Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am currently in the thick of the editing phase of my sixth book. I started writing books about seven years ago, and the first took me about eighteen months to finish, and then anther eighteen months to edit. After I completed that book the process got a good injection of speed/dynamite and I haven’t stopped writing since. I have three books published, my fourth book is with the editor, fifth book with the beta readers, and the sixth, which is a follow up to number five, is my current work in progress.
Writing for me is the thing I always wanted to be doing. Even at school I dreamed of being a writer. But somehow I got on a different track, ended up at university studying science, and writing became the hobby. I am now in a fortunate position, because I get a few hours each day in the mornings when I can work exclusively on my books. Writing every day is like a dream come true, and I don’t think now that I could do without my creative hours! My ‘real life’ is all about hearts, and in comparison to the worlds I create in my head, they seem so boring!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Psychophilia, and it will be released in the next month or so. The title is actually something my husband came up with. He likes getting involved, and I think he feels bad because he doesn’t read my books. But he gets the shortened version in the form of the constant talk about the characters and the story, and when I am working on a title he sees it as a bit of a challenge to come up with something I will use. This time, he did a great job!
The inspiration for the story came from my own experiences. Last year I suffered a fairly horrible reaction to some prescribed medication and ended up in hospital, intubated, with a working diagnosis of psychosis! It was a fairly scary week, much of which I do not remember. When I woke up I couldn’t even speak. Afterwards people were very stressed about the whole thing, none more so than my husband, and it was in many ways worse for everybody else. That inspired the story of a woman who nearly lost her life and can’t remember why her husband doesn’t love her anymore.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I think I am fairly boring when it comes to writing habits. The only thing I need is a good cup of tea. Biscuits are an optional extra!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My earliest memories of books is of Roald Dahl. I remember reading his stories and keeping the books on my shelf like they were some sort of treasure. But the first time I remember wanting to be a writer was when I held a Stephen King book in my hands for the first time. I was nine years old and it was a copy of Gerald’s Game. I was begging to read it and my parents were against it. In the end I won, and realised why they weren’t so keen. Knowing that a writer could create something that sparked such opinion and divided thought was very alluring!
What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on The Dawn, a series of novellas telling the story of a dystopian post nuclear war city. The book follows our main protagonist, Zack Christian, as he tries to understand his world, and the things he has lost/left behind. It started work as a NaNoWriMo project, and at first I wasn’t sure it was going anywhere. But after working on the first in the series I am excited to get the rest all worked out.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am a fan of Amazon Select, and so far have used it for each of my books. I advertise the free days, and usually get a good number of downloads and a steady stream of sales post promotion. If ENT pick up the book the promotion usually does very well.
I am planning to make my first novella, The Dawn permanently free. That will be a first for me and I am interested to see how it effects sales for the later books in the series.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice for new authors is fairly simple. Bullet points are easiest here. So, this is how it goes.
1) Write a lot.
2) Read a lot,
3) Don’t pay for promotion when you only have one book out, concentrate on the long haul and get books two and three written,
4) Know yourself. Know what you want to write. Know you’re a writer. Know that you can always do better.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This Stephen King quote is my favourite at the moment.
“Running a close second [as a writing lesson] was the realization that stopping a piece of work just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position.”
What are you reading now?
The Handmaid’s Tale. I first read it at school and loved it back then. But that was eighteen years ago, so now I have a totally different take on it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am concentrating on my novella series for now, as that is a new area for me. I have never written a novella before, and am enjoying working each short book up into a climax. After that, I have the intention to write a sequel to Identity X, and I am hoping that by the end of the year, that will at least be in progress.
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, tough choice! OK, let’s think about this. Number one would be Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Number two would be The Hunger Games. Three would be Brave New World because I just got it through the post and I haven’t read it yet, and number four would be a huge notepad to write all my ideas down, so that when I get rescued/build my raft I can remember what was going on in my brain at the time so that I can write more books!
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