Meet the gorgeous DD who doesn't like to have favourites, she just loves everyone.
How do you strike the
balance between writing something you want to write and writing something that
people want to read, in terms of the compromises you make, if any?
I
think that it’s really important for an author to write the sort of stories
that they themselves would want to read. For me when I’m writing a story I’m
excited to see were the plot is going to go, how the characters are going to
grow and change throughout the story.
Hopefully
anyone that reads my books can see my enthusiasm for my stories coming through
and that it gives them extra enjoyment.
What excites, attracts or
appeals to you about the genre(s) you write in.
King
Soloman said that there was ‘nothing new under the sun’.
I
think that’s the thing that I love most when I’m writing; the fact that, at its
root, every problem and desire, every mistake, has been made a thousand times
over. Nothing is new; the problems and dilemmas we face now are the same humans
have always faced, they’re just wrapped differently. I find that intriguing.
Do you have a box, drawer,
folder etc where you keep thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names
you have come across, bits of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no
idea when you might use them?
I
tend to keep a lot of ideas on the ‘notes’ of my iphone! Often I’m not in the
house, or I haven’t a pen to hand, when I have an idea. So it all gets written
into my phone.
Sometimes
I’ll have a scene, or a plot twist, for months before I find a book to use it
in!
I
also have word.docs on my computer with synopses of books as yet unwritten!
How do you manage plot
bunnies (ideas that invade your mind that aren’t usually helpful to the story
you’re writing but breed like...er...bunnies)?
I
stick ‘em in a word.doc on my computer. A high percentage of them get used in
other books or further along in the story.
How much of you is in your
characters? Which of your characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or
be with ?
It’s
hard to answer this one.
Creating
characters is difficult, your goodies have to be people that readers can
respect but at the same time they have to challenge their idea of what ‘good’
is.
It’s
one of the things that I really enjoy exploring when I’m writing the characters
in my books: is this action by my hero only acceptable to me because he’s the
hero? If the villain had done the same thing would I have condemned him as
evil?
Tom
in my Broken City series is very kind and gentle toward his family and the
heroine, but at the same time he’s a soldier. He has killed people. He’s taken
lives to protect the people he loves, regardless of the fact that the people
that he has killed have loved ones too. Can he still be called a hero?
Kai
in my Chronicles of Discord series has been brought up to put the good of the
many over the good of the few. Yet is it always right to do so? He says that
difficult decisions have to be made and he needs to be strong enough to make
them. Yet isn’t that just an excuse for inhumane behaviour? Can he still be
called a hero?
Leofric
in my Lady Quill Chronicles series points out that he and his foster brothers
are no different to the mercenaries they are chasing. They make war and plunder
other peoples lands. Just because they are protecting their kingdom and their
king, does that really make them any better? Can they still be called heroes?
I
can’t really pick a favourite to be or be with.
I
love Daegmund’s irreverence and the fact that he has his own moral code and
doesn’t care if people agree with him.
I
love Leofric’s determination to hide his own worries from his friends and not
be a burden on them. He refuses to indulge in self-pity.
I
love Shin’s fairness, his desire to do the right thing and his willingness to
stand by his friends no matter what the cost.
I
love Kai’s reasonableness, the fact that he can be calm and hold his temper in
check no matter what the provocation. His unwillingness to give in to his own
loneliness.
I
love Tom’s willingness to protect those who are weak and his love of his
family.
I
love Ryder’s loyalty to his brother.
I
love Deeta’s innocence, Astra’s strength, Adele’s understanding and Esme’s open
nature.
Do you become so wrapped up
in your writing that your spouse wonders if they're married to you or one of
your characters?
I’m
not married, in my case it’s my mum and sister. Apparently they haven’t seen me
in two or three years…
They
always know what kind of scene I’ve been writing because (so they say) I take
on the mood of the bit I’m working on!!!
What type of book do you
like reading? Is it the same genre as you write?
I
read anything with adventure and mystery to it, I also like a bit of romance
but not a book that is *only* about romance. Thrillers, suspense, historical,
dystopian… I’ll read everything but horror.
What lengths do you go to,
to convince us readers that your book has the X factor?
I
usually bribe prospective readers with brownies and fluffy pillows!
How do you feel when a
reader points out the spelling mistake(s) you have made?
Thankful!
I
have my books professionally proofread, but errors always creep in.
What do you like most about
visiting KUF/GR/forums?
I
love finding new authors and talking about books, bacon and chocolate! The
online community of readers has been very welcoming to me and I’m very grateful
to them!
What is on your near horizon?
I’ve
just released Claire and the Big Bad Bunny, book three in my Claire series of
short stories.
And
later on in the month I’ll be releasing the 2nd book in my
Chronicles of Discord series.
I’m
also working on Broken City 3!
Where can we find you for
more information?
