COPPERFIELD REVIEW QUARTERLY | AUTUMN 2021
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Writing Across Time An Interview With Historical Novelist Libbie Hawker I first discovered Libbie Hawker's historical novels when I was searching for books specifically about Ancient Egypt. It’s a time I’ve been fascinated with since King Tut’s treasures toured the U.S. A search for Ancient Egyptian novels pointed me toward Libbie Hawker, and I’m so glad it did. Her novel The Sekhmet Bed is one of my all-time favorite stories set during this amazing time. What’s wonderful about Libbie is that she writes about various eras in a way that is both believable and engrossing. Want to learn more about Libbie, her writing, and her experiences publishing historical fiction? Read on. Meredith Allard: When did you first fall in love with historical fiction? Libbie Hawker: I’ve loved historical fiction since I was a young kid. I started reading very early, and I soon outgrew the kids’ books that were available back in the 80s— before the golden age of kid lit, which would come along too late for me. So I just started reading my mom’s books, and she’d mostly gravitated toward historical fiction herself, for whatever reason. Some of the earliest novels I can remember reading were The Mists of Avalon and Clan of the Care Bear—both of which were probably far too racy for my tender age! I think I just glossed over all the sexual stuff, though, because I didn’t really understand it at that age. I was just fascinated by the evocation of a past era. It must have looked pretty funny to other people, to see me at age eight or nine lugging around a big doorstopper like The Mists of Avalon. M.A.: When and why did you begin writing, and did you always write historical fiction? L.H.: I declared at age eight that I was going to be a writer when I grew up, and fortunately my family never tried to discourage me or steer me toward a “more sensible” career. My dad was a professional artist—a painter—so careers in creative fields were just normal in my family, and totally achievable. So I was encouraged from early childhood, and I started writing my own stories then. I mostly wrote animal fantasies up until high school—novels inspired by books like Watership Down, which has always been one of my favorites. I hand-wrote them on notebook paper and “bound” them in three-ring binders. I’m sure my mom still has them in a box somewhere. I didn’t start writing historical fiction until high school when a truly great history teacher, Kathy Ludgate, got me excited about the past. She really made history come alive for me in the same way those old novels I’d read had brought the past to life. She
