““You have to ask yourself, why are you doing this? Are you looking to make money, or are you looking to do it because it would make you happy and get your name out there?” It all fell into place after that.”
Julio Angel Ortiz 7 January 2012 Continue reading
Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
“Scarlock. The little fishing town where the story is set is so, so real to me. It’s made up of a thousand snippets of other towns and villages I’ve been to, from Cornwall to Scotland, but I’ve been wandering round it in my mind for ten years now and it’s virtually a character in its own right.”
J.A. Clement 1 January 2012
On Dark Shores: The Lady
Trapped in fear and poverty after the death of her parents, the thief Nereia will go to desperate lengths to protect her beautiful younger sister from the brutality of Copeland the moneylender. No-one has dared to attempt escape before; the whole of Scarlock trembles in his grasp. Only Nereia’s cunning and some unlooked-for help give her hope….
In a country still recovering from war, events are stirring, and the little harbour-town will not remain obscure for long; but in Scarlock, right now, Mr Copeland is coming to call – and this time he’s not taking no for an answer.
Book 2 of the fantasy series On Dark Shores, The Other Nereia is due out early 2012 and the paperback comprising both over spring/summer 2012. Further books will follow.
What is the book about?
On Dark Shores is going to be a fairly long-running series of which The Lady is the first instalment. It starts with a very brief introduction to The Mother, matriarchal leader of the nomadic Shantar, who is getting ready to leave her mountains in search of the Lady of the title. Meanwhile back in the little town of Scarlock the citizens are struggling through a day much like any other. It is a poor harbour town and much of it is under the grip of the ruthless moneylender Copeland, who has plans; in particular pertaining to the thief Nereia. She is not inclined to play along but dare not risk the safety of her beautiful younger sister…
There’s a lot going on in that world at that time, and Scarlock, obscure as it is, is about to be catapulted into the middle of world events in a big way. At the moment that’s irrelevant to Nereia. It won’t be soon, but it is in this book.
When did you start writing the book?
Back in 2002. At first I thought it might make a good poem, but it wouldn’t go into poem form properly, so I wrote another half page thinking perhaps it was going to be a short story. But it just wouldn’t come to a proper finish; every time I put it down, I had to wander back again and rework it and add a bit more. Some ten years and two hundred thousand words later, it’s not halfway through yet, and I am starting to think it won’t necessarily make a good short story after all…
How long did it take you to write it?
The first book was written in dribs and drabs over five or six years, going through a million edits along the way. It was just trickling along until in 2008 I discovered NaNoWriMo and have written much more since then, usually in November-sized chunks.
Where did you get the idea from?
I woke up one day in tears, back in 2002, with absolutely no idea what I’d been dreaming about. For two days afterwards I was weighed down with an overwhelming feeling of sadness, stabbingly poignant. I couldn’t shake it and was moping around like a wet rag for no reason that I knew of; the only way to get rid of it was to “download” it onto paper, which usually works. I had no idea what I was actually sad about so started with an image; the sea, bleak and hissing under the lash of a cold wind. There had to be someone there to actually feel the emotion, so the character appeared which would become Nereia; and then I had to work out why she was feeling that way. Then after “Why?” came “What happens next?” so I had to keep writing….
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Yes. There is one point where someone is subjected to a violent beating, and it was very difficult to write. It’s a pivotal point in the story and it has to be quite serious but I absolutely didn’t want it to be over-graphic, partly because as a reader I find it uncomfortably voyeuristic, but also because horrific can so easily fall over the line and end up being grotesque or worse, sick-but-funny.
What the scene had to achieve was to give the sense of violence and hopelessness, and menace from an unexpected quarter rather than an expected one; so it occurred to me suddenly that the gory details were better left implied, and would be more powerful for it. It’s a bit like horror films; all the way through there are movements in the dark, and details and half-seen glimpses and it’s really scary….. right up until the point where the monster appears and it’s some bloke in a dodgy latex suit.
The scary bit is not the monster that’s there, but the one that exists in your mind, tailored to your own personal fears.
So in this case, there is one set-up punch, thrown in a casual way that sets the tone for the rest of it; and then the rest is done by describing the aftermath and other people’s reactions to it. It’s difficult to say, of course, but I think that is the best I could have done with that scene.
Violence in books is a difficult one to judge as it’s very subjective. I’m not sure that the logic stands up to scrutiny, but for me the power dynamic is what makes the difference between exciting and distasteful. Fights are fair game because they seem a bit more equal; but a serious beating… no.
What came easily?
Scarlock. The little fishing town where the story is set is so, so real to me. It’s made up of a thousand snippets of other towns and villages I’ve been to, from Cornwall to Scotland, but I’ve been wandering round it in my mind for ten years now and it’s virtually a character in its own right.
Would I like to live there? Hmmm…. Not sure about that. Certainly not in Book 1, and later on – well, that depends how it all pans out. I know too much about what has gone on and will go on there before the story comes to an end; but how it all comes about – that’s a different matter.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
None of my characters is based on anyone real – it would be tremendously restrictive to write, and someone would end up offended somehow. It just seems like asking for trouble, when you could just make ‘em up instead! Besides, my lot are all too much themselves to be anyone else. They’re an awkward bunch.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Gosh, that’s a hard one to answer. Charlotte Bronte, for the sheer passion and wonderful humanity of Jane Eyre, when a lot of fictional women at the time were a bit 2D. Mary Stewart, for making Merlin’s magic raw and real and… almost understandable, rather than magic wands and spells and blue light. Robin Hobb, whose characters grabbed me and wouldn’t let go… Andre Norton whose aliens were not just humans in funny costumes, but felt really “other” and whose magic was mysterious and rich. There are so many more, but all of these women made me realise in different ways that writing could be richer, more real and so much more vivid than the humdrum everyday. I’d love to do something similar for my readers, but that’s an aspiration rather than an expectation.
Oh, and Conan Doyle. I was obsessed with Sherlock Holmes as a child and made a conscious decision to notice things about people – I’ll never solve a murder with it, obviously, but I’m fairly sure people-watching has helped make more realistic characters!
Do you have a target reader?
The book wasn’t written for a specific audience as I never expected to get it published; but now that it is published, I’m still working out who my audience seem to be. It had never occurred to me that a lot of fantasy fans are women but apparently this is true. Pleasingly I’ve had quite a lot of interest from historical fiction fans who don’t normally do fantasy but seem to be enjoying mine, which I take as a high compliment.
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I sit and write whenever I can find somewhere quiet enough, and if I’m at a computer, usually start the session by reading what I wrote last time, and doing a quick edit on it. At the moment I’m really short of time but I do have a 2hour commute, so am doing new writing on the train home on my Blackberry (my thumbs have never been so toned!) and then if there’s any free time after dinner, I sit in the kitchen and input Bk2 edits on my laptop.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I don’t tend to outline but every so often I do something like a spider chart showing what happens to each of the main characters, how it impacts on other characters, and how the timeline fits together. It gets awfully complex awfully fast, so then I write it out in timeline order. I do have the timeline (in Excel, and huge!) and a character list, though.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Editing is a constant process to me. Each re-read is done with pen in hand; and each session starts with an initial edit on yesterday’s stuff. Then I print, read and re-edit the whole chapter. Then (if not before) when I get to the end of a chunk of this storyline, I re-read and edit. At the end of the book I re-read and edit and when I’ve done that it goes off to the editors.
Did you hire a professional editor?
Specify ‘professional’! One of my editors earns half a living editing and proofing. The other one is a playwright with a flair for story arc. Both are extremely good at working with my prose, I think, and have no complaints thus far!
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Not while I write; but if I get stuck I go put the radio on a classical music station and lie down to listen to it with my eyes shut. Classical music is very descriptive and emotive and if you have a load of plot-strands floating round in your mind, you need something to bring them all together. Lying there concentrating on what emotion the music is trying to convey and what it describes – a storm, horses trotting, sleighbells, whatever – I often find that suddenly it becomes relevant. It’s like looking at a piece of jigsaw puzzle when the shapes painted on it suddenly resolve into an eye and part of a nose and you know exactly where it fits. And if one piece of music doesn’t help, the next comes on and you have another emotion to play with. Radio is good for that because it brings you music you’ve never heard before.
For the sort of fantasy I write, classical music has the drama and emotion and rich colours you need, but for modern comedy or something I’d probably go for a bit of rock; it all depends on what it is that you’re writing. I don’t listen while I’m at the computer though as the compulsion to type in time with the music really gets in the way!!
Did you submit your work to Agents?
No…I’ve been thinking about it for a long time but I figured that there was no point having an agent when there was apparently so little new writing hitting the market in my genres.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I watched the market for about ten years and in that time, as far as I can see, the number of new original books being published has declined massively and shows no signs of increase. It’s becoming very much about what sells, not about what is worth buying, and though publishing is (and should be) a business, I felt the numbers just didn’t add up to my chances being high. At the time the iPad came out, I began to get interested in ebooks, and having watched that market for a year or so I decided it was well worth looking into. The growth figures were impressive- at worst there wasn’t really anything for me to lose, and at best I could launch my book into an unforgiving market and hope for some utterly impartial feedback. I thought – or hoped – it could hold its own, but the best way was to see what the readers thought.
And now I’m used to having the last say in what gets done and how, so to go trad it would either have to be an advance that would pay off the mortgage and let me write full-time (some hopes!) or it would have to be a company whose books were absolutely superb. I verge on the OCD on things like spelling and formatting. I re-converted my whole ebook because there were three dashes where they shouldn’t have been… I should probably get help for that but it works in favour of my putting out a spotless copy for the reader (and if you’ve read mine and found a mistake, please tell me as I compulsively will have to correct it)! Oh dear, I sound like a nutjob now….
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
Neither! A talented friend put it together. I tweaked the lettering (and it’s due a re-tweak soon as the font is too small in the thumbnail)
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I don’t have a marketing plan as such, partly because my job takes up so much of the day that my publishing has to get done in dribs and drabs as time permits. I tried a lot of different things when ODS1 came out, with varying success, but at the moment I think getting the next two books out as soon as I can is probably the most helpful thing I can do.
I have a freebie short story out and there is a longer one that will appear once I’ve finished with book 2. I also have a superb group of reviewers in the Creative Reviews group on Goodreads here, with whom, as it happens, I’ve just taken part in a charity anthology called Christmas Lites. [Editors note: you can read about Christmas Lites here]. They’re a great lot and very supportive, and as it consists of all sorts of people, readers, reviewers, editors, writers, you name it, it’s also a fantastic source of knowledge, links, people and suggestions, so just hanging round there has been really useful to me. I can absolutely recommend!
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Yes… set your expectations correctly, be appropriate, be patient and above all, be excellent!
Expectations: Some one told me that the average indie book sells 150 copies in its lifetime; I don’t know if this is true but it’s a good starting point, so aim number one is to sell 151 copies. You will find that, having sweated blood to make an excellent book you publish it, admire your Amazon page and think that as it’s such a good book, people will buy it. Wrong. That might work with the fifth or sixth one maybe, but your first book is just another one of the hundreds of thousands available, which brings me to the second point.
Appropriate: You need to go out and persuade people to take a look, and you need to ask people to review it; but you need to do both in a really personable and non-spammy way or you do all of us a disservice. No-one is going to cut you any slack because of what you’ve achieved – and be in no doubt, if you’ve produced a quality book, this is a huge achievement on a personal level, but on a professional level (and you DO need to be professional) you’re up against people with whole companies and large budgets behind them. So, chat on forums and before you even mention your book, work out how much advertising is acceptable on each as rules change between forums and between companies and between groups in the same forum. Engage with people; if they like the way you come across, they will go and investigate what you’ve done and that is a hundred times more powerful than all the spam in the world.
Patient: Don’t get discouraged if your sales are small for the first few months. Ask others how theirs went – and remember, there’s no hurry! Indie publishing is all about the long tail. We’re in this for the long-term; we’re not going away, our books aren’t going away, we’re going to be online and available ongoing. Also the more books you have available, the better sales will be of each one; with each successive book people have more chances of discovering your stuff. If you start to feel a bit discouraged, write down your sales every month, stick them into an Excel sheet and watch the line on the graph wriggle its way upwards – it might be ever so slow, but a year down the line, look how far you’ve come…
Lastly, be excellent, and DO NOT short-change the readers. If you think it’s pretty much okay, stop! If your book isn’t finished – if it hasn’t been read and error-checked, if the formatting is less than spotless, DON’T release it. If you want a bit of feedback on it, by all means find beta-readers and people to trial it for you, but DO NOT put it up for sale (or even free download) unless it’s clearly labelled as a beta. If you deal honestly with readers they come to trust you; if they feel as if you’ve tricked them or defrauded them, or otherwise palmed them off with an inferior product, they will tell everyone about it and avoid your books going forward. For the sake of one download or a bit more work, it is comprehensively not worth it.
Do the edit, be as finicking about detail as you can and give your readers a superb product, not one that’ll just about do. You owe them your best – and you owe it to yourself and to other indie authors to prove that excellent and independent can be the same thing.
Where did you grow up?
Deepest darkest Yorkshire, running wild on the moors. Bronte country, basically – so beautiful! I love going back there.
Where do you live now?
Southern England. I work in London, and the commute starts at 04.30am every morning. Not recommended, esp if you’re by nature nocturnal as I am… I must admit that by choice 04.30 comes at the end of the day for me, not the beginning!
What would you like readers to know about you?
I spent a while thinking about this – there are a lot of silly or grandiose things I could have put in but when it came down to it, the most fundamental thing about me as an author and publisher is that I am passionate about storytelling and very, very fussy about books of all formats. If I want to put my books on sale to a paying public, they need to be as well-produced if not better-produced than traditionally-published books. No-one is going to cut me any slack because I’m self-published or indie – and no-one should need to; if I have put my name on it (or the Weasel Green Press stamp) it should be excellent and if you think it isn’t, I want to know about it.
Some things will be subjective and those I’ll consider, probably ask around and see what the general view is; but if there are typos, formatting errors, anything of that sort, it will have got past me, two editors and a couple of proof-readers. That being the case, if you find a glitch, I want to know about it because I’ll be wanting to change it at the first possible opportunity.
What are you working on now?
I’m inputting tweaks on Book 2 –The Other Nereia- before it goes off to both editors (one does narrative arc and general storyline, the other does use of words and general proofing. Both do their jobs very, very well – and ruthlessly, ouch!). I was hoping to have it available for Christmas but it’s going to be in 2012 now as my editors are really busy at the moment. The downside of using talented people is that they get booked up fast!! I’m also setting up for the first paperback, books 1&2 together, which I’m hoping to bring out in Summer 2012.
Going forward: I need to write another 30k words or so to finish off book 3 – The Mother – which will be a full-length book rather than being cut into novella-sized chunks like Books 1&2, and once that’s online I can go on to do the paperback of that as well.
Over and above my own stuff, I’m helping with the development of two other authors’ humorous short stories and there’s a third author with a historical fiction novel in the pipeline, though these are ongoing projects with no particular deadlines. Hopefully we’ll have the various ebooks finished, edited and out next year if not the paperbacks but it’s early days yet.
Oh, and the day-job. No rest for the wicked, then!
End of Interview
This interview was a great way to start 2012. Packed full of good advice from friend of the blog and Indieview author, J.A. Clement. Thanks for taking to time to talk to us J.A. 🙂
The J.A. Clement’s page is here, but why not do yourself a favor and check out her books which are available at Amazon US and Amazon UK.
Also a 1,500 word freebie short story, set in Scarlock, can be found here (US) and here (UK).
Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
“My books were all written pre-Google, so the research was done the old-fashioned way; interviews, libraries, museums, visiting the places where the events in the books took place, even going as far as to sit in our local cemetery to make sure I had the correct vegetation and birdlife.”
Jan Hurst-Nicholson 22 December 2011 Continue reading
Comments Off on Indieview with Jan Hurst-Nicholson author of, Something To Read On The Plane
Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
“I steal people’s physical characteristics, and the stories they tell me. One or two have recognized themselves, but mostly they get worked and re-worked until they come out as someone completely different. I think.”
Martin Cooper 13 December 2011 Continue reading
Posted in Indieview author, Interviews
“I think the trend is changing from the traditional “Write what sells now” to “write what you want.” This is going to toss the marketplace on its ears because traditional publishers aren’t going to see marketing trends anymore because all genres are going to be selling equally as successfully.”
– Sue Owen Paper Mustang 14 November 2011
How did you get started?
I was a brand new indie writer and I tried to get my own book reviewed. I couldn’t find anyone interested. I saw the need! I started my Paper Mustang site to help other Indie authors wherever I could.
How do you review a book? Is it a read first, and then make notes, or do you make notes as you go along?
I read first then write the review. I always take time after reading a book to think about my impressions and what my ‘take aways’ were. That’s where I get the reviews.
What are you looking for?
I look for good grammar, no spelling errors first off. Poorly edited work never gets a review. I’m just not able to read past grammatical errors. Then I look for believable characters, good descriptions, good story line. I like to be a part of the stories and if I can’t be there then I don’t want to read the book.
If a book has a great plot, great characters, but the grammar is less than perfect, how do you deal with that?
I would write a note to the author and let them know. I won’t give a bad review. I feel that if the author can’t produce a work that is at least mostly grammatically correct, they should invest money in an editor. Don’t get me on my soap box but that’s one of the issues I have with Indie authors. I absolutely will not review a work that is less than professionally presented.
How long does it take you to get through, say, an eighty thousand-word book?
I speed read so probably about 10 hours, maybe a bit more.
How did you come up with your rating system, and could you explain more about the rating system?
I won’t give less than a 3 star. If I am reading a book and I can’t get into the story, hate the characters that I should be liking I won’t continue reading. Three stars has to have at least something good that draws my attention. If only that it’s a good storyline. For a four star I need to be interested in the story. A five star will give me a good plot, good characters and make me a part of it.
What advice could you give to authors looking to get their books reviewed?
Be patient. Everyone wants a review. I’m over two years out now. I’m pretty typical I think for any review site that will accept books that far out. I keep asking for guest reviewers but no one is interested. I even offer the write the review s if they tell me about the book but…. No one wants to give an opinion.
Do you get readers emailing you and thanking you for a review?
All the time. One of the most gratifying pieces of what I do is when someone says thanks. Typically, authors are grateful for a review even if it isn’t perfect. They are just happy to have someone they don’t know read and comment on their book! I know I am!!
My advice to authors on getting a “bad” review (hasten to add that might mean a perfectly honest, well written, fair review – just bad from the author’s point of view) is to take what you can from it and move on. Under no circumstances to “argue” with the reviewer – would you agree with that?
Completely. An opinion is just that; an opinion. I make no bones about my reviews being completely my opinion. I don’t reiterate the story, either which some reviewers do. Let the author tell you about the book. My job is to tell you if it is worth reading, in my opinion. Everyone is going to get a bad review, even bestselling authors! You can’t please everyone. If you get a bad review, thank them for taking the time to look at your work and move on. If what your wrote truly is trash, you’ll know about the third or fourth bad review! I also take what people offer for improvement. That makes my book better, too.
We talk a lot about writing here on the blog, and possibly not enough about reading, which is after all why we’re all here. Why do you think people love reading. We’re seeing lots of statistics that say reading as a pastime is dying – do you think that’s the case?
I don’t. I see more and more people being open about their reading. Or maybe I’m just paying more attention now. I think reading is taking a whole new turn, however, with the e-readers hitting the market. Now you don’t have to carry heavy books around or go to the store/library to get a new one. Really convenient and easy to read.
What are the most common mistakes that you see authors making?
Two things that make my teeth grind: They don’t edit their work and they don’t pay attention to their covers. Both have to be professionally presented. And that’s not to say a professional has to do them, it just says they have to look like a professional did.
We’re told that the first page, paragraph, chapter, is absolutely key in making or breaking a book. Agents typically request only the first five pages of a novel, what do you think about that; if a book hasn’t grabbed you by the first five pages, do you put it down?
I can usually tell by the first five pages if a book is going to be any good. If it doesn’t have my interest by then, I still read at least to page 10 but don’t bother after that if I’m not ‘feeing’ it.
There has been a lot of talk recently about 99 cents, what are your thoughts on that?
I’m changing my mind on that. I’ve seen blogs lately from some of the more successful Indie authors. I think I’m agreeing with the concept that if you charge 99 cents for your book, it isn’t of value. I think Indie authors as a whole grossly undervalue their work. If you have a good, commercial product, don’t undersell it. If you feel your book is as good as other professionals, then charge what you feel it is work. I’ve personally changed my prices recently. I think Indie authors should be given value for what they do.
Is there anything you will not review?
Yes. I don’t do genres that I don’t like such as Poetry, Non-Fiction. I have to be able to read it and get interested and excited about the book or I can’t review it. Those types of stories just aren’t anything I’m interested in.
What do you think of the oft quoted comment that the “slush-pile has moved online”?
I don’t think so. Almost all the books I read are really good. I still think an author can tell if his writing is crap. And every writer has those stories that just didn’t go anywhere but that’s not to say that even those someone might like. I think the trend is changing from the traditional “Write what sells now” to “write what you want.” This is going to toss the marketplace on its ears because traditional publishers aren’t going to see marketing trends anymore because all genres are going to be selling equally as successfully.
Do you think attitudes are changing with respect to Indie or self-published titles?
I sure hope so. When Indie was first made public the trash hit the readers. Now, however, the trend is to be professional and present your work in a professional manner. I think Indie writers are auditing their own and ‘calling’ bad authors to the carpet to be accountable. Very rarely do I find a book that is pure crap and should never have been written. Way better even than a year ago!
Do you have any ideas or comments on how the industry can “filter” good from bad, asides from reviews?
We are our own police. Indie authors need to audit each others’ work and I think we are getting pretty good at it. I challenge anyone these days to tell an Indie author from a professionally developed author. We rock!
“I adore writing the first words that come to you and having not the faintest idea where their wondrous story is going to take you. I love the sudden flourishes and flurries of ideas that render you sleepless when you start something really amazing – little snippets of story, shards of character and strands of sentences that shine with potential and excitement.”
Katy Gilbert 7 November 2011
The Back Flap
“You keep searching…
This is a book that started as one thing and ended as another. A book that unfurled over a sunny autumn and an icy winter in 2010, lit up by a flicker of hope and a determination to succeed. A book that twisted slightly the deeper inside I looked, a book that healed once it’d uprooted everything it required to become complete.
For me it’s a ray of cold sunshine or an embrace with a shunt in the right path, a smile on bitter lips or a sly breeze in close summer that slits right through.
It’s whatever you need it to mean, you know?
Short pieces, poetry and odd lines; 44 pages of goodness, two full colour covers by Emily Boyle and a lot of heart.”
What is the book about?
You Have This Day In Front of You is about adversity and overcoming it. It’s about seizing hold of everything that’s thrown at you and creating something wonderful, having a blast as you do. It’s the second magpie that flies over your head, or the penny that you found in the crack of the pavement. It’s about this life being your life and it’s about whatever you need it to be about for you.
When did you start writing the book?
August 2010, after considering crowd-funding on a car journey through sunny countryside. I thought, ‘I could do that’, so then I did. I’m so glad, it was lots of fun!
How long did it take you to write it?
Till December, right up to the night that it went to print! That didn’t surprise me though, so it was alright. There were a lot of long, late, dark (freezing!) nights, but I wouldn’t take a moment of it back. Besides, it’s England, so you get used to draughty houses and wearing hundreds of layers! Also, my inability to live in a room without keeping at least one window open probably has a little to do with the chill. Fresh air is divine.
Where did you get the idea from?
A message that I wanted to cast out into the world. It came at a time when a lot of people around me seemed to be having real difficulty in life, while I was trying to make the very most of every moment that I was given, despite rather a lot in my world being less than ideal. You have to seize everything brilliant or create it for yourself, otherwise what’s the point? I wanted to share the capacity for joy and the uselessness of resigning yourself to misery – unless you’re enjoying it, of course. I know quite a few people who claim to relish constantly moaning!
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
There were a few more difficult pieces. Charity Shop Hearts was one of them, mainly because it has a deliberately restrictive syllable count and rhyming pattern, etc. That was the piece I was finishing at almost midnight on the last day the book could go to print, even though it was the first fresh piece I started for it, sitting on a cold mattress staring at the wall where I was writing it down. It was also tricky because it unexpectedly became something of a catalyst, contributing to what turned out to be one of the most difficult periods of my life; realisation and introspection blossoms through the book, but at the time it was painful. I’m glad that that was my situation during the writing though, because I feel it gives the message I’m presenting integrity that would otherwise have been forgone. It all falls into place in the end.
What came easily?
I had my meadow, one of the opening pieces, came out of nowhere and flowed like a dream. The story behind it was writhing quietly around the back of my mind that day, as I’d been talking it through with one of my best friends late (or early) the night before; unwillingly dragging all of it back up, though the conversation was a remedy. Sitting at my desk, looking out on a gorgeous day, I began to write on a whim, abandoning what I had been working on. In that moment came sudden realisation of what I’d been living with, bottled up deep down for so long, and I felt both angered and liberated. I had my meadow, and it’s second part, finally put all that to rest. I’m pleased. Neither you past nor anyone from it should get to spoil your present for you.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Since I was a child I’ve loved Jacqueline Wilson and I still thoroughly enjoy her books. I’m a big fan of William Golding’s Lord of The Flies, and Meg Rosoff is another absolute favourite of mine, as is Oscar Wilde. I admire all three for their originality, artful skill, and their disregard of crowds and bandwagons. I love the poetry of John Clare, who I studied with a fantastic English teacher at AS Level, and reading Shakespeare always motivates me. I also love Beatrix Potter dearly – she reminds me to keep the charm alive. As for influence, I think I’d cite these more as inspiration. It’s very important to me that I’m my own person, so I’ll always follow my gut instinct rather than attempting to mimic the style or subject matter of someone else, or similarly conform to what’s in fashion. I like to look on my stories and pieces with fresh eyes and the zing of something brilliant and new in my heart, and you can’t do that if you’re dying to be compared to someone else, or if you keep glancing over your shoulder to check that you’re getting it right. If anything, they’ve encouraged the independent spirit that I’ve always been grateful to have.
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone and everyone! I can’t afford to be picky! No, but seriously, I want to engage anyone who is interested, not discriminate with age groups or genders etc. Each reader who picks up a book of mine and enjoys it is genuinely important to me, and I appreciate them greatly. I don’t want there to be boundaries with who will most likely connect with my work, everyone is welcome.
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I don’t have a process! I write when the ideas come to me, which often means it’s on the back of an ancient receipt that I’ll later find illegible, or ink on my skin which will have disappeared by the time I have any paper to scrawl it down upon. When I was writing my latest novel – which was pretty much over with a year or so ago now, time is terrifying! – I was very strict with myself; I’d write from getting back from school till tea, and then on again till bed. It worked, though looking back it looks brutal! It was my free time, though, and although it was dreadfully tiring sometimes I still loved every moment of it. I like to listen to music often when I write; it’s a tremendously important part of what I do and who I am. People sometimes ask who my greatest writing inspirations are, but many of the people I look up to are actually musicians. Overall, though, I don’t have any process or plan, I’m not a greatly organised person – preferring ‘organised chaos’ – and it would take all the fun and charm out of things for me! I like fate and meaning, sudden sparks, things falling into place, and delight.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just Chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
Smoothly continuing from the last question, no! Haha, if I could put my finger on one thing in this way of life more unbearable to me – personally – than having a process, it would be planning stories (or indeed my poetry). I just can’t sit down and outline what is going to happen or how I am going to present it and how each character will react to each certain, placed situation – so often have characters fallen into life from nowhere in the middle of writing, or story lines materialised from my finger tips at any given point. I adore writing the first words that come to you and having not the faintest idea where their wondrous story is going to take you. I love the sudden flourishes and flurries of ideas that render you sleepless when you start something really amazing – little snippets of story, shards of character and strands of sentences that shine with potential and excitement. I’d hate to spoil the unrivalled joy that there is to be found in that; I don’t even want to attempt to plan things out unless it’s necessary for the kind of book that I am writing. Of course this approach means that the writing takes longer to finish, but it also feels a lot more dear to me as well, and that shows in the story, right through each page. It’s like sunlight, that joy.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
As I go, and again and again once I’m done, until I’m completely happy. I always want to be proud of what I release, so I have to check!
Did you hire a professional editor?
No…as I’ve just dubiously mentioned I have to trust myself. With that in hand, if you want to see a hilarious and completely unpredictable result of this in video form, with me discovering a value-enhancing and character-endowing tiny mistake in the first edition of You Have This Day In Front of You, it’s up for your entertainment on my YouTube channel, /katygilb. Quality production.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Music is so important to me, and while I was writing my young adult novel I was listening to two of my all time favourite artists, Vanessa Carlton and Ingrid Michaelson – both of whom I love beyond rating. To me, their music feels like home. I was also playing a lot of the wonderfully talented Tegan and Sara, as well as brilliant Fall Out Boy, who were brilliant.
Right now, alongside all of the above, I’m really into some newer people that I’m coming across, too. I think Ed Sheeran is fantastic, I love Ellie Goulding’s sound, and I think Ke$ha is fantastic fun, as is the very talented Tinie Tempah. Imelda May’s style rules, Jessie J is wicked, I’m getting more into Coldplay recently, and I’ve swiftly fallen in love with Emmy The Great. Also, although it really doesn’t seem to correlate with my rather lacking romantic side I’m getting quite into Taylor Swift too, haha! Then there are people I’ve known for a lot longer who I absolutely adore: Skye Sweetnam, Allison Weiss, Nerina Pallot, Sara Bareilles, Lelia Broussard, Jenny Owen Youngs, Bess Rogers, Lauren Zettler, Katy Perry, Chipmunk, Nelly Furtado, Katy Rose, Michelle Branch, Kate Nash, Katie Melua, Frou Frou… There are so many, but they’re all so good! Finally, of course, since about six years old I’ve been a dedicated S Club 7 supporter. Never forget.
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Not in the case of You Have This Day In Front of You or any of my other indie pieces. They feel like a separate kind of work to me; they were built for the independent part of my world. My novel wasn’t, however, so I’m constantly approaching both agents and publishers, which is a lovely process.
What made you decide to go Indie? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Impatience! As I said earlier, I would never have been able to live with myself if I’d just sat at home, waiting with my fingers crossed. I’m a real believer in making it happen and so I commit myself to that every day. I also relish the challenge of getting somewhere as an independent artist; I love to work hard and I want to earn and deserve any success that I do achieve. For me, that is what will bring integrity and real worth to any joys that unfold in the future. I think that the entire experience is an exceptionally worthwhile one that thoroughly shapes you as a person. It raises the bar of what you’re capable of, as well as the confidence you have in yourself.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did it you do it yourself?
A combination! I’m fortunate enough to have a very good friend who doubles as an artist – Emily Boyle (www.sesamoia.tumblr.com). For You Have This Day In Front of You I took the photographs and Emily edited them, as well as designing the border within the book. For my free downloads, Cut knee, age three and Love/song, I did the art myself – there’s actually a video of me creating the set for Cut knee on my YouTube channel. Love/song was a horrifically glittery, kitten-covered, sarcastic affair – it was so much fun to create. The fact that I genuinely nearly failed my Art AS level shouldn’t put you off, though; my enthusiasm makes up for the lack of meeting assessment objectives! Emily and I are pairing up again for my new project, too. I’m thoroughly looking forward to working with her again, she’s so talented, enthusiastic and hilarious. The biggest challenge will probably be to stop laughing and actually get the covers done!
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
This is such a great question! I do have a plan and I work on promotion constantly, whether on a significant campaigns or in general, day to day updates that have to be maintained to keep everything shiny and new. It’s one of those things that leaves you with so much less time to actually write than you’d expect! That said, I like the idea of winging it sometimes, as far as seeing what happens and what works. It’s a lot of fun to have bright ideas out of the blue and just go with them because you can, and you think they’ll work.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Definitely! I think the most important thing is to hurl yourself into it with all the passion you possess, because it’s all you have to keep you afloat. It can be stressful and frustrating, and it’s always very hard work, but when you really love something and you put the effort in, if it’s meant to be it will always be rewarding. Make the effort to enjoy every moment, because the journey’s a massive part of your life too! Be prepared to deal with the legions of people who didn’t follow their dreams to start suggesting that you ‘get a real job’, and don’t let them persuade you to give up on yours. That we’re alive is such an incredible opportunity, and we have way too little time to waste it compromising or failing to create as many amazing moments as we can. Seize onto what means the most to you and have the time of your life.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Staffordshire, England, alongside oatcakes and bull terriers. It’s not very well known, but geographically it’s in the middle, if that helps!
Where do you live now?
Stafford, still! I haven’t moved out yet and I couldn’t afford to anyway, so. I’m not sure where or whether I’d choose to move to if I could. I love the seaside; I always feel very at home when I’m next to the sea, so perhaps somewhere coastal. I’d miss the Midlands though, it feels so right to come back when I’ve been away for any length of time.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Probably some important, life-enhancing trivia or something. Perhaps that the one thing I’m quite good at drawing is Billy Casper out of Kes (film adaption of A Kestrel For A Knave)? People say that ‘there’s a good likeness’. That or that I’m very grateful for them sticking with my interview for this long. You’re the best.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m focussing on resurrecting my website, which was lost to the Internet last month.
I’ll be catching up with my next project! It’s a non-fiction book on ‘beauty’; a challenge to the dreadfully distorted perception that’s presented and accepted by the media and society. It won’t just be a focus on teenage girls and being skinny, though, and I promise it won’t be me preaching at you either!
The project is for anyone who has ever felt less than completely comfortable and confident in themselves, embracing rather than dividing by age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, nationality, etc. This book will be a celebration, and I want it to be fun, too. Gorgeous in body and soul. I’m so excited to share it and everyone can get involved! I’m currently accepting submissions of people’s views on the subject, so please do get in touch – there are contact details on my website – (you’ll win prizes for doing so, wicked)!
End of Interview
Check out Katy’s website and you can buy her book here, where two free downloads can also be found.
Posted in Indie, Interviews
“I think the most important thing is that you need to be passionate about what you do. Being an indie author is great fun, but it’s also an awful lot of work for relatively little reward. If you don’t love your book when you’re writing it, you’re going to really hate it by the time you’ve finished editing it.”
Gary Marshall 6 October 2011 Continue reading
Posted in Interviews
“I want to inspire my readers with my work. Ideally, I want to rock their worlds. I’m in this to make people feel the way I feel when I read or watch a great epic drama.”
Moses Siregar 25 September 2011 Continue reading
Posted in Interviews
“I ususally reread the previous day’s work, to get back into the flow. If I don’t get into the flow, I end up editing the previous day’s work. If all goes well, I take off that damn editor hat and get back into the story.
My writing routine: coffee, breakfast, coffee, write, a little social networking, research, coffee, write, stretch, write, lunch, long walk, tea, chocolate, write, social networking…veg out.”
Toni Dwiggins 16 September 2011 Continue reading
Posted in Interviews
“I ask myself, “Do I want to live in this universe for the next 8 hours of my leisure time?” Books with uninformative blurbs and samples boggle me. I’ve seen samples with nothing but maps of some fantasy world I don’t care about (yet). I don’t find the lack of information intriguing—I find it frustrating.”
Frida Fantastic – 9 September 2011 Continue reading
Posted in Indie, Interviews, Reviews
