Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am twenty years old, from Staffordshire, England. My debut novel ‘Hunted’ went on sale yesterday on Amazon! It is YA fiction.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Hunted was very much inspired by ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Divergent’. I love the idea of a dystopian world, especially when we can easily draw parallels to our lives at the moment. I think it was also inspired a tiny bit by my own high school experience, everything felt like a life or death situation, luckily though it wasn’t quite as bad as it seemed at the time!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, I wrote the majority of ‘Hunted’ in my local Costa Coffee, the rest of the novel I wrote at obscure hours of the night. When the cogs in my brain start turning, they are pretty much unstoppable!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many! Obviously, Suzanne Collins and Veronica Roth have had a huge impact. I also loved Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a few writing projects. ‘Deadly Secrets’ is my main focus at this time though, it is a novel written from the point of view of a female serial killer. I am hoping to release it before Christmas.
I am also very focused on ‘Trapped’ at the moment. ‘Trapped’ is the second installment of the Hunted series and will be released in March next year. You can find a teaser of ‘Trapped’ in the back of your copies of ‘Hunted’!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Oh this is a tough one! I use Twitter an awful lot. I think I reach a bigger audience through Twitter. I do get irritated with those pesky word limits though!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think if you are writing a book you really have to persevere, it feels amazing to have finally finished your novel. I would also say that it is never too early to start marketing it, a lot of people don’t realize that your work doesn’t stop after the book is finished!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I would say that the best advice I have been given is that selling your book is a marathon not a sprint. – It takes a lot of time and effort to generate sales.
What are you reading now?
I have just finished reading ‘Secrets of the Mind’ by E.J Bennett. It is a really good read and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, I am continuing to market ‘Hunted’. I have a few content editing jobs to do and then I am going to finish, release and market ‘Deadly Secrets’ before Christmas. I will be a very busy bee.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
‘Dear Amy’ by Helen Callaghan – I love this book and could read it again.
‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll – I am a sucker for a classic.
‘The 5th Wave’ by Rick Yancey – I have been meaning to read this for a while, it is definitely next on my list!
Author Websites and Profiles
Y.E Meakin Amazon Profile
Y.E Meakin’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account