Hazel Gaynor's new novel is The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter.From her Q&A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter was based at least in part on historical figures. How did you learn about Grace Darling and what made you decide to focus your new novel on her?Visit Hazel Gaynor's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.
A: I first learned about Grace Darling and her heroic rescue of survivors of a shipwreck in my early school years. There was something about her Victorian clothing, her isolated existence on a remote island lighthouse, her bravery - and her name - that really captured my imagination.
As a novelist, I wanted to know more about her. Who was the real person behind the chocolate-box heroine she became? I wanted to understand the complex young woman who struggled beneath the glare of her unwanted fame.
I felt there must be more to her story, and I was right! While visiting my family in Northumberland in 2015, I stumbled across...[read on]
The Page 69 Test: The Girl Who Came Home.
My Book, The Movie: The Girl Who Came Home.
--Marshal Zeringue