Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
It is an honour today to welcome a Historical Fiction novelist of whom I have just discovered has written a novel set during the reconstruction and restoration of London after the last world war. It was an interesting premise to be sure as through watching the latter half of “Foyle’s War” in recent years, I knew the lines were a bit blurry between civilian life & the life of those who worked for the government, such as the codebreakers and cipher readers. Theirs was an interesting transition back into ordinary life and not one that wasn’t met with challenges.
Ahead of sharing my conversation with Ms McMillan, I wanted to take a moment to share with you about what first inspired me to want to read &/or listen to “The London Restoration”:
Any frequent reader & visitor to Jorie Loves A Story has learnt how passionate I am about reading the following stories: historically authentic stories rooted out of the historic past, ANY story featuring strong women (whether Historical, Contemporary or Feminist driven) as much as my new passion for seeking out ‘human interest stories’ set during the war eras rather than my previous passion for seeking out ALL war dramas which included the grit, the heart-wrenching and soul-crushing narratives I used to devour with a hearty thirst for the intensity of how those writers re-created such a guttingly difficult period of living history.
Of recent, I have had two favourite stories set during war – one which took us into the heart of the Resistance and the heartache of seeking freedom from the oppression of war as told through the Jewish perspective of surviving the second world war: “The Medallion” by Cathy Gohlke (see also Reviiew) whilst at the same time I was equally impressed (and suffered a right proper bookish hangover) by the acuity of how “Christmas Once Again” pulled me so rivetingly into a time bending story set at Christmas during the war era. (see also Review). Both of these authors tapped into their stories in such a way as to leave everything on the pages to where you cannot help but feel their stories etch themselves onto your heart and imprint themselves into your bookish soul.
Similarly the author Susan Meissner revisited a part of our lives I never thought I could revisit in a novel and she did it through the lens of “A Fall of Marigolds” (see also Review). However, the novel which brought the change in my readerly life was “The Citadel” (see also Review) and I cannot dear hearts re-open a door into the war era which touches anywhere near where that story took us.
Yet, you must be wondering – okay, Jorie you LOVE #HistoricalFiction, we get it but what pulled your curious time travelling eye into “The London Restoration”? The answer is in the book title – ‘restoration’ has a variety of meanings behind it and one of the most intriguing aspects I have always felt about History is how people have restored their lives after war, after dramatic & traumatic loss and how a country can find the Light again after such incredible Darkness. To find a story which seeks to root out the stories of how London Restored Itself was a story I aptly felt was one I dearly needed to read!
I’ve spent years as a reader & as a watcher of Historical dramatic series (ie. “Foyle’s War”, “House of Elliott”, “Bletchley Circle: San Francisco” & loads of others) observe how the war destroyed not just London but the countryside of my family’s ancestral home. I felt it was a fitting chance to see how the country re-found their courage to not just rebuild but to preserve what was left behind and whilst they restored what could be repaired in effect restored their own souls in the process. They were able to focus on the positives rather than the losses they had endured and through it – perhaps re-find their humanity along the way after having it fractured and distanced from their lives due to the tumultuous assaults London lived through during the Blitz.
We cannot re-experience History ourselves in our own tangible living experience as we live our lives but we can endeavour to draw out empathy and understanding through a fictional character whose living during that lifetime & historic marker in History as if we transported ourselves through their shoes and began to live it as our own life ourselves. Stories have a way of encouraging all of us to live lives outside our own & to use Historical Fiction as a gateway into the historic past is one way to bolster our knowledge of the past & to hope that the future will not have to endure repeating the lessons already learnt.
For those reasons and the simple fact I was wicked enthralled with the synopsis is why I dearly wanted to seek out this story to read! The fact it was told through INSPY Historical Fiction warmed my bookish heart because I felt I could trust the boundaries of what Ms McMillan might explore therein and what might not be as inclusive in this story as the stories I’ve had to stop reading which pushed my literary envelopes straight to Pluto before they exited our galaxy completely. We each have to own our limitations and our bookish turnoffs – for me turning to INSPY is one way of restoring my love of certain genres of story told within the expanse of what I can emotionally handle and feel soul lifted by the experience of having read the stories.
The London Restoration
by Rachel McMillan
Source: Audiobook Direct from Publisher via NetGalley
Narrator: Hannah Curtis
From author Rachel McMillan comes a richly researched historical romance that takes place in post-World War II London and features a strong female lead.
Determined to save their marriage and the city they love, two people divided by World War II’s secrets rebuild their lives, their love, and their world.
London, Fall 1945. Architectural historian Diana Somerville’s experience as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park and her knowledge of London’s churches intersect in MI6’s pursuit of a Russian agent named Eternity. Diana wants nothing more than to begin again with her husband Brent after their separation during the war, but her signing of the Official Secrets Act keeps him at a distance.
Brent Somerville, professor of theology at King’s College, hopes aiding his wife with her church consultations will help him better understand why she disappeared when he needed her most. But he must find a way to reconcile his traumatic experiences as a stretcher bearer on the European front with her obvious lies about her wartime activities and whereabouts.
Featuring a timeless love story bolstered by flashbacks and the excavation of a priceless Roman artifact, The London Restoration is a richly atmospheric look at post-war London as two people changed by war rebuild amidst the city’s reconstruction.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9780785235026
ASIN: B0829G67N9
Published by Thomas Nelson
on 18th August, 2020
Format: Audiobook | Digital Review Copy (NetGalley)
Length: 11 hours and 47 minutes (unabridged)
Published by: Thomas Nelson (@ThomasNelson)
an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing (@HCChristianPub)
Converse via: #HistFic or #HistNov as well as #INSPY #HistoricalFiction
+ #TheLondonRestoration, #audiobook or #audioreads
as well as #TNZFiction and #HFVBTBlogTours
Available Formats: Trade paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
a notation about the author’s historical notes:
I will prelude this with a short disclaimer: the whole of our conversation on this interview was inspired by and directly in reference to the author’s historical notes as heard via the audiobook (as provided by NetGalley). Due to my four back-to-back migraines from mid-July to early August, I simply ran out of the hours to listen to the audiobook in full and research more about the author directly in order to balance the conversation between story and writer. It was such a wealth of inspiration with built-in talking points to direct a discussion, you’ll immediately notice how I could have lengthened the conversation into a series of interviews rather than limiting it to just one!
I am hoping our conversation will inspire your own interest in seeking out this novel and also giving you an inside glimpse of the depth of research which went into the writing of the story.
Conversing with Rachel McMillan:
Per your Historical Note within The London Restoration you mentioned how stories become the gateways into the historic past and this is a sentiment I personally share with you. As I have oft felt over the past seven years as a book blogger wherein I have had the chance to study and hone in on which eras of the past I wished to time travel inside have become new benchmarks on my understanding of both History and the breadth of human memory because all stories rooted out of History and fuelled into Historical Fiction are in part a collective conscience of what was once lived. Which stories or authors first inspired you into Historical Fiction and which eras do you feel your readerly heart feels most at home exploring?
McMillan responds: First off, congratulations on your blog! How wonderful to travel through stories for so many years.
My favourite periods include the Victorian Era (that was my specialty in University — especially Bronte and Dickens) but I also am extremely passionate about the Age of Sail and the Napoleonic war years — I love anything to do with tall ships and the sea — especially the Aubrey and Maturin novels by Patrick O’Brian.
I have a million and one favourite historical authors. I really love Mimi Matthews (my favourite of hers is A Modest Independence) and I love Clarissa Harwood (Bear No Malice and Impossible Saints). I really love the Kitty Peck series by Kate Griffin, I loved The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner! I love Kate Quinn! I recently re-read The Huntress and it was fantastic. So many… I truly, truly love so many brilliant historical fiction stories!
Thank you, Ms McMillan! I had to nearly pinch myself embarking on my 7th Year! It has been a true blessing to be a time traveller through the historic past over and beyond all the other genres of interest because I have gained such a wealth of knowledge about History whilst tucking close to characters who were living their lives with those historic markers set right behind them! It has given me a renewed sense of how interconnective our lives are and how there is so much more to learn about humanity, the human condition and History itself.
I, too, love the Victorians as much as I do the Regency, though over the years I’ve blogged I’ve become smitten with the Edwardian, as much as that is a credit to “Downton Abbey”. I have long held an affection for tall ships, the high seas and had once dreamt of visiting the Galapagos Islands! As an adult, I happily became introduced to Aubrey & Maturin with my Dad when we saw “Master and Commander” on the silver screen – giving me a renewed sense of the scope of cinematography and the power of writing as it stirs the emotional core of its audience. One day I will be reading the series start to finish as I love both of those characters so dearly much and ache to know them better!
Ms Matthews is on my TBR List already as I want to start by reading her “Holiday by Gaslight” story whereas Ms Harwood is a novel you tipped my hat to via Twitter shortly before I received your responses to this interview and have learnt her novels are in print at my local library! The others I am unfamiliar with except for “The Jane Austen Society” which is one of my own #nextlistens via audiobook! How clever we both wander round literature moving into similar themes of story and more than oft have read the same stories which have enriched our readerly lives (per our book chatter on Twitter).
It was a reflection of the current times within in publishing wherein I noted you had to disclose your distance from the context of your novel and of the cultural heritage of it as well – relating that you are Canadian and although curiously passionate about where you set The London Restoration you are not personally connected to that history. I wanted to commend you for continuing to write the stories which speak to your own writerly soul to write rather than to admit that some stories which have inspired your heart to write were not stories you should tell. What advice would you give emerging and budding writers about how to walk the line and find balance in this new culture of publishing?
McMillan responds: This is a really interesting and very relevant topic especially given the current climate. I think that authors have to be extremely careful in the stories they are choosing to tell and mostly the appropriation of voice. For me, I felt comfortable appropriating a history now long in the past (as opposed to a living history currently being told and explored by so many diverse authors. I also am a white woman writing about white characters even though their experience is far more harrowing than my own given the war. I would also add that there is a distinctive British sensibility to Canadians given our close historical and cultural ties and the fact that we are a colony so that made me feel confident in exploring this experience.
To all aspiring writers, I would ask you to consider your point of view character most carefully. First off, are you telling a story that is still in the making (unlike the static story of World War II documented from over half a century ago) and are you appropriating a diverse or minority voice for a character when that space would probably be better empathized by someone who has lived that experience? It’s most sensitive, I feel, when it comes to point of view characters. I don’t know if I have concluded a definitive answer because like so much in our current climate and in the publishing world, there is so much nuance. All I know is that I look to the story that I am telling and ask myself if I am appropriating a voice and experience that I am not the best vessel for and in this case I felt comfortable enough reverently exploring this history.
I truly felt you’ve spoken so eloquently about this topic that there isn’t anything left for me to add as your response is in-line with my own thoughts and feelings on the subject. I do feel that writers should be allowed to tell the stories which they are passionate about creating however given the current climate right now in publishing be more cognisant of what is happening and to self-check themselves that they are not infringing on someone elses rights to tell the story themselves.
What do you find more challenging reflecting the living history behind your story or inserting a emotionally convicting story which is concurrent to actual history as it was lived?
McMillan responds: This is a fantastic question. I think in this case the emotional story was already there. Some authors create characters, I always say that I meet mine. They arrive so fully formed. So I would say that the emotionally convicting story was hopefully there from the moment Brent and Diana showed up with marital struggles that resembled the cracked foundations of the bombed churches. Then, the challenge was infusing their story with the living and actual history. I tried to create a London familiar enough to readers from nursery rhymes and classic books while still opening their eyes to the destruction and rubble that followed the Second World War. The war ended, yes, but that didn’t mean the city went back to the way it was immediately after.
Yes! I agree with you – about how we meet the characters we are writing as I oft declare it as this “we writers are mere historians writing down the bones of a lived life we’ve only just discovered when we met our character(s).” I loved how you cross-related their marriage as a fractured foundation in contrast to the churches – as both required both tender care and a period of healing to restore back to rights of their former glories. It is hard to conceptionalise the after effects of the world wars without having rivetingly convicting Historical Fiction because it endeavours readers to take a harder look at those lost histories and living memories of those who not only survived the war but endured the reconstructive years afterwards.
I oft wondered how men who served during war handled their own personal views and thoughts about being sent to war if they weren’t sure if fighting was the best method of how they could serve. As you mentioned yourself in the Historical Note of The London Restoration– some men chose a different route and job they could do during war which contributed to the war effort but did not place them on the front lines. How much living history of your own is etched into Brent and where does he separate from that history and become his own character? What do you think your Opa would have thought about Brent or was he able to hear portions of his story? I wasn’t sure if he had already passed before you wrote this novel.
McMillan responds: Yes, and it was hard for them largely because for years of their life they couldn’t tell what they had been doing and in my second book in this duology called The Mozart Code I look at the effect that secret had on their reputations, especially with those who fought at the front. But, in reality, men like Hugh Alexander and Alan Turing and Gordon Welchman at Bletchley Park used their brains to shorten the length of the war by years. Their cracking of the German Enigma code as well as their influence in building the first computers did wonders for the allied victory. And yet, a lot of that history was buried until the late 20th Century. Everyone was on the front lines though in a sense. The country was ripped apart, the danger was imminent always and I think every last effort placed is so heroic!
With Brent, he is very much a character of my own imagination with nods to my Opa who, indeed, passed away when I was a teenager, long before The London Restoration. Canada fought with Britain from 1939-45 and so he was away from home a long time. He served as a stretcher bearer because he didn’t want to shoot a gun, he wanted to carry men instead and I was so amazed by that part of our familial history. How brave that was. I wanted to instill that in Brent Somerville. But with that, and of course stories that my Opa ( naturally and like so many other men ) suffered from severe trauma and shell shock ( What we would call PTSD today) when they got home from the front. I do know that when I was a kid my Opa couldn’t hear fireworks on Canada Day without being startled. They reminded him too much of artillery fire years and years later. He was also very close to the other men who carried the stretchers with him and I try to give some new friendship with Tibbs, Holt and Ross for that. But everything else Brent, it is what I made up.
Indeed, the intelligence there mirrors the war of intelligence and ideology I pursue in my setting of the early years of the Cold War.
I loved how you highlighted how important the churches were to both the survival of the war (ie. especially the blitzes) and as an aide through the restoration post-war when life had to carry-on despite the horrors everyone had survived. The ways in which you gave a visceral image of those restored churches as reflecting ‘a patchwork quilt’ spoke to me because it reflects how despite everything that can happen in our lives there is always a hope and a light towards tomorrow if we’re willing to piece our lives back together. Can you share any antidotes from your research about the churches or events that took place at those churches during the restoration that warmed your heart the most? You had briefly mentioned they carried on with weddings despite the rubble – it felt like there was a hidden story out of your research waiting in the wings?
McMillan responds: When I saw [this picture]* I was overwhelmed!
The fact that any sense of normalcy was so cherished. The Keep Calm and Carry On mantra. Services were still held throughout the Blitz and yes, so were weddings. This picture was a great inspiration to me.
Another favourite bit of research was the Paul’s Watch. Churchill was adamant that St. Paul’s Catherdral be protected at all costs because he was adamant it would be integral to morale. So men and women volunteered to protect the cathedral with their lives if need be through the worst of the blitz raids.
NOTE: (*) Link routes to a pinned war photo which depicts a wedding in a church which had been destroyed during the Blitz of London during WWII. No attribution is given on that pinned photograph however you will be able to see it as it was pinned by the Pinterest user who found it.
Truly what words can be said? The horror of the war is seen and shown in the photograph as much as the promise and hope of the tomorrow post-war wherein people wanted to not just move forward with their lives but find a semblance of normalcy in how they took those first steps forward into a future that was still so very uncertain at that junction. They were not just restoring their cities, they were restoring their faith in humanity and in the ordinary moments that felt so much more monumental now that peace had been restored.
When you spoke about the Bletchley men and women who were working on the coded ciphers during the war – I hadn’t tapped into this area of war history until I saw BritBox’s series: Bletchley Circle: San Francisco which is a continuation of the original series. Not only were those women fiercely passionate about their work but it showcased how due to their gender the ways in which their minds worked to solve puzzles was sometimes an uphill battle to defend. I also appreciated how you mentioned that it was a combined effort between men and women to work on those ciphers because although I am an Intersectional Feminist I always felt it is only one half of the equation for true Equality. We cannot rise and let men fall nor can we allow ourselves to be stagnated in a marginalised world – thereby it was refreshing to hear your take on this part of history. How important do you feel it is for writers who are writing Feminist bent Historical Fiction to not only respect the contributions of both sexes but not to error on erasing either in order to tell the story?
McMillan responds: I haven’t seen The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco and I confess I only saw the first series after writing the book but I loved to see how the experience made it difficult for the women to adapt to their normal lives after the war. I also must admit to being a bit out of my depth on intersectional feminism — meaning I haven’t done a deep dive into the term so I hope this answer suffices.
I agree that men and women are best when treated equally and given the opportunity to use their strengths regardless of gender. I think for me feminism means, at its core, the equality of men and women. As a romance writer I pursue that by creating couples who are attracted to each other partly for how they compliment each other.
For example, writing a super modern Brent Somerville in a late 1940s set story would be completely inaccurate and some readers have called out that he is a chauvinist character whereas I really believe he is a product of his time and yet progressive for his time. He is adamant that Diana finish her education. Of course this is because when he knew her before their four years apart that was all she talked about and all she wanted so of course he reverts to believing this is what’s best for her—not knowing the details of the gap between them.
Brent and Diana both have equally integral experiences to the war effort. But I like to think that it is in the slight, small moments that I really brought out how equal they are and how much he respects her as his partner and as his wife. She is not just the smart, pretty girl from the churchyard, she is her own person. He is really taken by a sudden chin tilt she has established – a little sign of defiance that she developed in Bletchley. There is also a line where he knows that he is more deeply in love with her after she tells him that she is her own woman and that while she wants to fall into him as they did before she doesn’t need to. I wanted to create two halves of the same whole. They’re both stronger when together.
I also was determined to portray a male/ female friendship with no romantic undercurrents— in this case Simon Barre and Diana Foyle (Simon’s not a perfect friend by all means but we learn a little bit more about why in The Mozart Code). They both respect each other.
I had not realised this was a duology and now that has left me open to look at “The London Restoration” through a different set of eyes and to realise this is only the first half of the whole story! I love duologies and they are such rare treats and finds for me as a reader – I cannot wait to go through the sequel once I’ve finished with the first! You definitely sorted out Intersectional Feminism – it is a belief that we all rise together – all women, including transgender women or we cannot rise at all. I am also a Feminist who believes in Equality for All and not just Equality for Women as all genders deserve equality and equal opportunities (this includes binary and non-binary gender identities and expressions as well as all other genders known or unknown).
I personally love championing and discovering strong women across genres of interest of whom give us such a clarity about the life they’ve lived and how they had to rise through their own adversities within their lives or against the background of when they had lived in history. How did you dig into the harder aspects of Diana’s life where she was living a bit of duality – part wife, part partner and part secret keeper of her duties during the war? In episodes of Foyle’s War(a smashingly realistic series I loved of this era) it touches on this aspect of those who had knowledge they could not share and how that complicated their personal lives post-war. Did you have source materials of women who lived a life like Diana or was it through a different part of your research you found her voice?
McMillan responds: I LOVE Foyle’s War Anthony Horowitz named his detective after Christina Foyle of Foyle’s Bookshop in Charing Cross Road and so my heroine’s maiden name is also Foyle!
I always say that I meet characters and don’t create them. Diana kind of came to me fully formed and there is one part of my personality I loan to her: I am a relatively anxious person and so when I am nervous I ramble and fall back on subjects in which I am comfortable and I gave that to her through her Wren love.
That being said, if you want to learn more about the experiences of women at Bletchley Park, I recommend: The Bletchley Girls by Tessa Dunlop, The Enigma Variations by Irene Young, The Debs of Bletchley Park by Michael Smith and The Secret Life of the Code Breakers by Sinclair McKay. Diana, however, came to me pretty fully formed and already pretty strong.
I noted this straight-off after starting to listen to ‘The London Restoration” and even a bit before I reached this response of yours – I immediately connected her name to Foyle and felt it was a smashing Easter egg as they say! (in film usually moreso than books) I am thankful for all the book recommendations in this conversation and I will be noting and seeking them out as time allows as I love researching my favourite subjects!
Which scene is your favourite which best introduces both Diana and Brent in this emotionally convicting story which pulls on our heartstrings because we have foreknowledge about Diana Brent does not and thereby understand her plight very well. Is there a scene where you felt as a writer you had tapped into their relationship or their partnership which could be built upon to where a reader would feel equally as connected to them as you were yourself?
McMillan responds: Just as a sheer romantic, I love that we establish them as kindred spirits and mental equals in their first meeting at St Bartholomew the Great where they both connect intellectually as they flirt outside a gorgeous old church. This scene is special to me mostly because I wrote it long-hand on location in the church yard.
Another scene where I really felt I had connected to them was a relatively tame scene when Brent is angry with Diana over how she has left the toothpowder and even though they’re seemingly arguing over this, we know it is because there are so many secrets rifting their relationship. I supposed that it is always the tiny things that set off the biggest emotions when you are so emotionally vulnerable.
I love finding out these behind-the-book notes of trivia – I know how hard it is to write in long hand as much as I love writing my stories on typewriters as it de-techs my writerly life and allows me to hone in on the story rather than the chaos of the technology. I believe we share our optimism and romantic natures!
Which secondary character did you feel gave you the most joy to insert into the timeline of The London Restoration?
McMillan responds: Simon Barre. Initially, I only had the one idea for a book in the post war period which was London Restoration and Simon was a plot point—I needed Diana to have an MI 6 handler and connection to Bletchley Park but then I wrote a scene where Simon and Diana meet at the Savoy and I wrote a line about how the grandeur fit Simon like a bespoke suit and suddenly I had an entire backstory for him –as well as a love interest. I love Simon. There is a lot about him that the reader doesn’t know in The London Restoration but that I am well aware of and explore in my upcoming The Mozart Code. So please know there are answer to all of the questions that Simon arises.
What were your first impressions on behalf of the narrator Hannah Curtis who brought your story to life? What was it about her voice or her style of narration that you felt fit the vision you had for your characters and their story?
McMillan responds: I confess and this has nothing to do with her talent, that I never listen to the audio version of my books. I have heard she is wonderful and I was so happy they got someone with such a prestigious biography but the characters are so clear in my head that I have kind of avoided the audio experience of any of my books (but I am so glad there are so many ways for readers to engage in the story) and I do hope people check out the audio.
Yes, this is something I am familiar with as only a handful of the stories I listen via audiobook are actually heard by their writers. I think a lot of writers share your view (at least the ones I’ve spoken with about this) and I do respect that choice. I just have connected so much to your narrator I wanted to include a note about her and see where you stood on the subject.
On your website are the words: Scribbler, Book Gusher and Adventurer – three words I can relate to myself as they also fit with my perception of who I am. I love seeing the words people use to describe themselves – as those small gestures on our Twitter profiles or our blogs and/or websites are small clues into our character and our personality. What inspired your words and what can you share about them that reflects a part of yourself you wanted the world to know about you?
McMillan responds: I really want people to know that I am really approachable on social media especially to fellow bookworms. I am a die-hard book worm.
I always consider myself a reader first and an author second. I guess I used the “scribbler” because sometimes my Canadian self-deprecation comes through and though I am a published author, I am still the girl in her childhood bedroom making up stories in her Teddy Bear Journal. But I truly love to connect with readers: you don’t even have to read my books, I just want to talk books. I always have a recommendation for you — guaranteed! Finally, I travel independently a lot and do a lot of life solo and I want women to know that they can express their plans and reservations about this. It’s a wonderful skill to learn.
I’ve travelled solo myself – to the Pacific Northwest (at eighteen) and to Mexican ruins (at sixteen) as well as other places after those specific travels but those stood out to me as I read your response. It is wonderful to know you can be an independent traveller even though equal to those journeys, the 15,000 miles Mum and I took to the road criss-crossing the Mid-West and Northeast were four of my favourite years as the road had its own unique way of impressing upon you the curious nature of how we love to seek out and explore new adventures! Whilst having the chance to see American from a different angle than a plane and getting to speak to a variety of persons you might not have met otherwise.
I love how approachable you are! Not just for readers but for book bloggers who are engaging with you on a blog tour. You’re quite remarkable and I love that about you. I hope others will message you on Twitter after this interview goes live and begin their own bookish convos!
If your stories and their settings were not endearing me to your collective works what made me realise we’re kindred spirits is your admiration and joy in having Hallmark Christmas movies, Broadway musicals, Starbucks (ie. I Starbucked across the Mid-West and Northeast on road trips with my Mum which cumulated into 5,000 miles!) as much as the fact when I saw Master and Commander the film with my Dad it had such a profound effect on me as both a writer and as a visual story watcher that to this day it is its own benchmark for cinematography and visual story telling on a historical scale. I must ask – what are your top three Hallmark Christmas movies (and why!), which Broadway Musical became the soundtrack you can’t stop listening to and what is your favourite drink at Starbucks that gives you a respite from the world?
McMillan responds: Oh I think we are SO kindred spirits!! I love Starbucks and while I cannot wait for pumpkin spice latte season, my usual drink is an Americano.
My favourite Hallmark Movies are all Christmas ones!!
A Very Merry Mix-Up: because I love a romance borne of friendship! Also the hero makes park benches out of wood from a burned-down church! And he loves old clocks! I just love how they meet and find out they’re soulmates! So much history and chemistry in that movie. Also, I just find Alicia Witt adorable! She’s smart and quirky and really wonderful!
The Nine Lives of Christmas is another favourite because the chemistry between the two leads is wonderful and again we have a really intelligent heroine and the hero is attracted to her intelligence and her sweetness. So often (and this is a tad tangential) we expect heroines to be either sweet and feminine or strong and smart. In Diana I try to find that balance –she’s beautiful and a nerd. And so is Merrilee in the film! I also like that the hero is clearly trying to be something he’s not: a player who dates gorgeous, shallow women whereas really his heart is trying to find a home. Literally. He’s always renovating places.
Signed Sealed Delivered for Christmas It is no secret to my friends that I want to marry Oliver O’Toole from the Signed Sealed Delivered series. I love that the POSTables star in a holiday themed story. I also love that this film shows many different tenets of faith. Oliver holds a deep faith conviction whereas Shane is not a believer —and yet in a gentle and non-conflicting way they takes steps in their burgeoning romance. There’s another couple that intellectually compliments each other!
Right now the Broadway soundtrack on repeat (and you’re one of the first to hear of this, Jorie ) is The Scarlet Pimpernel. One of my favourites: but also because my 2022 release with Thomas Nelson/ Harper Collins is a retelling of the Pimpernel in Nazi occupied Rouen! So I am finding it inspires me.
OOoh my goodness! You’ve announced your next release!!! I could gush over our mutual love of pumpkin spice lattes, Hallmark Channel, etc but when I reached the end of this reply I was jumping for joy hearing about your 2022 release and what inspired the story therein! I hope my readers take stock of this answer as it holds such a wonderful lift of joy to be found!
When your not researching and writing your stories what renews your spirit the most?
McMillan responds: Theatre is a huge thing for me. I am a voracious reader. I go through books like water! I love to travel ( I have a book out this year on the romantic joy in independent travel called Dream, Plan and Go which encourages women to learn how to be their own best company either at home or across the sea.
I love music. Music is always a theme in my books. I love wandering around old cities –and discovering new parts of Toronto ( where I love). My nieces Maisie and Ellie and my nephew Kieran are my favourite things in the world.
I also love wine and popcorn and Hallmark Christmas movies.
I’ve said that myself!! “I go through books like water” And, I cannot live without music – I am always streaming #Spotify playlists and specific genres of music in my ears whilst I am reading (or blogging, etc) as I like to match music and soundscapes to my current reads. I have a healthy respect for music and I am not holed into one particular generation of music nor style as I listen to such a dramatic cross-section of voices, styles and genres. A girl can thrive off Hallmark movies – Christmas or otherwise! And, there is nothing better than family and children who give us so much joy out of our lives. Thank you for sharing a portrait of your life outside of writing.
I am so thankful to have crossed paths with you on this blog tour – if the lightning storms hadn’t disconnected me from being able to listen to the audiobook version of “The London Restoration” this would have been the double-showcase I had planned wherein it was half conversation and half ruminations on behalf of your story. I shall resume those listenings and eagerly look forward to sharing my takeaways with you at a latter date. For now, thank you for being cordial and engaging with me and for giving my readers such a wonderful inside glimpse into both your duology and your style of writing!
This blog tour is courtesy of:
Follow the Virtual Road Map
as you visit others participating:
As this particular one has a bookaway along the route:
{SOURCES: Book covers for “The London Restoration”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Rachel McMillan, the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2020.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life
.@joriestory✨NEW Author Interview!
Positively LOVE this convo I've had the JOY of sharing with Rachel McMillan!😉She shared her #amwriting #HistFic insight into how she wrote this duology; plus book news!
Enjoy our convo about #TheLondonRestoration:
➡ https://t.co/Mu7n8akmxi pic.twitter.com/LSlxNJuO6H
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) August 26, 2020
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