3 May 2018

When Kandrina's beloved older brother was taken by the fearsome Lightning Demons, she swore an oath to the gods that she would avenge him. But the Demons may not be as evil as the People's temples say they are. They may not even be responsible for her brother's death. Her tutor Remlik has another theory, but after she tries to explain his teachings to her father she is declared a heretic. The priests punish her, but she is rescued by a curious Demon, who takes her to their crystal city on the plains and begins teaching her that the two races are not so different.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. If you could work with any other author, who would it be and why?

I’d love to work with Raymond Feist. I love his style of writing, and I admire the way he can connect multiple complex plot lines into one over arcing story. If I could get hold of a time machine or visit the afterlife somehow, I’d also like to work with Douglas Adams – from what I’ve heard my writing method seems similar to his, so it could have made for an interesting project!

2. What would be a typical working day for you? When and where do you write?

I try to fit some writing in around my day job as a cleaner, so quite a few pages have been scribbled quickly in a cupboard during my breaks. I also tend to get a couple of hours in the evening when I can sit down and work on something for a bit longer, or just type up what I’ve made a note of during the day. I don’t have a particular place really, I just tend to write wherever I can find some spare time – I actually wrote the epilogue for The Colourless while sitting in a bus station, though I wouldn’t recommend that as a good place to write!

3. What is the hardest part of the writing for you?

The hardest part is probably writing the middle of a book. Most of the time, I know how the story begins and I have some idea of where I want it to end, but getting my characters from start to finish is pretty difficult at times. I have several separate threads going at once, different sides to the story and several sub-plots, or things that are setting the stage for the next book, so working out how to bring them all together can be quite a challenge. It is enjoyable though, and very satisfying when I manage to weave it all into a good ending.

4. When and why did you first start writing?

I’ve been making up stories and telling them to myself since before I can remember, but I first started writing them down when I was about 14. It took me another 5 years to work up the courage to show anyone anything though, and I wish I’d had that confidence sooner.

5. How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I honestly don’t remember where the idea came from. The world in the Lost Tribes series is the world I spent most of my childhood building up in daydreams and pretend games, so really it’s been a work in progress for the last 20 years or more. It kind of feels like I met these characters a long time ago, and I’m just writing the stories they’ve told me.

6. Are you a big reader? If so, what are you reading now?

I do enjoy reading, most anything that falls within the fantasy / sci-fi / horror genres, or ‘anything weird’ as a friend of mine says! The last book I read was First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde, which is a sort of fantasy humour along similar lines to Terry Pratchett. I’m currently working on a book of my own, so I’m taking a break from reading to make sure I don’t get someone else’s story mixed up with mine, but I do have a small pile of books to be read once my own work is underway.

7. Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers?

Write something that you would want to read. I was told several years ago, write for yourself, because if you like what you’ve written, chances are other people will like it too.