Get ready to learn more about the book Sealed with a Kiss in this discussion with sapphic author Sam Skyborne.
Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Sam Skyborne about Sealed with a Kiss, writing, reading, and more.
This book is part of the Set in Europe category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.
Why did you write Sealed with a Kiss?
People that know me, know that I have a thing about ‘look-a-likey-dykes’, which is my affectionate term for the uncanny phenomenon where couples or partners tend to look alike, or at the very least share thematic similarities, either from the offset or a morphing over time. I think there must be an evolutionary quirk that makes us seek like for like. However, this is definitely not always the case and I think it is important to acknowledge and welcome diversity in love. In “Sealed with a Kiss” I celebrate an age-gap love story between two very different characters with all their quirks and complexity.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
I grew very fond of both Jac and Dot. I think each have their challenges cut out for them. As you watch their struggles, inner conflict and what circumstance throws at them, one cannot help but develop a deep empathy for both—both dealing with the central issues and their individual problems in their own unique ways.
Then there is also Amenah, Jac’s best friend. For some reason she crawled under the wire and found a very fond place in my heart—so much so I had to write her story. My Reader Club members will know her from “Amenah Awakens” in the introductory boxset.
What inspired the idea for Sealed with a Kiss?
I think most of us, at one point or another in our lives, have experienced unrequited love or, for one reason or another, the object of our affection was deemed off limits, out of bounds or unavailable, due to circumstances outside of anyone’s control.
That, and… When I see couples in love, I am always fascinated to hear how they got together. One such foray led to a wonderful late-night conversation with a whole group of women in Skala Eressos during the Women’s Festival, talking about first loves and ‘the one that got away’ and often how that had shaped their experiences and expectations of love later in life. That same evening I also discovered how remarkably prevalent school-girl crushes seem to be. There seems to be something about the geography or phys-ed departments that resonates with the young lesbian heart.
I guess these elements combined for me. I started to wonder what if two people, who could not be together at one point in their lives, were given a second chance later in life. How would that be? How would it work?
How did you come up with the title for your book?
There is nothing like a kiss, and certainly that first kiss can hook or crook you for life.
How much research did you need to do for Sealed with a Kiss?
I ended up falling down the very deep rabbit hole of Jac’s PhD research into The Songs of Bilitis, Sappho, ancient Greece and the possibilities of Sappho having lived a sapphic life and fallen for a young slave girl who impersonated a man so they could elope together. I practically completed a PhD myself on the topic! Hence, I ended up writing and publishing “The Sappho Romance” under the pen name of Jacquie Lyon.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
Yes, I believe Jac is still on the hunt for Bilitis’ tomb and she has a theory it might be in Turkey near arguably the highest and most spectacular ancient theatre in the world at Termessos.
Also, my current WIP is the next book in the Lesvos Island Collection of romances which tells the story of Monika and Alley who meet under the stars. Monika is an astronomer and Alley and astrologer. As we know every star has its own storm, but hopefully, if I can help it, these two will not end up star crossed.
What is your writing process like?
Initially, I am more of a plotter, not so much in the sense of being overly rigorous in planning events or twists and turns, but more from the perspective that I appreciate the short hand mechanism it provides to access and keep the whole story line in my mind at any one time. A high-level view of the world and the happenings that I can iterate through more easily. When it comes down to delving into the detail, I try to let go and allow my mind to wander and wonder where it needs to and often, I end up taking new, interesting twists and turns which require reworking the plan I had to start with.
Is there a particular genre you would love to write but only under a pseudonym?
I think writing can be a very self-conscious task. It is one of the biggest issues for a lot of writers. We struggle to get out of the critical mindset, always judging, second guessing and worrying about whether something we wrote is good enough. Are the facts correct? Did we make any mistakes? Will people like it?
A pseudonym allows one the freedom to step away from all that, even if only while writing the initial draft. It allows one to put aside the very rigid mindset that makes you who you are, with your own beliefs, prejudices and learnt behaviours. One needs to be able to enter the mindset of the character whom you might not even like. And for me assuming a personality of a different person helps give me the freedom to explore my fictional world through their eyes.
A situation where I personally have benefitted from donning the mantle, so to speak, of a pseudonym is in the writing of “The Sappho Romance.” It is an alternative historical fiction novel and technically required a huge knowledge of ancient Greek culture, which I did not have and I certainly did not feel I had the authority to write a novel about it… But Jacquie Lyon a PhD in archaeology and antiquity did.
And, to answer the question I have a number of other historical fiction ideas I would love to explore and write. I love the idea of rewriting history—reclaiming history. So, I think Jacquie might be quite busy soon.
Do you have any odd writing quirks?
None that I know of. I do become very absorbed and focussed—lost in my fictional world, so much so I probably wouldn’t even notice if I had any quirks. Would be weird, but maybe I should ask someone to observe me one day.
Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?
Twinkle-Toes my cat…. She is a tubby tabby with a plethora of fluff and the whitest of white paws. In personality, she is more guard-dog than feline. She, very helpfully, sits on my lap, pinning me down most days until I have finished my writing tasks for the day. She is a real show off and features on my Instagram feed furry frequently. =)
Have you ever cried when writing an emotional scene?
Yes, I find that I get very attached to my characters: their wishes, dreams, goals and aspirations. “Sealed with a Kiss” is a very emotional book, with extreme highs and bitter lows, and both the main characters suffer quite considerably. So, yes, I was a bit of a soggy mess writing this one.
Do you feel bad putting your characters through the wringer?
Life is a bastard sometimes and sometimes we cannot avoid the lows. So, yes, although I hate putting my characters through hardships, they would not be authentic if they did not live authentic lives and then I don’t think I would be doing my job as a writer. One of the reasons we read because we want to have experiences outside of our own lives—that goes for highs and lows… Sometimes one needs to have a safe, good cry—fiction can provide that.
Have you ever hated one of your characters?
I found Dot’s daughter in this book a bit distasteful on account of her initial selfish, self-centred behaviour towards her mother—arguably a spoilt only child. (I grew up an only child). I think in the end it hopefully becomes evident that her behaviour, like a lot of bad behaviour, stems from an inability to cope with the emotions she feels.
What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?
I like books with strong female characters and am thrilled if one of the main characters, ideally the hero, happens to be a lesbian. I also like books that believe in magic. I don’t mean speculative fiction or fantasy genre necessarily. I mean books in which the impossible is possible, whether that is books in which two individuals who would normally in real life never stand a chance at love get together for a ‘happily ever after’ or whether that is a story in which other dreams come true, or the underdog wins. Books that inspire faith or hope.
What books have you read more than once in your life?
I try not to read a book more than once, unless I consult bits of them to refresh my memory. There are so many lovely stories out there and I am very slow to consume them in the first place.
What book do you wish you had written?
The “Time Traveller’s Wife.” And yes, I would love to write the sapphic retelling of it.
