The Author's Journey: Part 3: The Creative Process - The Trials and Tribulations

Welcome again to the third edition of The Author's Journey.

I am writing this as part of my Master of Arts (Writing) under the subject PWR70002 - Online Writing and I want to share with emerging writers as well as those who are keen to further their own writing.

I have already put out the request to my fellow authors for help once again creating some helpful advice, honest insights and tips and tricks for those who are on their own journey of writing. The comments and emails are coming through and I am finding that some of my peers have some incredible ideas that help them in their creative endeavours.

This week's topic was actually a suggestion by my lecturer who prompted me by saying, I needed to further examine the "complexity of creativity as part of the human condition." (Clover, 2016) And so that is where today's post goes. We have already looked at what inspires the writer, but now we must further investigate the trials and tribulations of the creative process. How we create, how we design and how we research the idea that inspired us.

We all have our own complex processes. Those things that help us work through a problem, or perhaps it is a point of reference that will always be a guiding light for our creative processes.  We can decide to travel to different countries or even different worlds, we can create new places, new processes, new ideas and even some authors have gone on to be the inspiration for inventors. Our creative process allows us to fly, to be free of constraint, we push boundaries and we make our characters suffer, in the name of our creative process.

Amy Wright, owner and author over at Murder Library and Serial Killer GPS app and the associated Facebook page which is incredibly informative explains her creative process...

Once I have an idea and start to put it on paper, I like to look at photos of the subject. I usually print them out or save them to a document, and start writing down words or phrases that come to mind when I'm looking at them. I often put the photos into a timeline, and write underneath. Eventually I can mix it all together to form my piece.

Musician and author Peter Altieri has a different approach to his creative process

For me, silence is golden. I get creative most times when I'm ready to write and the house is quiet. The next best thing is putting on headphones and listen to thunderstorm noise. With kids and grandkids, I've had to get creative over the years in many ways.

Charlotte Frisby  shares a similar approach to Peter, in preferring silence to create, both in mind and body.

Creativity comes often after the initial idea has formed in my mind, when I listen to a particular piece of music that 'fits' the story - always classical. Then sections of the story will flow in my mind. The house has to be empty and tidy - not sure why but if I have other things to do, that intrudes on the process and instead of figuring out how the character could be killed, the character drifts off to do housework or something equally odd. 

Authors are well known procrastinators. I cannot tell you how many times I have paired all the socks in the odd-sock basket, purely to avoid having to face the dreaded realisation that I have a void of ideas and I know that I should be writing.  I find the cleaning bug often strikes too when I have spare time and the opportunity to get in some extra writing time. We can find some extremely creative ways to avoid the fear of writing.  Of course these days we also have social media, for most of us it's a new way to avoid writing, and it can be extremely detrimental to the writing process, but sometimes the creative process can be so extremely enjoyable that nothing can get in our way when we are writing. It is those moments that makes it all truly worth it. Even looking through older status on my facebook I find some amazing comments that make me love the creative process of pulling ideas together.

 Tegan Barber another of my "serial killer" friends (in that she writes about serial killers, not that she is one)

My creativity comes to me from the real world and real people. I commonly find myself sitting in a public place like a cafe and writing down random bits of conversations I overhear or things I see that I like such as hair colour, tattoo ideas or building design.

Author David Russell goes a little deeper in his thought process on how he works through is early creative process,

Creativity is imagination, and the imagination is the creativity. The two go hand in hand.
For me, creativity isn't the process of putting the words down, it is what happens in the mind. After that comes the transition from mind to paper, the hard work. I visualise the things I want others to see, and describe those things as best I can. I'd like to think that more often not it works out okay.

Award winning author Rosanne Dingli explains

Inspiration means as little to me as "idea". Until either has been solidified into a good concept, with a solid premise, some tangible leads forward, and a proper understanding of what their whole might become, I trust neither ideas nor inspiration.

My life has shown me that idea-driven projects fail unless that ethereal inspired fragment has been taken and made real. Inspiration must be acted upon, and not only by putting the thought in writing. One must tackle the topic, see what others have done before, work on what emerges using analytical principles, and THEN one might have something worth developing.

A dear friend, author Karen Carlise has gone all out when responding to the question I posed. I think
it really highlights the pure joy of the creative process of an author and why we come back book after book, spending hour after lonely hour pulling together incredible ideas and amazing storylines.

Ah, research. Now you’re talking! This is the fun bit.

Once I have the seed of an idea, I need to let it grow. I try to immerse myself in the atmosphere, the mindset and the mechanics of the story. For me that is often nineteenth century, with a twist. But to know where to twist reality, and still keep the reader’s suspension of belief, requires a lot of background information.

First I gather up as many visuals as I can find (I’m a visual person: possibly the artist in me?): photos, maps and books written on my chosen theme/subject for a story. Fortunately, there are many virtual tours of historical buildings and ‘Victorian lifestyle’ documentaries available either online or on DVD. I sometimes make drawings of specific contraptions or characters...

For Doctor Jack, I read books and articles, and watched a slew of Jack the Ripper documentaries (including one with you, Amanda - you can watch it here). Currently I am reading Magic: stage illusions and scientific diversions, including trick photography (published in 1897) for the third book in my current series.

For the ‘smells and bells’, I do as many road trips as I can afford. I’ve done photoshoots in historic areas of Adelaide and, earlier this year, our local library did a bus tour of early historic buildings in the area; we were permitted to walk through some privately-owned buildings and discuss their history with the owners and local historian. I’ve even had a guided tour of ‘behind the walls’ at one of the Medici palaces in Florence. That will likely feature in another story that’s been bubbling away...

When I can’t physically experience something, I return to my default: do research... I’ve been fortunate to have experienced many things in my lifetime. I have friends who have done research or lecture in the most amazing (or obscure) subjects and are willing to share their experiences. This helps to germinate the seeds of my ideas. Then I just need to feed them with research and hope they grow.

So pushing further into this process, I want to share my own, explaining that first concept when inspiration has already struck and now the creative process begins, using my most recent true crime book, Rope: A History of the Hanged.  The concept and inspiration was the easy part, write a book on hangings, but then I needed to get creative, writing about a dozen or so people being hanged would be very very dull. So where did I take that?

WRITING NON-FICTION
Though I will go into research in a lot more depth later in the Author's journey, I will touch on it slightly here also. Having written many true crime books, I have some incredible resources to fall back on, working through piles of historical reading material I let the stories become part of my creative process. Finding themes, such as people that had been hanged wrongly, and wrongly hanged. Stories of escape. There was no writing just yet, just getting the ideas flowing, using some records as a basis of the book, and then searching through my own assumed knowledge that floats around my brain I was able to start bringing together some great ideas. I began with some very rough chapter headings, murders by hanging, suicides, escapes, the creative juices quickly began to flow as I recalled cases that would fit perfectly into the various chapter headings I had penciled in.

WRITING FICTION

Now I hear you now... "But Amanda, I am not writing a book on hangings, I am not even writing a non-fiction, so how does this help me?"  Recently someone asked how different is it writing in both fiction and non-fiction, and my response was that they are both challenging in their own ways. Non-fiction requires that massive amount of research and references and various amounts of checking and cross checking, with fiction you are free to write whatever you want and then get stuck when your muse is not talking to you. So whilst in non-fiction the 'story' is already there, it is restrictive, and in fiction it is non-restrictive, but you need to ramp up the imagination and creativity. This can be tricky. I often collate a pile of ideas and notes (see previous posts about inspiration and where to be begin) and then it's time to get creative.

Even when I am working in fiction, I put together a chapter list, a list of ideas, a brief explanation of what I want to happen and when, including the ending if I have it. Now it may begin as a list of 15-20 linked ideas, for instance various victims (I write thrillers so there is always a body count), a couple of red herrings, some personal events for the main characters, a few diverging issues that keep the story interesting. Often these little tantalizing ideas will get the creative process bubbling along. I work out how the killer become entwined with the story line, how they are caught. Of course it sounds a lot easier than it is in process. Often I will find massive gaps and need to work on that process. I talk to family, friends and readers about ideas, seeing how far I can push the boundaries. Still no story line detail is written, just working out that first creative journey.  If I am stuck or frustrated, I will often go for a run, often with my phone to my ear, talking through ideas with those who understand my process, bouncing ideas, asking advice. I need to find the skeleton (pardon the pun) of the story line before I can start.

Though I have mentioned earlier that writing in fiction is much freer than non-fiction, there is still plenty of research that can go into a story. I've freaked out my neighbours by conducting blood splatter experiments in my back yard. I've spent countless hours talking to serial killers, getting into their minds, learning the way they speak, it is those kinds of creative details that can make the stories more believable and in my case, (hopefully) far more chilling.

This is the joy of a writer when the process is working and working well. It can be just as exciting as the actual writing. I have marvelled at artifacts from history as I have travelled to different countries in search of research material, I have stood where many a criminal was hanged and felt the chills wash over me. A moment in time can inspire a hundred story lines if you get creative with your processes.

I know many of you are extremely keen to talk through what happens when the muse is mute and writer's block strikes. That will be another topic coming soon, so be sure to keep visiting for more.

WRITING TASK
Until next time, I leave you with a little writing task, something to get those creative juices flowing.  This was something I did earlier in my Master's degree and found the responses quite amazing. Write about a first in your life. First kiss, first tragedy, first fear, first bike, first friend, first book, first loss... Make it something that is outside of your comfort zone and also write outside your genre... if you write humour, write something tragic, if you write romance, write something horror. Go to the opposite end of your scale and see what you can create!

HAPPY WRITING





Cheers,

Amanda Howard

If you'd like to be involved in this blog, be interviewed about your latest book or if you have a story to tell. Please contact me via the links below.

Links:
Amanda Howard Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandahowardauthor/
Amanda Howard Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandahoward73
Amanda Howard's books (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e/B001JP7X7I/

Author Interview: Award winning author Leonie Rogers

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for joining us again this week.   

This week, I am interviewing Leonie Rogers.

Growing up in Western Australia, Leonie was an avid reader from an early age. Her mother vividly recalls her stating “I can read faster with my eyes than you can with your mouth, Mum…” at around the age of six. Her parents and great aunt encouraged her interest in literature, providing her with books of many different genres, and . She began writing during high school, placing in the Western Australian Young Writers Award in 1980, and she fondly remembers several of her English teachers, who encouraged her to write, both fiction and poetry.

Leonie trained at Curtin University as a physiotherapist and moved to the remote north west of Western Australia, as a new graduate, in late 1986. She continued to write poetry for herself and for friends. Living in the remote northwest, she had the opportunity to work with camels, fight fires as a volunteer fire fighter, and develop vertical rescue and cyclone operation skills with the State Emergency Service.

After relocating to NSW with her husband and two children, Leonie continued to work as a physiotherapist, while still dabbling with writing. Finally deciding to stop procrastinating, Leonie decided to write the novel she’d had sitting in the back of her head for the last twenty years. Her husband and two teenage children have been extremely tolerant of the amount of time she has devoted to writing in the last few years.

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author?

I’ve always written, however there was a bit of a hiatus when the kids came along. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I required a knee reconstruction after a skiing accident, and finally had enough time to write the book I’d been thinking about for twenty years. It’s now published, and called Frontier Incursion - Book 1 of the Frontier Trilogy.. It’s officially YA Sci-fi, but seems to read well with most ages and also cat lovers.

What are the hardest parts of being an author?

The hardest part for me, is simply having enough time to write as much as I’d like too!

What do you enjoy most about being an author?

I love it when the ideas flow, and the story unfolds itself. I also love people enjoying my work - I know how much joy other authors have brought into my own life, and to provide such enjoyment for others is a privilege.

What authors/books have had an influence on your writing?

C.S.Lewis said he wrote the books he wanted to read. I think that was excellent advice. I also suspect that pretty well every author I’ve ever read has had some kind of influence on the way I write in some way or other.

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing?

I’m not sure it’s Writer’s Block as such, but more a moment in the story when I’m not quite certain which direction to take. Usually I either write something different, or just work my way slowly through dialogue and see what the characters think about what’s going on. Subsequent drafts are for fixing what doesn’t work.

Do you have a particular place that you like to write?

I usually write at home, but I really enjoy writing in cafes and on long car trips in the car. (I am not the one driving at the time!) Sometimes I park myself and my laptop in one of the local cafes and just write and drink coffee.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?

Morning’s are good, and afternoons, and evenings :)

How do you like to reach your readers?

I like to reach my readers on social media, and also face to face where possible. I live in a rural area, so social media works well. I hang around on Facebook and Twitter, and love being on Goodreads. I also blog.

Can you tell us about your latest book?  

My latest book is called Frontier Defiant, and it’s the last instalment of the Frontier Trilogy. It’s officially YA sci-fi, and features, Shanna, her starcats, and invading aliens.

How long did it take you to write the book?

Definately probably took about six months in first draft form, but then there were the other drafts…

Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work?

The Frontier books are full of starcats - glow in the dark one hundred kilogram cats. I actually wish they were real, and apparently so do my readers. I love writing them, because they’re super cat-like, but even more special. They can vanish at will, travel rapidly, and protect their friends from the dangerous wildlife of Frontier. However, they do like to sleep on the bed, just like normal cats, so it might be problematic if they were real.

What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow? Do you write in chronological order?

I’m a combination panster/planner. I always know the beginning and the end, but what happens in the middle happens as I write it. I generally have a few things I know need to happen along the way, but for me it’s a bit like watching a movie unfold. I see the pictures inside my head and then I write them down. Sometimes I have to go back and delete a few.

Do you have plans for further instalments?

There are a few Frontier plots rumbling around inside my head, and I think I will be revisiting the characters sometime in the future, but for the moment I’m working on a completely different project.

Do you have a plan for your next book?

My next book is already written, and I’m part way through the second one in that series. It’s a fantasy this time, and will also (at this point) be a trilogy. I’m also part way through writing a space based sci-fi.

None of these have a publisher at this time, but I’m hopeful. My test readers have enjoyed them, and have been helpful in refining them.

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading?

I love both. I’m mostly reading eBooks at the moment, because they’re so easy to cart around - I can carry hundreds of books in my handbag! Having said that, I love to purchase favourites in physical form so I can enjoy both the lovely cover art and the smell and feel of the paper. On the other hand, when you fall asleep reading a massive book electronically, it doesn’t usually concuss you when you drop it on your head.

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing?

I’m traditionally published by small press (My Frontier Series) and also have a couple of short stories in two self published anthologies. I think the industry is changing quite rapidly, and that we don’t really know where it’s going yet.

I’ve read some absolutely excellent self published authors, and some absolutely excellent traditionally published authors. I’ve also read some not so great books in both formats.

I suspect that there will be room for all formats in the future, and I think that many self published authors are taking a much more professional approach to their work, which is a credit to them.

And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?

I’d suggest that aspiring authors work on the basics - spelling, grammar, showing vs telling. Think about plots, engage with your characters, and have a circle of helpful, honest readers who aren’t afraid to tell you what they really think. And when those same readers tell you what they really think, take it on board, and listen - don’t be offended. As writers, it’s what we all need.

Thank you so much for joining me this week Leonie. 

If you'd like to connect with Leonie, you can find her here:

Website: www.leonierogers.me

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonierogersauthor/?fref=nf

Twitter: @RaeYesac

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Leonie-Rogers/e/B009JXIRUY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1468911875&sr=8-1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6542929.Leonie_Rogers?from_search=true

If you'd like to be interviewed for this blog, or have an interesting story to tell, please drop me a line.

Until next week! See ya

Cheers

Amanda 

Author Interview: Gregory A. Fournier, Author of Terror in Ypsilanti

Gregory A. Fournier was born in Trenton, Michigan in 1948. He grew up in the Downriver Detroit area and graduated from Allen Park High School in 1966. When he read Lost Horizon as a young teen, he decided then that he wanted to be an author. That novel transported him to Shangri-La, and he's been trying to get back there ever since.

He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in English Language Arts and sociology from Eastern Michigan University. After teaching at Ypsilanti High School for seven years, he moved to San Diego, California, and taught Language Arts in public school for another thirty years. He also taught night school and weekend college during that time as an adjunct professor at Cuyamaca College for ten years. Now retired, he is living his dream of becoming an author.

In addition to his debut novel, Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel, Greg writes a weekly blog at fornology.blogspot.com, He joins us today to talk about his new book Terror in Ypsilanti.

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author? 

I began my writing career in 2009 after a career teaching English in San Diego. My first book Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel was published in 2011. My current work is a true crime treatment about a little known Michigan serial killer. Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked, is newly released and available online. For the last six years, I’ve been writing a blog entitled Fornology in support of my writing. I want my writing to stand for something beyond the story. As an author, I want to accomplish more than being in the boredom-killing business. I want my work to have intrinsic meaning and value beyond the page.

What are the hardest parts of being an author? 

 Publishing and promotion. Writing is a challenge, but the commercial end of the business is inscrutable. Traditional publishers are losing their grip on their market share, and independent publishers and digital printing are changing the game. The writer is caught in the middle.

What do you enjoy most about being an author? 

The sweet agony of creating meaning out of thin air and having my readers respond favorably to it.

What authors/books have had an influence on your writing? 

My primary inspiration was James Hilton’s prophetic Lost Horizon. Later in life, Night author Elie Wiesel taught me the power of memoir and the writer’s responsibility to the testament of truth. But the author that has had the greatest impact on my writing is Stephen King. His On Writing may be the finest book ever written about what it takes and what it means to be author.

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing? Brain freeze? Everyone gets it. Walking away from my writing for a day or two to let my subconscious go to work sometimes helps. More often than not, I write a blog post and have a couple of beers.

Do you have a particular place that you like to write? 

Yes. In front of my desktop computer at home. The problem with working at home are all the daily distractions.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write? 

I prefer to write in the morning after I check my social media until early afternoon. The middle of the night works great when I can’t sleep.

How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc) 

I’ve been building an audience for over five years on social media and my blog. Now, I have an author website which is showing positive results.

Can you tell us about your latest book? (is it part of a series, genre) 

Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked is a long overdue, nonfiction treatment of a serial killer case from the late 1960s. Collins was the poster boy for the new age of serial killers before the term serial killer was coined. More isn’t known about him because the Charles Manson Helter Skelter murders occurred just as the Collins case went to trial and drew all the national press to Los Angeles, California.

How long did it take you to write the book? 

Five solid years of research and writing.

Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work? 

No. This was a difficult story to tell. John Norman Collins is the central figure in the book but far from my favorite. He is a psychopathic murderer.

Tell us about John Norman Collins. 

JNC was the prime suspect in the murders of seven young women in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor, Michigan between the summers of 1967-1969. Washtenaw County prosecutors tried and convicted Collins of his last murder—the sex slaying of Karen Sue Beineman. The other murders became cold cases.

Why isn’t Collins better known? 

The week the Beineman case came to trial, the Helter Skelter [Tate/LaBianca] murders happened in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. Overnight, Charles Manson and his family drew national attention to Southern California. The Collins trial became a war of attrition; the Manson trial became a three ring media circus.

What genre is your book and who is your target audience? 

It is true crime. Terror in Ypsilanti strives to restore the lost history of these cases. The trial transcripts were purged from the Washtenaw County files shortly after all of Collins’s appeals ran out in the mid-1970s. I initially wrote this book for the people of Ypsilanti to pay a debt to history, but young people going away to college will find the story instructive and cautionary.

Can you briefly summarize the content of Terror in Ypsilanti? 

Part one tells the story of the murders as the details unfolded before the police and the public. Much of this information has never been made public before. Part two reconstitutes the most infamous criminal trial in Michigan history from hundreds of vintage newspaper articles. Part three tells the story of Collins’s years in prison, his efforts to circumvent his life sentence, and his attempts to manipulate public opinion through the media.

What qualifies you to tell this story? 

While these murders were happening, I lived one block up the street from Collins and had several negative encounters with him. It wasn’t until I saw his face plastered across the front pages that I realized I recognized him. I knew people he knew, and I knew friends who knew some of the victims. Going to Eastern Michigan University and teaching at Ypsilanti High School gives me a detailed knowledge of the area and its people. The non-fiction story of what actually happened needed to be told before these events become lost in the fog of time. I’m uniquely positioned to do that.

Has this story ever been told before?

 Brief surveys of the Collins story have appeared in crime magazines and internet articles—usually with faulty information and without the benefit of hindsight. Five years after these events occurred in 1976, Edward Keyes published a cozy mystery called The Michigan Murders, which used pseudonyms for the victims, the witnesses, and the convicted murderer. Keyes wrote his book as a novel, but it did more to obscure the real history than add any insight. Terror in Ypsilanti is a very different treatment of the subject matter. I take a terse journalistic approach.

What was your biggest challenge writing Terror in Ypsilanti? 

Getting official information on the trial. The Washtenaw County Court files were purged in the mid-1970s, and nobody in authority would comment on that. I had to create a patchwork of facts from hundreds of local newspaper articles to tell the broad outline of the trial.

Does your book leave readers with a message? 

Yes, if something doesn’t feel right about a person, trust your instincts. Don’t place yourself in a compromised position and recognize danger before it’s too late.

What else have you written? 

My first writing effort after I retired from teaching was Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel. It tells a multicultural story of the clash between urban and suburban cultures. Main character Jake Malone gets a crash course in race relations and learns that the face of racism comes in every shade of color. I also write a weekly blog entitled Fornology [fornology.blogspot.com] about my news and views.

What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow? Do you write in chronological order? 

I use a chunking technique at first. I get an idea of where I want the writing to go, and I write a few chapters. From there, I chart out a preliminary outline and write each chapter like it was a stand alone short story. Once on the writing treadmill, I continually rewrite until I come up with something I like.

Do you have plans for further instalments? 

I may write a follow up about some prison letters of John Norman Collins. Several people have given me caches of his letters, but for now, I’ve had my fill of him.

Do you have a plan for your next book? 

Yes, an unsolved murder of an eight-year-old boy found frozen under a bridge in the rural town of Ypsilanti, Michigan. The Ypsilanti Historical Society asked if I might be interested in writing a piece on little Richard Streicher.

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading? 

I prefer the look and feel of books. I like to go back and forth when I read and turning pages works best for me.

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing? 

What has happened to the broadcast television networks, the movie business, and the auto business is happening to publishing--decentralization. The digital revolution is a game changer. Why be on the ragged edge of traditional publishing when I can be on the cutting edge of independent publishing. Either way authors go, promotion is their responsibility, so why not cut out the middleman?

And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors? 

Write, write, write until you can’t help yourself anymore. Then find a competent editor to help guide you. The eye sees but doesn’t see itself.

How can readers find you?

Website: gregoryafournier.com
Facebook: facebook.com/gregoryafournier
Twitter: www.twitter.com/GAFournier1

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Gregory-A.-Fournier/e/B00BDNEG1C/
Goodreads: goodreads.com@gregfournier
Gmail: gregoryafournier@gmail.com

Thank you Gregory for dropping by. As a fellow true crime author, I found this a fascinating interview. I am one of the few who know of the crimes of John Collins, so it was great to see another author's journey with such a violent killer.  Amanda

If you would like to be interviewed for this blog or have a great story to tell, please drop me a line.  As always thanks for dropping by and see you next week. 

Cheers!

Amanda Howard

The Author's Journey - Part 1 The Seed of Inspiration

Welcome back to the very first part of my blog series, The Author's Journey. I am writing this as part of my Master of Arts (Writing) under the subject PWR70002 - Online Writing.

Each week, I will post a new blog topic, covering a small part of the author's journey, using my own experiences, my own mistakes, learned skills, and creative processes to help emerging writers find their writerly self and create their own masterpieces. I will also suggest a writing exercise to get those creative juices flowing.

This week, I will look at the seed of inspiration. That moment when you come up with an idea and what you need to do with that to nurture it and help it sprout. Of course it would be easy just to give you some points, some tips and then just assume it will work for you, but that is not how I work.  I want you to come along a journey with me. I want to inspire you to create your own journey.

As an author, I love to listen to people, I love to hear their ideas. So many of my story ideas come from something someone has said, or perhaps a news article, even a story I read that I thought could have gone in another direction. Inspiration is all around us, it is about finding it.

So how do we find it?

THE SEED OF INSPIRATION
In its simplest form, inspiration is everywhere. The seed of an idea could come from anywhere at any time and this is why you need to always have a notepad and pen, or some other form of implement that will allow you to write down or record your ideas.

Personally I carry a small A6 size note book and pen in my bag, I prefer to jot down ideas but don't forget you can also send yourself messages on your phone, via email or even in a recorded message, however my advice is always to ensure that you keep all of your ideas in the one place. Keeping those pieces of inspiration together means that if you do get stuck, you can flick through a notebook or folder with ease - rather than scrolling through emails/recorded messages etc. Being unorganised with your ideas is just as bad as not writing them down!

So where to find inspiration if you're not sure you have anything to write?

Always remember that EVERYTHING around you is fodder for writing. Yes EVERYTHING.

Sitting in a coffee shop, listening to the conversations going on around you could be the opening scene of your next book.

The two toddlers squabbling over a favourite toy at the park? Perhaps those two little girls later squabble over the running of a multinational corporation in your book.

I was once sitting at my daughter's swimming carnival watching the kids race laps in the pool when an idea came to me. A story questioning how well we know our neighbours. What inspired that? It was my daughter's friends sharing their stories, of the mum who gets up at 3am each day to cook lunches for her children, the other child who was excited to be meeting her father on the weekend. It made me think, how well do we know people and how many secrets do people really have?

Luckily, though I was prepared for a day of water and chlorine, I had also packed a notebook and pen. By the end of the carnival, between cheering for my daughter's sporting house I had jotted out the entire book's premise.

Another moment of inspiration came for me under somewhat tragic circumstances. I was in Sydney, doing the touristy things that people are wont to do, when we came upon a man who was suffering from some mental health issues. I was completely fascinated by his thought processes and his speech patterns. He half sang-half ranted about God and about an imaginary friend beside him. What he said stuck with me, and later became part of one of my storylines. Using examples from life gives realness to stories. People are fascinating and I never miss an opportunity to learn about different types of personalities - especially if they are fractured or flawed.

So, now, I recommend to have a go at an exercise, to find your own inspiration.

WRITING EXERCISE
Forget about any project that you are procrastinating on. Forget those other ideas and scribbled notes. I want you to go somewhere different to your usual places of comfort. Head to a sporting event, take a walk along the beach, find a high spot on a large grassy hill and write what you see, write what you hear, write what you feel.

I'd love to see how you go with a fresh piece of a paper and an new place of inspiration.

To end this week's blog post, I will use one of my favourite quotes: "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing" Benjamin Franklin.

Thanks again for dropping by, I hope to put these topics up frequently, so I can share my journey with you and hopefully inspire in you an incredible manuscript.

Until next time,


Cheers


Amanda Howard


Links:
Amanda Howard Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandahowardauthor/
Amanda Howard Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandahoward73
Amanda Howard's books (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e/B001JP7X7I/

The Author's Journey - An introduction

Moving further into the concepts of the writer and their writing-  and as part of my University Master's degree in Writing (Subject PWR70002 - Online Writing)-  I will be looking at the writer's journey and will include tricks and tips to help with those difficult times as well as answer questions you may have.

For those who don't know me, I am Amanda Howard, I am a true crime and crime fiction author, I have spent the past two decades interviewing and writing about serial killers and other violent predators.  I am a regular panel member on Australian television programs regarding criminology and have appeared on documentaries, radio, online  and in newspapers across the globe. 

Up to September 2016, I have published:

10 True Crime Books

1. River of Blood: Serial Killers and Their Victims
2. The Lottery Kidnapping
3. Terror in the Skies
4. Million Dollar Art Theft
5. Predators (co-authored)
6. Innocence Lost: Crimes that Shocked a Nation
7. Serial Killers and Philosophy (Collab)
8. A Killer in the Family: When Murder Waits at Home
9. Murder on the Mind: An Insight into Serial Killers and Their Crimes
10. Rope: A History of the Hanged

3 Novellas and Short Stories

1. The Cicadas Roar
2. Charlotte's One of a Kind Cakes
3. Writer's Block

3 Fiction Novels: Kate Reilly Ritual Series

1. The Blood of Many
2. The Elements of Murder
3. A Thousand Cuts

1 Non Fiction book

1. How to Be An Author (Collab)

So that is seventeen books so far, and I have another in the Kate Reilly Ritual Series coming out in November, as well as another True Crime book in February 2017. I also have a fair few other writing projects on the boil too that I will share as they come to fruition.  So I think with a CV like that I hope that I can offer some advice on both non-fiction and fiction writing, The processes of dealing with publicists, publishing houses, editors and the like.  

I have begun putting together a list of topics - of course these may change as time progresses -  that I think this could be a great way to start. Each blog will link back to this page too, so you can go from topic to topic. 

I will begin with the very first moment of a book, those tiny fragments of inspiration and take you through the writing journey until you reach your masterpiece. 

The topics I will cover include:

Ideas and concepts

• The seed of an idea
• Where to begin
• Creativity - The Trial and Tribulations
• Is the pen mightier than the keyboard?
• Inspiration and dedication
• Writer’s block and free writing

Thought mapping - chapters, characters, outlines, storyline

• Who, what, where, when and how
• Long Chapters/Short Chapters
• Word count goals
• Similar books/films/ideas

Research

• Write what you know or learn what you don’t
• Fantastic sources and resources
• Sourcing and referencing
• Genre, rules and the artist

First drafts and Hemingway (my guide)

• Writing packages and programmes
• When you don’t love your first draft
• When you love your draft too much to edit it
• The Editor and the Author Within
• The space between the work and the author (the need to leave early drafts to simmer)

The first edit - the brutal reality

• Subsequent edits
• Direction, misdirection and the need for a critical friend
• When you get sick of reading your writing
• Self-doubt and self-worth

Publishing, contracts and lit agents

• Traditional publishing vs self-publishing
• A changing landscape
• Unscrupulous “publishers”
• The traps new authors fall into
• Contracts – what do they mean
• The editor - friend, foe or something else?
• Do they love it as much as you do?
• When you don’t see eye to eye
• Creative control

Covers - the reality of judging a book

• KISS- obvious is good
• The market and the shelf
• More research

The finished product

• Nothing like the smell of success and a book
• The bookstore and the book shelf

Now what? Media, publicity and the hard sell!

• Press releases
• Your audience
• Social media
• Interviews – the good the bad and the ugly
• Radio, television, newspapers – what’s the focus?
• Nervous? How to curb it.

For now, before the journey commences, these topics will be a great start. Of course, stop me at any point throughout the journey and ask questions, request clarification or even perhaps suggest better topics. 

Thanks again for dropping by, I hope to put these topics up frequently, as my own inspiration ignites my passion.

Until next time, 

Cheers

Amanda Howard 

Links:

Amanda Howard Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandahowardauthor/

Amanda Howard Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandahoward73

Amanda Howard's books (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Howard/e/B001JP7X7I/

A Change of Pace - An Interview with Amy Wright - Co-designer of Killer GPS App

I thought now that we have some incredible author interviews in the works and a very interesting line up to fill in your weekends, I thought I'd also get some of the other interesting people I know to be interviewed and share a little piece of their life with us.

My first victim subject is Amy Wright. I'll let her explain her interesting life to us...

Can you tell us about you. Who you are, and what you do?
I'm a wife and mother with a regular day job. At night and on weekends I like to read about, research, and visit locations of murders. In 2012-13 a friend and I developed three apps for iOS - Serial Killer Murder Library, Killer GPS, and Killer Quiz. The library is what you'd expect, a collection of serial killers from around the world. Killer GPS is an app that will lead you to locations of murders, be it the home of Sharon Tate (the Manson family) or a little known murder that occurred down the street from you. The Killer Quiz is obviously a quiz. The questions are easy at first, but they get difficult pretty quickly!

When did you get started in your field?
I've been interested in true crime since I was nine years old, but I only really started doing something with my knowledge about four years ago. That's when I met my friend Chris. He's an app developer, and we used his IT knowledge and my serial killer knowledge to create our apps.

How is it all going?
It's going well. Our app sales keep rising, our Facebook page gains new followers every day. The

engagement is great. I can't imagine my life without all of our Facebook followers now. We've become a real community.

So, I know I want to hear more about your your current project, what is the most interesting thing you’ve come across lately?
I recently stumbled across a murder that occurred in Brisbane, where I grew up. It happened around 40 years ago, but I'd never heard of the case. A woman was raped and murdered in her home whilst her fiancé was at work. I realised there's so much I don't know about my own city, so I'm concentrating on cases in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area at the moment.


Do you have nightmares working in the criminology field? You know, I've never had a nightmare. The closest thing would have to be a dream I had a year or so ago. I was on the phone to Ted Bundy, and he was begging me to visit him. I told him that I couldn't, because he was dead (Bundy was executed in 1989) but he wouldn't believe me!

Have you come across anyone/thing that has scared you or made you a little worried?I've had a few situations that have made me feel uncomfortable. There was a woman who was quite an active follower of our Facebook page. She ended up murdering her boyfriend, which was horrible. There was a guy who would write to me and tell me how he wanted to become a serial killer, what he'd do, how he'd do it. I had to report him to the authorities. I've even had someone contact me looking for someone to kill them! Crazy.

What’s the next stage? Where are you heading? What’s the future hold?
More locations, more research. I can't get enough of it. People are walking down an alley, past a house, through a park where a murder occurred and they'll never know. It fascinates me.

So now, on to some crime related questions...
Serial killers/mass murderers – do you prefer to research one over the other?
I go through phases. At the moment I'm quite interested in assassinations. I don't really have a preference. Maybe serial killers, because there's always an interesting back story.

Do you have a case that you research more than any other? Why?
Serial killer wise, I'd say Ted Bundy. I guess because he was exactly what you wouldn't expect a serial killer to be. I never get tired of reading and learning new facts about him and his victims. If you're talking about mass murder, it would have to be Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. I remember that day so clearly, I remember watching the news for hours. They were only a couple of years younger than me. The idea that two kids could do something so horrible...

Do you have a ‘favourite’ unsolved case?
Betty Shanks. It's always Betty. She was murdered in 1952 when she was walking home after getting off a tram. Her body was found in a policeman's front yard. She'd been beaten to death. She had no known enemies, it appeared to be a random attack. It was such a shocking crime for 1950s Brisbane. I wish I knew who did it!

Now some totally random questions
Would you like to share a strange habit/talent you have?
Habit? I guess rock collecting. I'm not kidding. I collect rocks from places like Belanglo Forest, where the Backpacker murders occurred, Dealy Plaza, where JFK was shot... I also collect them from famous places like Buckingham Palace.

If you were to eat one food for the rest of life, what would it be?
Probably Chinese.

Do you prefer ebooks or physical books? Physical books, or REAL books as I call them. Half the joy of reading is smelling those pages and turning them.

Ultimate holiday/relaxation? Anywhere that's freezing cold, where I can curl up in front of a fire with a glass of wine and a good book. I'm living in the wrong country for that, though!
Thank you so much Amy for dropping by for this super cool interview.

Amy and I went for a trip to Belanglo together in April this year. It was sooooo cold - not sure because of the temperature of the forest or the scary feelings of the forest.

You can find more information on the Apps at: http://www.rocketsplashgames.com

And join us all over at the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/serialkillapp/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Author Interview: Crime Fiction author JM Peace

This week, I am interviewing author J.M. Peace.

J.M. Peace is a serving police officer who would rather be an author. She writes her police procedurals with the voice of authority. Her first novel 'A Time To Run' was released in July 2015, with the sequel 'The Twisted Knot' released this year.

Thank you for joining me this week for an interview J.M.

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author?

I’m a police officer who would rather be an author. I’ve been a copper for sixteen years, so crime was the logical choice when I sat down to write a book. Having a book published was the realisation of a lifelong dream, and I’m working towards giving up my ‘day job’. I’ve had two novels released by Pan Macmillan. They are both police procedurals, making the most of my ‘voice of authority’.

What are the hardest part of being an author? 

For me at the moment it is finding the time to write. I have two young children and find that juggling family responsibilities and work with writing is a big challenge. I still treat it as a hobby and it tends to get jammed into the cracks of my life.  And then when I do find time, the second hardest part is not getting distracted…

What do you enjoy most about being an author?

I most love it when the characters take on a life of their own and the story seems to unfold of its own accord. It is this creative process that I most enjoy about being a writer.

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing?

Although the volume I write fluctuates dramatically depending on what else I have going on, I don’t really get Writer’s Block. I let myself take breaks when my head is not in the right place for constructing the story. My favourite writing saying is “you can’t edit a blank page”. I will often just write anything in order to get words on the page and start the flow. Once I get writing, it normally triggers ideas and I can keep going.

How do you like to reach your readers? (Social media? Book signings? Blogs etc)

I’m a little hamstrung by identity problems. I write pretty much anonymously under a fake name because I am still a police officer and need to keep that job in order to pay the bills. There is a potential conflict of interest with me writing crime. Although my stories are fictitious, I have knowledge of the inner workings of policing. Before I signed the contract with the publisher for the first book, I attempted to clarify my position with my bosses and the union, but no one seemed entirely certain on whether there would be a problem. So I just attempted to bypass it all by pretending not to be me. It’s a bit odd, and keeps me away from public appearances.

Can you tell us about your latest book? (is it part of a series, genre)

My latest book is a police procedural called ‘The Twisted Knot’. It is the second in the series, following loosely on from my debut ‘A Time To Run’. The lead character is Constable Sammi Willis who polices in a small (fictitious) town in Queensland. In ‘The Twisted Knot’, she gets caught up in the suicide of a local man suspected of sexually abusing young girls, and has to sort out the facts from the rumours to unravel what really happened.

How long did it take you to write the book?

I worked on this book under a tough deadline from the publisher whilst editing my first novel. The initial draft I submitted was rushed and confused. I had to rip 30,000 words out of it and re-write them. So the editing process probably took even longer than writing the initial draft.

Do you have a favourite character/topic in your work?

I find it intriguing writing from the offender’s point of view in each story. It’s interesting to try to understand what motivates people to commit a particular crime and how they justify it to themselves.

What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow?  Do you write in chronological order?

 I have been making a conscious effort to try to plan, but my mind just doesn’t seem to work like that. I start with the crime or conflicts in the story, then build the characters and sub-plots around that. I write segments as they occur to me, which is rarely in chronological order.

Do you have plans for further installments?

I’m currently writing the third book in the series. It begins with a death in custody and the resulting fallout at both the police station and within the small town community.

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading?

Physical books always. Although I have an ebook reader, I don’t often use it. I’m not very good with technology and my kids aren’t quite old enough to sort things out for me. Also there is nothing quite like holding a paperback in your hands. Especially with your name embossed on the cover – even if it is a fake name…

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing?

I have only been published by a traditional publisher but I have to say that it is not really what I expected. Sometimes the level of control you would have when self-publishing seems attractive to me. I think self-publishing has become a lot more accessible to writers and acceptable to readers.

And finally, what advice would you give to aspiring authors?

I have had an easy run getting published and I think one of the reasons was my ‘backstory’ as a police officer. My advice is to find the story that you are the best person to tell. 

Thank you so much for visiting today J.M. I don't know about anyone else but I am a little intrigued. I used to work in the Police Service myself and I wonder if I might know you.

Anyway, whilst I go to do some detective work myself, I want to thank J.M. for dropping by. 

If you're interested in checking out her books, you can find her here....  

Website: www.jmpeace.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmpeaceauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmpeaceauthor

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/J.M.-Peace/e/B010NLO31C/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13830099.J_M_Peace

Thank you again everyone for dropping by. If you'd like to be interviewed on this blog, please drop me a line.  Please don't forget to subscribe for further interviews. 

Author Interview: Award winning author Rosanne Dingli

This week, please welcome esteemed international author Rosanne Dingli. 

Rosanne is sought by an international audience for prize-winning short stories and intricate novels, Rosanne Dingli has published fiction successfully for over 25 years. Most of her body of work is available in paperback and ebook.

The author's fiction centres around the classical Arts, such as painting, music, and literature. She also uses locations and their allure to anchor her stories and give them substance. Folklore embellishes some of her works.

In 2015, this author wrote, produced and published three full-length novels; A Funeral in Fiesole, which a family-oriented novel that takes place in Italy. Adult siblings gather for their mother's funeral, where new attitudes and opinions supplant old perceptions. How to Disappear is a novel in two parts that concerns the drudgery of some modern-day relationships and also the migrant experience. And The White Lady of Marsaxlokk is a paranormal historical novel. It once more features an Australian protagonist experiencing an adventure in Europe.

The Hidden Auditorium appeared in July 2013. It is a cultural adventure that takes an antiques dealer on a quest for a secret about a famous composer. He thinks a beautiful pendant contains an important clue. It received a BRAG medallion in 2015.

Camera Obscura is the third on this author's shelf of novels. A romantic adventure using photography, art theft, and fascinating locations, it takes the reader on one of this author's breathless chases, which are now well-known and loved by her readers. It has been short-listed in the 2013 Kindle Book Review Awards.

The novel According to Luke was released in 2010. This exciting and controversial novel has been described by some as a combination of religious thriller and romantic suspense. It received a Noveltunity award in 2015.

Her work in progress is a family-oriented novel that takes place in Italy. Adult siblings gather for their mother's funeral, where new attitudes and opinions supplant old perceptions.

Rosanne Dingli now writes full-time after retiring from teaching in 2009. Her out-of-print short fiction and poetry is once more available in handy easy-to-read volumes that do not cost the earth. She gives occasional workshops on writing and publishing.

Can you tell us a bit about you as an author?

I started in New South Wales in 1985, two years after moving to Australia from Malta, and immediately my short pieces were published in literary journals, anthologies, newspaper inserts, and more. My collected published and awarded poems came out as my first book in 1991, when Literary Mouse Press launched it at the Perth Old Observatory. Everyone came. My first novel saw more than two dozen publishers before Jacobyte Books in South Australia accepted and published it in 2001. They went on to take two of my story collections. When they closed in 2005, they passed me on to the British publishers BeWrite Books. Today, I have seven novels, six story collections, a few novellas, and that first lucky poetry book available under my own imprint, Yellow Teapot books.

What is the hardest part of being an author?

It’s all very hard, but discoverability is probably what approaches being impossible to achieve in these days of widespread independent publishing. The democratization of publishing means almost everyone is capable of putting out a book or six – and they do. As a result of this, getting noticed is rather difficult, and unless readers notice a book, however wonderful it might be, they cannot read it.

What do you enjoy most about being an author?

Autonomy is something I love. I can dabble, or I can be as professional as I like … always or in turn. And the consequences are all mine to own. Hard work, when I can do it, comes easily. Doing nothing, or reading the books of others, is also possible and gives great pleasure. Being my own boss appealed to me when I freelanced as a journalist, literary editor, and columnist back in the 1990s. Autonomous authors can measure their success as an outcome of their own efforts, so it’s very rewarding.

What authors/books have had an influence on your writing?

Rather than on my writing, the authors I read have an influence on the broadness of my outlook, the depth of my cultural understanding, and the eclectic array of subjects into which I like to delve. John Fowles, AS Byatt, and Ian McEwen are all intellectually stimulating authors whose topics are very relevant and interesting to me. The reading I did as a young adult also proved important as I discovered what I wanted to write about. Robert Goddard, John Dickson Carr, Georges Simenon, and Georgette Heyer were only four among dozens of authors whose books filled my bookcases. I am now reading everything by Peter Robinson, seeking the fascinating undercurrents in novels that to others might appear simple or boxed-in by genre.

Do you ever get Writer’s Block? If so, how do you deal with it? Do you believe there is such a thing?

I am not one of those writers who have a daily schedule. I go for months without writing, since I do not compose if there’s nothing to write. My 30 years of writing professionally have taught me to understand the kind of writer I am. I work when there’s a strong premise that won’t leave me alone, and when I find the words with which to present it. I am not a strong believer in “story”, yet I do not write navel-gazing philosophical recitals and chronicles that are just display cases for acquired knowledge.

Do you have a particular place that you like to write?

My office is great. I’ve always had one, and will always have one, wherever I live.

Do you have a favourite time of day to write?

The best is always the time when I am most likely to be interrupted. The middle of the afternoon, when the family return home, when dinner needs cooking, when the phone rings non-stop; that used to be the most fruitful time for me. Now that the nest is empty, the place is quiet, and my partner, who is rather self-sufficient, doesn’t need stuff in the middle of the afternoon, I find it hard to write. I need interruptions, it seems.

How do you like to reach your readers?

I engage on Facebook, which I use for nothing else. It’s not for family or friends, but is the vehicle for making myself and my books known. All I do there is about books, writing, reading, and neutral but fascinating topics that connect to what interests me. So this necessarily excludes anything to do with politics and other controversial topics. I also like to respond to queries on LinkedIn. Since the LinkedIn format changed, so did the nature of the discussions. I must remember to find better conversations to join.

I do quite a number of public appearances every year. About four or five workshops at libraries and writing organizations, and many talks and signings. These are excellent occasions to sell and sign, and readers who meet me eyeball-to-eyeball never fail to follow me on social media, so the enjoyable public events are also very useful. I have been speaking and reading publicly since 1987, and when I lectured in Creative Writing at ECU in the years that followed, I discovered some good techniques to engage an audience of readers.

Your latest book:

Can you tell us about your latest book, A Funeral in Fiesole?

A Funeral in Fiesole was one of three stand-alone novels I wrote, produced, and published in 2015. It’s what I like to call ‘location fiction’, based on a particular place that has fascinated me in the past, when visited personally. I love Italy, and speak the language fluently, so I often include the country in my writing. Fiesole is a village built into the hills above Florence, where beautiful villas catch the eye among the trees. This particular novel was a challenge from the outset, because it is narrated by four separate protagonists, all in the first person. They are four adult siblings who meet for their mother’s funeral and the reading of her will. They bring along emotional and financial burdens, which are disclosed as they find out how unreliable memories of one’s youth and childhood can be.

This novel is aimed at people of a certain generation. I am fascinated by baby-boomers, their concerns and peculiarities as a group. I also love that aspect of the human condition – relationships – which will always fascinate us. How couples bond or separate, how adult siblings relate. These are topics my readers love. When incorporated into a piece of location fiction, they really resound and stay in the memory.

How long did it take you to write the book?

It took about 5 weeks to set down the first draft of A Funeral in Fiesole. I do not plan my novels, but this one was fairly easily kept in my head, and it all came tumbling out of my typing fingers in a very short span.

Do you have a favourite character in your work?

The best character I have ever created – in all my writing life – became a real person in my mind. He lives inside two of my novels, According to Luke and The Hidden Auditorium. His name is Prof Bryn Awbrey, a Welsh eccentric who is very good at solving mysteries, especially if they relate to art, history, music, and related subjects. He is a loveable old man – the kind of uncle everyone needs.

Do you have a favourite topic in your work?

My favourite topics are Bryn Awbrey’s topics! My tertiary education consisted in Fine Arts, and History of Art and Architecture. I also love music and the lives of the composers. I read a lot of biographies. So it’s only natural that I should take these beloved subjects into my fiction without very much effort. Researching within these subjects is also very pleasurable, and sometimes preferable to writing.

What was your process? Did you plot out the entire book, or just let the storyline flow?  Do you write in chronological order?

Although it’s vital in fiction, storyline is not what comes first. I first seek a strong premise, give it a good base in the human condition, lace it with a lot of history, music, art, literature and so on … find the correct words with which to frame the narrative, seek some wonderful characters to bring it all to life, and it takes form, very swiftly, in my head. Then I hold my hands over the keyboard, and they do the rest.

Do you have plans for further instalments?

No. Occasionally I write a book and my readers ask for a sequel, so it does occur to me, but that’s not enough. I must have all the ingredients I mentioned above. When that happens, and another novel can be constructed on the tail of another, it’s a fine thing. It’s only happened once so far. But watch this space.

Do you have a plan for your next book?

I’m the kind of author who doesn’t plan. My life is too full of complications for that. If I applied the same structures and schedules to my writing as I must to what I call my real life, writing would cease to be enjoyable.

Ebooks vs Physical books? Do you have a preference when reading?

I read paper books for one simple reason – most of my day is spent in front of a computer screen for one purpose or another. Relaxing with a book means lying down with a paperback for me.

There will always be a place for both electronic and physical books in the reading world. Many readers love both, and some have a distinct preference for one or the other. Low cost makes ebooks wonderful, and without that stream, my books would not sell so widely or so well. I find, however, that people often buy the whole set of my paperbacks after they have bought an ebook or two … when they have come to love my characters and the way I write. Collectors love books they can place on a shelf.

Self-publishing vs traditional publishing? What are your thoughts? Do you feel that the industry is changing?

The industry – if we can still call it that – started to change sometime in 2008-09. That was the period my publishers started to telegraph a sense of excitement to me. Amazon started to tap into the groundswell of independent writers and small publishers, and suddenly there was a big inundation of new works that travelled well without the need of agents or established publishers. Wow. I took my backlist and published two or three volumes myself, gaining a lot of useful experience as I did it. When my last publishers folded, I was poised to fly. Rights were returned to me and within a fortnight ALL of my books were self-published and selling under my own imprint, Yellow Teapot Books. I have never looked back.

The last seven or eight years have been incredible – not only have mainstream publishing had to take a long hard look at what is happening, but traditional publishers found that participating pays. It’s not easy for them, and it’s not easy for small publishers and those who do it on their own. But the book world is not an easy place to inhabit. It’s always been a hostile place, almost impossible to navigate. Those who survive are the quick learners who are also patient and perseverant. There will always be a place for both trad and SP, but they will both evolve as we go, and the most likely way is in different directions, for different markets. I found it was wonderful to transition between one and the other. I was a hybrid author for a few years. It was what perhaps got me started so well on my own path.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Seriously? I suggest they never touch writing and publishing unless they are immune to frustration, doubt, and extreme difficulty. They must have minimal hope in making it pay financially, and be prepared for endless unpaid hours of not only drafting, editing, correcting and rewriting, but also innumerable hours of promoting, promoting, promoting, and finding new ways to make one’s books discoverable. It’s not for everyone. First, one must be a capable writer, and that takes decades to perfect. Then, one must be open to constant change. One must also be able to understand the book world, understand that ‘marketing’ is not a simple subject one can learn in one weekend; and that just a handful of books will never be enough to cut it in such a ferociously competitive marketplace.

My advice is – if you want regular money, stick to your real job. If you want quick results, reliability and predictability, avoid working in the arts. If you think it’s all about storytelling, delve further into the book world. If you think the life of a writer is uncomplicated and fairly simple, ask someone who does it full time. If you think success as a writer doesn’t involve luck, ask someone whose books are doing well. If you think a good book will automatically find readers, think again.

And finally, how can readers find you?

Website: www.rosannedingli.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rosannedingli

Twitter: @rosannedingli  (rarely used)

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Rosanne-Dingli/e/B002BOJFCM

Goodreads: https: www.goodreads.com/author/show/2743619.Rosanne_Dingli

Blog: www.rosannedingli.blogspot.com

Thank you for this opportunity, Amanda. I like reaching new readers, and your generous offer was very timely.

Rosanne Dingli

Thank you for visiting Rosanne. This was an incredibly stimulating interview.

Amanda