MY AUTHOR STORY
As a kid, my dad would always take my sister and I to Waterstones. He always said that the only thing he would always buy us, would be books. While my sister was more interested in numbers, I was more interested in creative subjects. My mum bought me a first edition of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, which would be worth a fortune if my cousin hadn’t torn out the front page. I’m still mad about it…
During school, my friends and I were obsessed with fantasy shows and novels, which has never faded. We used to have sleepovers, watch Buffy and Angel all night long. We also saw every Harry Potter in the cinema – at least a dozen times when they first came out and theorised about the ending of the books. I read the books so fast that I always knew the endings before everyone else, and everyone was mad when my sister told them that Dumbledore is murdered by Snape before anyone else got to it.
I started writing more seriously in 2010. During my first year at university, I had health issues and had to have an operation. In the following months of recovery, I was reading a lot and decided to write something. I was stuck indoors and so I wanted to do something more productive. I chose to start a fantasy novel, because that is what I loved. I had read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and I wanted to capture a modern world, but with a magical twist.
The Reign of the Occult was born. The first in The Occult Series, it’s a fast-paced urban fantasy. In the Mortal Realm, magic is outlawed and hunted by a mysterious and sinister organisation called The Occult. The protagonist is Prue, a girl who is cursed to see the future but never to change it. At the time, a female lead in a fantasy adventure was reasonably rare. The Hunger Games had just come out, which I loved, and the genre boomed following its release. Like me, a lot of writers followed suit and it’s much more mainstream now.
I took inspiration from Dante’s Inferno to create the 3 different worlds. I was studying history at university, so I’m really interested in myths and legends, and I included myths from all over the world to create the Demons in The Underworld and The Fae in The Overworld. The Occult in the Mortal Realm is grounded much more in reality – based on dictatorships I had studied, including The Third Reich. A big part of the story is the teenagers overcoming incredible odds to defeat evil. I absolutely love this theme in The Lord of the Rings, that you don’t need great power to overcome great evil.
The theme of teenagers fighting to reclaim their freedom and discover their own power, is present in all my stories. It’s something that comes from my own experiences, overcoming health issues and pushing through against the odds.
Following the original release of The Reign of the Occult, I was in a significant road accident, and I had ongoing injuries. I had to pause my plans to release the second book in the series, The Queen of the Underworld.
Since then, I’ve worked hard on my recovery. One, not to lose my day job. And two, to get The Queen of the Underworld completed. The editing was very difficult with my injuries, but I did not give up. I completed the edits and released the second book in 2024.
Now, I’m fighting fit and ready for my next series, The Tarot Series. The first novel is called The Book of Wands and it’s due for release in 2026. The protagonist, a girl named Olivia, inherits a Tarot Book following the death of her grandmother, which she claimed could predict Past, Present and Future… I picked a female protagonist, which I could relate most to, and had the Tarot Deck be passed down through the female line. I think it’s important for young women to understand and claim their own power.
CORE VALUES
1
Affordability
All books must be accessible to readers.
2
Quality
All books must be of good quality for readers.
3
Charity
20% of sales will be donated to charity.
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AUTHOR Q&A
1. In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?
Personally, I relate most to the characters. If I really resonate with them, then I can forgive many faults in the book itself. Great characters really bring a book alive, and I will fight to the death defending characters I love.
2. What is your writing process like?
I try to make the writing process as chilled as possible. I prepare drinks and snacks when I have the time and put sports on in the background – I’m a fan of tennis and football. I can’t watch anything too intense, otherwise I can’t concentrate, and I end up watching TV.
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3. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
The Reign of the Occult I did a lot of research, but it was while I was writing the book. I didn’t have a deadline, it was a hobby, so it took me years to finish it. The sequel, The Queen of the Underworld required no extra research as the world was already established. The story came to me on the day I started writing.
4. Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you only write when you feel inspired?
When I wrote The Reign of the Occult, I did not have a schedule. It was a hobby, so I wrote when I felt like it! Sometimes I’d write a lot, then I wouldn’t write for months. For The Queen of the Underworld, I have a deadline and therefore I write daily. At lunchtime or after work if I can.
5. Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I do read a lot. I read a lot of different genres so it’s hard to give a favourite. I admire Tolkien, for the sheer scope and imagination of The Lord of the Rings and associated texts. Haruki Murakami is another favorite, for how unique his novels are. I would definitely recommend The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
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