Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a civil litigation solicitor in Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands. I have written three books.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called In the Shadow of the Hill. I wrote a short story that was placed in a competition and published. It was about two young boys with very different lives, living next door to each other on an island. Someone commented that it would be great to know what happened to the boys when they grew up. That led me to think of the different paths they might take, based on their life experiences, and, eventually, to writing the novel, with the short story as the prologue.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write whenever I can, but it is not easy when working full-time. I tend to write in the evenings and at weekends, but I sometimes find myself scribbling passages while sitting in court waiting for my cases to call. I might get inspiration from a tetchy sheriff or an entertaining defender. Inspiration is everywhere.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
CS Sansom, Anne Lamott, Niall Williams, F Scott Fitzgerald, Neil Gunn, Ian Rankin, Val McDermit, Lin Anderson
All-time favourites – Good Times Bad Times by James Kirkwood and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
What are you working on now?
I am working on a sequel to In the Shadow of the Hill. I am also polishing up my novel set in 18th century St Kilda, a remote island off the west coast of Scotland, which was inhabited until 1930.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Awesomegang! I have found Amazon to be very good. Interviews and reviews in local newspapers have led to big sales increases on Amazon. Local bookshops have been great too, and the ferries sailing to the Outer Hebrides have sold several copies in their shops.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep at it. Read as much as possible. Go to writing classes and retreats, and make writing friends. The support from other writers is invaluable. Don’t give up when you get rejections – so many famous authors were rejected – you’re in good company!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Read as widely as possible – you can’t be a successful writer unless you’re a prolific reader.
What are you reading now?
Where the Bodies are Buried by Chris Brookmyre
What’s next for you as a writer?
I just want to get the second crime novel finished and then the third and fourth and so on …
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?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte; Good Times Bad Times by James Kirkwood; New Light – 12 Quaker Voices; Room – Emma Donoghue
Author Websites and Profiles
Helen Forbes Amazon Profile
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