Q&A with Stacey Halls - author of The Foundling.
As some of you might be aware I was part of a listen along for the audiobook of ‘The Foundling’ by Stacey Halls, which had been arranged by Tandem Collective.
This was the first time I had done a listen along with them and it was brilliant. The audiobook is so good - the actors who were the two main characters of Bess and Alexandra really embodied the story and made it such a magical experience.
Tandem surprised us on the last day with a Q&A session with Stacey which was the highlight of the experience. It’s not often you get to interact with authors on that level and especially during these weird times we are living in. It was a very special experience and I am so thankful to Tandem for making it happen.
Let’s dive into the Q&A itself;
SH – I’m here to answer any and all questions you have, about anything – books, writing, life, snacks.
@Maryscross – it’s been an amazing experience, thank you so much for being here and for writing The Foundling.
SH – its a really special novel to me as I have such a different relations with it to the one I have with The Familiars, I didn’t expect the experience to be so different. But, I am almost prouder of it in a way for that reason.
@kristinas_shelves – did you get to choose the voice actors for the audio?
SH – I didn’t get to choose the actors for the audiobook but I sort of get to approve them. My editor sent me about three voices for each one and I was actually in Australia at the time, and didn’t have a laptop and couldn’t download the files on my phone because they were too big. So I said I trust your decision without listening to them! And I honestly couldn’t be happier with both narrators, I think they’re perfect. I went along to Hattie’s recording and was blown away by her.
@booksbybindu – Had you the idea for The Foundling in your head for a while before you wrote it?
SH – yes I got the idea for The Foundling about a week after I finished the first draft of The Familiars, so not ideal! I put it on the back burner for about a year and let it sort of grow and develop in my mind.
@a.bookologist I saw you mention in a previous Q&A that you read a lot of Jacqueline Wilson as a young girl, did you ever read Hetty Feather? When reading the Foundling, I thought you may have gained some inspiration from it.
SH – I LOVE Jacqueline Wilson! She is one of my all-time faves. I read Hetty Feather but years ago, and it was only recently that I realised Hetty had been a foundling. I hadn’t been to the museum / hospital when I read it so didn’t make the connection.
@blottedinkbottles – Where did you inspiration for The Foundling come from?
SH – I had the idea for the story at the museum. Lots of writers don’t experience this but I do tend to get ‘lightning bolts’ where the story idea comes to me not fully formed exactly but that initial grain of an idea, in this case about a woman who goes back to collect her child only to be told she has already been claimed. Then it’s my job (and a lot of fun) to work out why that happened.
@r4ch4elreads – are there any real life inspirations behind the characters in the Foundling?
@sandladysbooks – were there any real life stories from the time that particularly touched that you came across whilst researching? Or was it more a general feeling or connection?
The Foundling Hospital
SH- what is both sad and frustrating about the foundling hospital is the women’s stories were never recorded because the whole system was anonymous to protect their identities – there was a lot of shame around illegitimacy even up until a few decades ago (shocking I know!) so the story was entirely fictional.
I felt such a strong connection to the women though through the objects they left as tokens. I’m no spiritualist but seeing them physically moved me to tears, there’s so much hope and sorrow attached to each one.
@gracefulchapters – did you discuss with the Foundling Museum about your idea for the book and use their archives to research on that premise?
An example of a token.
An example of a token.
SH – I asked them a couple of fact checking questions and I went to look at the receipts of claimed children at the LMA. I wanted to look at more tokens but found the system quite inaccessible – you had to know exactly what token you wanted to see and of course I didn’t know!
@while_my_babies_sleep – were there really so few children collected as 4 a year?
SH – yes only 1% of foundling children were claimed for 2 reasons – it was very expensive (£80 collection fee, which was 20x the annual salary of someone like Bess) and as social mobility wasn’t really a thing then, people’s circumstances just didn’t change enough for them to be in a position to take their kids back.
@melissajaynewarburton – starting from when you have the idea for your novel how long does it take for you to research everything and then start putting your ideas into writing? If that makes any sense. What I’m trying to say, you make everything so believable I honestly feel like I’m living it so was wondering how long it takes you to research to be able to achieve that?
SH – I decide what happens in the story then once I have specific areas I research quite broadly about numerous topics, e.g. Georgian London, domestic service, billingsgate market, life for the poor, crime and punishment, slang, the foundling hospital etc. I fill about half a notebook, not loads, just enough so that I can plan the novel enough, and research throws up ideas for the plot too. Then when I start writing I look into specifics as I go. For example this afternoon I had to look up telegrams in the 1900s, and I wont know I have to do that until I get there in the story, if that makes sense.
@the_lawyer_librarian – what made you choose to write historical fiction? Did you consider other genres?
SH – I am drawn to historical I think for a lot of reasons – the rich settings, the impositions, the restrictions, how different life was but in lots of ways the same. I like novels with lots of atmosphere and just don’t know if I could create that in a contemporary setting. Also I have no desire to write about mobile phones or the internet, reading and writing are escapes for me and I want to be taken to another time and place.
@maryscross – I absolutely love how strong your female characters are. Was it a conscious decision for the male characters to be in such smaller roles?
SH – I wouldn’t say I purposefully set out to give them small roles but its definitely about time women had their turn to tell their side of the story! I haven’t had an idea that has a male character at the centre of a novel but I wouldn’t rule it out. I think writing about women in history is appealing to me specifically because their stories are not really told and they have never held the pen, so to speak.
@booksbybindu – who was your favourite character as you were writing the book and has that changed after publication?
SH – Lyle! And no it hasn’t changed.
@eatmyhat – do you think you’ll ever write a sequel to the foundling?
Sh – I have no plans to, but that could change in a few decades. Thankfully I have plenty of ideas not to need to revisit anything just yet.
@a.bookologist –I’m just wondering, why is the Foundling called The Lost Orphan in the US? Is there a reason it has to be different?
Sh – my US publisher thought people wouldn’t know what a foundling was. I don’t think the work is that known here though! But I don’t mind.
@ramblesnamles – Listening to The Foundling this week has been great to help me cope with isolation. Thank you for writing such a riveting read. What kinds of books have you really engaged with during this time?
SH – I’m really enjoying reading classics at the moment – all the Brontes, Dickens, the book that are on the bottom of my to read pile either that I haven’t read in years or haven’t read at all. I’m also reading some proofs of books being published this year and giving blurb quotes where I can to help other authors as its such a tough time to be publishing.
@blottedinknooks – what is your favourite genre to read – as you write historical fiction, do you enjoy reading it or do you tend to go for something different?
SH – I love historical fiction, contemporary fiction, romance, narrative non-fiction, celeb autobiographies.
@talesofaliteraryaddict – how are you doing with the isolation situation?
Sh – I’m doing a lot better now thanks, I feel like I’ve got a but more used to it. Its starting to feel normal?! Which is quite weird. I hope everyone is coping ok. In some ways I feel more connected than ever bc we’re lucky enough to love in the age of communication, but it can be a bit much sometimes with the 34 WhatsApp convos and constant HouseParties.
@ramblesnamles – it definitely feels like we are living in a definitive time in history.
SH – yes I was quite hesitant to set a novel in London because I personally think too much is set there and there are plenty of other interesting places to set things. But this one sort of had to be, and it was a joy to set a book in my home city because I could walk the streets where my characters went. The foundling hospital isn’t there but the gates are!
@the.literary.londoner – what genres do you like to read and which new releases are you looking forward to reading?
SH – I absorbed loved Hamnet, which just came out. Cant think of anything I’m looking forward to off the top of my head…I feel a bit out of it with new releases/publishing because I’ve been in the zone.
@shereads.x – this isn’t a Q, but I just wanted to say thank you! I’ll be honest, I’ve avoided Historical Fiction like the plague for the last few years but I heard such good things about this book and your writing. The Foundling has honestly changed my mind. I adored this book.
SH – thank you so much!
@kristnas_shelves – where is your favourite place to write? Do you find a specific place helps you focus?
SH – I’m not fussy really, just somewhere I can put my laptop and have my headphones on – bed, couch, desk, whatever! I can’t work in cafes or anywhere with any ambient noises, I’m really sensitive to noises and listen to film scores and classical music when I write.
@feedmefiction – do you have any advice for writer’s Stacey?
SH – my two writing tips are: read, read, read. Read widely, reread your favourite books and work out why you love them, take in a variety of voices and styles and stories. And then when it comes to writing, unfortunately you just have to write it! It can be really boring, awful, tedious, not at all what you hoped it would be, but if you think about a gorgeously finished and decorated room, that doesn’t come without the ‘before’ pic, and there are no shortcuts or tricks. I just force myself to write 2,000 words five days a week, and about 2-3 months later you have something resembling a novel. At least the length of one anyway. Then you can work with what you’ve got. I don’t look back at all when I write, not even to the previous paragraph. It’s like ploughing a field for me, I just keep going, turn then go again!
@booksbybindu – so what is your favourite writing snack?
SH – at the moment about a thousand biscuits a day! Fox’s Viennese are my fave!
@itsallaboutthebooksuk – how long will we have to wait for your next book? Will it be long?
SH – I’m writing it now and it’ll be out next year – late spring / summer I believe! Which feels like a long time away but not when you’re writing!
@r4chrelreads- is there anything you can tell us about what the next book will be about?
SH – it’s about a nanny (children’s nurse as they were known back then), and its set in West Yorkshire in the Edwardian era. That’s as much as I’ll say.
@a.bookologist – have you ever had any requests to turn one of your novels into a series / film?
SH – the film rights for the familiars have been bought but not the foundling yet! I’d love to see them adapted for the screen. I’d quite like to have a go at screenwriting but don’t have time at the moment as I’m on a book a year.
@a.bookologist – if you weren’t an author what would your dream job be?
SH – I would work at a dog rescue!
If you want to be involved in some of Tandem Collective’s amazing campaigns sign up to the newsletter here - https://mailchi.mp/bb467d6aba08/tandemcollectiveuk
