Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the middle child of a large family… maybe that’s all you need to know! My careers and life experiences have been many. I’ve worked as an architectural technician, designer, and run a vintage clothing shop in Cornwall with the man I finally married, after a variety of fairly unsucessful relationships (although one resulted in two beautiful sons, so no regrets there). These days I spend the majority of my time writing humorous novels and short stories.
I have written two books. My debut novel is Hungary For Adventure which in Ebook format and available to download on Amazon and my second novel is titled SHOWING OFF and is also available to download from Amazon.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
SHOWING OFF
The inspiration for writting this book about putting on a fashion show derives from my own experience organising a number of fund raising shows when I owned a vintage clothing boutique.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really, I just write whenever I can. If I have a wave of sudden inspiration I might get up and write at three in the morning, as that’s when I tend to suddenly come up with new ideas and my next chapter.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Laurie Graham and P.G.Wodehouse, to name but two.
What are you working on now?
Short stories and ideas for a third book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Hard to say, although offering free days on Amazon really boosted downloads. Then I guess it’s best to try connecting with as many websites as possible and my blog has been a help.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always go over and over what you believe to be your finished novel for typos and mistakes. Don’t rush into sending it out to an agent or publishing your own Ebook until you are absolutely sure it is the best it can be and mistake free. I read this advice somewhere and then ignored it, more fool me! I ended up uploading my Ebooks far too soon and then had to keep re-uploading them as I noticed more and more errors! What I should have done was put the books aside for a few weeks and then re-read them. You can end up rewriting so many times as you build your book that after a while you become weary and typo blind. I also found that even when I felt sure the book was as I wanted it to be, when I returned to it weeks later there were always sentences that I could improve, and some which I deleted.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t rush to get your book into print or sent to an agent. Wait a month and re-read it This distance from the euphoria you might feel when you believe it to be finally finished is vital.
What are you reading now?
I’m not reading anything right now as I am trying to come up with a new book idea. The last fictional book I read was a few months ago, Another Country by James Baldwin, which was excellent. I have also been reading How Not to Write a Novel by Sandra Newman & Howard Mittelmark, 200 mistakes to avoid at all costs if you ever want to get published. I’ts very funny and you will learn from it. However, in my two books I have quite deliberately flouted some of the rules as the humour depends on it. I hope that people will laugh when they read my books. If you want to be a ‘serious’ writer then abide by every rule.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Another book and some real success with the two I have now written I hope!
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?
Sorry, I find this question too difficult.
Author Websites and Profiles
Louise T W Lucas Website
Louise T W Lucas Amazon Profile
Louise T W Lucas’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account