JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Heath Samples, author of Princess Diana- The Day She Didn’t Die A Novel
(Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd. London UK)
Have you ever wondered how Princess Diana’s life may have turned out had she survived the car crash that fateful August night? How would her life have affected ours, the people around us and those in power had she lived.
Princess Diana- The Day She Didn’t Die follows on from how Diana was living her life in a realistic and believable way. The book delivers an explosive and thrilling storyline. The car crash, what did she think just happened?
Diana’s relationship with Dodi is both relished and refuted. What would life look like if they had a child together? Was Diana’s car crash an attempt to kill her? What if something like that were to happen again? How could it happen – again?
The novel follows Diana’s life through the years to a point in time that terrified us all and changed the way we lived. Diana sees that day with us in a way that she can hardly believe – that day changed everything. So how will it change Diana?
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Princess Diana- The Day She Didn’t Die A Novel?
Heath Samples: I served in the Royal Air Force here in the UK, for “Queen and Country!”, and I have always been a great fan of the Royal Family.
When Diana joined the Royal Family, it was both revolutionary and, unknowingly back then, beneficial to them. Once Diana and Charles split, I felt she had just started to come into her own. Diana was only 36 when she died and had many years ahead of her, some of them no doubt controversial but also inspirational.
It wasn’t difficult to look for inspiration with Diana. I felt that the book had to follow her life and how she was living it in a realistic and believeable way.
JP: What sets Princess Diana- The Day She Didn’t Die A Novel apart from other books in the same genre?
HS: This is the first book in the world to consider what Diana’s life may have been like had she lived. There are plenty of conspiracy theories, ideas on her being a “Kennel Maid”, but this book does none of that. This novel focuses on her future life in a realistic and believeable way.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Princess Diana- The Day She Didn’t Die A Novel getting out to the public?
HS: It is very difficult to get a book under the readers noses. Social Media is key along with offline media.
Writing is one thing, marketing is another and both require equal time, effort and commitment.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Princess Diana- The Day She Didn’t Die A Novel?
HS: This novel laid hidden for a decade. It was on the eve of the new Millennium in 1999 that I first had the idea. The next day I mapped all the chapters and began writing.
It wasn’t until 10 years later that I decided to finish the book. I checked and checked to see if anybody else had written it, and they hadn’t. It should have been called “The Lost Decade!”
JP: What’s next for Heath Samples?
HS: This novel is part of a trilogy. I believe that readers really want to get their teeth into a story, concept, theme, call it what you will. But Princess Diana’s life was about to get exciting, really exciting.
To put it in one novel and bring it to the present day would not be possible, nor give it credit, in my opinion. Book Two is underway and Book Three, well…
http://www.princessdianathedayshedidntdie.com
http://www.facebook.com/PrincessDianaTheDaySheDidntDie
http://twitter.com/authorheathsamp
The novel is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble Waterstones, WHSmiths, Smashwords and more!
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Heath Samples has brought a very interesting book to the readers of JoeyPinkney.com. His novel Princess Diana – The Day She Didn’t Die changes the game. Instead of looking at what happened, this novel looks at what kind of future she would have had with a chance at fulfilling her future.
Samples let the book sit for a decade. In that time, it must have aged will and is ready for reader consumption.
I am so proud to be able to present an author from the U.K. on this American blog. I hope that he finds success on this side of the pond.
I’ve been lucky enough to review this book and it is awesome. I loved reading about a character that I already knew and could picture in my mind immediately. It’s a cracking read and I’m looking forward to reading the other two in the trilogy. It’s deep, moving and interesting throwing up lots of other questions for me. Great interview with Heath, he’s a top bloke!
Thank you, Kim. This is a great comment because it give us a first-hand look into Mr. Samples’ book. I look forward to hearing more about this book in the near future.