Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve published four picture books, one short story collection and one young adult novel. There are a few other projects in the works, which should, all going to plan, turn into books soon. I actually wrote my first novel when I was a teenager – that one is never going to see the light of day though!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Broken Silence”. I came up with the idea for it years ago – when I was 13, in fact. My friend was staying over at my house, and we’d just watched “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. My friend I were then telling scary stories, and I decided to come up with my own thriller plot.
I pretty much forgot about it after than, until many years later when I joined a writing group, and wanted to start working on a novel. I remembered the plot I’d come up with, all those years before, and realised it was actually pretty workable, and began writing it down.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a really bad sleepwalking problem, so I have been known to find notes I wrote to myself while asleep. The title of one of my picture books “Do Fruit Worry About Getting Fat?” actual came from this. The sleepwalking is a pretty stressful thing in my life, but the plus side is that it gives some great inspiration!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many authors that I love, but I’d say some of the ones which have influenced the way I write would be Paula Boock, Melina Marchetta, Kate De Goldi and Gwendoline Riley. All writers I read as a teenager, and who made me want to write too.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on two projects – a young adult novel, which has a touch of magical realism and I think might be the start of a series, and also a new play called Invisible Arthur. They’re both pretty hard to explain without giving away any spoilers, so might have to just stay mum on that one!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This side of the business is new to me, so I’m still in the trial and error stage. I have found that collaborating with other authors seems to be the most powerful tool. It’s quite scary to ask for help, but at the same time, you know that other writers are in the same boat, and ultimately we all want to work together and support each other. As long as you’re giving that same support back, then it all works out well.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Along with being an author, I’m also a creative writing tutor for both children and adults. The thing I say to all my students is to just write, and don’t throw it away. It can be tempting to be your own worst critic and get rid of work if it doesn’t feel perfect. It’s probably not perfect, but it’s also probably not as bad as you think either. If you throw your work away, you lose the chance to view it with fresh eyes later, and see that it might not take that much to fix it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just write!
What are you reading now?
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have lots of different writing projects on the go, from spoken word poetry shows to plays and novels. I always thought I would be someone who just wrote novels, but I’m enjoying the diversity of different genres.
My very next project, is a launch party on Facebook for Broken Silence (5th July) and next up in terms of books will be a second young adult novel called Underwater, which I’m hoping to launch early next year.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
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