Historical fiction author Harry Duffin chats with me today about his new family saga, Island of Dreams.
During his virtual book tour, Harry will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
Harry is an award-winning British screenwriter, who was on the first writing team of the BBC’s EASTENDERS, and won the Writers’ Guild Award for Best TV serial for CORONATION STREET. He was Head of Development at Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group, producing seven major television series and was co-creator of the UK Channel Five teen-cult drama series ‘THE TRIBE’, which ran for five series.
He has written three novels, Chicago May, first book of a two-part series, Birth of the Mall Rats [intro to the TV series THE TRIBE], and Island of Dreams, publishing on December 1, 2022.
Welcome, Harry. Please tell us a little bit about your new release.
Island of Dreams is a historical family saga and a love story. In May 1939, when Professor Carl Mueller, his wife and children flee Nazi Germany and find refuge on the paradise island of Cuba, the family are all full of hope and dreams for a safe and happy future.
But those dreams are shattered when they are caught up in old betrayals, new loves, and the turbulent years of political corruption, military dictatorship leading the Castro’s revolution in 1959.
Having fled a divided Europe, the family find themselves at war with each other.
Their Island of Dreams is to tear them apart forever.
What inspired you to write this book?
It was inspired by a visit to Cuba with another writer. It is an amazing country with wonderful people.
We learnt that in 1939 the S.S St Louis, full of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany, was only allowed to let a few passengers off. No one knew what happened to those people, so we came up with the story about the Mueller family. Sadly, the writer died before we started writing it, so the book is really a memorial to her.
Excerpt from Island of Dreams:
Freddie stopped the car in the path, and watched Anna get out.
Freddie was surprised. ‘Oh, well, goodbye,’ he said.
‘Can you get out, please, Freddie,’ she said quietly.
Very curious, Freddie got out. Anna came and stood in front of him. She looked around, then taking his arm, she led him into the forest. Freddie was very puzzled now. Did she think he might go back and tell the police where the camp was? Surely, she knew he wouldn’t do that? She led him to a clearing, out of sight of the path.
‘You don’t think I’m going to go back and tell the army where the camp is, Anna?’
‘Is that what you think?’
Freddie shrugged. He had given Anna his gun in the car. ‘You’ll need it more than me,’ he’d said. Not that he would use it on her anyway.
Anna came close to him. As he was about to speak again, she put her fingers to his lips. ‘You don’t know, do you?’ she said.
‘Know what?’
She reached up and pushed a lock of his hair back from his forehead. ‘Freddie, I hated you from the moment you picked me up and dragged me off the boat.’
Freddie attempted a smile.
Then her fingers ran softly down his cheek. ‘And loved you just as much.’
Before he could speak her lips met his. It was a long kiss. Twenty years in the making.
What exciting story are you working on next?
I am writing the sequel to my first book, Chicago May. It is set in Los Angeles during the birth of the film industry in the 1920’s. A fascinating place and time, full of highs and lows for many people.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I always wanted to be a writer, but didn’t make a living out of it until I was forty, when I was on the first writing team for EASTENDERS.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Writing is what I get up for in a morning. I used to work all day, but now I generally work in the morning. I don’t rewrite as I go along. I do that when I look what I have written the next morning.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write with a quill pen and ink! No, actually, I use a laptop.
Google is an amazing way of doing research. I used to have to go the British Library and spend all day reading though masses of books. Now it’s at your fingertips.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Sometimes put down your phones and read a book. There are so many wonderful stories out there for you to enjoy!
Links:
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon author page | Kindle
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks for hosting, Lisa, and for the interview questions.
Sounds like a really good book.
Great interview