Updated on 28th December 2012
Tell us a bit about your family. I am a single mother (divorced) and have three children whom I’m very proud of. My eldest daughter has just graduated from University with a Law degree. My other daughter is also at university studying English and screenwriting and my son is just doing his GCSE exams at high school.
What are you most proud of accomplishing so far in your life? My proudest accomplishments are definitely my children, but after that writing and publishing Vortex. I never dreamed I would actually manage to write a whole book!
What is your favorite color? Blue has always been my favourite colour, even though I used to moan, as a child, about everything I had being blue.
What is your favorite food? I do love chocolate (but then who doesn’t?). One of my most favourite meals is Moussaka, I also love passion fruit, pink grapefruit and rump steak.
What’s your favorite place in the entire world? I love travelling and seeing new places, particularly wild, wilderness type places and natural landscapes, but I think my most favourite place in the whole world would have to be my home.
How has your upbringing influenced your writing? I think the biggest thing to influence my writing as I grew up was my parents instilling in me a love of books. Although neither mum nor dad ever did a lot of reading they were always telling us how important and special books are.
When and why did you begin writing? I started writing in 2009. It came as a big surprise to me as I hadn’t tried to write anything since being at school. I’m really not sure why I suddenly decided to start other than I had a story buzzing around in my head and I thought I’d try and put it down on paper. I’ve always had stories in my head for as long as I can remember, but for some reason this one needed to get out somehow.
When did you first know you could be a writer? Even now I find it difficult to think of myself as a writer or an author. Actually holding my finished book in my hands and going on Amazon or Goodreads and reading the reviews people have written about Vortex makes it feel real, makes me realise I can really be a writer.
What genre are you most comfortable writing? I love writing Fantasy because you can make your own rules and be as creative as you want. I love mystical beings like dragons and unicorns, and magic fascinates me.
What do you consider the most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general? For me it’s getting the story down in the first place, once it’s written I really enjoy going over and over it editing and tweaking it till it’s ready for others to read, but getting it all written down is a real challenge.
Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it? Yes, it has taught me that I can do it, that if I put my mind to it I can achieve things I didn’t think possible. It’s also improved my spelling greatly!
Do you intend to make writing a career? I don’t know about making it a career as there are lots of things I’d like to do, but I definitely want to keep on writing and I’ve got a few more stories lined up for when I’ve finished this trilogy.
What are your current writing projects now? Have you started another book yet? At the moment I’m working on the second book in The Return of The Effra trilogy. It’s called Wicked Game and it carries on from where Vortex finished.
Can you share a little of your current work with us? Here is a short extract from Wicked Game, which is the second book in the Return of The Effra trilogy:
“Go on, do it! please.”
Sam screamed the words, but no sound came out. Her eyes bulged as she gasped for breath, a red mist cloaking her vision. The pressure on her throat increased, crushing her windpipe, causing the blood to pound inside her skull. Her hands scrabbled to grab hold of something, to try and release Christa’s grip on her neck, but her mind screamed out for an easy end to her misery.
“You’re not worth it, pathetic cry baby.” Christa spit the words in Sam’s face, kneeing her in the ribs as she pushed herself sideways off the bottom bunk. Sam gulped in air, tears rolling from her bloodshot eyes as she watched her attacker climb back onto the top bunk.
“Make another sound and I promise I’ll finish it next time,” Christa thumped down hard on her bed making the springs screech. Sam lay on her back gazing up at the underside of the top bunk waves of hopelessness crashing over her. It was late at night and the lights were turned off. Sam had been trying to fall asleep for hours, she needed to have one of those ‘dreams,’ like the ones that had started it all. She’d give anything to have one of those tonight.
How did you come up with the title?
Can you tell us about your main character? There are two main characters in Vortex, Sam and Damian:
Sam at nineteen is just starting university to study law after having taken a gap year to spend time with her terminally ill father. Despite being a strong willed and determined person she is struggling to settle in. Still grieving the loss of her father she is starting to question whether she has picked the right path in life. She most certainly does not like or believe in fantasy.
Damian looks almost human except for his silver eyes, horns and a pair of bat like wings. Immortal and indestructible, he also has an incredible memory. Compelled to help those in need he now serves in the Penrithian Guard, protecting the freedom of his homeland.
Who designed the cover? Gregory Barons, my daughters very talented boyfriend designs my covers for me. He designed a selection for Vortex, which I posted on facebook and got people to vote on which one they liked best.
Who is your publisher? I set up my own publishing company in order to publish Vortex, AFS Publishing. I decided to go down this route as it meant I could be in full control over decisions. I think I’ve probably made just about every mistake possible, but I’ve really enjoyed getting to grips with the whole process.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? The overall message in the trilogy is that love is the strongest force and the greatest kind of magic in any world.
How much of the book is realistic? The first half of Vortex is set in our world so even though magic and mystical beings are mentioned the setting is a realistic one. I tried to make the story and the characters as believable and realistic as I could despite the mythical quality of it all.
What are your goals as a writer? My main goal is always to write the best stories I can, but apart from that at the moment it’s to get The Return of The Effra trilogy finished and published.
Are you reading any interesting books at the moment? At the moment I’m reading a wonderful book called White Mountain, it’s a debut novel by a very talented writer, Sophie E Tallis. It’s a fantasy adventure about a wizard and a dragon who are very good friends. They exist in our present day world, but hidden from our view. An evil force is threatening to take over the world and they set out on a quest to defeat the evil and save the world. It’s a really wonderful book and I’m enjoying it immensely.
Are there any new authors that have sparked your interest and why? I am a member of a group of writers called The Alliance of Worldbuilders, they are all new up and coming authors. They have all been a great help to me as I set out on my path to become a writer and between them have written some wonderful novels. They can be found at: http://theallianceofworldbuilders.weebly.com
What do you do to unwind and relax? My favourite way to unwind is to take my horses for a ride through our local woods. It’s so peaceful and beautiful, the scenery is constantly changing with the seasons and there is such an abundance of wildlife, it’s always a joy no matter what the weathers doing.
When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have? I would like to think that my books had bought enjoyment to their readers and that I’d achieved all the goals I’d set myself along the way.
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Genre – Romantic Fantasy (YA 15)
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