Behind The Book With Aimie K. Runyan, J’nelle Ciesielski & Rachel McMillan 

Today I have the honor and pleasure of doing a Behind The Book Q&A with Aimie K. Runyan, J’nell Ciesielski & Rachel McMillan! All three ladies have written many novels separately and they’ve written two novels together. One novel was The Castle Keepers & they wrote The Liberty Scarf which will be available on November 19^th ! I was very lucky to read an early copy! 

Q: Aimie, J’nell & Rachel I’m excited about interviewing all three of you! Would you please give a brief description of The Liberty Scarf & how the idea for the story came about? 

A: The Liberty Scarf is about three very different women being brought together during a war through the magic of a scarf. For our last collaboration, The Castle Keepers, the castle itself was what linked our characters. In this new story we tried finding an object that would give them connection over great distances, and I believe it was Aimie who said scarf to which I added a Liberty of London scarf because they’re so famous. 

Q: I know J’nell wrote Iris & Rex’s story, Aimie wrote Genevive & Maxim’s story and Rachel wrote Clara & Roman’s stories! Each of them was so unique! It was hard to choose a favorite! How long did it take you three to write the novel?

A: Ha! Well, that’s an interesting answer. We came up with the idea to write Liberty Scarf about two years ago. I hate deadlines and don’t do well with them, so I immediately got to writing my section and finished within a few months. As Rachel and Aimie were in the middle of finishing novels, they didn’t write their portions until well after I was done. It was interesting going back to edit all of them after such a large time gap 😊 

Q: What lessons & emotions do you three ladies hope readers learn and feel after reading The Liberty Scarf? After I finished reading The Liberty Scarf, I did tear up a little at the end. Not to spoil it too much, but it was a reminder that happy endings do happen even after so much turmoil. Even when things don’t look like they’re changing or they’re getting worse, something better is around the corner. 

A: First and foremost, I want readers to have a good time escaping. I want readers to be anxious for our characters while knowing in the end good conquers evil and true love wins. One of the most unique elements we have woven into the Liberty Scarf is the message of hope. My character, Iris, has the quote ‘Hope is the thing with feathers’ stitched directly onto each of her designed scarves as a reminder that there is beauty even among the tragic, even in the darkest hour. An important lesson to carry during any difficult time, particularly war. 

Q: If there were to be a sequel to The Liberty Scarf, what would Iris, Genevive & Clara be doing right now?

A: Iris would be running Liberty of London haha! 

Q: There’s not many World War I movies, the only one I’ve seen is 1917. Who would be your dream cast if The Liberty Scarf were to become a movie? 

A: Ooh great question! Gemma Arterton. Beautiful in an unassuming way, brilliant, and quick witted. 

Q: You three have written The Castle Keepers & The Liberty Scarf. What was the writing process like collaborating with each other? What advice would you give others whether they are aspiring authors or well-known authors, about co-writing a book with other people? 

A: The process of writing together was interesting. We each have our own distinct style and way of doing things so there was a learning curve for how to get the best out of each other. I’m very happy to say that there were no divas or egos and we’re still very good friends! My advice to any writer thinking of co-writing is to be patient and leave your self-importance at the door. You’re equals in the project and every opinion deserves to be considered as such. Also, make sure you’re pulling your own weight. Don’t be a slacker in the group!