Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started off as a reader and consumed books voraciously until work pressures got in the way. After leaving work three years ago, I suddenly had time to read again, and rediscovered the joys of getting lost in a really great book. It was also an opportunity to explore my long-held ambition to be an author, so I began by improving a series of books I’d begun work on 15 years before. These combine Faerie games with time travel and family saga. The first four, of five, in the series are available on Amazon: The Changeling Tree, The Time Before, The Traitor Within and The Bargain Made. The final instalment — The Last Time — is eagerly awaited.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Bibliomancer. It’s a book about books, among other things, and was inspired by my own love of reading. For that reason, it’s scattered with bookish Easter eggs, particularly for lovers of Jane Austen.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I always read my books aloud before I finalize them because I want the dialogue to be convincing and for the characters to have distinctive voices. This is very confusing for our dog.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many! You’ll see the influence of Pride and Prejudice in Bibliomancer, but I was also influenced by Longbourn by Jo Baker, which is a re-telling of P&P from the servants’ perspective.
I love books with just a touch of magic — not set in an entirely separate fantasy world with goblins and dragons, but with some aspect of magic intruding into reality. Graham Joyce’s Some Kind of Fairy Tale is a lovely example of this, and his influence is felt more in The Changeling Tree series.
What are you working on now?
I tend to have several books on the go at once, because I like to have a break so I can re-read them more objectively. At the moment, my works in progress are the fifth and final book in The Changeling Tree series, the first book in a new series of cosy paranormal mysteries, the first book in a non-fantasy family saga series and a possible sequel to Bibliomancer. It’s possible that I’m juggling too many things here!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve just started using Bookfunnel, which has connected me with lots of readers. Whether those connections convert into sales isn’t clear yet.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Getting down to writing a scrappy first draft is easier than sitting down to write your novel.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Know who you’re writing for.
You can’t please all readers, so the challenge is to find the readers who’ll love your books and make sure you’re reaching them.
What are you reading now?
I’m up to my neck in book promo at the moment, but I’m promising myself the third book in The Game of Thrones series, which proves that I do read epic fantasy too.
What’s next for you as a writer?
It’s all about reaching more readers.
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?
It would be so hard to choose. I’d probably cheat and ask for the Oxford English Dictionary, because it’s full of quotations which would remind me of other books I’d already read. If I could get away with counting all 20 volumes as one, I’d go for a guide to literature with lots of plot summaries, because the OED would drive me mad if I couldn’t remember. And I’m going to have to have a blank notebook so I can carry on writing.
Author Websites and Profiles
Frances Evelyn Website
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