The Fortune Keeper

1. How did you become an author?
   I did an MA in Creative Writing as a poet, but whilst studying I began writing a novel and then just got hooked on writing long form fiction. There was something that appealed to me about getting to know characters and their motivations, and watching them interact on the page that I found irresistible.

2. Tell us about your writing process.
I spend a lot of time in research but it happens as I go along rather than in one huge chunk. I research what the story needs from moment to moment. My planning is minimal, just beginning, middle and end, but I do spend a lot of time mulling over the characters and all my novels are told from several points of view.

3. How would you persuade readers to buy your book(s)?
I have a newsletter to keep in touch with my readers, and do a certain amount of advertising on Amazon. I am also traditionally published so the publisher does some work for me. I use blog tours (like this one!) and also tour libraries and bookshops, though I do less of that now than I used to as it’s easier to reach people online. I can’t do ‘hard selling’ so I don’t try to do it. I just make sure the book has an appealing ‘on genre’ cover and try to place it in front of as many readers as possible online.

4. What is your all-time favourite book? What makes it special?
I haven’t got an all-time favourite. I have loved different books at different times in my life – as a child – the Narnia series, as a teenager Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, as an adult A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry and Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein.

5. What are you reading at the moment?
I’m currently reading Carol McGrath’s The Lost Queen. I’ve read several others of hers and they are always full of wonderful medieval detail.

6. Which author(s) (past or present) would you invite to dinner?
I have just had dinner with Jean Briggs (JC Briggs, author of the Dickens and Jones Mysteries) and Martine Bailey (author of The Almanac) on a writing event — I admire them both as writers and I can’t think of better company.

7. What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have any hobbies or passions?
I love to dance – it’s my way to keep fit, and to get away from the desk. Also I’m very quiet when I’m writing, so it’s my chance to hear music and have a natter with other dancing friends.

8. Can you give novice writers some tips (do’s/don’ts)?
The main thing is to read. Its reading that gives you the foundation of how to tell a story. I’ve coached quite a few writers through an online mentoring programme and its immediately obvious which ones are avid readers, and which aren’t by the quality of what is on the page.

9. What are your future plans as an author?
I’m working on another book in this series which finishes Giulia Tofana’s story and tells the reader more about Mia’s later life as an astrologer. It’s massive fun to work on, so watch this space!