1: What is the most productive
time of the day for you to write?
I write all the time, but I tend
to do editing and rewriting during the day and actual initial creation in the
evenings. I produce the most, and best writing after my kids are in bed after
9pm.
2: Do you start your projects
writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?
I prefer typing to writing but I
do have a large collection of notebooks and favourite pens that I take with me
when I do out. With no laptop, it’s hard to lug a desktop pc around, I need to
do pen and paper sometimes.
3: What do you draw inspiration
from?
I get inspiration from all over
the place. Life is inspiration, watching the clouds in the garden, weeding my
vegetable garden, watching my kids play. I read and watch films and draw from
those too. It’s just a matter of soaking up all everything and then something
will fall into place.
4: Do you set goals for yourself
when you sit down to write such as word count?
As a NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org) veteran I do work to
word count goals. During November it’s 2,000 words a day but the rest of the
year it’s 500 words in a sitting, minimum.
5: Are you a published or a self
published author and how do you come up with your cover art?
I prefer the term “Independent
Author” but some would call it self published. For my first book, The Portal
Between, I had a definite idea for the cover, sourced the original image and a
friend made it into the cover for me. For the second book, The Portal Sundered,
I had a rough idea, took the photo myself and then made the cover myself. Then
for the latest book, The Map and The Stone, I have collaborated with an artist
looking to expand her portfolio and she’s designed the cover for me.
6: What drives you to choose the
career of being a writer?
It chose me. I’ve done paid
employment, I’m currently self employed and I love being my own boss, setting
my own targets. But the writing is always there, I’m always making notes,
writing descriptions, scenes, ideas. The process of creation is an undercurrent
to my whole life. It’s not a career or a job, it’s part of who I am and I am
lucky enough to live in a time where I can make it work for me.
7: Do you own an ebook reading
device?
Not yet. But I do have an ebook
reading application on my pc.
8: Who are some of your favorite
authors and What are you reading now?
I love Robin Hobb’s 6 Duchies
books, especially the Farseer and Fool series. Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books are
also a favourite, as are her Tower and The Hive sequence.
I’ve just discovered Laurell K
Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books and am enjoying them enormously.
Sherilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter books are another new discovery – and I’m
currently reading Acheron.
9: What do you think of book
trailers and do you have any plans to have any?
I think book trailers can work
well. They give an extra dimension to the book, a different way of thinking
about the story. I’ve made trailers for my books and they’re on youtube but they’re
only slide shows with some music really. I’m proud of them though because I had
to learn a whole new set of skills to make and upload them.
10: How did you come up with the
title of your latest book?
I find the titles probably the
hardest thing to find and every book I’ve written has been through several
titles before I settle on the “right” one. The Map and The Stone was initially
called “Rhys” and then “Rhys and The Darkling” and “The Darkling’s Nexus”
amongst other things before I settled on The Map and The Stone – which was
chosen because it reflects the core story elements without giving too much
away.
11: What are you working on now
that you can talk about?
I’m working on the next Portal
Series book for now and that picks up a short time after The Portal Sundered
ended. It’s currently standing at about 70,000 words and should have a very
rough draft done by the end of this year.
However, I am never content with
just one writing project so I also have a post apocalyptic futuristic story where
the main character dies in the opening scene and the rest of the book is about
bringing her back.
Then there’s the project set in
the present day but with a secret organization that hides in plain sight while
dealing with increasing contact with extra terrestrial civilizations, as well
as addressing the ecological damage we’re doing to our world. In that one they
get to go into space in a regular car such as you or I might drive.
I don’t stop….
Wahay! Thanks for this.
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