Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello!
My name is Gem Solity, I am a writer, photographer and art college lecturer who lives in a tiny town between Exmoor and Dartmoor in Devon, England.
I have two young children, two ginger cats and a partner who puts up with my crazy imagination!
When I’m not writing or teaching, I love to watch films or binge a good TV series- Stranger Things is my current favourite- I enjoy stories that are fast-paced! I’m also a bit of a whizz with the hula hoop, it’s the best way to exercise!!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Who is Ida Thorne? is my debut novel. I started writing it four years ago, but as a working mother it can be tricky to find the time to fit everything in.
I was first inspired to write Ida during a workshop I taught up on the High Moors in Dartmoor. It contains the largest concentration of Bronze Age remains in the UK which sent my imagination into overdrive. What would happen if a teenage girl discovered she was an integral part of an ancient order that hid beneath the cragged tors, and what if she didn’t believe or conform to this new world? What if she thought she was actually going crazy…?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write around my children and work, so very early starts is when I do the most. There’s something about the time when you just wake up, have only just left the realm of dreams and you feel as the rest of the world is still asleep. It’s a magical time of day.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a variety of genres, but Stephen King and Dean Koontz are great for the imagination and suspense and I devoured all of their books as a young adult. Iain Banks for breaking the mould with his protagonists. Agatha Christie- she was a genius!
What are you working on now?
I am currently writing the 2nd book in The Ida Thorne Trilogy- things really start to heat up!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Who is Ida Thorne is my debut, so I am quite new to the promotional side of writing. I’ll let you know!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write! And when you start, just free-flow, don’t interrupt your creativity with trying to get it right first time, you’ll have plenty of time in your editing to correct mistakes you make. Foreshadowing is also really important.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice was something I read in Stephen King’s On Writing. Two words to always hold in your mind as you write: what if….?
What are you reading now?
I am currently reading Patrick Rothfuss’ The Wise Man’s Fear, straight after The Name of the Wind. Epic story-telling and the most addictive characters. I love how he’s not afraid to go off on tangents and really let the characters lead the narrative.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finish the Ida trilogy and start a new one. I have a new protagonist who keeps talking in my head and I constantly have to shush her- her time will come!
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?
Watchers- Dean Koontz
The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss
The Magic Faraway Tree- Enid Blyton (rediscovered my love for this book whilst reading it to my kids)
And Then There Were None- Agatha Christie
Author Websites and Profiles
Gem Solity Website
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