Residing in Toowoomba, Queensland, Carmel Rowley is a world-renowned author. She is the author of the acclaimed fiction series Daughters of the Wind, including Tails Carried High, Voices of the Wind and Winds of Time. She has also written a children's book, Danika and Yatimah from Egypt to the Outback. Carmel is an avid equestrian and Arabian Horse breeder for over thirty-seven years...
Welcome Carmel!
When was your first
encounter with a horse?
My
childhood, especially after the age of seven, was a time of great change for
me; horses slipped into my consciousness and became my refuge, comfort and a
source of enormous pleasure. I can remember during my earliest school years how
I made up stories about horses in my head and would often tell my friends about
them at playtime.
In those early years I lived in the inner city of Melbourne, barely thirty
minutes by tram to the middle of the city. This environment was not conducive
to meeting horses but I do remember going to Melbourne Royal Show for the first
time and being enthralled by all the animals and especially the different
breeds of horses paraded in the daily spectacle of the Grand Parade. I think
something was triggered that day, a type of recognition of how horses possessed
a special bond with human beings.
What is your favorite
breed of horse?
When I
think back, the first breed of horse/pony I adored was the Shetland pony. I
always vowed that I was going to have a Shetland pony stud farm. I have no idea
why I chose that particular breed but it’s a curious memory with no answer.
To be
honest I’m a horse lover, I love all horses whatever the breed. In saying this
I can remember asking my husband if we were to breed horses what sort of horse
should we breed? His reply was the horse must be good looking. There was no
competition; it had to be an Arabian horse. Not only are Arabian horses
beautiful but they were bred to live closely with their owners. They also
possess an uncanny intelligence. There are many books written about the history
of the Arabian breed but I feel there’s no doubt the Bedouin bred into the
Arabian horse some extraordinary characteristics. The horse was vitally
important to these desert nomads, so tolerance, speed and an amicable and
ungrudging temperament were essential to survival.
The
decision to breed Arabian horses was made in 1973 with the purchase of several
partbred Arabians and in 1975 we purchased our first purebred.
My
husband and I have bred Arabian horses for over thirty seven years and we've learnt a lot about life from this incredible experience. The Arabian horse
world is one of extremes and I firmly believe that extremes in life are
dangerous. Whether it’s observing the serious climatic conditions of Mother
Nature, or breeding horses we as breeders must make time to learn what is best
for our world and for the horses we profess to love.
Over the
years we have made some true friends but we have also witnessed some of the
horrors, especially the lack of empathy and the sociopathic behavior in the way
human beings treat horses and the people who love them. I feel it was these behaviors
which eventually saw us step away from the show ring and to take our own road.
We decided to own and love our Arabian horses for the lifestyle, and to enjoy
living with them day by day. All these experiences became the catalyst
for writing my first novel - book one in my Daughters
of the Wind series, Tails Carried High.
Do you have a
favorite riding experience?
I have
lots of experiences, some that were not funny at the time but became funny with
time. Others remain very clear in my mind as watershed moments in my life, so
it is difficult to choose. The one below says a lot about me doing things my
way and not worrying about what other people say.
In the
late 1970’s my husband and I purchased a purebred Arabian colt specifically to
be gelded as my riding horse. Silvan was grey, 15 hands with white socks and a
blaze. I was never a fan of lots of white so I don’t know what came over us
when we purchased this colt. He was broken to both saddle and harness and we
showed him in both disciplines.
It had
been a number of years since I had ridden in any horse shows, so my first open
adult riding class was a pretty big event. I have to mention that purebred
Arabians do not compete in the Australian hack show ring. (A Hack in Australia
is a show horse, ridden in competition, in a range of sizes) This type of show
horse is generally reserved for elegant thoroughbreds that were not fast enough
to be successful racehorses.
As in
true Carmel Rowley style I ignored tradition and worked hard at fine tuning my
riding and training Silvan. To say Silvan stood out on the day is an
understatement. His gleaming silver coat, snow white stockings and blaze, his
jaunty, high tail carriage and bright happy face flew against everything that
identified the serious English style, show hack.
The day
was a great success, I won my riding class and we came third in Silvan’s very
large Galloway class. I remember at least thirty horses in the class. For a
purebred Arabian to achieve this placing was a credit to Silvan and his
heritage. The judge was full of praise and as she tied the ribbon around
Silvan’s neck she told me she had a soft spot for the Arab. She said Arabian
owners should fly in face of the constabulary, get out into the hack ring in
force and give the thoroughbreds a run for their money.
How do you maintain
thoughts and ideas for writing?
Once I have an
idea, and begin to write, the story then takes over. I write most of my stories
and novels by hand then transfer them to the computer using this as a second
draft.
I would
love to say that I’m organized and plan my ideas, write them down and plot out
the story line in every detail but I don’t. I do make notes in case I forget a
particular idea, but most of the time my thoughts and ideas are all stewing
around in my head. Often the characters take control and when I finish a
chapter sometimes I’m amazed at how it turns out. It can be totally different
to where I was heading in the first place, and this new idea can take me on a
track to include a new direction that can make the story much better. My
characters are very alive for me and already I am missing the characters in my Daughters of the Wind series. Writing
about Egypt in book three was as if I could open my back door and the desert
sand would whip up around my ankles and the hot sun, burn my face.
When I
was writing Tails Carried High, I had
come to a pivotal point in the story and it was supposed to be the end but this
voice in my head kept saying, it’s not finished. It took months for the rest of
the story to fall into place and even longer to work out how it would unfold,
and finish. When the idea came to me it burst like a firecracker in my head. I
was mucking out the stables at the time. (I always get my best ideas cleaning
stables) I dropped the stable fork screaming to my husband that I’ve got it; I
worked it out, and sprinted up the hill to write it down. The exhilaration of
that particular idea coming to me still makes me excited. Many who have read Tails tell me they would never have
guessed the ending.
I use my
life experiences, people, nature – landscapes, my horses and emotions for
inspiration. These days it feels as if everything around me has a story to
tell. I've written short stories based on a photograph or artwork. At a local
Swap Meet I saw the most amazing antique travel chest with a tarnished lock. As
soon as I touched it, I knew I had to write about it. This story is not
finished but it will be fun to do so. Even occurrences like a horse spooking at
the same tree every day inspires me.
At
present I’m just beginning to get back to writing after releasing Winds of Time. Wind’s was a big book to write (465 pages) and I felt quite burnt
out once it was released, so I took a much needed a break to concentrate on
marketing.
I have my
second Danika and Yatimah children’s
book unfolding. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever sort it out. I’m
thrilled to now be working on the story, plus there’s a partly finished adult
mystery I’m looking forward to completing.
What is the first book
that you remember reading?
I can’t
really remember the very first book I read but I can recall two books that had
an impact on me as a child.
The first
was I Can Jump Puddles by Alan
Marshall a story of the author’s childhood. Despite his crippling
poliomyelitis, he plays climbs, fights, swims, rides and thoroughly enjoys his
world living in Australian countryside early last century surrounded by
rough-riders, Bushmen, farmers and tellers of tall stories. I was in hospital
with a serious illness when I read this book.
The
second book was Black Beauty by Anna
Sewell. A touching story filled with lessons about life and combining memories
and experiences told by Black Beauty himself. Every time I read this story I
learn something new and writing this has prompted me to take it down from my
bookcase and read it again. The story shows the cruelty some humans inflict on
animals, as well as the kindness. This is an everlasting classic, loved by
anyone who loves animals.
Who is your favorite
author?
I read
such a variety of books and have many favorites. I’m as bad with authors as I
am with horses sometimes loving so many it’s hard to choose just one favorite.
In saying this; the author that jumps straight into my head is Barbara Erskine.
When I read her Midnight is a Lonely
Place for the first time we had guests staying and I was so enthralled and
“in” this book I’m ashamed to say that I virtually ignored my guests.
Barbara
writes vivid, romantic and scary stories about angry spirits. I’m
convinced we – the human race have barely touched the surface when it comes to
knowing about life and death.
If your books were being
made into a movie do you already have actors in mind for each role? What
bands/singers would you put on the soundtrack?
I can’t
count how many people have said to me how much they would love to see the Daughters of the Wind series made into a
mini-series for television or a series of movies. In fact a psychic did tell me
that a series of movies would be made of my books. Who am I to argue? I’m more
than happy to take it on board and believe.
When I
think about which actors might play the two main character roles of Marc and
Jessikah I firstly think about their individual characteristics.
Jessikah -
“… John caught his breath at the
slender girl standing on his front porch. She had thick, copper-colored hair
falling past her shoulders. Her upward tilting eyes were an ice blue, and until
she gave him an uncertain smile, they appeared unapproachable.”
Marc -
“… It was impossible to guess his
age, maybe late twenties. He stood over six feet in height, with long, slender
limbs and a sinewy strength. A narrow face with dark eyebrows frowned in
concern for her welfare. His straight dark hair was short, with a wayward lock at
the front that fell over one of his pale grey-green eyes.”
I did ask
some friends who are into the DOW series and we came up with Joanne Froggatt
from Downton Abbey or maybe the
lovely young Australian actress Isabel Lucas as Jessikah. She does have to have
an English accent. I also thought for Emma, Jessikah’s grandmother, another
main character, Lisa Niemi Swayze there is some similarities between Joanne and
Lisa regarding facial structure and I’m a huge fan of both actors.
Marc is
far more difficult as he has to have an Australia accent and that’s often hard
for overseas actors to get right. I actually think Liam Hemsworth, although he
is a few years younger than what Marc is in the book he does come very close in
my mind’s eye. I guess the casting director would have to have some ideas on
the subject as well.
Music for
the soundtrack is a whole different ball game! Tails Carried High is set in 1996 and the top song for that year
was the Macarena. I’m smiling as I
type this trying to imagine Jessikah doing the Macarena and somehow the image doesn't seem to be working.
I do have
a favorite song that I feel sums up Jessikah's journey of discovery and the song
is Dreams by The Cranberries. The words are perfect. Jessikah falling in love
with Marc, oops, now I’ve told you; also Jessikah falling in love with the
Arabian horse. Some of the lyrics from Dreams by the Cranberries…
‘… Oh, my life is
changing every day,
You have my heart so
don't hurt me.
You're what I
couldn't find.
So understanding and
so kind;
You're everything to
me.
And oh, my dreams,
It's never quite as
it seems,
'Cause you're a
dream to me …’
In Winds of Time (book 3) Marcus and
Ellore, Jessikah’s great grandparents, dance together at a farewell party to Moon River before they sail from
Egypt to France. In my mind they are so alive; I see the joy on their faces
because they are back in love after the struggles of WWII. This is such a
romantic song and one I adore.
What are 10 random facts
about yourself?
- I adore
my husband. Books and horses come together in second place.
- I love
clothes and fashion – pretty dresses, vintage fashion and dressing up.
- I have a
strong attachment to the environment, the soil, and the trees. Could be from my
Irish heritage. (Carmel O’Sullivan Rowley)
- Books and
writing are my lifeline, the feel, and the connection to the author’s words.
- I insist
on honesty and integrity.
- My life
is a journey of learning to be the best person possible.
- Through
age comes wisdom and I’m definitely wiser these days. I strive to be generous
and love the concept of ‘paying it forward’ and what you put out you get back.
- True
friends are as important to me as breathing; they are food for my heart and
soul. These friends tell me I’m resourceful and I know I’m very determined.
- I also
love art and I’m artistic. When I have time, I draw and especially love to
sculpt. Art Deco is a favorite era and I enjoy photography and painting ceramic
plates.
- Animals
are a natural extension of my life.
- Should I
admit to being vain? Even in middle age? My husband does say I’m high
maintenance but he says it with love.
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