What have you had
published?
Charlie and Pearl ,
available on Amazon.
What genre(s) of book
do you write?
I find the whole genre area to be a bit narrow at times.
Charlie and Pearl ,
for example, has romance in it, but I’m loathe to list it under Romance on
Amazon as the majority of those books are of the Mills and Boons kind of
romance. Nothing against them at all, but if someone bought my book expecting
that kind of story they would be sorely disappointed! I guess I write under the
General Fiction/Contemporary fiction umbrella, with a touch of romance. I’m also
really interested in magical realism, and hope to write something in that genre
some day.
What inspired you to
write your first book?
I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. It
is the only thing I’ve always been certain that I want to do in life. For years
I travelled and worked overseas and never had the time to dedicate to it, but
now I’m back in NZ and settled, I write whenever I get the opportunity (not
often at the moment with a baby in the house!)
How long did it take
you to write “Charlie and Pearl”?
Around 4-5 months of writing most nights after work and on
weekends.
What is the working
title of your next book(s)?
Er, ‘From the first minute’, which is total crap. I can
never really think of the ‘right’ title until the book is finished. Charlie and
Pearl for example was called, ‘This exact moment’, while I wrote it which is
also crap and doesn’t suit the book AT ALL.
When and why did you
begin writing?
I have dabbled in writing all my life; short stories here
and there, a novella when I was 19, a couple of unfinished manuscripts shoved
in the back of the office cupboard. It’s just something that’s in my blood. I
can’t imagine ever not writing.
Do you self publish
your books or go through an agency?
I self published. In the end it was remarkably easy and I
wish I’d done it sooner. My advice to anyone considering it is to go for it!
New Zealand is a teeny tiny country compared to the UK and the US, where I
imagine there are scores of publishers and literary agents. I did a Google
search for literary agents here and there were about five, and four of them
weren’t accepting submissions! A lot of overseas agencies don’t accept electronic
submissions, so I just found it too hard to try and go the traditional route
from here. Also I read some great advice from self-published authors who highly
recommended doing it yourself and retaining control over your work.
What part of writing
books do you find the hardest?
In this day and age of Facebook and blogging and oh so many
entertaining things on the internet, it’s hard not to get distracted.
Motivation can sometimes be a little tricky too, although once I sit down and
start typing I’m happy and can go for hours.
Also there’s the fear that you are pouring your heart, soul
and time into something that maybe no one will like.
What do you do in
your spare time?
Spare time is non-existent now with a baby in the house! I
was sadly misguided and thought that once Holly came along I’d have all this
time while she slept to write. Sadly, she doesn’t like to sleep during the day
and if she does it’s usually crashed out on me, so it’s all I can do to make
sure the TV remote is within reach before she does.
Who is your favourite
author?
I can’t narrow it down to just one! I do love the non-fiction
books ‘Tales of a Female Nomad’ by Rita Golden Gelman, ‘Grounded’ by Seth
Stevenson and more recently the book ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed.
Fiction, I enjoy Laura Esquivel, Paula Wall and Fannie
Flagg.
What’s your favourite
genre to read?
I don’t have a particular favourite. I’ll read just about
anything (except horror, erotica, misery-lit, you get the idea). I enjoy
everything from Literary fiction to teen fiction (if you haven’t read the
Georgia Nicholson diaries you’re missing out) I do have a soft spot for Travel
memoirs, especially humorous ones.
Right now I’m reading ‘The Taste of Apple Seeds’ by
Katharina Hagena.
Do you have any
advice for other writers?
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. If writing
is what you love then write. Write until you’re happy with what you’ve written
and then publish it. Don’t be afraid to go down the self publishing path.
Is there anything
else you’d like to add?
Thank you for this opportunity!
Twitter: @TammyRobinson76
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