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RH: How much in your books is based on fact, and how aps left by history?
JA: My books are entirely fiction, based on as much factual information as I could find on their subjects They take place 30,000 years ago, and the only things left fros made of stone and bone, such as stone tools, carved items, animal and human skeletal remains—and, as it turns out, raves Hair from various animals and DNA traces of animal blood from stones and knives add information Inference fills in a certain amount For example, if the skeleton of an old Neanderthal e he had been blind in one eye, had had an arm amputated, and walked with a li woollyquestions: Who a? Who treated the shock? How did he live to be an old man? Obviously someone took care of him; the question is why? Could it have been because they loved him? Or that his culture took care of their weak and wounded? Perhaps “red in tooth and claw” is not an appropriate way to describe those enigmatic human cousins
RH: The Earth’s Children® series is an epic adventure spanning , or has each book been planned separately?
JA: When I started, my question was “I wonder if I could write a short story?” Then I got into the research and got all fired up, and I realized I riting a book At the tirew, I thought it would be one big saga that fell easily into six parts I wrote about 450,000 words, and thought I would cut when I rewrote it But when I started to reread it, I realized that I didn’t knorite fiction, so I read books about horite a novel When I went back and began rewriting the book, instead of editing and cutting down, I found that putting in the dialogue and the scenes to row It ith some surprise and trepidation that I came to realize that each of the separate parts was a complete story, and that I had a six-book series I have been working froh draft as an outline for the series, so I have always known,
RH: Your own books have a great heroine in Ayla Who is your favorite literary heroine?
JA: I don’t really have one It may once have been the princess in the fairy tale “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” which h I didn’t realize it at the time, I think the reason is that in this fairy tale, the man is captured and the princess has to perform feats of skill to save him That was the trouble with soThe ones I liked were full of action and adventure, but it was always theI never identified with the heroine that was sitting around waiting to be rescued I ith the hero, snick-snicking with the sword, or whatever I still identify with the one activelythe story happen, and I enjoy both onists I don’t think it was a conscious decision, but when I started writing, I wanted to write about a wouess that’s why she is a heroine
RH: What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
JA: You learn to write by writing, and by reading and thinking about horiters have created their characters and invented their stories If you are not a reader, don’t even think about being a writer If you want to write, don’t say you want to do it someday, don’t wait until the spirit moves you: Sit down and do it every day, or at least on soular basis But I would warn those who aspire to it that writing fiction is the hardest work I have ever done Soet past writer’s block, or whatever those periods are called, is to sit and put down one word after another I h often I do It doesn’twritten Inspiration happens when you are working at it At other times I can be so completely ione, but when I get up, I’ I have into the work—and so ways to stall before I sit down to work the next time But for all the effort, it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life
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