Meet Laura Libricz, author of The Master and the Maid

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Meet author Laura Libricz as she discussed her new novel, The Master and the Maid.

Author Laura Libricz (click to enlarge)

What is the one book you want us to read (title, genre, and availability).

I have a few works in progress but only one is finished and independently published. It’s called The Master and the Maid, a historical novel set in 17th Century Germany and is available as e-book at Amazon and Smashwords.

Give us a one sentence synopsis.

Forced into the service of the rich patrician Sebald Tucher, Katarina arrives at his country manor and the care of a mysterious newborn baby is thrust on her, entangling them all in a violent religious clash between two families.

Who are the main characters and who would you like to see portray them in a movie?

The story is told from the viewpoint of three characters: Katarina, a 24-year-old bar maid; the patrician Sebald Tucher; a young Dutchman named Pieter. I would like to see a less-than-perfect actress play the role of Katarina; a real woman, so to speak. I would have liked to have seen Johnny Depp play Tucher--I like his work in historical films but I’d really like to see some new, fresh talent instead of A-List actors and actresses.

Tell us about the story, but please don't reveal too much.

In 17th Century Germany on the brink of the Thirty Years War, 24-year-old Katarina is traded to the patrician Sebald Tucher by her fiancé Willi Prutt in order to pay his debts. Forced to move into the Tucher country estate, Katarina is met by a crazed archer, Hans-Wolfgang, carrying a newborn baby under his cloak. He tells her a confused story of how his beloved was executed by a Jesuit priest for witchcraft right after the birth and makes Katarina swear on her life to protect the child. She could fall in disfavor with her master. She could be hunted by the zealots who killed his beloved. Can Katarina’s love for the baby and Sebald Tucher’s growing desire for her keep the wrath of the zealots at bay?

What inspired you to write this book and how long did it take?

This project started as sort of a personal joke. I moved to Germany in 1991 and touring around Franconia with my less-than-perfect German comprehension, I understood one thing over and over: this castle / church / village was destroyed in the Thirty Years War. What wasn’t destroyed in the Thirty Years War? I asked myself. I started to research, came across so much information and the horrors of this devastating catastrophe just blew my mind, really. I started to look for novels in the English language, found next to nothing and decided it was time for me to write them! I got down to some serious writing in 2009 and just published the first book in September 2012. The first drafts for the second and third book have been written quicker but now the fun begins with the revisions.

Click to purchase on Amazon

What other books have you written? 

The Soldier’s Return, the second book in this series, is in the revision stage and I hope to have it published by June 2013. This book revisits Franconia in 1626 when the troop movement really begins to heat up. Ash and Rubble is the third and final book in this series and I just finished the first draft in November with NaNoWriMo. The year is 1632 and Franconia is completely laid to waste. The trick is to pry some hope out of this sort of situation.

Which authors inspired you, your style?

As a kid, I loved Kurt Vonnegut. I also loved Tolkien and all sorts of fantasy. As an adult, I find there’s no one author or genre that inspires me. I read anything and everything. (I am notorious for laying books away half-finished, though.) I always learn from different styles, points-of-view, crossing-the-line, and so on. 

Where can we learn more about you and your books? 

I post short stories and articles on my blog: http://lauralibricz.blogspot.de/

Here’s my link at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/264468

Here’s my link at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Master-Maid-Heavens-Ponds-ebook/dp/B009AQ6GXU 

How can we follow you? Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.
Here I am at Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraLibricz

Google+: https://plus.google.com/111831453603731460298/posts/p/pub

Is there anything else you would like us to know? 

It took me a long time to reach this point in my life that I could undertake such a serious project. I had started writing stories in the past and always just filed them away or burned them and I never believed that I could actually finish a novel. I am so grateful that I never completely axed the dream or gave in to that negative inner voice that tells us we can’t do something.