Author Interview: Michael Hillier on "The Secret of the Cathars"

Ana: Today we have Michael Hillier introducing their book, The Secret of the Cathars. I haven't read this book myself, but Michael was kind enough to agree to guest blog about their book to any readers who might be interested in the subject. Michael, how would you describe your book to your prospective readers? In broad terms, what is your book about?

Michael: This is the story of a young man's search for the secrets hidden by his ancestor in the South of France more than 750 years ago and the people he comes across during his search - both friends and enemies. It concludes with his astonishing discovery about himself.

Ana: What themes does your book explore and what do you hope the reader will take away from the experience? Is there a particular feeling or experience that you hope to evoke in the reader? Essentially, do you hope your book will mean to a reader?

Michael: Amazon classifies it as "Action and Adventure". For me it is mainly about mystery and discovery in many different ways.

Ana: What prompted you to write this book and did you have a specific inspiration in mind? Were you influenced by a certain author or work that inspired you to add your voice to this genre? Besides the boatloads of money and rockstar fame, what motivated you to write this book? 

Michael: Reading about the destruction of the Cathars in the Albigensian Crusade and the unanswered questions they left behind. Visits to the fantastic area South of Carcasonne in the French Pyrenees. I was originally put in touch with the mysteries of the area by the "Holy Blood and The Holy Grail" by Henry Lincoln and others.

Ana: If you could compare your book to any other existing works, which ones would it be and why? If the one thing you could say to a prospective reader was, "If you like X, you'll love my book!", which work would be invoked so that a reader could judge whether or not your book is their cup of tea?

Michael: Some readers have compared this to "The Da Vinci Code" but I consider the story more believable than that. (Except perhaps the ending.) I believe the story is an old fashioned adventure, perhaps in the tradition of Hammond Innes or Alastair Maclean.

Ana: Is this your first or only published work, or have you published other books? If you have published other books, how do they compare to this one? Do you have any more books planned, either as a follow-up to this one, or as a completely different book or genre?

Michael: A sequel to "The Secret of the Cathars" called "The Templar Legacy" which has the same characters will be available later in the year.

Ana: Where can readers obtain a copy of your book for them to enjoy? How can they contact you with any thoughts or questions? And do you have a means by which they can "sign up" to be notified when your next book comes available?

Michael: My website is www.mikehillier.com. My blog is blog.mikehillier.com. My books can be purchased in e-book formats from Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple, Sony, and Barnes & Noble.

Ana: Thank you. I understand you have the first chapter of your book available as an excerpt for interested readers? Is there anything else you wish to add for our readers?

Michael: In the near future I will be publishing "Riversmeet" which is Volume 1 of a post-war saga set in Devon, England centered around a grand old house. This is quite different to the Action/Adventure books above and the writing is somewhat more raunchy.

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