I couldn't be more thrilled than I am to be welcoming author, Amy Sparks onto the blog today.
Amy kindly agreed to answer some questions about her new book, The Players - Act 1: All the World's a Stage.
The Blurb
How far would you go to save what you truly love?
England, 1715.When society doesn’t understand you, and your family is out of the picture, a strolling theatre company could be your perfect home…
Ambitious lead actor Thomas is determined to reach Drury Lane and prove to his father that he is not a failure.Fierce Caroline has a traumatic past and is determined to protect the company which saved her.
Kind-hearted Annie just wants to look after her found family.So, when their heartbroken manager Robert is injured and decides to fold the struggling company, the players are resolved to change his mind, whatever the cost. Unfortunately for them, the odds are stacked against them. They’ve lost their stage, they still haven’t got a skull for Hamlet, and flamboyant ex-member Piero is hunting them down, with a spot of revenge on his mind...Is it time for the final bow?
The Players Act 1: All The World’s A Stage gives voice to the forgotten strolling players of the 18th century in this fun, uplifting, and page-turning read.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Energetic, accessible historical fiction
Working-class characters
Found family
Comedy and tragedy
Shakespeare
LGBTQ+
Neurodiversity
Mental health issues
Multiple POV
Heart and hope
The Interview
Q Welcome to the blog Amy. Can I start by asking you What was the inspiration for this story?
A Ideas can start in different ways. Often when I write, characters appear first. Sometimes it’s a theme, occasionally a title, sometimes the concept. My children enjoy drama, so I’ve spent a lot of time watching shows and being around a stage. This is perhaps why it was the concept of The Players which dropped into my head first – all the fun you could have with a motley troupe of players who were always on the move. There would always be variety, new experiences, new places, new characters. It had a lot of potential.
After the initial ‘zing’ of an idea, I like to ponder the different directions it could go in. I think about the tone that I like, the themes I enjoy exploring, and the type of characters who interest me and I’d want to spend time with. All of these things feed into developing the idea.
Q What are the key themes in the story?
A The tagline offers the main thematic question: How far would you go to save what you truly love? I think this is a fascinating question – and one that we personally may not know the answer to until we find ourselves in a situation that truly poses it. At what point do moral principles rein in desire? At what point does desire override morality? What would you be willing to sacrifice to get what you want? And how much do you really love something or someone, when push comes to shove? All of these questions twist in and around the narrative, explored through the different characters’ perspectives and problems, as they attempt to discover their own answers.
Alongside this main thematic question, there are general themes of love, sacrifice, friendship, grief, self-awareness, resilience, forgiveness, courage and hope, as well as an exploration of the importance of the arts, and the relationship between comedy and tragedy.
Q The Players Act 1 is your adult debut novel. Why did you decide to write historical fiction?
A I’ve always enjoyed reading historical fiction. When I was 12 years old my mum gave me a copy of Philippa Gregory’s Meridan (part of the Wideacre trilogy). I was utterly smitten and became absorbed in historical fiction and epic family sagas. As well as reading, history was an important part of my early life – from exploring ancient castles and graveyards to visiting archaeological digs as a child to studying History at A-level. I am still fascinated by historical sites, architecture and the way people thought, behaved and lived in the past. It was only a matter of time before I started writing about it.
The process of world-building is very fun, which is why I also enjoy creating magical and fantastical worlds. There is something lovely about escaping the real world for a while and absorbing yourself in another time and place.
Q How did you research the historical aspects?
A I started by reading books on strolling players and theatre to help shape the idea. I wanted to include women in the troupe, so I knew it would be after Shakespeare’s time. A lot of research I found was concerned with established companies and theatres, and there is very little documented about the small, more informal companies who existed, barely scraping a living. They were here and they mattered, but they mostly just disappeared out of knowledge and memory as time passed. However, understanding the way more established companies worked gave me pointers for how they went about their business, and I loved the freedom that came with creating a troupe that had to be a little more creative with their methods, surviving hand-to-mouth.
As well as reading books, I watched videos, scoured the internet, contacted historians and studied old maps to find out what I could about working classes, 18th century theatre and wider society in 1715. The majority of the story takes place in Devon, where I live. It’s a beautiful part of the world and I visited Bampton several times, studying architecture, researching the layout and combining that with anecdotal evidence, maps and local history sites. I shifted some buildings around mentally, added a few, altered the building dates here and there, and elongated the road a little, but it was wonderful to use it as a launchpad. I also visited Andover for a sense of the place, again studying architecture and the town’s history. Visiting these two key locations helped establish the place firmly in my mind and I hope that comes across in the world-building.
Q Why did you decide to write with multiple POV?
A I decided that rather than featuring major historical events, the series would instead focus on local setting, the world of theatre and character. I love the fact that fundamentally, people are the same now as they always have been, and as they will continue to be. To me, that’s what really brings historical fiction alive – that connection. So it was important to have a deep dive into the minds of the characters, really understanding their longings, their fears, their flaws, their humanity. Using multiple points of view allowed me to explore that more fully, and go deeper into different interpretations and answers to the thematic question.
Q Which character are you most like?
A I think there is a little bit of me in almost every character, but that nugget goes off and spins in a different direction, grows, mutates, finds their own voice, and becomes a new character. There is probably most similarity between me and Thomas because we share a similar outlook on life. He’s passionate about his art, very optimistic, and determined to see the bright side and encourage those around him. He will look for ways to make the impossible possible. He also has the tendency to hurtle around somewhat chaotically from one thing to the next, and Caroline’s frustration of, “For Heaven’s sake! Didn’t that man ever stand still?” definitely has echoes of my mother’s voice.
It can feel oddly intrusive to bestow modern terms upon historical characters – even imagined ones – but I understand Thomas to have ADHD, like me, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Neurodiversity has always been around and although the players wouldn’t understand it as such, it’s been wonderful to explore it authentically in historical fiction with a neurodiverse main character.
Q There is a lot of humour in the story. Why did you choose to write with this tone?
A There are many reasons why this felt the right tone to use. My voice naturally brings an element of comedy, so it felt an authentic way to write this story, especially one which examines the concept of comedy and tragedy.
Humour and neurodiversity are similar in the sense that they have both always existed but we don’t see much in historical fiction. People had a good laugh, and needed to, just as we do today. By using a lighter tone and including comedy, I’m hoping to help break down the assumption that historical fiction needs to be deadly serious all the time.
Humour is a great way of dealing with difficult issues, making it easier and more bearable to examine those areas which challenge us. It can also help make fiction accessible to readers, and I’d love to see more readers embracing stories, worlds and characters from the past. It’s my hope that including the humour in this story brings a warmth and connection, helping you feel like you are hanging out with a group of friends, sitting around the campfire together by night and travelling along the road beside them by day.
Thank you so much Amy. That was fascinating and it's been my pleasure to have you on the blog today.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1068327919
Publisher: Sword and Fiddle Publishing
Formats: e-book and paperback
No. of Pages: 326 (paperback)
Series: Book 1 of The Players Series
Purchase Link
Amazon UK
About the Author
Amy was born in Eastbourne, England, where the sea and South Downs encouraged her love of the outdoors and nurtured her wildness. Her childhood was filled with folk music, caravans and imagination, and she was always dreaming up stories and characters – usually when she was meant to be doing something else.
She enjoys stories that explore both comedy and tragedy. She is a New York Times bestselling author and her work includes THE HOUSE AT THE EDGE OF MAGIC series, and the picture books for BBC’s THE REPAIR SHOP. THE PLAYERS is her debut novel for adults.
Amy now lives in Devon with her husband and six children. When she isn’t writing, Amy enjoys drinking tea, climbing trees and playing the piano, although disappointingly she is yet to master doing all three at once.
You can also find Amy at:
Instagram
Bluesky
(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)
(all opinions are my own)
