Anna Belfrage
The Graham Saga: Revenge and Retribution is a book that covers a lot of the big issues in life, including such dire subjects as betrayal and loss, death and retribution. It is also a book about conquering your demons and getting on with your life, and things are spiced up by some rather involuntary time travelling. Ultimately, this is a book about love, about two people who can face anything life throws at them as long as they have each other. In brief, a perfect read during the holidays, but I’d recommend sunglasses as there are a number of “tissue moments” in it.
This is the sixth book in the series so can you tell us a bit about the others?
The Graham Saga is about two people who should never have met. My male protagonist, Matthew Graham, is a devout Presbyterian, a veteran of the Commonwealth armies and a man who, initially at least, tends to see the world as black or white. Which is why I gifted him with Alex Lind, an opinionated modern woman who had the misfortune (or not) of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, thereby being dragged three centuries back in time to land concussed and badly singed at an astounded Matthew’s feet.
In the saga, we have followed Matthew and Alex from Scotland to Virginia (Matthew was abducted and sold as indentured labour) back to Scotland where they lived through religious persecution in the aftermath of the Restoration, and over the Atlantic to Maryland, to build a new life for themselves and their children.
The life of a colonist is not exactly a walk in the park, and over the years Matthew and Alex have had to cope with strained relations with the Indians, several encounters with the rather horrid Burley brothers while also attempting to handle run-away children, the unexpected reappearance of people from their past and the sheer drudgery of making ends meet on a colonial farm. At times, Alex really, really longs for her lost life in the future, complete with a bar of chocolate and the latest Hello!
How hard was it to combine adventure, romance and history all in one book?
Not at all, really. The history part was a given from the start as I always knew I wanted to set the series in the 17th century, this melting-pot of old and new, adequately spiced with religious upheaval, political turbulence and the colonisation of new lands. The romance part, well, what can I say? You have a tall handsome man with hazel eyes that glow golden in the setting sun, you combine him with a woman who is as helplessly attracted to him as he is to her, and “love is in the air”… And as to all the adventures, they’re simply a consequence of the historical setting. But I must admit that there are times when Alex threatens to go on a strike unless she gets a very well-deserved vacation soon. Huh; not happening…
How much of a challenge is it to write a book that is part of a series but also a stand-alone novel?
It is difficult to balance what new readers need to know with what old readers already know and don’t want to hear too much of. I try to serve up the backstory in bits and pieces, dribbling enough context through the initial chapters to ensure my new readers have grasped the essentials, these being that Alex is a time traveller and that Matthew has a past that has a tendency to come back and bite him.
Please tell us about the character of Alex Lind, for those who are not familiar with her.
Alex is a woman who was propelled three centuries backwards in time and found her destiny there, with a man she was fated for. She sometimes laughs and tells Matthew she’s loved him since long before she was born – which is true, as she was born in 1976 and lives out her life in the 17th century. Not exactly the retiring violet, there are times when Alex drives Matthew crazy, and her opinions and actions repeatedly place her in danger, even if Alex insists she can take care of herself, thank you very much. Except that she can’t, not always, so it’s lucky she has Matthew around to save her on a regular basis. (Alex just tapped me on the shoulder and would like me to point out that there are a number of occasions when she saves Matthew’s life as well) Possessed of a big heart and of a tolerant attitude to most things in life, Alex is the heart and soul of the Graham family and the mainstay in her husband’s life.
What made you want to explore loss in this book as you did in one previous?
I don’t think it is possible to write a credible saga spanning two people’s lives without including loss. For most of us, life will contain moments when every vestige of colour disappears, leaving us in a very dark and frightening place as we attempt to rise above whatever foul hand life has dealt us. Granted, Revenge and Retribution includes loss on a massive scale – but it is also about the power of love, and about how we can help each other heal and get on with our lives, however scarred we may be.
What is next for you?
Well, there are a couple of more books to go in The Graham Saga, but I have already started on a new trilogy, this time set in 14th century England. And then I have a WIP set in 17th century Sweden and England involving a man in the service of an exiled Charles II and a Swedish female jewel thief.