Felix Timothy's Second Author interview

1. What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
My name is Felix Timothy Alusa and I was born in Mombasa which is Kenya's coastal and second largest city and as at this moment I'm a Nairobi resident.

2. Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
Well, from a very young age I knew I was a good story teller because of how I could hold my friends attention when relating to them a story, then as I grew older I had an easy time with school essays and slowly I figured writing was a part of me and eventually when I joined high school, I attempted to write my first fiction novel. So in a way yes. But I also had an interest in planes and so after giving into riddicule from classmates regarding my writing, I decided to study Aeronautical Engineering. I thought, "If my classmates don't appreciate my writing, I can't make a good writer." But the yearning to write kept burning inside me.

3. When did you first first consider yourself as a writer?
2009, when I completed my first manuscript, and my college buddies loved it. Actually it was the manuscript for Ionshaker but at that it had a different name.

4. Did it take a long to get your first book to be published?
Yes, it took forever. I queried dozens of agents and book publishers and got turned down which took like a year, then finally I thought of self publishing and submitted my manuscript to a publisher who took another year to make my book, and even after the book came out, it was a mess with punctuation and many other glitches. Can you believe they never edited it even though they promised to? And since I couldn't give it to reviewers I had to cancel my contract with them and start afresh, all over again looking for another publisher. It was so so frustrating Sandra. 

5. What is the name of your book , and if you had to surmarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
My book is called Ionshaker and its 20-word summary is: The president asks two wanted men to repossess a new, top-secret, sophisticated nuclear software called Ionshaker stolen by terrorists.

6.Do you have plans for a new book? Is this part of a series?
Yes. I  am currently working my second high concept novel. Is Ionshaker a series? It could be. What I mean is, I ended the story with a twist where after recovering the software, the president realizes that China has already re-created a superior Ionshaker replica and the  president asks one of the characters -Trey to go to China. So if  I decide to do the sequel it will about Trey on an undercover mission in China trying to steal the replica. But that will depend on Ionshaker's reception.

7.What genre would you place your books into?
Thrillers, suspense-thrillers.

8. Where do you get your book plot ideas from?
Anywhere, imagination, friends, current events, general concerns, experiences  - mine or those of people I've interacted with and movies.

9.Will you gift books to readers to do reviews?
Absolutely. In fact during this moth of October in an attempt to create an awareness about my new book I'll be giving away free ebook copies of Ionshaker to interested readers so they can post independent reviews on Amazon, their blogs, Goodreads, facebook, twitter etcetera about Ionshaker. All that anyone interested needs to do is to follow me on twitter, like my facebook fan page and send me a request on my email. That simple.

10. How do you come up with the title?
Titles are not easy to come up with for most writers including myself. I remember reading John Grisham's letter to his readers in his first book "A Time To Kill" and he admits he isn't good with picking titles and that he had to change his tittle from "Deathknell to "A time to Kill." But I try to come up with several titles during the course of my writing and proofreading as I also check online to see if someone has already used them. I also ask friends. For example, its my buddy who suggested Ionshaker, I had wanted to call it Ironshaker instead, see what I mean?

11. What do you think of trailers?
Just like movie trailers, book trailers give an insight of the story in the book and are a great marketing tool. I totally believe in trailers, check out mine at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H97gVeoZPc

12. Favourite author and book?
Sydney Sheldon, Doomsday Conspiracy.

Where can readers follow you?
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Felix-Timothy-aka-TheFeltim-author/149354972720
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3497425.Felix_Timothy
Email:thefeltmix@gmail.com

An interview with Melissa Damon.

Its another wonderful day that we have another author with us in the house. She has already published two books and the third one is on the way and she's gonna tell us how she does it. Enjoy.

Let me start by asking you your name. 
Melissa Hayes.
And do you use your real name or a pseudonym? 
 Melissa Hayes  is my married name, but I use Melissa Damon as my writing name. 
Why?
I know its probably silly, but I chose Melissa Damon as my writing name because it is my maiden name and I can keep my personal life and writing/business life separate. Melissa Damon was
the girl I grew up as. She was the dreamer that came up with all of
the amazing ideas for the story. Even though I am a mother and a wife
and a business woman, I don't want to lose that part of me and forsake
the younger me. I feel that if I were to use Melissa Hayes as my
writing name instead of Damon, that I would - in a way - be copyright
infringement. 
Interesting. Anything you can tell us about your childhood, where were you born,
schooled and that kind of stuff?
I was born in New London, CT but I moved to McClusky, North Dakota for
five years. When I left for North Dakota, I was a pretty princess
wannabee.  I didn't realize that I was spoiled until I spent some
time there. I learned about living on a farm and working hard to make
ends meet. I learned about communicating with neighbors to get through
the harsh weather and to take care of the animals in order to have
them help you out. It was a small town with a population of around 400
people and a graduating class of 10. Because the winters there were so
harsh (they start before Halloween and end around spring), I spent a
lot of time in the house and came up with many ideas for stories. I
also came to appreciate Connecticut more while I was there and the
fact that I got to be near the ocean (I would visit CT twice a year to
see my father - my parents are divorced). There are so many people out
there, in the United States, that have never seen the ocean and I had
taken it for granted at that point.
And where do you live now?
I live in a little town called Uncasville, CT with my husband, my one
and a half year old son, and a spicy little cat named Yuna.
I don't mind cats too. So tell us did you always want to be a writer?
Tricky that one.
 Okay, what did you want to be? 
I wanted to be a psychologist at first - and I currently work in the
psychology field now to pay the bills - but writing has been part of
my life since I was very small.
I see, so when did you first consider yourself as a ”writer”?
I'm ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) so I was never good
at focusing on the lectures at class. One day, I got some advice while
watching a tv show (I can't remember which one it was). It talked
about using techniques to focus on the task at hand. So...I started to
doodle on my papers while I wrote notes for the class. It started to
work and I was concentrating better. Then, the doodles turned into sketches. 
The sketches turned
into poems and the poems turned into longer poems. Next thing I knew,
I was creating character bios and writing pieces to the story in my
free time. I was hooked. Although I always had the dream of being
famous and rich (don't we all), I wasn't writing the novel for
anyone else. I wrote it because it was something that was residing
within me that I had to get out. It wasn't until I was 22 that I
finally admitted (after seeing literally thousands of pages I had
written) that I was a writer.
 Did it take a long time to get your first book published?
Yes.  Almost a decade. At first, it was fear that stopped me. Then
it was my need to be a perfectionist that stopped me. Finally, I ran
out of excuses and went for it. I'm so glad I did!
Please tell us more about your day job as a psychologist.
I work with children and teens at a mental health facility. I've been
there for almost 15 years now and I love working with them. They start
off with the defenses high and say things like: "you're not my
mother!" When they leave at discharge, they ask for a hug. It is an
amazing feeling to help them feel loved and appreciated, and see the
changes that occur when those two items come into play.
Lets got on to the serious stuff now. How many books have you written so far?
Three books are completed: "Stalkers: The Resurrection," "Stalkers:
The Illusion," and "Stalkers: The New Covenant."
 I understand one of them is completed but not yet out, if you had to summarize it in less than 20
words what would you say?
 Right, Two of them are published so far and the third which is "Stalkers: The New Covenant" is just going through final edits before it goes through publishing. Its tough to explain the third book
because it is part of a trilogy and I don't want to give away the
others. If I was to do an extremely brief summary of the trilogy (less
than 20), I would say: immortal teenage girl with the ability to
transform into a siberian white tiger. She must find herself before
others do.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the
original idea to finishing writing it?
"Stalkers: The Resurrection" took 11 years to complete (it took me a
long time to get up the confidence to finish it). "Stalkers: The
Illlusion" took me 5 weeks and "Stalkers: The New Covenant" took me 8
weeks to complete.
What can we expect from you in the future? More books of the
same genre or books of a different genre?
One of my silly goals is to hit as many paranormal genres for the
young adult section as possible. I have a lot more coming. I am
flustered at times because the scenes play in my head but I know that
I have to finish publishing the Stalkers trilogy before I dive
completely into the next novel.
Do you have plans for a new book? And if you do will it be part of a series?
I have two books in progress (other than the 'Stalkers' series) and
plan to dive into them once book three of the trilogy is complete. One
of them is called "UltraMarine" and is about a girl named Marine. Her
mother never allowed her near water growing up (other than the
shower). Secretly, she takes a trip with her best friend to Rhode
Island and tells her mom she is going to Arizona. The closer she gets
to the water, the more strange things start to occur. The second book
is in the very beginning stages and doesn't have a title yet, but it
is going to take a lot of research to write. I have to take ballet
classes for it (I know nothing about ballet) and read a LOT of
Shakespeare.
What genre would you place your books into?
Young adult - paranormal romance
And Where do you get your book plot ideas from?
Dreams. I dream at night and then I day dream throughout the day. The
combination of the two is where the books are created.
Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?
Yes. 
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
Yes. As many as I can find. I am always looking for opinions. If they
are good, they make me feel great. If they are bad, they push me to
work harder. 
How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your
book/books?Who designed the Cover of your books?
I design them. Although I was given many options as to the covers,
there was a particular feel I wanted. I drew them countless times when
I was a teenager, but I knew in my head what I wanted later on. The
logo for Stalkers was created back when I was seventeen, and I was so
glad when I was able to put it on the cover. There used to be
scratches on the back of the cover, but I took them out (even though
they looked cool) so that the summary and images got more attention.
Have you ever suffered from a ”writer’s block”? What did you do to
get past the ”block”?
Yes. Many times. Music is my break from the block. Whenever I write a
book, I make a playlist on itunes (and now spotify). The songs on the
list play like a movie through the scenes. It isn't as much the songs
(although they are important as well), it is the feeling behind them.
For instance, a slow classical song for a lone moment with the
character reflecting on something and soundtrack score music for
dramatic fight scenes. Whenever I get stuck, I play the playlist at my
house or my car. Just like pressing play on a movie in the DVD player,
I can see it again and work through it. I also keep the playlist on my
'about the novels' page on melissadamon.com so that others can hear
the songs that inspired the chapters of the books.
So what do you do to unwind and relax?
Lol...write. It is my coping skill when I am flustered.
Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events
on things that have happened to you?
Yes. About 75% of everything that happened in the "Stalkers" trilogy
happened to me in real life. I just added some paranormal fiction to
it to make it sound prettier. As for the characters, most of them are
based off a combination of several friends put together. Katerina (the
main character) is the utopian me. Anna is the real me.
Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books?
(Morals as in like Aesop's Fables type of ”The moral of this story
is..”)
I'm so glad you asked that. Yes! Yes! And yes! Caroline B. Cooney
was my favorite author growing up. She had very distinct morals
through her novels and it is important to me (especially because I
work with teens) to also have morals in my novels. The first book is
about finding yourself. The second is about finding independence vs.
dependance (significant others and the possible loss of self). The
third book is about working with your enemies (or people you don't
like) for a greater good.
What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
Jane Austin's "Pride and Prejudice." I have read it many times! 
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you
favourite/worst book to movie transfer?
I like that they are transferred to movies but I don't think I have a
favorite/worst. I always love the books more but still enjoy the
change over to movies. It's always cool to see what another person
visualizes when they read the same novel. How they envision the
characters, set, etc.
What are you currently reading? Are you enjoying it? What format
is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)
I am currently on book withdrawals until the third book is published.
They most current book I've read so far is the fundamentals of ballet
for an upcoming book I am working on. The last book I read for fun was
"Branded" by Keary Taylor. She is amazing and I love her characters.
It was an eBook.
Do you think eBooks will ever totally replace printed books?
Sadly, yes. I don't want them to, but I think they will.
Do you think children at schools these days are encouraged enough
to read? and/or do Imaginative writing?
I wish they did more. They seem to do a lot less then when I was back
in school, especially with the imaginative writing.
Are there any New Authors you are interested in for us to watch
out for? and Why should we watch out for them?
There is an upcoming author named Melissa Merwin that is writing a
paranormal series. She won't be out for a while, but watch out, I've
read a little over half her novel "Second Sight" and she has blown me
away.
Book trailers what do think about them?
Lol...they are tons of fun. A couple of my friends took an afternoon
and we did a play one of Stalkers. Its actually on youtube right now.
It wasn't official even though we put that title on there for laughs.
We just played around with the scenes (and no budget) and made our own
fanfic.
Lastly Melissa, what piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
No matter what, just keep writing. Don't write for others, write for yourself. And don't feel like you need to start at the beginning. Right whatever pieces come to mind, and the rest will follow. 
It was nice having you Melissa and we wish you all the best with your upcoming book.
You can contact Melissa using the following links:
NewYorkerTimes
Amazon

Yours truly
Felix Timothy

Author Interview with David P Perlmutter.

What a fantastic Tuesday it is, why? because we have an opportunity to talk to another author. He'll tell us about his childhood, his work and his book. Enjoy.

First of all let me start by thanking you for agreeing to do an interview here. Maybe you could start by introducing yourself... 

My name is David P Perlmutter.

Any pseudonyms?

 None... I use my real name.

 Good. Please tell us about your childhood, where were you born, schooled etcetera, you know...the kid-stuff.  

Yeah of course. I was born in an area just outside London, called Edgware, Middlesex. To give Edgware some bearing, Paul Rudd the actor was born there before he went to USA with his parent. George Micheal's father had a restaurant in the High Street. I had a loving close nit upbringing, my family are very close. The street I was born in had many of my friends from School, which was within a 15 minute walk.

Good to know that you probably knew George Michael as a kid before he became 'the George Michael' we know. And where do you live now? 

Southern part of the UK.

Did you always want to be a writer?

Nope.

Hmmm...interesting...so what did you wanna be?

Its not that didn't  I enjoy writing...actually I did, but I also wanted to be a footballer.

I am a huge soccer fan myself. Arsenal - though we're not doing very well at the moment in the English premier league. And so  how did it go...I mean did you ever pursue football as a career?

 Yes. Infact I had several trials for a couple of soccer teams in the UK but I wasn't up to the high standard that was required there. 

So when it didn't work out with soccer?

When I was living in Portugal I co hosted a radio talk show which I enjoyed so much. Would love to try that again.

            I bet you talked a lot about soccer over there.  What about now, what do you do for work?

            I dabble in sales and marketing.

            So tell us, when did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?

            Well, I started writing my story as a blog 4 years ago and my friend (who is my editor) read the blog         and suggested that I continue the story as a book.

            And look at how it worked out. Now, about your book WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME, its              based on a true story, right?

Yes yes. WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME is based on a true story, and as the readers will read, the experiences were very harrowing.

At one point you managed to push your book to #1 position on Amazon.com, could you please share the tricks of pushing sells with us? Actually it was #1 in True Crime category on Amazon in the US and #1 in the Factual category  in Spain. 

Tricky tricky question. Without divulging too much, I can attribute that success to many many hours of marketing, which I enjoy. 'm sorry I cant say too much at the moment.

Okay , what do you think of author groups?

 I love them so I can discuss, but mainly to learn about other authors. To be honest, I do not think of myself as an author.

Why?

This' how I see it.  I have written one book, a true story, I give so much respect to writers who think up amazing and gripping story lines.

  And will you write another book?

I have another on the go and I hope to have it self published by the end of March 2013.

How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it? WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME took me 3 years to complete.

1 What genre would you place your books into? 

Wrong Place Wrong Time is biography, non fiction, true account, true crime.

 Do you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your favourite? Tough question but as Wrong Place Wrong Time is about my trip to Spain then I guess I am the main character. But I would say that my late father was the star of the book.

 Which famous writers inspire you?

There are many authors I admire, Douglas Kennedy, Stephen King, James Patterson. Also I have meet many authors on twitter who I have read some of their books which are masterful.

And do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you officially release them? With Wrong Place Wrong Time I did not apart from my editor who read it before being self published.

Now for the following question I'm so curious to know, how do you market/promote your books?  

I use facebook, twitter, my blog and other areas which I cant say at the moment. 

Come on man!

Under strict rules from my editor.

Okay okay. What do you think makes a book a really good/bestseller ? 

The cover, a great story line and marketing to put the book in front of readers.

I can guess you're quite eclectic, so what do you do to unwind and relax?

 I play sport - football, tennis, meeting people and being with my children.

And as we wind up, where can readers follow you?
My blog details: http://thewrongplaceatthewrongtime.blogspot.co.uk/

My facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/wrongplacewrongtimebook

My Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7252302-dave-perlmutter

My Twitter handle:  @davepperlmutter

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Place-Time-ebook/dp/B008955FG2/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrong-Place-Time-ebook/dp/B008955FG2/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1

Your final word?

I have some very exciting news about the book Wrong Place Wrong Time which I will be releasing once it is confirmed. So please keep your fingers crossed…..Thank you.

Thank you indeed David, it was a pleasure. If you are interested in having an interview on this blog http://feltim.blogspot.com/, please email me at fel_tim@yahoo.com

Author Interview with Robbi Sommers Bryant

Hello everyone and welcome to our interview today and I promise you its gonna be interesting. Please enjoy.

As usual we'll start with pleasantries. Please tell us your name. 

Robbi Sommers Bryant.

And do you also write with other pen names?

No.

Tell us about your childhood, what was it like? 

I grew up in a suburb outside of Cincinnati. I have an older brother and younger sister. I had a great set of parents.

Good to hear that. Lets now move on to your writing, did you always know you’d be a writer? If not when did you know that you had it in you? 

I realized my knack for writing in my early high school days when I wrote a satire for in my English class “How To Catch and Hold A Man.” The teacher asked if she could keep it to show to other teachers!

That must have been amazing for you. So from then onward how long have you been doing this – writing?

I've been writing professionally since 1986.

And in terms of books, how many books have you written so far? 

I've written 1 novella, 4 novels, 5 short story collections, and 1 book of poetry.

Wow, you're diverse which is very good actually. Now tell us about your successes as a writer. 

Well, besides the books that I have published, I've had articles in many magazines including Reader’s Digest and Redbook and stories in several anthologies. 

What about successes in terms of awards?

Oh that, I have won three awards for The Controversial, The Beautiful Evil - which was a number #1 bestseller on Amazon in suspense, and 1 award, so far, for Dream.

Good for you. Most of us aspiring writers only dream of winning such awards when we finally publish. What about now, are you working on something at the moment? 

Oh yes. A novel about a woman in love with a serial killer.

Let me take you back to something you touched on earlier.  Your work at Redbook and Readers digest, tell us about it. Well, I wrote an article and submitted it to Redbook, where it was picked up. After that, Reader’s Digest contacted me and asked if they could do a reprint. From there, I went to a talk show on TV and the article was optioned twice for a movie of the week.

That is so great which leads me to my favorite question - your work has been opted not once but twice to be a movie right? 

Right.

Please walk us through it again…as in, what inspired you to write that piece, how the movie people know about it, the name of the movie and the whole process until when your work was brought into life. 

Actually, the story was never brought to life—which is the nature of show biz.  But this' how it happened, after my article appeared in Reader’s Digest and Redbook, a production co. in LA contacted me about doing a movie of the week. It was hurry, hurry, wait. Hurry, hurry wait. By then, the option ran out, so the company re-optioned it. Same story. They never got it off the ground. I was inspired to write the piece after a rapist broke into my home and I ultimately convinced him to confess.

Let me ask you something a little bit personal. I read briefly on Amazon that sometime back you lost your son in death and this greatly affected your writing. Can you tell us when and how it did affect you? 

I lost my son in 1997 and I stopped writing for over 13 years. Finally, I had a breakthrough and completed my best-selling, award winning novel, The Beautiful Evil.

We’re so sorry to hear that but at the same time you managed to overcome your sorrow and I must point out that you’re a very strong and resilient woman Robbi to not have quit writing completely right? 

Well, I didn't write for 13 years, but finally my muse returned.

Sooo much about that, tell us about your latest book and when it was released?
My latest book, Dream, was released in Oct, 2012 and just won 2^nd place in the Los Angeles Book Festival, best in genre!

Wow good for you Robbi! And how are the sales going so far? 

Even with a traditional publisher, it’s hard for people to find somewhat unknown authors. I jump up and down screaming, “Hey! Look at my books!” Sometimes I’m heard, sometimes not.

So that also happens to you! Interesting! Now, since you’re in the book business what advice can you give to new writers coming into this industry in terms of creating book awareness, launching, marketing, and developing a loyal fan base? 

I do everything I can to build a strong social platform and hope that it translates into sales. I have followers on twitter, Facebook and Linked in, although I could be posting more. I enter contests, advertise on sites such as digitalbooktoday.com, worldliterarycafe.com, look for and listen to Kindle Books Today’s Jeff Bennington. (@TweetTheBook)

According to you what makes a writer successful, as in being a bestseller, or maybe selling his/her books movie.

A successful writer, for me, is a writer who finishes his/her work and is proud of their accomplishment.

So how do you spend your free time, what do you do for fun Robbi?

For fun, I hang out with good friends, watch movies, read and …shop.

Any favorite quote you’d like to share with us? 

My own actually: Support Imagination. Read a Book.

Where can people find you and your books online (the links) 

My books can be found on Amazon: 

Dream - http://amzn.to/13nvZgW and 

The Beautiful Evil - http://amzn.to/VMkr4a

What a pleasure it has been to have you share your story with us. We wish you all the best and hope to have you back another day. Thank you.

Author Interview with Ruth Hunt

Welcome everyone to this faaaantastic Monday. And by the way I'm not just saying that, no, not at all. It's a great day because of the author we're going to listen to. She has overcome various personal challenges and her her determination to push forward is inspiring. So without further ado lets jump right into it. We'll start with the basics...Please introduce yourself.

Hi everyone, my name is Ruth Hunt.

      And do you also write with other pen names?

Not at present, but I’ve got an idea for a book for the young adult/teenager market, so may use a pen name then.

    Oh good to hear that you're not done with writing. So tell us about your childhood, you know what was it like growing up?

WeI had a great childhood.  Books always played a big part in my life.  When I was four nearly five I wrote a book and created characters called ‘The Doo’s’  I think the story involved a trip on a train.  I did the drawings and my parents made it into a ‘book’ which they then sent to the publishers of the ‘Mr Men’ books.  I can remember the excitement of getting a letter addressed to me. They said they couldn't publish it, but had enjoyed reading it and looking at the pictures!

    Wow! I'm sure you're grateful to your parents for the encouragement at such an early age. So did you always know you’d be a writer? If not when did you know that you had it in you?

I’ve always loved writing and when I was doing my exams at school I had a really good English teacher, he encouraged me to keep a journal and to experiment with short stories and poems.  My aim was to be a journalist, but I suffered serious injuries in an accident when I was 18 which meant my life took a different course.  When I recently had to give up work, writing came back into my life and I’ve not stopped since that.

So sorry to hear about that Ruth. I can only imagine how tough the adjustment must have been. But here you are still writing right?   So like how long have you been doing this – writing?

In terms of novel writing, this has only been in the past five or six years.  Though I’ve been writing all my life it mainly has been ‘just for me’.  It is only recently that I’ve considered doing it full-time and put my work, ‘out there’….

    And how many books have you written so far?

I had an idea for a book five or six years ago, but launched straight into it, without really developing the idea or planning it out.  I floundered once it was ¾ finished.  Although it’s a good idea, the book was really my practice for what came next, which is ‘The Single Feather’ this is completed and currently is edited. I may go back to the first book, and try to develop it a bit more to make it more interesting.

    Great! Now, in your writing your characters are mainly elderly and disabled, why did you choose to go that way instead of the traditional youthful and fit characters that most writers use?

As I am disabled I’ve been very aware that disabled characters and certainly disabled protagonists are hard to find.  So I’ve made my lead character Rachel have paraplegia.  She joins an art group, most of whom are older, desperate to fit in……

As I know about disability from a personal as well as professional perspective I thought it would be good to use this.  Publishers say that they want fresh, unique voices in fiction, which is what I hope ‘The Single Feather’ provides.

    Let’s talk a little bit about your occupation. You’re a Trustee and Non Executive Director of a national mental health charity right? Tell us a bit about your work.

        Yes I’ve been with the charity for six years now as a non-executive director and Trustee.  I work with a great bunch of people and enjoy the work and meeting our staff and service users.  Volunteering is a great way to contribute in a positive way to society.

     True, very true! So did your work influence you to write this book?

      Only in the way that I knew these groups are generally on the outside or marginalized.  This is true in terms of fiction, so I wanted to address this in  my book. 

  I understand that you’re working with a filmmaker? Is the film you’re working on based on your book or is it a different project?

This is a project for the charity I work for.  It isn't connected to my writing but has been interesting in terms of finding out about filming, with a view to a video trailer for my book and how it could be turned into a film/T.V. drama.

  How will you publish self-publish or with a traditional publisher?

I’m trying the traditional route first.  If I’m not successful I will look to self publish.  I think as time goes by , the self-publishing route is going to be the future, so I don’t see it as any less ‘worthy’ than the traditional route.

    And still on the film subject is there any advice you can give to fiction writers who wish to see their work turned into movies? Are there steps they can take to improve the chances of the books being adapted into film?

I think first of all, when you are writing, try to use language that enables a picture to form in your mind/in a readers mind.  If a scene can’t be pictured in your mind, it needs changing so it does.  If your book is going to be made into a film, it first will be read by producers so they need to visualize it.

Another piece of advice, is to consider doing a short video trailer for your book.  This allows you to see how it would work as a film and also you never know who else might be watching.  Use social media to create a ‘buzz’ around your video and hopefully then around your novel.

       So what next Ruth, will you be writing another book? If so will it be in the same fashion as your upcoming one?

     I’ve got a lot of ideas, all of which have the potential to be novels.  However, for my next book I’m not going to have a disabled protagonist.  ‘Rachel’ has been a great character but I’ve lived inside ‘her’ world for 18 months or more so feel in need of a change!

Okay, what are some of the challenges you've faced so far concerning your writing?

My biggest challenge was getting into an established routine.  As I have noisy neighbors I have to use the time when they are not around which means a very early start.  Now that this is well established, I relish my time writing each day.

According to you Ruth, what makes a writer successful, as in being a bestseller, selling his/her books movie rights or what?

Writing is like playing an instrument, practice, practice and more practice.  Even if it’s only in a journal – you are practicing.  Even great writers do this each and every day.

The second thing is taking it seriously, believing in yourself and to treat rejection as something to learn from and move on from.  You need to develop a hard skin.  Even the most well known writers will have had rejection letters to deal with.  Don’t let it crush you!

Please tell us how do you spend your free time, what do you do for fun?

I love painting, I do mainly watercolors with ink and find that this really helps me to relax/  I also love my time with family and friends.  I like good films and Italian food!

On the left one of Ruth Hunt's paintings .

Who’s the author you’d like to emulate?

Marianne Wheelaghan who wrote ‘The Blue Suitcase’ and ‘The Food of Ghosts’ is definitely someone I’d like to emulate, she is not just an author but co-founder of www.writingclasses.co.uk which offers courses in novel writing and short story/poetry.  All courses are very reasonably priced.  She also has a blog on www.mariannewheelaghan.co.uk I’ve done a guest post on Marianne’s blog about fiction and disability.

How do you think authors can make the best use of social media?

Social media is a good way of promoting your work and showing your writing skills.  However, as a writer you are your own business so be professional at all times.  You may be responsible for marketing and selling your book so social media can work for you, as long as you use it professionally, like a business would.

Where can people find you and your books online (the links)

 ‘The single Feather’ will be out early 2014. Follow me on Twitter ‘@prozactaker’

Ruth, it has been a great talking to you and we certainly look forward to reading your book when it comes next year.

Thank you Felix, it’s been a pleasure.