Born in London 1933, I went to Australia and lived there 46 years. I returned to live in UK in 2009 and have regained my life of writing. Whilst in Australia, I founded one of Queensland's biggest writing associations. (Google: Gold Coast Writers Assn.) who celebrated their 20th Anniversary last year. Writing and being published since 1985 in Australia, my work appeared in popular magazines such as Women's Weekly, New Idea, Womens World, Take 5, Wellbeing, Prime Time and literary education publications. I loved entering writing competitions and won enough to pass along my experiences to others. I was able to help many budding authors by running competitions, writing classes, and individual reviewing their work. This activity was sadly interrupted by the terminal illness of my husband and only since I have returned to my homeland, have I resumed my literary career. My first book THE FOUR ELIZABETHS has been published by xlibrispublishing, and is also available as an ebook with Amazon Books.com and Barnes & Noble.com. I am nearly halfway through writing the sequel (working title ELIZABETH'S NEW LIFE) and hope to have this published by the end of 2011.
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born in
Describe your book ‘The Four
The Four Elizabeths is a fictional tale
created from facts, about the people sailiing to the New Colony, (now
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The most difficult part of writing this book, was
the number of characters involved, especially as four of them had the same
name. I eventually enjoyed writing about them with the challenge of
drawing individual images in the reader's mind.
What books have had the greatest influence on you?
Books that have had the greatest influence on me
include O'Henry's Short Stories; Elisabeth Luard's Emerald,
and
Briefly share with us what you do to market your
book?
Self Marketing has proved the biggest challenge of
all. Very quickly, I learned that selling my writing relied a great deal
on selling myself. So I began to think up different ways in which to
become noticed. The time-honoured method of informing the local press of
your book, did not mean a thing in this clime of myriad authors. So I set about
contacting business houses, libraries, social groups, television stations and
of course, many online contacts. I created my own webpage, arranged
interviews with local radio stations, and took part in 'local author' events at
various centres in my area. To be a little original, I acquired a fancy
dress that resembled one of my characters, and appeared in this at book
signings and carnivals, etc.
How do you spend your time when you are not writing?
When
I'm not writing, I'm people watching and eavesdropping. A terrible admission,
but this helps me to personalise a character more easily, and make the
character 'live' - thereby helping the story to become more vivid and enjoyable
for the reader. I paint a little, enjoy playing music on keyboards while
my partner sings, and generally enjoy life to the full.
What are you working on next?
I am currently at the last details of having the sequel Elizabeth's New Life published, and at the same time planning my next effort. This will either be a story about a young Englishwoman who is engaged by a wealthy gentleman to be a nurse for his ailing wife, called Laura's Gold, or a collection of short stories, called Tea Break.
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