5Qi-2

@LittleCinnamon - 5Qi-2

Q1. What fictional character best describes you and why?

A. I actually found myself standing in front of my bookcases in a bid to seek out that character which best describes me, but when your book collection contains characters such as Pennywise the Clown, Bilbo Baggins, the vampire Lestat and Nanny Ogg, it's quite difficult to answer this question! But, if I could nominate one character, I would say Stephanie Plum - a little bit reckless, a little bit feisty, relies greatly on her sense of humour in most situations and also a maker of rash (and often bad) decisions. Unfortunately, however, I don't have her courage and I definitely lack her ability to snare hotties like Joe Morelli.

Q2. What book do you wish you could have written?

A. I was asked this question recently and I have to say I really struggled to answer it. There are many writers who I've been reading most of my life and many newly discovered authors here on Wattpad from whom I wish I could steal just an ounce of their talent, but I've never thought much before on whether there is a particular book I wish I could have written. After much contemplation I think I would have to say Domain by James Herbert. Domain was the first horror book that I ever read, when I was eleven years old and to this day I still remember how I sat in my back garden, wide-eyed as I turned page after page, drinking in every blood-spattered, gory, exhilarating moment and when it was done, I realised that I wanted to be a writer. And the more I learned about James Herbert himself, the more that dream grew. So many things about his life and his approach to writing resonate with me. So if I could write any book it would be that one - the book that makes kids suddenly see life through very different eyes, the book that makes kids pick up a pen, the book that makes someone keep the lights on at night or check under the bed before they go to sleep.

Q3. Where do you get your inspiration?

A. Hannibal Lecter once said "How do we covet? .....We begin by coveting what we see every day." That's what I do. I covet what I see every day. Of course, that's not with the intention of abducting people and making a nice new coat out of their skin (although there's definitely a few people who'd make THAT particular list) but it does make for great inspiration. I'm an avid people watcher - in the non-stalky sense of course! Whether it's in a café window watching the world walk by, whether it's on a train watching passengers come and go or walking round a supermarket, I see inspiration for characters everywhere. I also love checking out the stories in the newspaper columns, those little stories that are there just to fill up the space, yet contain a vast wealth of weird, wonderful and tragic. I covet people, places, movies, newspapers, magazines, photographs - inspiration is everywhere we look!

Q4. Why do you write?

A. Because my Whitechapel Chronicles readers would kill me if I didn't? Actually that's probably what keeps me motivated to write these days but its not necessarily why I write. The reason I write is the very same reason that I started to write with any serious intent when I turned the ripe old age of 33 and that was because I discovered I needed an outlet, I needed something for myself, something that belonged solely to me.

When I was younger, I confess to being more of a reader than a writer. Even though I knew I wanted to be a writer, I rarely found the motivation to finish anything I started because quite frankly, school, boy bands and, well, boys seemed far more important! As I got older, that just changed to work, rock bands and my husband and it wasn't until I began to suffer very badly with post-natal depression after the birth of my son, that I realised I needed something to help me get through the bad times. One night I had an idea for a story and the next day I sat down and started writing and although it took some time for the PND to pass, for that one hour a day when I sat down to write, I felt free of all the crappy thoughts and feelings. Soon, it just became a huge part of my life and remains so now, even though the PND ended about four years ago. It gets to the stage now that if I don't get time to write - and that time is less every week with my job, daily commute, home life etc - then I feel quite edgy that I haven't had my 'me' time. I generally function MUCH better when I have time to write - it's the best therapy ever. And you don't have to pay extortionate therapist fees to do it!

Q5. What writing advice do you have for other authors?

A. I'm always a little cautious about imparting advice to others. One reason being that I generally harbour a distrust of those writers who feel the need to enforce the Ten Commandments of Writing on others. There are so many writers out there offering amazing advice to people - our Wattpad4 ladies being the ones who immediately spring to mind - but there are so many who offer terrible advice or who believe they have some kind of winning formula on how to write a novel. I often find those kind of writers have been the least successful and I hate that kind of 'you MUST do it like this' thing. Secondly, the reason I feel uncomfortable giving advice is that I don't feel I'm experienced enough or knowledgable enough to offer anything constructive. My success has only been measured by my experience here on Wattpad, I'm not yet a published writer and have no gauge on how successful I will be, so I just don't see how I'm qualified to offer advice to people.

All I would say is this and it's something I tend to live by, and that is just be true to your own voice and own style. Don't try to emulate someone else. Write what you want to write. Dont feel pressured into writing a genre that's on trend just because you seek popularity. Just be you.

Bulletin: Please do check out my new horror story commissioned by Universal Pictures and Wattpad, 'The Whispering of Bitter Creek' posted under @universalhorror, inspired by M. Night Shyamalan's new film The Visit.

Book and Author recommendations:

1. The Things We Bury by @davidjthirteen

2. Flawed by @bnlfan

3. The Executioner's Mask by @NevaTrustADuck

4. Burlap by @lucylaird

5. Bad Company @WendyWrites

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October 27th, 2015