An Interview with Jon Hillman

An Interview with Jon Hillman

An Interview with Jon Hillman

Hi there! Another month, another interview with an up and coming legend of the world-wide writing community. This time, I have the pleasure of introducing British author, Jon Hillman. If dark fantasy is your thing, then Jon is, most definitely, your man! Jon put a lot of thought into his interview, so rather than have me waffling on about it, let’s get stuck in!

 

So, tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you? Where did you spring from? What part of the world do you call home and what is your biggest love/pet hate?

As a writer, I didn’t really spring into existence until the middle of 2013. Sure, I’d been kicking about for 30 years prior to that but I lived in a part of England that is notoriously boring. Flat, dry, dusty. Any given look around that area would give you two colours: brown and blue, dirt and sky.  Eventually, enough was enough and I moved to Scotland. Going from years of a perfectly horizontal horizon to a land of hills and mountains, lochs and forests, stones and secrets was akin to being dunked down in another world entirely. Biggest love? She turned up in 2016 and is now three years old. Pet hate? It’s a controversial one, but it’s the Internet! A veritable rat king of conjoined personalities and opinions that seems to grow ever more dangerous every day!

 

What motivates you to write books?

As mentioned, Scotland broke the dam of ideas in my head and they’ve been rushing forth ever since. Everything I have written about has originated in an experience I have had, but has been heavily twisted in the way of fantasy. If you have read Grim Work you might be wondering “what part of that did you live out?!” All of it, in a manner of speaking.

The problem with me is that one thought leads to another and builds itself up into an entirely new story. I don’t want to sit around with all of that pinging around my mind, so the best way to sort that out is to write it all down! I have to say, gaining readership is generally quite low on the motivation scale. I write what I want to write and I would never want to try and manipulate it into something that could be perceived as more popular. That anybody has read anything I have written has come as something of a shock! That they’ve enjoyed it almost keeled me over.

 

Grim Work by Jon Hillman - Rob Gregory Author

Grim Work by Jon Hillman. What a striking cover!

 

What’s the biggest buzz you’ve had from your writing so far?

One day, at work, I went to speak with a member of another department that I generally have very little to do with. There he was, sat on Amazon purchasing one of my books! I’m sure that the chances of me being behind him at the same time were about as low as that of a lottery win!

 

If you had the choice, what would you prefer to do, publish traditionally or self-publish, and why would that be?

First and foremost, writing is a hobby for me. I enjoy hobbies. I spend as much time as I can doing them, be it writing, or hiking, or photography. Once anything becomes more than a hobby, it starts to lose its shine – even if it is working on something I love. I genuinely want to be able see my writing as a hobby in the future, even if the powers that be deem my work fit to be enjoyed by, dare I say it, thousands!

To me, traditional publishing is work. I don’t want to come home after a hard day’s graft and graft again. Self-publishing feels like the like the hobbyist version of traditional publishing. Self-publishing can definitely bring success (though it generally eludes me), but it also allows me to carry on with my work at my own pace, in my own time, and to work on whatever it is I feel you want to. Self-publishing is relatively low on the stress scale (table of contents creation excepted…) and again, I want my hobbies to be fun.

 

Cold Call by Jon Hillman - Rob Gregory Author

Jon Hillman’s first book, Cold Call.

 

A lot of writing these days, especially with regard to self-publishing, is about marketing. What marketing do you do, if any, and what has worked and failed for you?

Marketing is a tough one! I don’t make much money at all from my writing and any advertising I do work on generally comes when I have dropped my books to the low, low price of zero pence. I am literally paying people to read my stories. Seems perverse, especially given the hours spent on writing the stories themselves!

That said, I have had some degree of success (or at least what I am going call success): my first book, Cold Call, managed to reach number one on Amazon in the free horror e-books on Halloween 2016. My first book! A number one ‘best-seller’. My advertising for that came in the simple form of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram ads. Horror seems to be more widely accepted than dark fantasy, however, and I have not relived such delights since!

 

Have you always aspired to be a writer, or did the idea just spring into your mind later in life?

Now, while I said that I sprang into life in 2013, I mean in terms of actually telling myself I would get a book out there one way or another; I have been writing for as long as I have been able to manipulate a pen nib into making shapes that look vaguely like letters.

At school, I wrote, illustrated, and printed (kids publishing) short books that I became so inspired with that I went above and beyond the teacher’s request of jotting down some ideas of storytelling, turning them into entire short stories of my own. Recently, I embarrassed myself on Twitter with photographs of The Secret Land of Boglins, an absolutely terrible story about my favourite toys. I made a cardboard-bound book based on Escape from Kraznir, and added an additional three acts to Shakespeare’s The Tempest (all in iambic pentameter).

During my time at school and university, I took writing-based decisions where I could. Focused on language and literature at GCSE and A-Level, did a journalism degree. Back then, I had planned to get into videogame writing. I wrote and published (again, printed) a fanzine at University that earned me work on gaming websites and interviews at magazines down in Bournemouth.

That didn’t pan out, and I’m really quite glad it didn’t as I don’t like the internet and that would be where I’d be working full time today if I had continued on with it.

 

The Crystal Keep by Jon Hillman - Rob Gregory Author

The Crystal Keep by Jon Hillman. Another striking cover!

 

What are your top five books/authors of all time and why?

If I go with authors, I can get more books in…

Mervyn Peake. Titus Groan and Gormenghast were hugely inspirational to my way of thinking. The castle-scape that Peake showed us was so rich, even in confinement, that each time I read it I find new things and create richer imaginations of Gormenghast itself. His characters were incredible, all mad, but quite fantastic.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. As a fantasy writer, if I hadn’t read Tolkien what on earth would I be? I first read The Lord of the Rings when I was nine, reading so long and hard into the night that I also experienced my first migraine and temporarily lost the ability to see much of the page on my right! Tolkien’s greatest success for me was the world he created. For years, I wanted nothing more than to simply exist in Middle Earth.

Robert E. Howard. Without Conan, there would be no Marigold. Without Crom, no Greldin. Among my favourite memories of Conan is a time he emerged from a battle with a spirit that cut like knives. We don’t see the fight, but Conan appears wide-eyed and shredded, but alive. That was where Marigold was born. I wanted to take that moment in Howard’s tales and turn it into a series of my own.

Joe Abercrombie. The grim and dark works of Abercrombie are perhaps the most directly inspirational to the writing I do myself. He doesn’t shy away from violence, from language, or from vile scenarios. The sense of reality in his books is practically tangible thanks to this, and I strongly believe that writings of foul misdeeds, violence, and subterfuge is being done incorrectly if it doesn’t include a hefty a dose of words that make folks wince.

Howard Philips Lovecraft. The master of the impossible. Lovecraft brought us stories that frequently left us on the side of the loser. Only The Dunwich Horror seemed to suggest any form of victory for humanity over the cosmic almighties, leaving the score somewhere around 95-1. If you have read any of the books I have written, you may well see a hint of Lovecraft in them; fearful odds and vast powers.

Gareth Hanrahan. Earlier this year, Hanrahan released his first novel, The Gutter Prayer. It is written in an oddly present tense, everything is unfolding alongside you in a way that initially made reading a little uncomfortable, but now seems an almost natural way to write (and now I have to edit that to bring it back in line with how I write). The world on offer here is deep, chewy, and perilous. You wouldn’t want to live here! But, if you have read this fantastic book, you now also have Tallowmen permanently etched into your memory.

Tstutomu Nihei. Nihei is a manga artist who brought out this incredible series called Blame! The story takes place in The City, where construction began on earth by beings called Builders. The City grew and grew and at last count had reached Jupiter’s orbit. Blame! is very much the story of a manga artist. Dialogue is scant, visuals are the main feature here. Grotesque features heavily!

Oh, that was seven authors! Seven is a lot like five, only it is two more. That’s fine, yeah? Looking at these authors, it is clear to see that worlds are what draws me into a story. Guess that’s what I get for spending so long in a county of flat horizons!

[Editor’s Note: Okay, Jon, I will let you have a couple of extras, simply because I am merciful and your selection is so fascinating!]

 

Jon Hillman's world of Traverne - Rob Gregory Author

Map of Traverne, the world where Jon Hillman’s dark fantasy novels are set.

 

Are you a plotter, someone who maps out a story before writing it, or a panster, someone who just writes and sees how it goes? And would you change the way you write, if you could?

When I first began writing with the aim of releasing a book, I pantsed my way into a corner and ended up with some rubbish that couldn’t really go anywhere believable. After that I became the plottiest plotter that ever plotted. I have hundreds of thousands of words of worldbuilding, maps, full notebooks, creature designs, histories, and glossaries. I love plotting and designing, and I’ll readily admit that I can get thoroughly lost within it. I have stories everywhere, and nearly all of them take place in the world of Traverne, which is where Grim Work, The Crystal Keep, and my unpublished behemoth Havelock’s Path take place. I would never want to write any differently to how I do now, unless by some means I can stop time and do more with a single day!

 

If you couldn’t write, what would you do instead?

Scotland is a wild place, and I could happily spend the remainder of my time poking my nose into each and every one of its countless nooks and crannies. I soak up the atmosphere of this place, sit on mountain summits for hours and take it all in, leave the beaten paths and come back riddled with ticks and the threat of Lyme disease several times a month. If I couldn’t write, I know what I would do. I’d also be carrying my camera with me, and in many ways, photography is its own little method of storytelling.

 

Jon Hillman, the author - Rob Gregory Author

Jon Hillman, somewhere in Scotland, I would imagine.

 

What’s the most uncomfortable thing that you’ve had to do as an author?

Hmm, tough one. Does answering this question count? I think I’ve had it easy. I actually enjoy giving myself a challenge and writing something that should make me uncomfortable so I don’t think I can look to my actual writing here.

I’m going to have to go with physically uncomfortable, and that came when trying to write on a train during Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival. Bloody nightmare, and it’s just around the corner again…

 

The Vile Realm by Jon Hillman - Rob Gregory Author

The Vile Realm. Coming soon…

 

Are you working on anything at the moment and if so, when and where can we expect to see it?

I am indeed! The Vile Realm will be the next book I release and will continue the legend (yes, legend) of Marigold the Barbarian. This entry takes place several months after Grim Work, and we find Marigold working through a heavy sense of loss; what is he now that he has nothing? Well, it turns out his run in with another dimension in Grim Work wasn’t quite the end of that story…

Marigold’s stories tend to be quite “small” in their scope. This is a character that finds himself in situations while the world carries on around him. The Vile Realm will open up the world a little bit more, the stakes are higher even if nobody else understands the true scope of the impending disaster.

Fun fact, perhaps: there is a land called Simmermund featured in The Vile Realm, and this area was named simply so that I could call those that hail from it “Simmerians”. I’ve got to thank Robert E. Howard one way or another!

 

Finally, do you have a message for your fans out there and also any sage words of advice for aspiring authors?

I suppose it sounds a bit silly coming from such a small-time author, but simply the confirmation that you should write if you have a story is all I really have to offer. To quote a friend of mine (with a slight twist), it is better to have scribed and lost, than to have never scribed at all.

 

*****

Thank you, Jon, for a fascinating peek into your world. As I mentioned above, if dark fantasy is your kind of thing, then Jon’s books are most definitely worth a look. You can find them all on Amazon and if you would like to connect with Jon, then check him out on Twitter.

*****

As always, thanks for stopping by. I hope that you enjoyed the interview. Another one will be along soon, but in the meantime, why not have a look at some of the others in the list, here.

 

Thank you and happy reading!

 

 

An Interview with James Stevens

An Interview with James Stevens

An Interview with James Stevens

Welcome! This month, I have a very special treat in store for you. We’re back in the land of the American dream, which, funnily enough, is America, for an interview with the multi-talented, James Stevens. In addition to being a successful author, James Stevens is also a highly-skilled illustrator, who not only did the cover art for his own novel but also did some for me, too. Check out The Lucius Chronicles, if you don’t believe me. So, let’s get down to business and meet the one and only, Mister Nice Guy himself, James Stevens!

 

James, apart from your love of dragons, which is evident from your many Twitter posts, what gave you the inspiration for your book, Fern Majestic and The Fall of a Dragon, and why did you decide to pitch it at a younger audience?

My youngest son was the inspiration for my book. He came to me one day, a quizzical look plastered on his nine-year-old face, and asked me a simple, yet, difficult question. ‘How do you write a story?’ I couldn’t help but be taken aback. Without going into a massive lesson, I simply began to write. What was meant to be a short explanation, evolved into ‘Fern Majestic and The Fall of a Dragon.’ Suffice it to say, I credit my awesome son with my authorship.

 

What did you find hardest about writing the book?

Simple. Finishing! Writing is easy, but completing a full-length novel is a daunting task. But, like it always does, perseverance pays off. I am now trudging towards the finishing line of volume two of the Fern Majestic series.

 

Front cover for Fern Majestic and The Fall of a Dragon by James Stevens. Rob Gregory Author

Front cover of Fern Majestic and The Fall of a Dragon, by James Stevens.

 

You’ve mentioned on social media that you have a military background. What, if anything, did you bring to your writing from that part of your career?

Ah, it’s funny you should ask! Leave no soldier behind. As you read Fern Majestic and The Fall of a Dragon, you will find how devoted Fern is to his friends; he would die for them.

 

What’s the biggest buzz you’ve had from your writing so far?

Again, I must return to the completing of Fern Majestic and The Fall of a Dragon. The pride/buzz that I felt as I turned the last page was the highest high anyone could ever have. The sense of accomplishment, the pure joy of knowing your hard work will be enjoyed by others, made me soar!

 

If you had the choice, what would you prefer to do, publish traditionally or self-publish?

I truly have no preference. If my work can be enjoyed by ONE person, be it traditionally published or not, my purpose for writing has been met.

 

Copies of Fern Majestic and the Fall of a Dragon, in a bookshop. Rob Gregory Author

Copies of the book, in a real, bricks and mortar, bookshop!

 

You’re a bit of a demon on Twitter. How much time do you spend Tweeting relative to writing and is it a happy balance for you?

I would describe myself as more of a dragon, but ‘demon’ works too. Lol. Seriously though, I spend ample time doing both and believe it’s a nice balance.

 

Have you always aspired to be a writer, or did the idea just spring into your mind later in life?

Well, to be honest, I aspired to be a Disney artist as I’ve always loved animation and drawing. I studied civil engineering in college and I am a United States Army Veteran; being an author was never in my deck of cards. Life is a funny animal.

 

Can you remember the first book that really had an impact on you? What was it and how old were you?

This is easy! The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. I was eight-years-old when my father introduced me to the great grandfather of fantasy. I have never looked back!

 

Promotional blurb for Fern Majestic and the Fall of a Dragon. Rob Gregory Author

Promotional poster for Fern Majestic and the Fall of a Dragon. Pretty impressive, I think you’ll agree!

 

Have you ever started to write a story and then completely given up on it? If so, what were the reasons behind your decision?

No, not yet. Lol

 

How easy was it for you to find a publisher and what have been your experience with it so far?

Ugh! Is that too short of an answer? Well, that’s all I’ve got on the subject.

 

What’s the most uncomfortable thing that you’ve had to do as an author?

Definitely book signings. I’ve had to destroy the thick shell around my introverted self.

 

James Stevens signing a copy of his book. Rob Gregory Author

James Stevens signing a copy of his book.

 

Are you working on anything at the moment and if so, when and where can we expect to see it?

Volume two of the Fern Majestic Series. I’m hoping beyond hope that it’s ready early next year. Fingers crossed!!

 

Finally, do you have a message for your fans out there and also any sage words of advice for aspiring authors?

Fans? Do I have those? Cool! Well, if anyone wants to listen, I’ll say this to both fans and aspiring authors: never give up! As cliché and simple as those words are, they are words to live by. Nothing can ever be accomplished if one gives up. No truer words have been said!

 

James Stevens, the author, in all his majestic glory. Rob Gregory Author

James Stevens, the author, in all his majestic glory!

 

*****

 

Well, there you go. James Stevens, in a nutshell. Definitely, an author to watch out for, you can get your hands on a copy of Fern Majestic and The Fall of a Dragon, as well as connecting with him, by clicking on the links below.

https://mascotbooks.com/mascot-marketplace/buy-books/fiction/fantasy/fern-majestic-and-the-fall-of-a-dragon/

https://www.amazon.com/Fern-Majestic-Dragon-James-Stevens/dp/1684016002

https://twitter.com/fernmajestic?lang=en

https://www.facebook.com/FernMajesticSeries/

 

*****

Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the interview. Stay tuned for another one, next month and in the meantime, have a wander around some of my other blogs. Guaranteed to brighten up your day!

An Interview with Chris Whyatt

An Interview with Chris Whyatt

An Interview with Chris Whyatt

Welcome back to my, hopefully, regular author interview series, in which, I rather unsurprisingly interview up and coming authors that I’ve met on my various travels around the Internet. This month, we have Chris Whyatt, from the United Kingdom (pre/post-Brexit, I’m not sure), author of the most excellent Lost Tales of Landos. So, without further ado, let’s meet Chris Whyatt!

 

So, tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you? Where did you spring from? What part of the world do you call home and what is your biggest love/pet hate?

Chris Whyatt, grubby little street urchin in the ‘artful dodger’ mould. Born in 1967, in Hackney, London. And no, this does not mean that I’m a posh banker or City trader. We lived there at a time of communal street parties and little money. It was a place everybody wanted to escape from and move to ‘the country’, which my parents managed to do somehow. In hindsight, it was the best quality of life decision, but also the biggest mistake they ever made!

Home is where the sun is! I love travelling to hot places, but that lesser spotted ball of flame is not synonymous with the fair isle of Britain, so I can see my wife and I spending more and more time away from England. We have three grown up lads, with grandchildren all over the place, so that’s even more reason to be away!

Biggest love? I’m not gonna be ultra-creepy and say my wife, but I just did. Okay, a different kind of love, Indian food. Pet hate? Restaurants overseas who ‘think’ they are authentic Indian… don’t get me started!

 

What, if anything, do you bring to your writing from your real life?

I can honestly say, I don’t bring anything! I mainly write fantasy and my working life was almost exclusively in construction, which is anything but fantastic. Saying that, maybe a couple of semi-disguised characters have crept in there on occasion. I have also written a short observational rant, which is my real life and a bit like a stand-up comedy in book form.

 

Mankind is a Makeover, a book by Chris Whyatt - Rob Gregory Author

Chris Whyatt’s rant. Apparently, not available on Amazon, unfortunately.

 

What’s the biggest buzz you’ve had from your writing so far?

The annoying one in my ear that keeps me awake at night, reminding me of all my shortcomings as a novice writer. I don’t think anybody can deny that actually holding your first book in print is a thing of beauty. Even with all of the mistakes!

 

Have you always aspired to be a writer, or did the idea just spring into your mind later in life?

I used to love writing long stories, poems and believe it or not, limericks, of all things, as a kid, but it eased off as real-life kicked in. I think it has always been there (the go on, you could do that voice in my head), but the decades slipped by. Eighteen months ago, I simply came home one day and started writing… and didn’t stop.

 

We Woz Robbed! A book by Chris Whyatt - Rob Gregory Author

A book by Chris Whyatt, which is available on Amazon!

 

What is the hardest thing you find about writing?

I think you know the answer to this one Rob! Formatting, punctuation and maybe grammar. Y’know, all the technical, boring stuff! On a serious note, English was the only academic subject I was good at in my school days. It’s amazing what you forget after a thirty-seven-year gap!

 

What are your top three books/stories of all time and why do you love them so much?

Can’t do three books! Will go with series instead, sorry…

It was my first foray into fantasy and I don’t think many, if any, fantasy fans, wouldn’t mention The Lord Of The Rings. No explanation needed!

I always lean towards humour and it was great that certain authors combined the two, so anything by Terry Pratchett, but with a definite edge towards The Watch, and the Wizards books. I also love Sci-Fi, but again, lean towards humour. Although I was probably way too young to read them, I used to love ‘The Stainless Steel Rat’ books by Harry Harrison. Pure genius.

The Douglas Adams series, of course, but actually swaying more towards ‘Dirk Gently’. Such a shame that came later and he was cut down in his prime.

Look, this is cheating Rob (count ’em), but I’ve also got to say ‘The Bible’. I’m not at all religious, but I don’t see how anybody can make even the thought of a decision either way, without at least reading it. It got me interested but didn’t sway me. A fascinating read when I was younger, nonetheless. I think I’m also right in saying, it is still the second-best selling book in the world, just behind The Fifth Horseman!

 

The Fifth Horseman. A book by Chris Whyatt - Rob Gregory Author

The Fifth Horseman, the fourth book in the Lost Tales of Landos series.

 

Have you ever started to write a story and then completely given up on it? If so, what were the reasons behind your decision?

I started writing a Sci-Fi novel in my teens and it was turning into a monster. I made the covers, illustrated it myself throughout — I was a bit of an artist too in those days — and it just kept growing and growing, until one day… football, beer and girls, probably in that order, too! I don’t even remember what happened to it, but I would dearly love to see it again.

 

Chris Whyatt, the author - Rob Gregory Author

The author himself, Chris Whyatt. What a happy, smiling chap!

 

You’re a bit of a demon on Twitter, I’ve noticed. How much time do you spend on social media each day and it is a happy balance for you, relative to all the other things that you are doing?

Demon? Me? I hated social media, until I started writing, as most are just soap boxes for so called families and friends to snipe at each other. I must admit that I found Twitter to be different. Yes, I do have fun on there, I wind people up and hopefully make most of them laugh. Not everybody shares my strange sense of humour though, which is fair enough, so I try not to overstep the mark. I tend to go back and forth to it, rather than invest huge chunks of time and I usually have plenty of time anyway, hence how the writing started.

What did you expect when you joined Twitter’s amazing writing community? Has it lived up to your expectations?

Now this I could write a book about! Didn’t know what to expect, as I did not have a clue what I was doing. I started following some famous people I liked, as you do and somehow, I inadvertently managed to insult one of the authors that I respected the most. I put out what I thought was a general tweet, but I had unwittingly sent it directly to him! He replied in person and was quite cool about it, but unfortunately his thousands of fans were not! I received about five hundred ‘death tweets’ in my first few days on Twitter! Beat that! Seriously, it had a massively negative effect on my novel, which I went on there, primarily to promote! My book never recovered, but since my return, I have found that the writing community are a wonderful family and an invaluable help.

 

Are you working on anything at the moment and if so, when and where can we expect to see it?

This all depends on the novels I have out there now. I am trying to ascertain whether people like the stories and characters enough for me to actually press forward, get it professionally edited and republished and add more in the future. I know it Is probably the wrong way to do it, but I was a complete novice, who just simply started writing. I looked online and there was Amazon: ‘Upload it, and we’ll publish it’, which I did and so they did, to be fair to them. Obviously, it was nowhere near ready, but I wasn’t to know that.

 

The Lost Tales of Landos by Chris Whyatt - Rob Gregory Author

The Lost Tales of Landos. Now available separately (see below)

 

Finally, do you have a message for your fans out there and also any sage words of advice for aspiring authors?

My ‘fan’ already knows my message; ‘next time, get lots of opinions and advice, if that feedback looks good, go for professional editing and only then upload or query. You live and learn. Might just have a second fan on the horizon though, eh Rob? No?

*****

Rob’s Note: Since Chris Whyatt provided this interview, I have had a go at helping him with some of the technical, boring stuff on his novels. Consequently, he has released them separately, which is great. Click on the imgaes below to go straight to the books!

Rock, Parcment, Scythe. A book by Chris Whyatt -Rob Gregory Author

The Ghost Whirled. A book by Chris Whyatt - Rob Gregory Author

The Jewel of Merewood. A book by Chris Whyatt - Rob Gregory Author

*****

Now that you’ve got this far, why not check out my other blogs and books? I’m sure you’ll find something there to make you smile!

An Interview with Shauna McGuiness

An Interview with Shauna McGuiness

An Interview with Shauna McGuiness

In the two-and-a-bit years since I’ve been writing full-time, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many fantastic writers and creative folks and the time has come to give them a bit of time in the spotlight of my blog. First up is American playwright and author, Shauna McGuiness, who, in between looking after her husband and two teenage children, is producing works of fiction like a woman possessed. So, in the first of what, I hope, will become a regular feature, let’s meet Shauna McGuiness!

 

So, tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you? Where did you spring from? What part of the world do you call home these days and what is your biggest love?

My name is Shauna McGuiness. I’m from California, but I’m not a typical California girl. I live right smack in the middle of Silicon Valley. For real, I’m not kidding. I’ve walked to Yahoo! and I can see the Google Cloud building rising up from my neighbourhood. Biggest love? Along with all the sunshine, I love the diversity around here.

 

What, if anything, do you bring to your writing from your real life?

I think there’s a little of real life in all my writing. My brain is constantly recording things for future use. So, watch out!

 

What’s the biggest buzz you’ve had from your writing so far?

I started out as a playwright and have penned hundreds of theatrical pieces for all ages. I also served as resident playwright for various Bay Area schools and there is no buzz quite like seeing your words performed live and in character!

 

If you had the choice, what would you prefer to do, publish traditionally or self-publish?

I self-published a Young Adult (YA) novel, Frankie in Paris, in 2012. I loved writing it and wasn’t sure what would happen. I published it using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). One of my best friends is an editor and edited it for me. Another did the cover art. Through sales, and giveaways it’s been downloaded over 12,000 times and even spent a week as the number one selling YA book on Amazon. I feel really good about the experience, but part of me wants the validation of being traditionally published, (Pick me! Pick me!) so I’m querying a project, now.

 

Frankie in Paris, a novel by Shauna McGuiness - Rob Gregory Author

Frankie in Paris, a novel by Shauna McGuiness

 

How did you find working with friends on Frankie in Paris? Were there times when the relationships got difficult or was it a completely enjoyable experience?

I was really lucky. My friends were patient with me. Also, they knew me well and were able to help in a way they knew I’d like. I’m super grateful.

 

Have you always aspired to be a writer, or did the idea just spring into your mind later in life?

I’ve wanted to write, since first grade. Swear to god. I still have a couple of my ‘books’.

 

Can you remember the first book that really had an impact on you? What was it and how old were you?

I read my first Stephen King novel, in fifth grade. It may have been, IT.

 

Have you ever started to write a story and then completely given up on it? If so, what were the reasons behind your decision?

My stories become all-encompassing, pretty quick. I’m basically a ‘pantser’ but my brain plots away without me. I’m not sure I’d be able to drop an idea forever. I just picked up a story again that I’d shelved a couple of years ago.

 

What’s the most uncomfortable thing that you’ve had to do as an author?

I am 43 years old, and I still cringe at any sex, profanity, or drug use, being read by people I know in real life.

 

Shauna McGuiness, an interview - Rob Gregory Author

Shauna McGuiness – Author and playwright

 

Are you working on anything at the moment and if so, when and where can we expect to see it?

YES! I’m queuing a YA Contemporary Fiction, Necromancer’s Garden, wish me luck! I’m also working on the second draft of an adult fiction, In Passing, and am furiously working to finish the first draft of another YA book, Will Travel!

 

Finally, do you have a message for your fans out there and also any sage words of advice for aspiring authors?

Lots of people have advice. There are loads of writing rules. Instead of following them, find authors you look up to and see how they do their art. Most of the real greats weren’t rule followers, at all.

 

In addition to doing all of that writing, Shauna McGuiness has also just launched a blog called Tweep Tattler, which showcases writers from the vibrant Twitter writing community. And what is more, I’m going to be on it! Check it out here.

You can find out more about Shauna McGuiness on her personal blog and Amazon Author Page and don’t forget to have a look at Frankie in Paris!

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While you’re here, why not give some of my other blogs a go? I’m sure that you’d love them!