Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve written two books – three if you count the fact that I completely rewrote my first book from scratch. Not a word of the original remained. I changed it to third person from first; I dropped characters, added some. All of was different the second time around. And better. So I’ve written the same story twice over, plus my published book, Either Side of Midnight. I’m a mum of four and one of seven. I have a big immediate family, but strangely, no cousins, no aunts and only one uncle. My dad was an only child and my mum only has one brother, and he never had a family. Being part of a big family is wonderful. We’re close. We cushion one another. There is no competitiveness at all and no bad feeling between any of us. I have three sisters, all of whom have read and reviewed my book. They’re the people I most trust in the world, along with my mum and my husband. I grew up in Greater Manchester in a scary old house that had a cellar and three floors. It was cold all year round. It was a stone build Victorian mansion that had been divided into four. Our part never really got the sun, so even in summer, the house wasn’t warm. In winter, it was freezing. OK, so it had a magnificent hallway and staircase. We had the entrance part of the original house (please don’t get the impression we had money. Just the opposite was true. That house was cheaper when my parents bought it that the semi-detached houses around it. It’s worth a small fortune now). Who wants character in a house when you can see your breath in the morning? We had a coal fire in the main family room. We all congregated in this room which was attached to the kitchen. Families spent time together back then. It all sounds very primitive from our modern perspective. The seventies seem so distant in terms of the kind of life I had to the kind of life my children have. It’s impossible to conceive of the changes really.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest and only published book is called Either Side of Midnight. I wrote it while I was waiting for a decision on my first book. My first book is a paranormal YA suspense. Once I’d rewritten it, I was ready to send it out to literary agents. Two London agencies asked for my book in full (the usual arrangement is sending three chapters, and this will be routinely rejected), which was an achievement in itself. They took four months each to decide to reject my book. Each time, it was an intense period of waiting. I’ve only realised since that the waiting influenced my writing. My subconscious mind threw up a plot at that time – of a girl who had been abducted on her wedding night. She doesn’t know who’s holding her, what he wants, where she is, or whether or not she’ll ever get out alive. Her future was in the hands of someone else. I suppose that’s how I felt. Not surprisingly, I wrote a suspense thriller during my long wait. I honestly don’t know what inspired the characters. The protagonist is a pianist like me. It’s natural to write about things you know about, and foolish not to really. Ultimately, the culmination of my life so far was the inspiration for the book.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
At the moment, I’m struggling to have any writing habits at all! Since publishing Either Side of Midnight, my focus has been on managing and promoting the book. Finding time to write new material is very difficult. My time is short, my life more complicated. My premise for writing is that it has to be quiet. And I absolutely have to be alone. It’s hard to be alone with more than 2,000 followers on Twitter and hundreds on Facebook. The world beckons too often these days, and I answer the call! I need to become much more disciplined if I am to successfully write a sequel to Either Side of Midnight, which I fully intend to do. Writing feels like wading through treacle at the moment. Oh to be logical, methodical and disciplined. Instead, I’m impulsive, responsive, and I can so easily get distrac–
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Too many to name really. When I was younger, I read all of the C S Lewis books in the Narnia series. Those books were magic to a child in the seventies. It was the age of no distractions. I grew up with three TV channels. My kids can barely comprehend it. Channel 4 was born in the 80’s. It was the perfect reading opportunity; the ideal time to get lost in Narnia. Those books influenced me. I was an adult when Harry Potter came out. I read them anyway because my children were reading them. I have to take my hat off to JK. Those books really are incredible. JK Rowling’s inspiration has spanned generations of people. She’s fired the imagination of the whole planet. I once read a quote about the Twilight series (which I admittedly enjoyed very much) which said, ‘Move over JK Rowling.’ I hope Stephenie Meyer will forgive me for saying that the Twilight books are not in the same league. More recently, I have read all of the Jack Reacher books, Lee Child’s creation. I think they’re fantastic. Each one has been a page-turner for me. Each has had me reaching (please pardon the pun) for the next one. Many books interest and inspire me. I don’t have a prescription when choosing a book. I like variety. I do have one condition for reading a book, whatever the subject matter – it has to be well-written. The author’s voice has to intrigue me. The subject matter isn’t half as important to me as the voice. I’d read happily read about someone’s day and a visit to an old folks home, so long as it’s engaging.
What are you working on now?
A sequel to Either Side of Midnight. It’s terrifying writing a sequel. Either Side of Midnight has hit the spot with many people. I almost don’t know what I did right and I always doubt I can do it again. This thought disables me sometimes. I constantly tell myself that it’s quite ridiculous to be intimidated by my own book!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t have a method. Promoting my book is an ongoing experiment and something of an enigma. I always think that everyone else knows what they’re doing and I’m the one person who’s always ‘winging it’. Self-publishing literally means that! It means learning to be a publisher, which is very daunting. My favourite social media option is probably Twitter. I haven’t got the hang of Facebook really. I don’t have a website yet or a blog, which every other author seems to have. Honestly, between blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, and posting all manner of other things online, I don’t know how people find time to eat, let alone visit the toilet or actually write anything new. Most people who write who are self-published have a job too. Many have families. I think there is a great need for balance. Social media and promotion can take over if you’re not careful. I’m trying to balance this crazy self-publishing life with my four children and 25 piano students. I’m spinning tons of plates, none of them very successfully, I don’t feel. Still a learner, with a great big red L.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a new author. My advice to anyone self-publishing would be, don’t rush. Set up the social media platforms in advance of publishing. I didn’t and it was both a huge shock and a big mistake. I also think that if I could turn back the clock, I would write the sequel before publishing the first book. It is prudent to be a step or two ahead. I wish I’d taken another year to get the second book going before I entered the circus. I hadn’t realised how all-consuming it would be and how it would rob creativity. When you self-publish, you turn into a compulsive checker! Check emails, check Twitter, check Facebook, check emails – oh, done that. OK, check Amazon for reviews. Check the US Amazon site also. How many books have sold today? Oh, look, five people have retweeted my ad for the book. Better check their page and return the favour. And on, and on, potentially all day long. Then there are the free promotions where readers download thousands of copies a day. Check, check, check. Constant stimulation. It’s exciting and exhausting and all-consuming. My advice would be – write as much as you can stomach before you present it to the world. The world can wait. Nothing is the same after publication. Also, make sure it’s ready. If it isn’t, the bad reviews will point out all the flaws and finish you pretty quickly. Work, work, work some more. A book never really feels ready, but as the author, you have to feel you’ve done absolutely all you can. You literally have to give it your all.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I haven’t taken enough advice to be able to comment on that. You really have to do what’s best for you. No two people take the same journey when it comes to writing or self-publishing. We do what we can with the resources we have available. Thinking about it, the best advice is the general advice that is out there – be yourself. In all writing pursuits, whether publishing or promoting or actually writing, be yourself, be true to yourself and have integrity.
What are you reading now?
Nothing. I’m too busy. I have a stack of books waiting to be read and feel overwhelmed by them. The last book I read was the latest Jack Reacher novel. I’m definitely going to get lost in a book or three over Christmas. I’m looking forward to it (reading that is, not Christmas – bah, humbug).
What’s next for you as a writer?
Managing my time and getting things into perspective. In the new year, I want to get back to set writing times every day. I need to reassure myself that I’m still capable of writing!
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?
The Bible
Engleby by Sebastian Faulks
A manual about how to build a raft by I B Crappingit
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