Interview With Author Sylvia Rosa Hawk'sbee On Cinderella Timkins

1.What inspired you to write it?

The chance remark of Professor Tillotson that every generation writes its own Cinderella story. This, many years later, connected in my mind to a poem by Jon Silkin about a child born mentally retarded who died in infancy. My Cinderella character, male, would be transformed mentally too. 

2.What exactly is it about and who was it written for?

It is about the struggle against adversity (Arthur handicapped, and Sheila without family) and also about morality. Characters show different degrees of sensitivity to others. It is for those who have an interest in Literature and care about society. 

3.What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope enjoyment at the twists of the plot and getting to know the characters.  

4. How did you decide on the book title and cover?

The title wrote itself. A Cinderella story needed only the name of the heroine and a connection to

the hero of this version. The cover shows a glimpse of the isolation and physical hardship of the

pilgrimage.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom would you give to fellow writers?

Keep slogging away. Shrug off being ignored. Perhaps you are one of us poor devils who can’t stop anyway. 

6. What trends in the book world do you see - where do you think publishing is heading?

The cult of celebrity. Anyone well-known for something different will get plenty of publicity for a book, regardless of talent.

7.Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy writing this book?

Yes, a science background helped with the explanation of the experiment. In the whole of life

observing people makes a large contribution to writing.

 

8.How would you describe your writing style. Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

I want to write as clearly as possible, economically, and rhythmically. My models are Swift, and

Thackeray. I admire the wit of Wilde. The gem, reversing the normal saying to;Work is the curse of the drinking classes' is sublime.

 

9.What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

The drive to keep going in spite of lack of encouragement, also that recently widowed I found life very difficult. We had been only months in France when Don died suddenly. Actually, at the wheel of the car that I was a passenger in.

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week, etc., why should it be yours?

They should read it because it’s a great story, after all it has close links with the iconic fairy-tale. There is the Cinderella figure, a fairy godmother (Professor Knowle) and the spiteful, malicious people (ugly sisters and stepmother) like Renkin and Dawkins and the murderous spies; also, there is Sheila Kent, the Principle Boy with long lovely legs and, naturally, transformations.

About The Author: I passed the exam for grammar school, where I chose a mixture of Arts and Science subjects at A-level.  When told I had to choose, I chose science, specializing in Microbiology.  Later, I regretted being so ignorant of my native language, and returned to read English at Bedford Collage.  After graduating, I taught English at secondary level and also did a TEFL qualification.  I had some short stories and articles published in various magazines. I self-published a book for children, The Wood Scrogs.  Currently The Messengers (a time travel story for young adults) and a dystopian novel The Gap, are on sale.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.