The Merest Loss
A story of love and political
intrigue, set against the backdrop of the English
hunting shires and the streets of Victorian London and post-revolutionary Paris.
hunting shires and the streets of Victorian London and post-revolutionary Paris.
When Harriet Howard
becomes Louis Napoleon’s mistress and financial backer and appears at his side
in Paris in 1848, it is as if she has emerged from nowhere.
How did the English
daughter of a Norfolk boot-maker meet the future Emperor?
Who is the mysterious
Nicholas Sly and what is his hold over Harriet?
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Can Harriet meet her obligations and return to her former life and the man she
left behind? What is her involvement with British Government secret services?
Can Harriet’s friend, jockey Tom Olliver, help her son Martin solve his own
mystery: the identity of his father?
The central character is Harriet Howard and the action takes place between 1836 and 1873. The plot centres on Harriet’s relationships with Louis Napoleon and famous Grand National winning jockey, Jem Mason. The backdrop to the action includes significant characters from the age, including Lord Palmerston, Queen Victoria and the Duke of Grafton, as well as Emperor Napoleon III. The worlds of horse racing, hunting and government provide the scope for rural settings to contrast with the city scenes of London and Paris and for racing skulduggery to vie with political chicanery.
The Merest Loss is historical fiction with a twist. It’s pacy and exciting with captivating characters and a distinctive narrative voice.
The central character is Harriet Howard and the action takes place between 1836 and 1873. The plot centres on Harriet’s relationships with Louis Napoleon and famous Grand National winning jockey, Jem Mason. The backdrop to the action includes significant characters from the age, including Lord Palmerston, Queen Victoria and the Duke of Grafton, as well as Emperor Napoleon III. The worlds of horse racing, hunting and government provide the scope for rural settings to contrast with the city scenes of London and Paris and for racing skulduggery to vie with political chicanery.
The Merest Loss is historical fiction with a twist. It’s pacy and exciting with captivating characters and a distinctive narrative voice.
An interview with the writer of
THE MEREST LOSS
by
Steven Neil
What/who
do you draw inspiration from? Or who do you aspire to be like as an author?
I am inspired by all the
great writers of all the great books I have ever read. To name just a few: The
Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro; Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy;
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D.Salinger; Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier; The Great
Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Le Grand Meaulnes, Alain-Fournier. Amongst
contemporary writers Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel has influenced my writing style
the most.
How
much research and what sort of research do you do?
The Merest Loss took
three years from conception to publication: two years of research and one year
of pure writing. Fortunately, I enjoy the research process and endless hours
trying to achieve historical accuracy through the portals of the internet and
the British Library has, I hope, paid off.
What
are the common traps for aspiring writers/or tips for a newbie writer?
I have met some
tremendously naturally gifted writers but that alone will not make you a
published author. I genuinely believe that, however gifted, you need to learn
the craft of writing. Invest in a creative writing course and learn about
structure, plot, point of view, character, setting and dialogue before you
start writing. When you have finished the first draft of your novel, understand
that you have only just begun the process of writing a publishable novel. Even
if all your friends and family tell you your novel is brilliant, invest in an
independent development and copy editor before you even think about
publication.
Why
did you write this particular book?
Originally, I was
planning to write a Dick Francis style thriller and I was researching a jockey
called Jem Mason, who won the first Grand National at Liverpool in 1839. I found
a line in his description which said something like ‘also famous for his
relationship with Harriet Howard, who ran away to live with him in London when
she was fifteen and who also became Louis Napoleon’s mistress and financial
backer’. I decided she was an even more interesting character and I set about
writing a fictional account of her life.
What
is your book about? Genre, tone, POV etc.
The Merest Loss: A story
of love and political intrigue, set against the backdrop of the English hunting
shires and the streets of Victorian London and post-revolutionary Paris. It is
historical fiction but it is also a romance. Most of the novel is written from
the point of view of the omniscient narrator, writing in the present tense,
although this is interspersed with four strategic chapters, from the point of
view of one of the characters, in the past tense. I like the idea of varying
the presentation and I also make use of letters, newspaper articles and reviews
to provide additional perspective.
Give
me the first, middle and end line in your book.
From chapter one, A
French Accent, Newmarket, England, 1862: The young man who walked into my
Newmarket racing yard that red-skied spring morning was tall, slim and blessed
with all the charm that a faultless command of English, with a strong French
accent, bestows.
From chapter seventeen,
Everything is Risked, London, England, Paris, France, 1850: In the spring of
1850, Jem Mason and Tom Olliver are called to a meeting at Manchester House in
Manchester square, London. They arrive early and sit on a bench in the square
to share cheroots. The plane trees are already in leaf and the lawns glisten
under a light morning dew, as the sun rises over the rooftops. Thrushes pick at
the moss and blackbirds rustle in the undergrowth of the ornamental bushes. As
the air warms, the smell of jasmine mingles with the tarry tang of the
cheroots. Tom checks his watch and swings it into his waistcoat pocket.
From chapter thirty-six,
One Day, Wroughton, England, 1873: Of course, we all need to hold on to
something. I dream that one day a horse will come along that can take me to
Epsom and win the Derby. It is what keeps me going. George Frederick might be
that horse. I pray god I’ll live long enough to see him there.
Is
there an underlying theme to this book?
I was fascinated by the
idea of a romance where the two characters are thwarted by their own temperaments;
they are both unromantic, stubborn and uncompromising. How will it ever be
possible for them to get together when they seem unable to resolve arguments,
even though everyone around them can see they are well suited together?
What’s
the best/saddest/funniest/shocking one-liner from the book?
From chapter fourteen,
The Return, London, England, Paris, France, 1848: Harriet says: ‘Perhaps. I am
surprised how easily the lies come now. Almost everything I say to Louis is a
lie.’
Lady Blessington
replies: ‘I think if we tell a man something he really wants to believe, then
it doesn’t count as a lie, even if it is.’
Is
there a dedication?
Yes. My thanks go to: my
wife Carol, for her constant encouragement and support, my university tutors
and fellow students for their guidance and feedback, and those kind people who
read my drafts and offered insights and suggestions. This book would not have
been possible without you.
Can
you share a few lines from your best review of this book?
‘It took me just a few
minutes to become totally absorbed in this book; when I saw the list of
characters at the front I thought I would have trouble keeping up with the
plot, but Steven Neil's fluid style and well-structured storyline meant I had
no trouble on that score. My only problem was having to put it down at night! I
just could not stop reading it in every spare moment; my curiosity about the
characters' journey through life kept the pages turning. Historical fiction is
not a genre I would usually choose, but I would thoroughly recommend The Merest
Loss as a great read.’ Nick the Floot on Amazon 3 July 2018
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Author Bio – Steven Neil has a BSc in Economics from the London School
of Economics, a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from the Open
University and an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University.
In his
working life he has been a bookmaker’s clerk, management tutor, management
consultant, bloodstock agent and racehorse breeder. He is married and lives in
rural Northamptonshire.
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