1.)
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Like Rhoda Baxter (recently featured on your blog and whose books I
adore) I wanted to be an astronaut. Heck, I still
want to be an astronaut. I also wanted to be a mom. That, I managed.
2.)
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?
Coffee. Cannot stand the other two.
3.)
What genre do you typically read? Why?
Romance, subgenres: rom-com, NA, sports, historical, sci-fi—whatever’s
looking good on the day. Why? Because I know it’ll be uplifting, and I need
uplifting. If any other genre had the same guarantee, I’d probably read more of
them too. I used to only read the classics and sci-fi and I didn’t touch
romance until well into my thirties. I feel I missed out on much that romance
could have taught me in my teens and twenties.
4.)
Share a favourite childhood memory.
The very first time we (me and two brothers and three neighbour kids) crossed
the barbed wire fence and the stream at the bottom of our neighbours’ garden
and raced into the fields and woods beyond where we had a picnic. No adults. It
felt like Narnia and Enid Blyton wrapped in one.
5.)
Do you have any shameless addictions? ie. Tea, Books,
Shoes, Clothes?
Music videos on YouTube, anything from piano tutorials to Britain’s Got
Talent. Oh the hours of my life that I will never get back.
6.)
What do you think is the biggest challenge of writing
a new book?
Truly believing that the plot I’ve written is going to hold up when I’m
27000 words in. If there’s going to be a problem, it’s going to rear its ugly
head then. And it happens more often than not.
7.)
Do you aim for a set amount of words/pages a day?
For first draft, I’m trying to do this thing where I do 2k/hour. Doesn’t
matter if I then just write one hour a day or four. But I try to get at least 4k/day.
Sometimes I dictate with Dragon.
8.)
What are your thoughts on writing a book series?
It’s vital in order to get ahead in today’s crowded(insane) market. I’ve
done one, but I need a couple more. Best and most fun way is to collaborate
with another writer you trust which I was lucky to be able to do on my High
Octane F1 racing series. I want to continue the artificially intelligent Mr.
Darcy theme too because it’s got some of my readers very excited!
LINKS:
It
is a truth universally acknowledged . . . that Jane Austen set the bar for romantic male
leads way back in 1813. What mortal man could live up to the gruff yet
golden-hearted Mr. Darcy?
Now
programmer Zoe Bunsen thinks she has the cure to two centuries' worth of female
disillusionment: a new artificial intelligence program that looks, talks, and
thinks like Darcy. No way will she let the chauvinistic atmosphere at her
company nor her stuffy colleague, Max, get in the way of her wildest dream - creating
the perfect man. Even if he isn't quite human . . .
Max
Taggart, project manager extraordinaire, has crossed a continent to secure this
high-profile position. His frustrating teammate Zoe may not know it, but
everyone's jobs depend on not only the duo meeting the nearly impossible
deadline but the new AI being a huge success. Mr. Darcy needs to sell, even if
that means selling out a few literary details.
When
the AI starts using its scary degree of emotional intelligence to reveal their
individual secrets, Zoe and Max must rethink everything, and a surprising
connection begins to develop. Will these two unlikely cohorts cling to their
prejudices or toss pride aside and admit love is stronger than a fantasy?
AUTHOR
Hooray, another wannabe astronaut! Great interview! :-)
ReplyDelete