Blame it on the baby brain, if you will (Lord knows I will…), but I’ve been having some trouble coming up with blogging ideas recently. Thankfully, as a librarian, I am a master at the fine art of Googling, and came across this list of 16 questions to ask when interviewing an author. Seeing as I am, in fact, an author, I will now proceed to answer said 16 questions to the best of my ability. Some of these questions I’ve answered in previous posts, so I won’t go into too much detail on them (you can read more of my writing-related posts under the WRITING LIFE blog menu heading), but hopefully you will find some of these answers at least mildly entertaining!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve been telling stories all my life, but it was really only once I hit my thirties that I finally found the confidence to submit my work to publishers and consider writing professionally. It’s never too late to take that first leap of faith, friends!
How long does it take you to write a book?
It depends on the book! The writing process doesn’t typically take me very long, as I usually spill words all over the page in one furious go. It’s the editing process that can take days, weeks, months, even years, depending on the work.
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
Schedule?!? What schedule?!? I’ve also fit writing in around the rest of my life, and now that I’m a mother, I honestly have to squeeze in a few minutes here and there whenever I can. To be honest it can feel frustrating at times, when the ideas are bubbling away in my mind but I have to finish the laundry instead, but that’s just life when writing isn’t your full-time job.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know that it’s necessarily a quirk, but I love making my life more difficult by writing in rhyme. Writing in rhyme is notoriously difficult to do well, and even more difficult to sell, but I just have a poetic soul, and I enjoy the challenge of telling a good story while balancing rhyme and rhythm.
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Honestly inspiration can be found in the strangest of places – once I was hiking in the woods when the idea of a lonely elephant that longed for stardom popped into my head! There’s really no rhyme or reason behind it! I do always keep my audience in mind when I’m working through an idea, though – can this story be read aloud to children? Are there opportunities for discussion, conversation and/or interaction? It doesn’t matter how good a story is if it won’t work with its intended audience.
When did you publish your first book and how old were you?
My first book, Wild One, was published in 2017, when I was 33 years old.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
At the moment? Sleep. #momlife
What does your family think of your writing?
My family is incredibly supportive of my writing, and has championed me ever since I was a small child. I consider myself extremely lucky to have so much support, because writing can be a very challenge, often discouraging and sometimes confidence-bashing endeavour, and it’s important to have a strong cheering squad to keep your spirits up when the whole publishing circus starts wearing you down
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
I was surprised to discover just how long the publishing process can take. Never in a million years would I have guessed that it can take years for even the shortest manuscripts to finally make their way on to bookstore and library shelves. It’s definitely been an eye-opening experience.
How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?
I’ve written three books – Wild One, A Good Day for Ducks, and my most recent title, Queenie Quail Can’t Keep Up, which came out earlier this year. I’m proud of all my books, but Wild One will always have a special place in my heart because it’s the book that made me a published author.
Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Honestly, the best advice I can give is the same advice that was given to me years ago – write as often as you can. Writing is like any other skill – the more you practice, the better you’ll get, so try to squeeze in a bit of writing time every day, whether that means working on your manuscript, writing blog posts, or keeping a journal.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I’m always delighted to hear from readers, it’s so lovely to hear from parents that their children loved my book, or from teachers and librarians describing how they used one of my books in their workplace. It’s comments like that that really help keep me motivated when the rejection letters start rolling in.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Like most children, I had a lot of wildly different career aspirations. At different points in my childhood I wanted to be a palaeontologist, an archaeologist, even a police detective (I read a lot of mystery novels). Instead I became a librarian, which is pretty much the best job ever. Though I still sometimes wish I’d become a palaeontologist! 🙂