Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Heidi Hackford
Book Title: Folly Park
Released: 11/15/22
Genre: Historical Fiction
Interview by Heather L. Barksdale
What inspired you to write “Folly Park”?
Hackford: I was working at Monticello editing Thomas Jefferson's papers when DNA tests showed that he had likely fathered children with his enslaved servant Sallie Hemings. There was a lot of backlash, and some of the docents quit when the administration put out a statement in support of the evidence. I was inspired to explore how people could identify so closely with a figure from history when it is impossible to know the full truth.
How did you come up with the names of your main characters?
Hackford: My heroine's name, Temple, as well as that of the Confederate general Thomas Temple Smith, represent how people can imagine stories about their family history and revere their ancestors without question.
Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?
Hackford: I hope that readers will empathize with Temple's quest to learn the truth and figure out how to do the right thing in a complicated situation.
If "Folly Park" was adapted into a movie, who would you like to see cast to play your lead characters?
Hackford: He's not a main character, but I would love to see Tom Hanks in the role of the Confederate colonel re-enactor.
When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?
Hackford: Go for a walk!
Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?
Hackford: When writing that first draft is feeling like a slog, go back and edit what you've already written. It might help you feel like you've accomplished something and you might be re-energized.
What is your favorite genre, book, and/or author?
Hackford: I always enjoy it when there's some kind of historical thread, and that can happen in any genre. Sometimes a historical backstory drives the motive in a mystery, for example.
What are you working on next?
Hackford: I'm having fun with a new novel that flips the Pride and Prejudice story and puts the girls in an Old West town with a shortage of women.
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