Louise Morrish – Author Q&A

Louise Morrish

Louise Morrish

Louise Morrish is a Librarian whose debut novel won the 2019 Penguin Random House First Novel Competition. She finds inspiration for her stories in the real-life adventures of women in the past, whom history has forgotten. She lives in Hampshire with her family.

Louise can be found at:
Website: https://louisemorrish.com/
Twitter: @LouiseMorrish1
Instagram: @louisemorrish_books
Facebook: Louise Morrish
Mastodon: @LouiseMorrish@offworld.fedisonic.cloud

Tell me what inspired you to write your (debut) novel?

The genesis for Operation Moonlight came in 2018, when my friend Liz told me about a 110-year-old-woman she knew who was determined to become the oldest person in Britain (this lady now holds this record, btw). Her stalwart attitude reminded me of my late maternal grandmother, who was born in 1908 and survived two world wars, the 1918 flu epidemic, breast cancer and a bigamist first husband. I then discovered the incredible stories of the female secret agents in the Special Operations Executive, who risked their lives during the Second World War, and I began to think…what if a present day centenarian was hiding a very dark secret from the war, when she’d worked as an SOE agent…and from that spark, Operation Moonlight was born.

How hard was it to get your first (debut) book published?

I spent about ten years trying to get a literary agent, receiving upwards of about 50 rejections. As a last resort, I entered the 2019 Penguin Random House Competition for unpublished authors. To my shock and delight, I won! I’m now represented by Luigi Bonomi of LBA Books, and my debut novel, Operation Moonlight, is published with Century, PRH.

How long did it take to write?

About 2 and a half years.

What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?

Everyone has been so positive about the book, and I’ve had loads of people tell me that they learned so much about the Special Operations Executive. But my favourite reaction has to be from a woman who came to one of my library talks. She was in tears, and I was worried I’d upset her somehow. But in fact she was crying with happiness, as my story had reminded her of her late mother who had also served in the war.

What can you tell us about your next book?

I can’t say much, as nothing is set in stone yet. But what I can tell you is that it’s set in the First World War this time, and is inspired by two real women who achieved incredible things, but who have largely been forgotten.

Do you take notice of online reviews?

I do still read them at the moment, but I may stop. Reviews aren’t for the authors to read, really.

Operation Moonlight

Operation Moonlight

Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?

Yes, I’d love to write a contemporary novel, or a psychological thriller perhaps. But historical fiction is my true passion, so I’ll be writing that for the foreseeable.

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?

I’m a Librarian, and will always be a Librarian in some capacity, I hope. I currently manage a Secondary School Library part time, and I love my job.

Which author(s) inspire you?

So many! In my genre, I love Sarah Waters, Emma Donoghue, Maggie O’Farrell, Kate Atkinson, Robert Harris. Other writers I adore are Jess Kidd, Lissa Evans, Stephen King…there are many more…

Which genres do you read yourself?

Mainly Historical Fiction, but I also read all other genres, including Young Adult fiction for my job, Mysteries and Thrillers, and I love a good Comedy occasionally.

What will always distract you?

Social Media.

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

I can suggest design ideas, and I can say if I really don’t like something. But Penguin have the final say.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?

The new indie bookshop in my home town – Goldfinch Books. It’s awesome, with a café and licensed bar, and such a cool, relaxing ambience. I’m starting a new book club there this month, and I can’t wait.

Do you have any rituals when writing?

I switch off my phone!

How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?

About 4000. I’m not kidding.

What is your current or latest read?

I’m reading Privilege by Guinevere Glasfurd. It’s set in the mid-18th Century and is all about books and their turbulent history.

Any books that you’re looking forward to in the next 12 months?

Loads! But I’m especially excited to read Emma Donoghue’s new novel, Learned by Heart, which is inspired by the life of Anne Lister.


Bottom Ko-Fi

Share this:

Jerry Simcock – Author Q&A

Jerry Simcock

Zen practitioner, artist, writer, gardener, willow weaver. Novel – Giselle and Mr Memphis published by Vagabond Voices just out.

Jerry can be found here:
Twitter: @WildseedZen
Mastodon: @jezsim@zirk.us
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerrysimcock/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerry.simcock/

Tell me what inspired you to write your (debut) novel?

When I first came to Scotland in 2005 I joined Ray Ross’s Find Your Voice creative writing class run by The University of Edinburgh’s Lifelong Learning programme. One of the first tasks Ray set us was to think up an imaginary friend – mine was Ignatz. He was a kind of timeless German dwarf figure, a bit brothers Grimm but more modern, someone of uncertain origin, Oskar from Gunther Grass’s Tin Drum was probably there somewhere in the background, but also a Turkish guy I had known in Frankfurt in the seventies, who played the guitar and only had a thumb on his right hand. He was really mixture of folk I had met back then, who would sidle up to you in bars ,a little drunk, but wanting to disclose how they had survived the Nazi period. A survivor, not untarnished, traumatized, making the best of the now, a man who knew how to look after himself but was keeping the lid on a traumatic past, canny and a good story teller. I wanted him to emerge as if from a fairy tale.

What came first the characters or the world?

They came together. Once Ignatz was in my head, my memories of Frankfurt in the seventies flowed, the protests, the American presence in the city, some Vietnam casualties. As a young student of history I had been horrified and affected by the uncovering of what had gone on the Nazi period, as well as all that was happening in Vietnam and had happened in the Biafran war – the horrors of slaughter, the inhumanity. I was talking to student protestors and aware of their determination to out and uncover the Nazi pasts of many who were in power. I was in my late teens, fresh out of school and had begun to question the stories of glorious derring-do that I had read in my early teens and was now more of a witness to the horrors of history.

How hard was it to get your first (debut) book published?

Giselle and Mr. Memphis

Giselle and Mr. Memphis

Hard! I had some early success when the first few pages were published in Gutter Magazine in 2012 and thought I was on a roll…some agents were initially interested but turned me down, some publishers were the same but mostly rejections. I thought Vagabond Voices would be a good fit because they publish a lot of European Literature and translations…they were initially very kind, seemed interested but then decided to do more translated work and my book was put to one side. Finally, in 2020, just as I was going to send out a revised manuscript to a few selected independent publishers for a final go, I had an email from Galina Miteva, at Vagabond Voices, to ask if it was still available. She had read the book as an intern and loved it and, when she went back to work for them, she persuaded them in to publishing it! So choosing Vagabond Voices at the start was a good move. They are a great wee publisher and publish some amazing books in translation. I’m just glad Galina had such faith in the book.

How long did it take to write?

The first version was written between 2006-8 from the point of view of Hermann (the young man Ignatz befriends). Then I completely re-wrote it as a journa written by Ignatz. Also by then I had done an MA Screenwritig which helped me make the scenes more visual and much tighter. It was finished by 2012.

Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?

I don’t but I do have a Giselle and Mr Memphis playlist (music is what binds Ignatz and Giselle together) – it is on Spotify. A lot of blues, jazz and soul, and accordion music, early seventies pop. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/30InfLmKg9j5ailpipjhwg?si=645c759a6f3b44e1

How many publishers turned you down?

I lost count over those 8 years from 2012-20. At least 40.

What kind of reactions have you had to your book?

The book was only published in September but I have had some great feedback I am pleased to say. It was nerve racking waiting for the first responses from folk. I was most relieved when a Professor of Literature was kind enough to email me to say how much they enjoyed it. I’m pleased to say most folk think it is a great story that pulls you in and keeps you on the hook and that it has great momentum. Some are a little shocked by some of the more grim scenes.

What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?

That would be from an ex-partner of mine, who encouraged my writing way back in the late seventies. She was one of the first to get back to me after it was first published and loved it. That meant a lot to me as we have only recently got back in touch after many years.

What can you tell us about your next book?

So far I have written about 80 pages on the rough draft of a new novel. It is part memoir, part story and involves the healing of a traumatized child.

Do you take notice of online reviews?

Not had any yet but would welcome some.

Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?

Yes. I do write poems and short stories. I’d like to get into a more magical realist form of fiction

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?

I am now retired but volunteer on a local garden and growing project, a charity that offers support in mental health and well being. For many years I taught children excluded from mainstream education and then children in a psychiatric hospital as part of a multi-disciplinary team. I also worked for a while with adults with learning difficulties. I am a zen buddhist practitioner.

Which author(s) inspire you?

There have been many over the years…here are some – Olga Tokarczuk, Günter Grass, Mieko Kawakami, Donna Tart, Gabriel Garcia Marques, Kazuo Ishiguro, Kurt Vonnegut, Arundhati Roy, Penelope Fitzgerald, Banana Yoshimoto, Haruki Murakami, Ian Banks, Ruth Ozeki, Gary Snyder, Chaucer, Seamus Heaney, Jon Foss, Shokoofeh Azar. I really enjoyed reading Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree (translated by Daisy Rockwell) this year and want to read more of her stuff…I could go on.

Which genres do you read yourself?

Mostly literary fiction, speculative fiction, memoir too .I’m keen on big narratives and increasingly taken by magical realist and experimental fiction.

What is your biggest motivator?

Exploring the human condition, looking at and respecting the resilience of the traumatized, finding a better way forward, encouraging compassion towards all beings. Getting positive feedback to drafts is a great motivator. That feeling when you really get in the flow and a character begins leading the way.

What will always distract you?

Sometimes it is anything but the page…the web and social media are a blessing and a curse…a beautiful day will easily lead me off outside and into enjoying the present moment, or I may have had enough of the screen and want to draw or paint. At 67, although I enjoy writing, it is not the be all and end all for me, I like to enjoy life and take moments as they come, writing can be part of that.

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

None, though I am absolutely delighted with Mark Mechan’s design for Giselle and Mr Memphis and the vibrant colour. Mark designs all the covers for Vagabond Voices.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, a bookworm from the start. Alays being told to put that book down and get outside,

What were your favourite childhood books?

Treasure Island, Swallows and Amazons, Stig of the Dump – I was a child of the late fifties and early sixties and was conditioned accordingly. There were not a lot of books in our house but the local library was great. I also loved The Beano…

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?

No real favourite but I do enjoy browsing in Toppings, Lighthouse and Portobello Bookshop when I’m in Edinburgh.

What books can you not resist buying?

Books from fellow writers for independent publishers who I have come to know through twitter. I’m enjoying reading so many more writers in translation from around the globe and small presses like Charco and Tilted Axis. I’m enjoying expanding my viewpoint and learning more about other cultures.

Do you have any rituals when writing?

Not really – I like to meditate briefly before hand and clear my mind. I’ll usually have a cup of tea on the go. I read through yesterday’s writing and make notes then get into the next session. Recently I’ve lost some of that commitment to write every day so I take myself off to draw or paint or make a basket and then more story and ideas come.

How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?

30 or so at a rough count.

What is your current or latest read?

Zen Therapy by David Brazier – it is so well written, so well explained and has brought me back into zen after a recent lapse. Also reading Stepping Stones – Dennis O’Driscoll’s Interviews with Sheamus Heaney – wonderful.


Bottom Ko-Fi

Share this:

Nicola Ashbrook – Author Q&A

Nicola Ashbrook

Nicola Ashbrook

Nicola Ashbrook is an indie author of two novellas-in-flash – The Anatomical History of Violet Vee, and Mae in Quinquennia published with indie publisher Selcouth Station. Her debut flash fiction collection is upcoming with Bearded Badger. She is always writing a novel.

Flash fictions are tiny stories of usually less than 1000 words. A novella-in-flash consists of many flash fictions which both stand alone and, when read in order, tell a bigger story. Nicola likes to write about interesting women – women who are different, quirky, contradictory, naughty, challenging. She likes a story with humour AND tears.

Nicola lives in the north-west of England with her family, two cats and an overly friendly Boston Terrier. When she isn’t writing, she works as a speech and language therapist for children.

Nicola can be found at:
Website: https://nicolalostinnarration.weebly.com/
Twitter: @NicolaAWrites
Instagram: @NicolaAWrites

Tell me what inspired you to write your most recent collection?

My most recent book is The Art of Escapology, a flash fiction collection centred around the theme of escape. I wrote much of it during the first wave of the pandemic when my mum also unexpectedly became very unwell (and died five months later.) In retrospect, I think I was writing to escape my own reality so the theme must have been lurking in my subconscious.

What came first the characters or the world?

In The Art of Escapology, there are many different characters and many different worlds. In my previous books, two novellas-in-flash – Mae in Quinquennia and The Anatomical History of Violet Vee – the characters definitely came first. They are both strong, quirky women but very different in their life experiences and approach. Mae experiences many challenges in her life but handles them all with a trademark dark humour. Violet, on the other hand, lives every day as though it’s her last, with a flagrant disregard for rules, morals and societal conventions.

How hard was it to get your first (debut) book published?

Getting Mae In Quinquennia published was quite challenging. She got a few rejections. She was actually rejected by her eventual publisher initially but they offered feedback and I accepted it. When they re-read to provide it, they changed their mind and offered to publish!

Violet Vee had the smoothest journey of the three. The Art of Escapology also got its rejections but found it’s perfect home at Bearded Badger Press. I was only able to submit there because I was born in the midlands. My grandparents had immigrated there from Poland in 1946 – something which has become very poignant as one of the key stories is loosely based on my grandmother’s experiences in a concentration camp during the war. I feel the book has found its spiritual home.

How long did it take to write?

It’s hard to say how long The Art of Escapology took to write because I wrote it slowly, a story here and a story there, probably over the course of a year or so.

Violet Vee is my quickest write – 3 weeks from start to finish because I was desperately trying to make The Bath Novella-in-flash competition deadline!

Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?

No, I definitely don’t because I can’t concentrate with music on! Unfortunately, I need silence. Or quiet anyway – my household is rarely silent!

What kind of reactions have you had to your book?

The reaction to Mae in Quinquennia was amazing – the first print run sold out in 24 hours! She’s now on her third run with people still buying and messaging me about her over a year later.

Since the other two have come out, I feel the landscape has changed – we’ve entered the Cost-of-Living Crisis and, understandably, it’s harder for people to spend now. I feel that has impacted book selling and the reaction to them has been more muted. However, those who have read Violet Vee, have found her uplifting, irreverent and funny.

The Art of Escapology is only just landing – I really hope people enjoy it but we’ll have to see…

What can you tell us about your next book?

I currently have two novels waiting for a good home. One is a coming-of-age story with another strong female lead and the other, which is currently having a re-write, has a very unusual setting. I would love one of these to be my next book but again, we’ll have to see.

Do you take notice of online reviews?

I do when they’re positive! They’re extremely encouraging in a world where positive reinforcement is pretty hard to come by. Luckily, I haven’t had any that are too negative as yet but I know my time is coming.

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?

I am a speech and language therapist working with children on a part-time basis.

Which author(s) inspire you?

So many. Kristen Loesch, Ronan Hession, Marianne Cronin, Susanna Clarke, Kate Sawyer to name a few.

Which genres do you read yourself?

I think my tastes are pretty contemporary and mainstream with a touch of something different. I read flash too. I love that feeling of getting so drawn in you can’t put the book down.

What is your biggest motivator?

Not wasting time and not being easily satisfied, I think. I like to feel productive and as though I’m progressing somehow.

What will always distract you?

Social media is tricky I think. You have to be there for marketing and staying up to date with what’s going on in the world of books but at the same time, it’s very easy to waste hours with random scrolling!

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

Because all of my publishing experience so far has been with small independent presses, I have been very lucky to have lots of creative input with all of my covers. With Mae, we worked with Kerry-Anne Mayes, a very talented artist who brought my idea to life. With The Art of Escapology, Matt Oakley is a graphic designer who has done most, if not all, of the Bearded Badger Press covers. His works is amazing – all the covers would stand out on a shelf but for completely different reasons. Mine is based on the idea of a cabinet of curiosities. I love all of my covers.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes! I read my way around our local library.

What were your favourite childhood books?

All the eighties/nineties classics like Judy Blume, Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew etc.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?

I love The Bound bookshops in the north-east, especially The Accidental Bookshop in Alnwick. I know I’ll be buying a stack the next time I’m up there. There are a few bookshops in the midlands who stock The Art of Escapology – Buk, Dormouse books and Scarthin Books and I hope to have a little drive out to visit them all soon.

How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?

Maybe about 40. I do try to curb my buying until I’ve read enough of them because it easily gets out of hand!

What is your current or latest read?

I’m currently reading Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller. I try to alternate between something from the bestseller shelves and something from a small indie.

Any events in the near future?

I’ve recently been interviewed for the Ellipsis Zine podcast so look out for that and I will hopefully be at Derby book fair next month.


Bottom Ko-Fi

Share this:

Ana Sampson – Author Q&A

Ana Sampson

Ana Sampson

Ana has been editing poetry anthologies since 2009, when I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud and Other Poems you Half-Remember from School was the third bestselling poetry title that year. More recently she has edited two volumes of poetry by women, She is Fierce and She Will Soar, a collection of poetry about motherhood, Night Feeds and Morning Songs, and Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book.

She has contributed articles to books including Writers’ Market UK and The Book Lover’s Companion and to newspapers and magazines, and talked about poetry and publishing at literary festivals, bookshop events, at libraries, in schools and online. Ana has also appeared on television and radio talking about books, poetry and teenage diaries. She lives in Surrey with her husband, two daughters, two demanding cats, and far too many books.

Ana can be found at:
Website: www.anasampson.co.uk
Twitter: @AnaBooks
Instagram: @anabooks
Newsletter: www.anasampson.co.uk/newsletter-signup

How long do your books take to put together?

Editing my first anthology I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud and Other Poems You Half-Remember from School took a few months – I was working full time so had to fit my poem hunting into evenings and weekends. I also researched and wrote biographies of the poets – I wanted to include the most interesting and quirky facts about their lives – which was time-consuming but fascinating. I loved learning that Edward Lear built his new house in an exact replica lay-out of his old house so as not to confuse his tailless cat, Foss, and that G K Chesterton was so forgetful that his longsuffering wife had to redirect him via telegram when he took the train to the wrong town. Other books have fitted around my day job in various ways so it’s quite varied timewise.

Do you have a writing playlist? If so do you want to share it?

Just the soft snoring of my cats.

What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?

A teacher told me that she had bought copies of She is Fierce as leaving gifts for all her students as they went on to college and I was so moved. It was during covid, and they had really had a difficult final year, and she thought the poems would prove inspiring talismans for them. It was everything I ever dreamed for one of my collections and such an honour.

What can you tell us about your next book?

Not too much yet but it will be a collaboration with someone I HUGELY admire!

Do you take notice of online reviews?

Yes, if they’re kindly! It means a lot to me when people find a poem they love in one of my books but I tried not to worry about the person who gave my book one star on Amazon because it arrived late for a birthday…

Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?

I’d love to fill a book with my own writing one day although I don’t think I have the imagination for fiction…

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?

I’ve worked in publishing as a publicist for over twenty years. I’ve been lucky enough to work on a very broad range of books – from literary fiction and serious history books to celebrity autobiographies, business books, humour, cook books, general non-fiction, children’s titles and even adult colouring books. It’s a very busy but a very interesting job that I love.

Which genres do you read yourself?

Apart from poetry I have a particular soft spot for historical fiction.

What will always distract you?

Sadly, picking up my phone to read something much less lovely than poetry. Since I mostly work at home, laundry too.

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

It has varied from publisher to publisher but luckily I have always been very lucky in my cover designers!

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, I was never happier than when I had my nose in a book and I imagine it was pretty difficult for my parents to get me to do anything else!

What were your favourite childhood books?

I devoured the books in our local library where I discovered some of my favourites including Susan Cooper, Alan Garner and Ursula le Guin. I read and re-read The Chronicles of Narnia and my all-time favourite book was The Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones. I read it to my children quite recently and was relieved I still loved it every bit as much.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?

It’s hard to choose a favourite but I have to mention both The Haslemere Bookshop, a gorgeous shop who have been so supportive of my books and always have excellent recommendations, and Word on the Street in Ashtead, my newish wonderful local bookshop.

How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?

It’s far too many and it would take me half the day to count them all!

What is your current or latest read?

I am reading the manuscript for Tom Rachman’s The Imposters, published next year, which I’ll be working on the publicity campaign for. He is an incredible writer although I haven’t quite forgiven him for making me miss my train stop because I was so engrossed in his last novel (the Costa-shortlisted The Italian Teacher).

Any books that you’re looking forward to in the next 12 months?

Katherine Rundell is a marvel – I read Rooftoppers to the kids and fell absolutely in love with it, and her biography of John Donne was tremendous. She has just announced a children’s fantasy trilogy called Impossible Creatures and the first book will be published next September. Cannot wait. I’m also looking forward to Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety which I’m hoping I’ll find under the Christmas tree (because I have too much reading for work to do before Christmas!)

and finally, what inspired you to publish in the genre you do?

I just think poets are magicians. They take my breath away all the time. It’s absolutely incredible to share a poem with readers knowing that it will mean something unique to them, in the same way that songs have different associations for us all, coloured by our own memories, needs and obsessions. What an amazing privilege it is to do this, I’m incredibly grateful.


Bottom Ko-Fi

Share this:

April Grace – Author Q&A

The Girl Behind the Glass - April Grace

The Girl Behind the Glass – April Grace

April Grace has always lived in Milton Keynes, and now lives with her boyfriend and, a few nights a week, his two cheeky sons. She has been writing young adult novels for twelve years now, which all started when she decided to write stories on Wattpad while she was supposed to be working hard on modules for her A Levels. (But she did go onto study Creative Writing at university the following year, so it all worked out in the end.)

While she isn’t writing or editing, she works in an arcade, where she has the best friends who are always happy to listen to her ranting about her books.

She couldn’t be more grateful for all of the love and support.

April can be found at:
Twitter: @aprilgracereads
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aprilgraceauthor
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHFuZAjwSyv1vvfJvnM_8kg
Instagram: @aprilgrace1
Author Website: https://april-grace.com/
Freelance Editing Services: https://hookedonwordseditorialservices.wordpress.com/

Tell me what inspired you to write your (debut) novel?

My first novel, Steel Princess, is a YA fantasy with slightly futuristic elements in a fairy-tale inspired world. It’s not a retelling, like my other WIP, a dark retelling of Snow White, but it has definitely been influenced by many of the Grimms’ Brothers stories. When I first wrote it, twelve years ago, I was eighteen and writing a futuristic version of the UK, which was quite a bit different. It wasn’t until lockdown times that I decided to add in the magical touch to the MC’s story, and make her a princess of sorts. But a few things about that version have remained the same, including my narrators’ names, a few of their friends, and the fact that one main character, Silver, is a gynoid. So, twelve years of writing and editing overall!

What came first, the characters or the world?

Definitely the characters, but the more I played along with their journeys, the more vivid the world came in my mind. Because you have both the Steel City which is ruled by the cruel gynoid queen, and the enemy kingdom of Panyria. Two polar opposite worlds. And finding my main characters’ places within these worlds was great fun to mess around with. So not only did Silver have a purpose: to destroy the cruel queen, but Eden was determined to find his family as well.

What can you tell us about your next book?

It’s a retelling of Snow White, called The Girl Behind The Glass, from the perspective of Snow White, a new stepsister she finds herself allying with when her father is murdered by her stepmother on his wedding night. Frost is the winter princess, lonely since her mother’s death and her father’s three year long courtship to a new princess, and Winnie is the daughter of the mayor of the cursed Mirror Village, a city controlled by the witches that the two girls soon find themselves needing the assistance of.

Steel Princess

Steel Princess

What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?

I have worked in quite a few literary roles, including in a popular bookshop, in an Ingram Spark warehouse, as a Literature Intern Manager for a London based charity, and I have also been running my own freelance editing business for almost three years now. I currently run my business, write and publish my books while also working as Teaching Assistant in a school and as a General Assistant in an arcade.

Which author(s) inspire you?

There are so many. But a few recent faves are Elise Kova, Danielle L. Jensen, and Emily Blackwood. Anything YA or new adult fantasy gets me every time!

How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?

I tell my designer some ideas, but she always has amazing concepts for me to choose from, and her work is beautiful, so I feel very lucky to have her. Check out Josephine Blake at Covers and Cupcakes if you’re interested, she’s great.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Absolutely. You’d have to drag me out of that local library kicking and screaming. Well, maybe not literally, but I loved it there.

What were your favourite childhood books?

North Child by Edith Pattou was a beloved one, as were any books by Sophie McKenzie, or Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses series. A heart-breaking take on the world of racism, but really well done. I read those books countless times as a child and still have them sitting on my shelf now.

Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?

Waterstones, definitely, or if I’m in London, the big Foyles or Waterstones stores. They’re huge, and always have really cool events on too.

What books can you not resist buying?

Anything by Teri Terry. Anything that has fairy-tale themes or a pretty cover, and I’m sucked in.

Do you have any rituals when writing?

I always listen to music. Not anything specific, just whatever I’ve been listening to at the time. It just helps me get into the zone a bit more.

How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?

Too many to count!

What is your current or latest read?

Elise Kova’s A Dance With The Fae Prince, a great fantasy read!


Bottom Ko-Fi

Share this: