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Q1. What was it that made you want to write?
I've always loved to read, but often felt guilty wallowing in imaginary worlds without anything to show for my 'wasted' hours. Writing lets me enjoy alternate worlds, guilt free. It’s good to know I'm doing something constructive with my time, and even reading for pleasure becomes important research!
Q2. How much of your writing is influenced by the books you read either in style or genre?
I read anything and everything; from science fiction, horror and fantasy, to romance, classics and teenage books. All these have influenced what I want to write and I’ve written stories in several genres. But having realised all my favourite novels contain some kind of love story, I’ve decided to focus on romance for the time being. So I’ve read more romantic novels and discovered the huge range available- which has left me with the problem of a whole lot of new options…
Q3. You say you have a problem with a whole lot of options for writing love stories. You've written your first novel. Which option did you take and what led you to that decision?
When starting my first romantic novel I made a conscious decision to write something firmly set in a real, contemporary world. As I was at home looking after my young children at the time, that seemed the most real-worldly situation I could imagine. I thought about the kinds of problems my heroine could have within that situation. This gave me a theme for the book- getting married for the Wrong Reasons. I then created a second heroine with different problems stemming from a similar initial mistake. The story needed to be told from both heroines’ points of view, so this was how I structured the novel.
Q4. It may seem a dangerous question after your last answer but it is the question every author gets asked, how much of your writing is autobiographical and how much is pure fiction?
Most of my work has some aspect of autobiography in its initial stages. Then the fiction part kicks in. I like to take a situation and think 'what if'. What if I took that anger to an extreme, where might it lead? What if I'd reacted differently? What would be the worst thing that could happen? How would someone completely different have behaved? Most of the houses my character live in are based on real houses I’ve lived in or visited.
Q5. What reaction or feelings do you hope that your readers may have when they have finished your novel?
Firstly, I hope that my readers will simply enjoy reading my novel. I also hope that the characters have come across in such a way that the reader identifies with them, understands them or hates them! To me novels are all about characters, and I hope that mine leave some kind of lasting impression in the reader’s mind.
Q6. How do you develop a character?
The reason the character is in the initial situation will usually give me some basic aspects of personality and driving influences- fear, ambition, need for stability etc. I will then look through my many clippings of faces and try to pick one or two which are close to my character. I do like to write a bibliography of each character so they become firmly set in my mind. Once I reach the end of my novel I can hear the way they speak and often have to go back and rewrite the first chapters where I was still discovering their voices.
Q7. Who is your favourite character in fiction?
My current favourite fictional character is Grace from Addiction by Toni Jordan. This is because she makes a conscious decision to be who she really is even though it doesn’t fit into what society expects.
Q8. And who is your favourite character in your own work?
My favourite characters in my own work are always changing, depending on what I am writing, or editing at the time. At this moment it is Sue in Demons in the Beer because she rediscovers who she really is through facing both supernatural and personal demons.
Q9. Where do you get your ideas from?
Everywhere! Things I read, things I hear and see and even smell. Only witnessing part of a situation- hearing half an argument, seeing someone doing something odd, or looking at someone’s belongings- can all start me thinking of a story. I also like to begin with things that happened to me, things I wish would happen to me and things I hope never happen to me.
Q10. How do you write?
Ideas for novels usually develop while I’m writing something else. This gives plenty of time for the ideas to ferment. I think about the main plot, subplots, themes and characters. Then I write a few initial chapters. Usually by this stage, I have some idea where it is going, so will try to write out a rough chapter plan. After this I start writing, usually from the beginning, but I will skip around if I get stuck. Once I’ve finished a first draught I go back, change things around, delete parts which don’t move the story forwards and flesh out scenes.
Q11. How long have you been writing?
I’ve enjoyed writing since I was a child. My first novel attempt was a ‘choose your own adventure’ book at school, which I gave up due to confusion about the many strands of plot. My second aborted attempt was a teenage science-fiction novel while I was doing my A levels. I didn’t complete a whole novel until after I’d had my first child, when I decided it was time to start writing seriously.
Q12. Do you have a routine for writing?
I try to be disciplined and write most days, even if I don't feel like it. Becaue I have limited time I find it easy to write whenever I can, which is lucky, as I need to fit it around my day job and children. At the moment I am doing a lot of editing, but I always have several things on the go at a time, so don’t suffer from writers’ block.