Wendy Bartlett
WENDY BARTLETT
lived in England from age thirteen
to twenty-six;
then settled in Berkeley,
California. Her B.A. is in art
history, and she taught school for
several years. She started writing
novels in 1999, although she has
written all her life. The first
chapter of her fourth novel,
Cellini's Revenge, previously known
as The Mystery of the Silver Bowls,
won a writing prize at the San
Francisco Writers Conference in
2007. Wendy first published her
novel, Broad Reach, with the
iUniverse prize. Wendy is an artist,
songwriter, singer and world
traveler. She is presently working
on a travel book and her memoirs and
is actively searching for an agent
to represent her. Her daughter,
Elizabeth Stark, is a published
author.
http://www.wendybartlett.com
PageOneLit.com:
Where did you grow up and was reading and
writing a part of your life? Who were your
earliest influences and why?
WENDY BARTLETT: I grew up in
California until I was fourteen when my family
moved to London, England. I wrote diaries from
the age of twelve. I wrote poems and songs from
an early age. I also drew and painted my family
and things I saw before me. We always had many
books in our house. Jack London was my earliest
influence in California at the age of twelve
because in White Fang
and The Call of the
Wild he described how
the warm blood of an animal tasted to the wolf
after he’d
killed it. It was amazing to me
how I felt when reading that. I think at that
moment a reader was born.
PageOneLit.com: Why
do you write?
WENDY BARTLETT:I write to express
myself, to get things accurate in diaries for
future reference, and I write novels because
they flow easily from my pen and I am always
surprised how they fit together like a puzzle.
When I am writing a novel, I am actually living
in that time and place in my head, and I find it
endlessly entertaining.
PageOneLit.com:
Tell us about your new book
CELLINI'S REVENGE: The Mystery of the Silver
Cups
- Where did the idea for
this book come from?
WENDY BARTLETT: This novel just
began in my writers’ group one day with a “free
write.” I had no idea what I was going to
write, and I was very surprised that it turned
into a murder mystery. I truly love to let the
muse take over and see where it takes me! This
book won a prize, Runner-Up, at the 2007 San
Francisco Writers Conference for fiction. After
that, I thought I would REALLY make it good, so
I spent another two years adding the historical
story of the silver cups. Again, I had no idea
what would come out of my brain and my pen, but
I am very pleased with the tiny historical
stories that entwine with the murder mystery and
join together at the end for the solution.
PageOneLit.com:
The settings in
CELLINI'S REVENGE:
The Mystery of the Silver Cups, really
make this book very original and interesting -
Briefly discuss your settings and how you
researched.
WENDY BARTLETT: There are three
basic settings: England, Vermont and Italy in
1527. I lived in England
for thirteen years starting in
1956 and wanted a setting on the coast. I was
brought up on the beach in Malibu and it was
very influential in my young years. I settled on
Rottingdean because it is only four miles from
Brighton and I needed David to work in the
newspaper district of London in the era 1956. I
choose Vermont because I know Brattleboro quite
well and have lived there briefly for several
years. I choose Italy in 1527 because I had read
The Autobiography of
Benvenuto Cellini
and I had also been to Italy on
several trips and had a good feeling for it,
particularly its antiquity. I majored in Art
History at the University of California,
Berkeley.
PageOneLit.com:
Who was
Benvenuto
Cellini?
WENDY BARTLETT: Benvenuto Cellini
was a very famous silversmith and sculptor in
Italy
in the early part of the 16th
century who created powerful and beautiful
creations, large and small. He led quite a wild
existence and wrote his autobiography. I
invented the twelve silver cups that star in my
story. I do know of one silver cup that Cellini
is supposed to have made for the d’Este family
in reality. By the way, the “c” in his name
should sound like “ch.”
PageOneLit.com:Tell
us about your novel
BROAD REACH.
WENDY BARTLETT:
Broad Reach is a
romance and adventure novel about a woman, 43,
who goes cruising on a yacht around the world
with a handsome British stranger. At first, down
the coast of California, it is sexy, fun, free
and wonderful beyond her wildest dreams. Then
they turn right at San Diego and head out
towards Tahiti and Fiji. That is when the story
heats up. I have sailed in
Tahiti, Fiji and Samoa, so I knew
how to write about these places in this novel.
PageOneLit.com: If
Hollywood called and asked you to cast CELLINI'S:
REVENGE: The Mystery of the Silver Cups,
who would you select to play the parts and why?
WENDY BARTLETT: I have been told
often that this novel would make a great movie.
I agree. I saw it like that as I wrote it. I saw
Judy Dench in one part and Maggie Smith in
another. But if it were to be filmed now,
perhaps by the time it would be out, these
actors would be too old to represent the
characters
who are in their sixties. In this
case, perhaps Meryl Streep could play Catherine,
the heroine, or else Susan Sarandon; perhaps
Diane Keaton. I didn’t know who might play
Christopher, but friends I know suggested Bob
Hoskins, or maybe Gary Oldman. An English woman
I know suggested Jude Law for Christopher, but I
imagine Christopher slightly chubby. Jude Law
looks slim and handsome. However, it could be
done. For David, maybe Ben Barnes. For the
younger Catherine, perhaps Jessica Biel. But
really, I think people more British film actor
literate would make better choices.
PageOneLit.com:
What are readers saying about
CELLINI'S REVENGE?
WENDY BARTLETT: Just today
someone said to a friend of mine that she cried
at the end. Now THAT is a good story, and
pleases me a lot. I like my readers to get
involved! In general, people seem to have really
loved this story. I was really delighted and
surprised with the responses. Below are a few
excerpts from my Amazon reviews for this book:
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 Great
Mystery!!,
Having lived in
England herself, Ms. Bartlett is
able to take us right into the
setting with her vivid
descriptions. Her knowledge of
England comes through
beautifully. Wendy Bartlett does
a wonderful job of tying the two
stories together. I thoroughly
enjoyed reading this mystery,
and it kept me wondering to the
very end of the book.
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Enjoyable
read,
The interweaving
of the past and present keep
this story interesting and kept
my attention and curiosity to
the end. I especially enjoyed
the historical back-story. I
judge a book by how much it
makes me want to find out more,
and this book certainly did
that. This book is a wonderful
read!
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 Very
Interesting Mystery/Historical
Fiction,
The author has
constructed a well-plotted
mystery using DNA, astrology and
old-fashioned sleuthing to
discover the truth about David's
death and the destiny of the
silver cups. Well done.
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Fun
Read, Interesting Twists,
The plot was
intriguing, the characters
interesting and colorful, the
settings atmospheric... A fun,
well constructed tale.
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Wendy
Bartlett Writes Another Winner,
Bartlett has perfected a
literary style that keeps you
guessing until the last page. It
is a real page turner.
I recommend this book for those
who love mysteries, for those
who love historical fiction, and
for those who love England and
Italy. I can't wait for her next
book.
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Good
fun romp through countries and
ages,
This book had
detail that kept my attention to
the end and I enjoyed its
variety and interesting twists.
I like a good mystery yarn and
detail about history and various
countries.
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PageOneLit.com:
What do you hope to achieve with your books?
WENDY BARTLETT: I love to share
my stories with people. I like to write enduring
literature. I think I have the ability to tell a
great tale, and I just love to write. It is like
one giant puzzle, even to me.
PageOneLit.com:
What was the last book you read?
WENDY BARTLETT: I am reading
A Mercy
by Toni Morrison at present.
Before that I read two Ian Pears novels:
An Instance at the Fingerpost
and Stone’s Fall.
PageOneLit.com:
What's next?
WENDY BARTLETT: I am writing an
exciting sequel to Cellini’s Revenge. I have
also completed my Memoir. I am toying with the
idea of publishing several more completed novels
which I have written.
PageOneLit.com:
Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do
they enhance your writing?
WENDY BARTLETT:
I am a world traveler, a song
writer and a watercolor painter. I also love
photography, especially artistic subject matter.
Traveling gives me lots of ideas for short
stories and I often paint and draw along the
way. Just being able to jump up and sing with a
microphone and the guitar has allowed me to
experience life from the stage, and that helps
when I am conducting my readings. I have always
loved to read novels. It really developed deeply
when I went to live in London at the age of
fourteen and was introduced to
The Mill on the Floss
by George Eliot. After that came Dickens and
Great Expectations.
Then came a flood of novels and this
tree-climbing Californian became an English girl
reading in a cozy chair by the fire in London.
