Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I spent a good portion of my childhood living on a small hill farm in Scotland. Surrounded by rugged open moors and mountains I learned that nature has a quiet intensity and daily drama that most people never notice. With this backdrop and as an avid reader of Tolkien and many fantasy themed books, my imagination was fired at an early age. So many creatures, like the curlews, might often be heard but are rarely seen. You hear stories of wild leopards living in trees right above people’s homes unnoticed and you have to wonder at their stealth and intelligence to know how to so easily evade detection. If they can, what else lurks under our noses?
In short, the natural world provides much of the inspiration for my writing. My books are all Fantasy in genre and usually feature some non-human characters, whether shifter, dragon, feline or selkie – not all of those creature’s stories have made it to publication yet! I’ve got over 20 books in various stages of completion created over the past decade. Only 4 have made it into print so far!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The latest book in my current Wizards of White Haven series is called Natalya. I found her story quite fun to write. I liked having a strong woman with the nature of a wolf but whose power animal was a tiger. Having escaped slavery she has issues and doesn’t trust easily. She then dares to butt heads with her other rescuer, when most back down from his lion nature.
Having many different characters interacting at a school, some with animal traits, I found intriguing to write about. A wizard is going to act quite differently than a shifter.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a busy full time day job where I am the entire finance department. My creativity therefore has to wait until I get home of an evening. I write whenever I can fit it in, or at weekends.
My conservatory is my writing room and my favourite time to write tends to be late at night. After the family has gone to bed and the TV is off, the house is finally quiet and I can lose myself in my alternate world. Unfortunately working late and getting up early don’t always go hand in hand but hey, you do what you have to.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon all inspired as have a huge number of others in a variety of ways. I particularly liked Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders series. Both series are richly written and encompass wide sweeping epic tales of ordinary people, swept into extraordinary places and circumstances. I found Hobb’s writing of the sea-serpents intriguing in that they were initially maligned as deadly and vicious creatures. Only in later books do you discover their intelligence and actions are based on their desperate plight for their very survival and that it rests in trusting human hands.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on the 4th book in the White Haven series. When writing a series, when you’ve introduced a large cast of characters, it’s always difficult to narrow it down, since they all want to be included as their lives and dramas continue to develop.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Like many authors I’m not an extrovert and find the aspect of marketing daunting. Most people seem to think a writer can write marketing material too – not so. It is a very different task and skillset. Self-promotion just doesn’t come naturally to me. I confess I’ve been relying on Amazon’s websites making my books available worldwide. I’m now trying to reach a wider audience by advertising free promotion dates through the free websites.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
1. Don’t give up the day job until you can afford to. Not everyone can be as successful as JK Rowling.
2. Consider taking a Creative Writing course. Writing a book for yourself is easy. However, when you sell it, readers expect something set out correctly, mistake free and the language polished. Think of it like baking a cake. What you make for the family might taste good, but is not necessarily the standard you’d create to grace a shop window i.e. be seen in public.
3. Don’t rely on the spell-checker or proof-reading yourself. If you haven’t an editor, ensure you have several proof-readers go over the book before publication. Everyone misses something but it’s always helpful to get objective views on whether sentences make sense etc. too. It’s far better to take the necessary time to get it right than be embarrassed later.
Write what you want to write and enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying it, that vibe will show in your writing. Just stop and do something else for a bit – don’t try to force it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t try to please everyone – it’s impossible. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart and write what you really feel strongly about.
What are you reading now?
I’m surfing at the moment, trying a whole host of different new authors. For me, reading lots and often different genres, helps the creativity flow once more.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve been working on my Wizards of White Haven series for a couple of years now, but am also considering two different spin off series. I’ve published the first of a different series called Surviving Prophesy: The Immortals. I’m also considering a spin off, concentrating on my Clan Green Bear shifters, but none of that can happen yet. I’ve got readers asking when my White Haven book 4 will be published, so spin offs will have to wait their turn.
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?
If it was a luxury desert island resort I’d take my Kindle, which has several hundred books loaded and of course I’d need a solar battery charger!
Otherwise, and in no particular order, I’d prefer a Bear Grylls survival guide (if necessary), a lined notebook (empty) with biro for my next epic and then consider the difficult task of choosing what novels NOT to bring. I’m a Gena Showalter fan so perhaps her latest or a Nalini Singh book (whichever I’ve not yet read). I’m a fast reader so I’d also like to take something new and long.
Author Websites and Profiles
Frances Howitt Website
Frances Howitt Amazon Profile
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