Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Three fiction novels published so far on Amazon, but I’ve also authored academic articles on time travel and women in science fiction. I have spent the bulk of my life in education, although I was raised a publican’s daughter so started my life as a barmaid and occasional pub manager when my parents went on holiday. I got my BA and PhD in philosophy from Durham University, taught at Durham, Leeds and the University of Michigan-Flint for a while, have worked in the education section of the welfare to work sector and taught A levels. I was the editor, writer, and everything else for a society magazine for 4 years. I live happily alone with 2 pet rats named Ticcit and Barto (after two characters in book 2).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The last one published was Ystrian Dreams, Book 3 in Oslac’s Odyssey which wraps up the initial tale of Alex and Daniel. I knew where the trilogy was going right from page 1 of book 1, it just took me a few hundred thousand words to get there!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I use yWriter to make notes while I’m at the computer, and keep track of character names and quirks, but I also have two leather-bound notebooks (one on my desk, one by the bed) so if an idea occurs when I’m asleep (happens all too often!) or when the computer’s been turned off, I can write it down. Believe it or not, when using the one on my desk I have an inkwell and a quill (the quill was a Christmas present from a friend). I don’t know why, but I like this old fashioned approach and it stops my handwriting degenerating into something even more incomprehensible than it already is!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Pratchett, E. Nesbitt, but also scriptwriters like Joe Straczynski and Neil Gaiman. I’m an avid reader and I’ll give most things a go, but these are the ones I revisit. I like writers who treat me as intelligent and don’t bog me down in more description than I can cope with. That makes Tolkien a bit borderline, but he writes so well I can forgive him (the same with Dickens). Unless it’s relevant to the plot, I don’t care what the characters are wearing or the pictures on the wall, I want to know what they’re THINKING. Thus, I prefer books that are more dialogue than narrative and my style definitely reflects that.
What are you working on now?
I’m on chapter 9 of The Dragons Of Mithgryr which follows on from a chapter in book 2 of the original stories. I invented so many characters over the course of the first trilogy that only got one or, at most, two chapters to tell their story. The dragons of Mithgryr came to life in my head and I wanted to spend more time with them (as did several of my readers!), so I decided to write an entire novel set in their universe. The good thing with my books is that because of the way the initial characters work, they can be in the new book as dragons, even though we first meet Alex as a human and Daniel as… well, something else but he WAS a human.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
If I knew the answer to that, I’d be doing a lot better than I am! Although my reviews (all honest and volunteered by my readers) are excellent, I’m fighting the Amazon algorithm. Since I’m your original poverty-stricken artist, I can’t buy advertising worth hundreds of pounds at a time so I’m relying on word of mouth and places like this. I am easily distracted (I would have been diagnosed with ADHD when I was a child if such a thing existed then) so I refuse to go on Twitter and was dragged kicking and screaming onto Facebook. I’ve grown used to FB, but I really don’t need any other distractions!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get good editors! No matter how good Word and the other word-processors get, they WILL miss stupid mistakes, but your readers won’t. When you’re in the middle of a story and the author uses the wrong word or there’s a glaring typo, it yanks the reader out of the story. I encourage my readers to tell me if they still manage to find one that slips through (so far, so good!). The nice thing about Amazon publishing is you can fix it and upload the correction overnight, so no one else is bothered by it. Writers have a ton of methods they all say is THE way to write. I don’t think there is ONE way, there’s only YOUR way. I do stick to the ‘minimum of 500 words a day’ rule. I usually go well past that, but I’m not allowed to quit until I’ve done 500. Once a chapter goes out to editors I have one day when I can play computer games, watch movies or do something completely different, but the rest of the time I can’t rest until I’ve done my word count. It doesn’t sound like much (it isn’t!) but I’ve completed 3 large novels in under two years and I’m well into my fourth, so it works for me. 500 isn’t too big a mountain for a muddled brain to cope with, and often I find it ends up at 2,000.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If in doubt, don’t! That was one of my old teachers at school and it’s served me well. Also, constructive criticism should always be welcome. When I was writing my PhD there was one chapter I’d been working on for months and was quite proud of it. My supervisor eviscerated it. Seriously, there was nothing left by the time he finished. I had to excuse myself to go to the dept. toilets and cry for ten minutes. When I was done I returned to his office, asked if anything was salvageable and, when he told me no, dumped the lot in the bin, apologised for wasting his time and left. I started again. The new chapter was a HUGE improvement and, in the end, my PhD was completed under the time limit and passed first time. What seemed cruel turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me. He said to me, “I didn’t do that because I wanted to hurt you. I did it because you’re capable of so much better and I wouldn’t be doing MY job if I didn’t make you do your very best.” He was quite right. It hurt, as criticism always hurts, but it made me better. Destructive criticism I’ve no time for, but constructive is always welcome.
What are you reading now?
Terry Pratchett’s Lords and Ladies. First visit for me. I’ve read most of his stuff but there were a few blanks that needed to be filled in. Also Jodi Taylor’s St Mary’s Chronicles. I often have more than one book on the go at the same time.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve another two novels in the second trilogy on the back burner. One is set in the world occupied by another species I invented in book 2 and the other with a couple of warring species I created in book 3. I REALLY want to write these, so I’m hoping I’ll get enough readers to make it possible.
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?
Terry Pratchett’s Pyramids (time travel, Ancient Egypt, a Guild of assassins, philosophy AND humour. What’s not to love?), Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (a nice, complex world full of characters whose stories you want to hear), and a good all-encompassing collection of classical mythology (as they’re the root of everything else).
Author Websites and Profiles
Sharon Ney Website
Sharon Ney Amazon Profile
Sharon Ney’s Social Media Links
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