Q. and the all-important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like for you?
SM. It’s hard work, and I think it’s important to emphasize that because so often writing is seen as the ‘dream job’ and while in many ways it is (providing you love writing!) it’s also tough and requires bucket loads of resilience and determination. I write two books a year, summer and winter, which gives me little flexibility with deadlines. I start with an outline which I send to my publisher – not detailed, but a summary of the book showing the characters and the main emotional turning points. Then I start writing. And like all jobs there are good days and bad days, and of course in the middle of that life happens and you have days where you can’t
write, but I set myself a shorter deadline than my official deadline to give myself time for things to slip a little. Some writers produce a rough draft without once looking back, and then go back and edit in detail.
I prefer to edit lightly as I go along, although I’m careful not to spend too long ‘fiddling’ as an excuse to not push ahead! Once I have a full draft I read it on my ereader, because it gives me a more authentic reader experience and for some reason I spot things reading that way that I might not spot on my laptop. Then I send it to my editor. There will probably be a couple of rounds of edits, and then we’re done!
Q. How have your life experiences influenced your writing?
SM. None of my characters are ever based on me, but writers are great observers and I look around and see what people are dealing with and often those issues will find themselves in a book. It fascinates me that two people will deal with the same issue differently and that’s why every book is different, no matter how many you write. Because the characters are different. And writing is all about emotions and feelings of course, and all of us have experienced those emotions at one time or another. You might never have met a dragon face to face, but you know what it’s like to experience awe and fear. Those emotions are universal.
Q. What’s your downtime look like?
SM. I spend a lot of time indoors writing, so when I’m not writing I try and spend as much time as possible outdoors being active. I love hiking, and also riding my mountain bike. Writing is mostly solitary (and I’m an extrovert, which brings its challenges!) so I often meet up with friends and family.
Q. Have you or do you want to write in another genre?
SM. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, although right now I’m happy writing women’s fiction and romance and I don’t feel as if I’ve finished in that space.
Q. Note to Self: (a life lesson you’ve learned.)
SM. Reflect before you respond. I’m impulsive and tend to jump in with an instinctive response to a situation and later I’ll sometimes wish I’d handled it differently. I’ve learned to pause!
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