Thanks so much to author J.C Wing for inviting me on this tour….I met J.C. through Goodreads. She has two fabulous books you really must read – The Color of Thunder and Alabama Skye.
What am I working on?
I’m at the editing stage of writing a memoir – Castles in the Air: A Family Memoir of Love and Loss follows the life of my mother, Molly Ripley. From Molly’s childhood in colonial Hong Kong and Malaya; wartime adventures as rookie office girl in the far east outpost of Bletchley Park then as a young nurse in a London teaching hospital. It is the story of her life as seen through my eyes as I follow the ups and downs of her life.
In 1990 on a plane from Singapore to London Molly wrote: Met interesting Australian lady – SAYS I SHOULD WRITE MY BOOK.
Twenty years after my mother’s death I finally found the courage to piece together her story from the stash of diaries, letters and photographs I inherited.
It’s a story about secrets, tangled romance, the relationship between mothers and daughters and a portrait of a woman’s life, hopes and dreams.
Why do I write what I write what I do?
I’m drawn to recurring themes. I write about adversity and loss of innocence and I like exploring relationships between mothers and daughters
The first thriller, Revolution Earth was about a loss of innocence and betrayal. It’s that moment when Cara, the main character realises that the cause she thought she was fighting for turned out to be something completely different.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I like writing genre mash-ups. And I like using screenwriting techniques in writing fiction. As my background is in film and TV I’ve structured the memoir the same way I would structure a screen story or a novel. I think in images and sounds first before I think about the words on the page. In writing the thriller fiction one major difference compared with others in the genre is that I work with a co-writer. And many readers have commented that they can’t tell that it’s the work of two people.
How does my writing process work?
The only way I can get a screenplay or a book written is to be immersed in the project. If I’m not giving it 100%, I can’t focus and I’m too easily distracted. It’s akin to a ‘runner’s high’ where you zone out everything else. And if I have to simplify my life to make this happen, I will. Luckily I have a husband who likes to cook! Writer friends understand what it takes to write a book and how hermit-like you have to become in order to get it done. When I’m writing I can’t even read books in the same genre, as I worry that they’ll influence me.
To conclude this post I’d like to tell you about the two other authors who have kindly agreed to participate who will continue the blog chain:
Brenda Cheers is a novelist living in Brisbane, Australia. Her passion is writing suspense thrillers, which are page-turners from the start.
She has published five novels, two of which belong to the highly-acclaimed “Strange Worlds” series.
http://bmcheers.wordpress.com
Renita Bryant is a native of Fort Valley, Georgia. Since obtaining her BS & MBA, she has worked for some of the world’s largest companies on many of the most recognizable household brands. Although she finds the work rewarding, her passion for writing compelled her to complete and publish her first novella, Yesterday Mourning, in May 2013.
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