What inspired you to start writing, and how did you find your voice as an author?
“I discovered J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings when I was 9 and figured it couldn’t be that hard to write if this bloke managed all those pages without a single shapeshifting unicorn girl! No unicorn girls in my debut though (forgive me, inner child).”
Can you share your process for developing characters and plots?
“I’m quite visual, so I imagined one scene from a later chapter first, then the worldbuilding, then thought of the best characters to explore the world. Plot followed from characters.”
Do you get writer’s block?
“I’m not sure about any specific writer’s block, as opposed to just being stuck – as happens in any job – but as a writer you’re just very alone with how stuck you are. My solution is, grit your teeth and write. Slowly.”
What has been your most rewarding experience as an author so far?
“Getting to know all the other writers I’ve met along the way and having lots to celebrate with their milestones – signing with an agent, deal announcements, manuscript hand-ins, launches, there are so many excuses to say ‘congratulations’.”