Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I came late to writing – I had a kind of wandering career path that eventually led into archaeology.
A Spell in the Country was written on a dare, and it wasn’t supposed to go anywhere, but here I am with two other books out (another fantasy novel, “Casting in Stone”, and a memoir of my hippie childhood, called “Flashbacks: an unreliable memoir of the 60s”) and two more books at the halfway point.
I guess there’s a lot of ways to become a writer.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Casting in Stone is a kind of prequel to A Spell in the Country, and it was inspired by a completely off-the-cuff half of a sentence I threw into that first book, and then could not (literally could not) stop thinking about.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write in a semi-prone position in bed. It stems from when I was living and studying in the UK, and my room was really tiny, so I lay in bed with my laptop to write my MA thesis, and it was just so darn comfy.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I think the one book that really influenced me – or at least, taught me about structuring a novel – was “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.
It’s amazing, because the turning point of the book is the proposal from Mr. Darcy, and no matter what edition, what font, what page size your copy is in, that occurs at almost the exact halfway point.
It taught me how to pace a novel, but so effortlessly that I had no idea she was teaching me anything at all.
What are you working on now?
My current WIP is called “The Shades of Winter” and it’s kind of a fantasy take on Norse/Viking culture and what happens when a group of aging warrior go off on one last raid and get a whole lot more than they bargained for.
Mostly, it was inspired by my interest and research into the Viking Age, and from a friend who said “Why are all the main characters in fantasy novels so young?”
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think the thing that helps me the most of all is when someone reads a book and tells their friends about it.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Work hard at writing the best you can and then hire a professional editor. Not your mom, not your high school English teacher, not your boyfriend. A stranger who wants the *book* to be great, and doesn’t care if they hurt your feelings in the process.
And then grow a thick skin. The book is not you – it’s part of you, but critique of the book is not critique of you personally.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Keep writing!”
What are you reading now?
“Rise of the Nazil by Aaron Michael Hall (for adults only, there’s some tough stuff in there) and “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing up “Shades” and then finishing “The Mourning Rose” which is a kind of “regency romance/fantasy” novel I started because of a writing prompt in a writers’ group.
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?
I can’t – no…Neil Gaiman says that’s like choosing which body parts you think you can’t do without.
I read a lot, and there’s always new stuff to discover.
Author Websites and Profiles
Morgan Smith Website
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