, coffee, wine – something stronger? You’ll find a box of
chocolates and a bowl of fruit on the table next to you, please do help
yourself. I believe you are a character in Melissa
Addey’s novella The Consorts. Would you like to
introduce yourself? Are you a lead character or a supporting role?
A: My name is Bao, my lady. I am a eunuch serving at the
court of the Qianlong Emperor of China, in the Forbidden City. I believe you
would call my time the 18th century.
Q:
What genre is the novel and what is it about?
A: My lady author tells me it is called historical fiction.
It is the story of Lady Qing, the concubine I serve. She has been sadly
neglected by the Emperor, but through no fault of her own – there are so many
ladies at court, you understand, so eager to make their way into the Emperor’s
favours and Lady Qing is too soft-hearted and gentle a girl, she does not
scheme and plot as those others do. She has made a friend now, a concubine
named Lady Ying – a little bold, I must say, but I believe she has a good heart.
But even friendships can be used against rivals, when the throne of the Empress
stands empty.
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© Dan Ma UnSplash |
Q: No spoilers, but are you a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’?
(Or
maybe you are both?)
A: My lady! How could you question my intentions! I
have been a loyal servant to my Lady Qing since she came here when she was only
thirteen, weeping for her home and family. I promised her then that I would
care for her always and I have done so. But I am only a miserable eunuch, how
can I protect my lady against the machinations of more powerful ladies?
Q: Tell me about
another character in the novel – maybe your best friend, lover or partner … or
maybe your arch enemy!
A: You must be wary of Lady Ula Nara. She came into the
Forbidden City unwillingly, rumour has it she had to leave behind her
sweetheart and now she has turned bitter. Nothing but the throne of China
itself will do for her and she does not care who must be used or hurt to
achieve her goal. I am afraid for my Lady Qing…
Q: Is this the only novel you have appeared in, or are there
others in a series?
A: I would not presume to appear in more than one
novel, my lady. But Lady Qing continues to play a small part in three
additional novels. Each novel tells the story of one concubine’s journey
through the Forbidden City.
Q: What is one of your least favourite scenes you appear in?
A: Oh my lady, my life is one long suffering! The court ladies
have no consideration for those who serve them – they do all sorts and it is
always poor Bao who has to take care of everything afterwards. Why, Lady Ying
fell in a lake – can you imagine?! And her own household (who should never have let her row by herself) were
worse than useless. I had to step in myself and ensure she was washed and
dressed and her hair re-done so that she would be presentable again. It is no
wonder she spends half her time with my own lady, she knows that I, at least,
run a household as it should be run.
Q: And your favourite scene?
A: I am not sure I can tell you that, my lady, only to say that
I promised Lady Qing, all those years ago, that I would make her happy here and
at last my promise is fulfilled.
Q:
Tell me a little about your author. Has she written any other
books?
A: My lady author has completed the stories from the Forbidden
City, four in total. And now she has almost finished another four from a very
far-off time and place, almost a thousand years before my time, in the sands of
Morocco, only imagine! But it seems the ladies of those times were as much of a
handful as they are in mine. I thank the Immortals I have the comforts of the
Forbidden City to help me fulfil my duties, I have heard whispers these other
ladies sometimes lived in tents!
Q: Is your author working on anything else at the moment?
A: Oh, her rooms are full of books, I have to tidy them
constantly, it is a great nuisance. She seems to be reading a great deal about
a place called the Colosseum, she tells me men used to fight there for sport. I
know nothing of such things. If she would only sit still long enough for me to
do her hair properly, but no, she moves too much – picking up one book and then
another, I don’t know how many jade hairpins I have lost trying to follow her
about.
Q: How do you think authors can be helped or supported by
readers or groups? What does your author think is the most useful for her personally?
A: I have seen my lady author all alight with happiness when
she sees reviews from people who have enjoyed her work. I take pride in it
myself, I keep all her reviews in a scrapbook and admire them from time to
time. She has another kind of reader, she calls them beta readers, they read
her manuscripts before they are published and she says they are most helpful in
ensuring she tells her stories well.
Q: If
your author was to host a dinner party what guests would she invite and why? Maximum
nine guests – real, imaginary, alive or dead.
A :
The Emperor Qianlong
of course, she has written about him so often.
No doubt Lady UlaNara – she is a snake but my lady author finds her very interesting.
Zaynab, a Moroccan
queen. Possibly as much of a snake as Ula Nara…
The stage manager/s
of the Colosseum – there is no mention of who they were in all her books. But
we servants are always forgotten when it comes to writing history books…
Philippa Gregory, a
favourite author.
Stephen King, a
wonderful storyteller.
Terry Pratchett, my
lady author wept at his passing.
Mark Dawson, a man
who sells books, my lady author follows him with interest.
My lady author’s
husband, so that they can talk about the others when they are gone!
![Silhouette, Businessman, Businesswoman](https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2018/10/13/20/05/silhouette-3745008__340.png)
Thank you, Bao, it was
a pleasure talking to you. Would your author like to add a short excerpt below? Meanwhile,
chatting is thirsty work, would you like a refill of that drink…? I’ll have
another Gin and Tonic . . .
Salute! Here’s to writing a best seller!
CONNECT WITH Melissa Addey
Meet Bao and Lady Qing
for yourself: you can pick up a free copy of The Consorts on your local Amazon using
http://getbook.at/TheConsorts and a free novella, The Cup, set in Morocco on Melissa’s website, www.melissaaddey.com
http://getbook.at/TheConsorts and a free novella, The Cup, set in Morocco on Melissa’s website, www.melissaaddey.com
(where you can also view book trailers for all her books).
EXCERPT from The Consorts
Lady Qing talks to Lady Ying, who has just arrived at court
I think of Ying’s home
in Mongolia, where they say they have fearsome warrior queens and endless flat
grasslands where they can ride at full gallop. “Do you miss your home?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I will
never return there, so it’s as well not to think of it,” she says as though
repeating something she was told when parting from her family. Her tone is
still fierce but her lower lip trembles.
I try to change the
subject. “Perhaps we can go boating together,” I find myself offering, although
I have never rowed in my life and can only picture Bao’s face at the thought.
“It might be easier to row with two of us?”
She brightens at once.
“Yes,” she says. “I would like that.” She looks about the room and then at me.
“How long have you been at court?” she asks.
“Seven years,” I say.
She nods. “Do you see
the Emperor often? I mean as a companion,” she adds, a small blush rising on
her neck.
“Not often,” I say.
“How often, though?”
she asks, too new to this world to have caught my tone.
Something in me wants to
tell her the truth. “Three times,” I say.
“A month?” she asks, no
doubt thinking this to be quite a lot considering how many women the Emperor
may command to his rooms.
“In seven years,” I say
and see her eyes widen at the reality of her possible future here.
Melissa Addey
Author & Speaker
Creative Writing PhD student at the University of Surrey
Winner 2019 Novel London award
The Consorts has been reviewed by
Discovering Diamonds
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufyCYeL0V6ksr22aUy3I0oViLWJy8dZXoTYlJ5Gs4gSLWZeJ3nqSS7Uc5Agh3n3vx6Ulq-6vsJ7-erjoFjE5fmcFO0qT6JEuUWJwlLJuCtKSX-5yTvW2eL2X-KItJ6ToKRUQ_dH3m6R0/s200/%2521A+Discovered+Diamond.png)
and has been awarded an
(images from Wikipedia or Pixabay unless otherwise stated)
A wonderful conversation with one of my favourite characters. I've read nearly all of the books in this series and enjoyed every one of them. Bao is a favourite character for me and he presents himself perfectly here. Well done Bao (and Melissa;-) )
ReplyDelete100% agree!
DeleteGreat interview with Bao, the faithful eunuch; I also really enjoyed the evocative book trailer and excerpt. Thank you for sharing these with us, Melissa.
ReplyDeleteFascinating interview and insight into the world of the Forbidden City. Intriguing guest list too!
ReplyDelete