Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with George Bachman
Book Title: The Shroud
Released: 10/15/22
Genre: Historical Fiction with Fantasy Elements
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “The Shroud”?
Bachman: The book of John Bossy concerning Giordano Bruno and the Embassy Affair, which concerns a spy working in a foreign embassy to frustrate Catholic conspiracies against Elizabeth I just before the Armada of 1588. Another inspiration includes Bossy's book on Sir Francis Walsingham's espionage operation to find out what side France would take in the hostilities between England and the Catholic powers of Europe. Garrett Mattingly's The Armada and Stephen Budiansky's Her Majesty's Spy Master: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage were also tremendously inspirational, as was Ian Wilson's book on the Shroud of Turin.
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Bachman: Most of them are the names of real life figures I simply borrowed for convenience.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
Bachman: Researching the book was enormous fun and I hope they have as much fun plowing through the result.
If "The Shroud" was adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Bachman: I can never imagine which actor would be best suited for this or that role. I would make a poor casting agent.
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Bachman: I have never encountered writer's block. When I'm stuck on something, I simply work on another part of a book or take time off from the project altogether.
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Bachman: Read a lot of classics and contemporary books. Study the market.
What is your favorite genre, book, and/or author?
Bachman: Classic literature. A tossup between Dante's Comedy, Nabokov's Lolita, Michael Ende's The Never Ending Story, the complete Shakespeare, the Alice books, and Dream of the Red Chamber; I can't decide. Favorite author: Shakespeare.
What are you working on next?
Bachman: A Lovecraftian horror novel.
Learn More About the Author and “The Shroud”:
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