Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in the North of England, I was born in Liverpool, but my family travelled around a fair bit when I was a child so I don’t have the ‘Scouse’ accent, although I have inherited that quirky sense of humour!
I have been writing for so long I can’t count, and had some articles and poems published in magazines and papers, and won a few competitions. Then, in 2011 I woke from a vivid dream, and wrote the story down. It was a traditional Western and was taken on by the first publisher I sent it to! They have now published three of mine. I also have 2 full length Western Romances and one novella length in an anthology, a true dog story in another anthology, and a short supernatural book, all published by an American publisher. Last year, a different American publisher accepted my latest work, a full length Contemporary Romance with a touch of the Supernatural. So in all, that makes nine published works now. And I can’t help but smile when I say – I sell cowboys to America!’
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It is called ‘The Gypsy’s Kiss,’ and was sort of inspired by an old cottage my husband and I moved into many years ago.It was almost as bad as the one in the story, and in it, I felt many of the same sensations experienced by the heroine, Sofia, including the the knowledge of a ghost hanging around the old place.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Being British, I drink gallons of tea! I often play music to match the mood of the piece I am working on at the time. Although I don’t think either of these are particularly unusual as such!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, now that’s a hard one.I read in lots of genres and can’t really point to any one author or book in particular. I do think that as writers, we collect information from other authors and books by osmosis.
What are you working on now?
I like to work on more than one project, then if I should get ‘stuck’ on anything, I can hop over to another one! On the go right now, I have another Western Romance, a Romance set in 1920s England, and a Medieval Romance, and I am working on a poetry anthology and some stories for children.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well, up to now, I have tended to rely mostly on Facebook and Twitter, word of mouth and talks, I am ashamed to say I have only just realised that Goodreads carried author interviews!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up! I know, it’s a cliche, right? But it really is true. If you give up, you will never know how good you could have been!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up. See above. It took me a long, long time and one heck of a lot of rejections, but eventually I had just the right book for just the right publisher, at just the right time!
What are you reading now?
I have a huge TBR pile to get through, but the one on my Kindle this week is ‘The Unexpected Bride,’ by Lena Goldfinch. It is a Mail Order Bride story with a twist!
What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing, hopefully more work published, and to be able to get a children’s book published.
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?
Oh dear, that’s a tough one! Hang on, let me shuffle through the untidy filing cabinet that is my brain. Hmmm. One would be ‘Tim,’ by Colleen McCullough, ‘The Complete Winnie the Pooh,’ by A.A. Milne, Because all of human life is there and Winnie can always make me smile, no matter how bad a day I’ve had. Then, as its a desert island and I’d need to know how to survive, the last one would have to be ‘The SAS Survival Handbook!’
Author Websites and Profiles
Jill McDonald-Constable Website