Ask the Author: M.J. Mallon
Answered Questions (6)
M.J. Mallon
As I mentioned in the previous question so many ideas flooded into my brain! Light and Darkness, Mystery, Intrigue, Poetry, Art, Family - I wanted to write a story that would appeal to a wider audience: older children, young adults and adults too. With that in mind I made sure that the central character's mother and father had an important role to play in the narrative. Boy/girl relationships feature but this isn't a romance novel. There's a hint of the paranormal in some aspects of the novel and I touch upon subjects that are pertinent today - mental health issues, and self harm.
M.J. Mallon
So many influences inspire me but specifically with regard to The Curse of Time these are my top ones:
Time - The Corpus Chronopage Clock and Grasshopper on Kings Parade Cambridge.
Crystals - The Crystal Grotto at Juniper Artland created by Anya Gallaccio in Wilkieston, Scotland.
Art - The concept of art coming alive fascinates me and I drew a lot of inspiration from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Black Cats - A Black cat stray appeared in my garden one day. He became my muse and my character Shadow.
Shadows - These fascinate me - what secrets do they hold in their darkness?
Myths, Legends. I've always loved myths and legends, so I incorporated some of my favourites into the storyline.
Time - The Corpus Chronopage Clock and Grasshopper on Kings Parade Cambridge.
Crystals - The Crystal Grotto at Juniper Artland created by Anya Gallaccio in Wilkieston, Scotland.
Art - The concept of art coming alive fascinates me and I drew a lot of inspiration from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Black Cats - A Black cat stray appeared in my garden one day. He became my muse and my character Shadow.
Shadows - These fascinate me - what secrets do they hold in their darkness?
Myths, Legends. I've always loved myths and legends, so I incorporated some of my favourites into the storyline.
M.J. Mallon
Lots of promotional work at the moment. But, after the paperback release of The Curse of Time - Book 1 - Bloodstone I intend to devote some attention to the second book in the series. The Curse of Time - Book 2 - The Golden Healer. I hope this will become a three book series.
M.J. Mallon
Don't give up! Keep on trying, write a little every day. Try new forms of writing such as flash fiction, short story writing, poetry. Read as much as possible in as many genres as you can. Don't listen to the doubters, believe you can do it and follow your heart.
M.J. Mallon
It's an extraordinary feeling being a writer it means that I can create characters that do what I say! Such power. It is limitless, I can write about anything I like. There are no obstacles or barriers.
M.J. Mallon
I very rarely suffer from writer's block but if I do I go for a walk, or take a trip somewhere that normally does the trick.
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