1. What inspired you to become a writer?
I’m not sure if this can be classed as inspiration or not, but it’s just the need to write that urges me on. There are so many ideas flying around my head, the only way to keep them quiet is to put them down on paper, or a computer screen, but that sounds far less poetic.
2. What's your favourite book of all time?
That’s a hard one, there are so many, but I’d probably have to say Shogun by James Clavell. It’s not what I would normally read but no book has taken me away into another world quite like that one.
3. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Start! Stop thinking about writing and talking about writing and write. Don’t give up either. Don’t stop writing, editing and submitting. I’ve lost count of how many rejections I receive before being accepted. It will happen if you just persevere.
4. What is the most frustrating thing about being an author?
That I’m never satisfied with what I’ve written. I’ll go back to something I was happy with just days before and decide it isn’t good enough and needs to be changed. It’s very annoying.
5. What's your favourite movie?
Shakespeare in Love, I’m just and old romantic at heart.
6. What's better, dogs or cats?
I better say dogs, as we have one in the family.
7. If money was no object, how would you spend your life?
Being a full time writer. That would be amazing.
8. Do you draw from personal experiences when you write?
Yes, I really do believe in the old saying about writing what you know. But I rarely put anyone I know into my books.
9. What is more important? Strong characters or a strong storyline?
I don’t think you can say one is more important than the other. You need strong characters to draw the reader in and a strong storyline to keep them hooked. I think that can happen the other way around too.
10. What advice would you give to first time writers when submitting their work to publishers or literary agents?
Read it before submitting, then read it again. It’s not going to be a truly finished piece of writing at this stage but try and get it as close as possible to what you would be happy to see in final print. Also make sure you read the publisher's submission guidelines. They vary from publisher to publisher and getting them wrong will mean you’ll stumble at the first hurdle. Believe me, I know!
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