Clare McHugh
Author Interview - Clare McHugh
Author of A Most English Princess.
“Queen Victoria has been the subject of countless biographies, the leading character in best-selling historical novels, the magnificently bejeweled star in a Hollywood film, and a hypnotizing dramatic BBC series. Yet none have explored the Royal universe of Princess Victoria, or “Vicky” as she was called, the eldest daughter of the nine children of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.”
Author Interview - Clare McHugh
Author I draw inspiration from: Nancy Mitford if I have to name just one. But if I am allowed others I would mention Evelyn Waugh (Nancy Mitford's good friend) Margaret Mitchell (for her skill with historical setting) Shirley Hazzard (for the beauty and exactitude of her language)
Author Interview - Clare McHugh
Favorite place to read a book: Lying on the daybed on our front porch on Long Island
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Ellen Olenska, from the Age of Innocence. Did you really love Newland Archer I would ask. And if so, how could you bear to leave him?
Author Interview - Clare McHugh
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: Age 9, when I realized Laura Ingalls Wilder was a real person, and the novels she wrote were inspired by her own life.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: If I love a book I always want to own it in hardback. When I really want to understand a book I buy it both in paperback and audio format and I go back and forth, sometimes reading along as it's read to me
The last book I read: Writers and Lovers by Lily King. Smart, quick and very satisfying.
Author Interview - Clare McHugh
Pen & paper or computer: pen and paper first, computer second
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: I would hope to be able to keep up with Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice.
Author Interview - Clare McHugh
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: a psychiatrist like my father
Favorite decade in fashion history: the 1920's--the bobbed hair! The sleek dresses! what's not to LOVE
Place I’d most like to travel: South Africa
My signature drink: new zealand sauvignon blanc
Favorite artist: Degas
Number one on my bucket list: travel the country and meet readers to see what they think of Vicky my protagonist
Find more from the author:
ON TWITTER AT @Claremch
Author Bio: Born in London, Clare McHugh grew up in the United States and graduated from Harvard University with a degree in European history. She worked for many years as a newspaper reporter and later magazine editor. She has also taught high school history and reviewed books for the Wall Street Journal and the Baltimore Sun. The mother of two grown children, she lives with her husband in Washington, DC, and Amagansett, New York. A Most English Princess is her first novel.
