Monday 2 June 2014

The "My Writing Process" blog tour

It’s a great honour to be invited to contribute to the ‘My Writing Process’ blog tour. My thanks to the awesome explorer, writer and film maker Matt Dickinson for inviting me to take part. Check out his website for more information...

If you haven’t checked out his excellent new book ‘Everest Files’ yet then now would be a great time to take a look. Also thanks to Safie Maken Finlay for kicking the whole thing off! She’s the author of ‘The Galian Spear’—a dark and thrilling fantasy trilogy. You can follow Safie here on twitter.

So - On with the questions... 

What am I working on?

I have several projects on the go at the moment. Fancying myself as a bit of a Neil Gaiman I'm trying to work some amazing childhood memories into a fantasy novel with the working title The Imagining of Benjamin Green. It is loosely based on Homers Odyssey. Alongside that, I've got a huge number of YA ideas and I'm trying to figure out which one to spend time on next. Not easy..

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

The light outweighs the shade, I think. I hope people will read my novels and see that the human spirit is very nearly indestructible, that there is life and love and hope in the most challenging and darkest places. I also like to see things from the antagonist's point of view because bad people have a story too.

Why do I write what I do?

The straight answer is because it got published! Once you are in print, readers have certain expectations of you as an author. I care passionately about the characters and subjects of my novels and the stories I have in me clamor away at the back of my head until I give them a voice. It is a strange process, writing. I am determined to write in other genres though because I have a lot to say and I love variety.

How does my writing process work?

 Aha! Come to one of my presentations and you will find out in detail! In a nutshell I start out with a strong scene that haunts me for days until I write it down. Then My mind starts to make connections and a story begins to grow like a little tree, branching off into all sorts of directions until I begin to see a recognisable shape.

Finally here are three teen/ya writers and friends who are worth exploring.

https://twitter.com/CeejaytheAuthor 
CJ is the author of PRETTY BAD THINGS and ROCKAHOLIC. If you want a good laugh CJ is one of those writers who has the gift of being able to craft a fantastic story and fill it with situations that will have you holding your sides.

http://www.rachelwardbooks.com/
Rachel's NUMBERS series have won accolades all over the world and her new book THE DROWNING is a tense, classic thriller.

http://www.threadsthebook.com/
Sophia Bennett's THE LOOK is a fantastic, humorous and touching story about the vacuous fashion world.