Ask the Author: Billy McLaughlin
Answered Questions (6)
Billy McLaughlin
My new book is based on something that I heard from a friend. The situation is heightened from an incident that she had to go through, and then twisted and turned. She will kill me (which would be highly appropriate considering the nature of the plot) when she reads it because she might recognize a little of herself from some of the main character's behavior.
Billy McLaughlin
I have a 6 hour classical piece of music that I plug my headphones in for. I then sit and allow that to play over and over, and the words just trip out. I also hear stories from people and that inspires me to some degree. I think a lot of good fiction really finds its base in reality, so when I hear things from people, I think "I need to use that". Other than that, my brain is a constant soap opera. I really have to fight the urge to have every chapter end on a completely cliffhanger because that would become tedious and wreck the element of surprise.
Billy McLaughlin
I am currently at the editing stage of "Lost Girl" which is released to amazon on 27th June. This week has been frustrating because I have started work, and am about halfway through "In The Wake Of Death". I am keen to return to LG and get that out there because I know people are keen to read it. I am also excited about a trilogy short series that I have in mind. I can't say too much about that though because I'm not quite sure how it will pan out.
Billy McLaughlin
Just write. Don't worry that you haven't perfected it - that's what the editing process is for. Write your story. Then take a break from it. Write something else. Let your story breathe and then when you go back to it, you'll be looking at it from the perspective of your reader. This will allow you to be objective.
Billy McLaughlin
The best thing about being a writers is when you discover that your characters can exist in more than one story. They blow up in your mind and become almost real. That's been fantastic because when I started writing my first book, it was very much standalone. I have no plans to re-use the characters from that book because I feel that their story was so complete that I couldn't find a place for them in the near future. However, characters from my second book "Lost Girl" have already found their way into the plot for book 3.
Billy McLaughlin
I haven't experienced this quite yet. In fact, I'm in the opposite position which can almost be as frustrating. I have a whirlwind of idea's, and ended up starting a new book before I'd even finished writing or editing the next one on release. I currently have the synopsis for 9 books.
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