Ask the Author: Susan J. Barrett
Answered Questions (9)
Susan J. Barrett
My life is pretty straightforward (thankfully!), so there’s no potential plot line lurking in the background. The biggest mystery in my life is why it took me until my late forties to write my first novel!
Susan J. Barrett
Ooh, it’s so tempting to make a political comment here, but I should probably refrain.🤔 Also, horror’s not really my bag, so this is a tricky one for me - my muse goes into hibernation in the face of Proper Scary. I think I’ll take the fifth.
Susan J. Barrett
I’m not sure that I would! They all seem to be full of hazards. 😬 I think I’ll just stick to this world, if that’s okay with you!😉
Susan J. Barrett
I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid) in the summer of 2019 and loved it - it turned out to be one of my favourite reads of the year.
Susan J. Barrett
I go for a run!
Susan J. Barrett
When your characters start to shape their own destiny. I've got one character who I almost can't keep up with when I write her. I love it when they surprise you too; I've started a sentence thinking it's going to end one way, and it ended completely differently to how I'd planned it - literally as I was writing. It was a key plot point too, and it's turned out to be fundamental to my story.
Susan J. Barrett
Start writing! I learned a lot from writing my first book.
If you're self-publishing, then find people you trust to read your book and review it. Listen to their feedback; you may not action all of it, but you should definitely listen to it. Don't rely on spell check for spelling and grammar - if you're uncertain you can find out a lot with a simple Google search, but it's best if you get someone to read your manuscript who knows the rules.
I found it much easier to write once I'd worked out where my story was going. Not everyone writes like this, but it certainly helped me.
A good tip if you already have a book idea and if you're planning to self publish using Kindle Direct Publishing is to download the relevant templates first - it will save a lot of time.
If you're self-publishing, then find people you trust to read your book and review it. Listen to their feedback; you may not action all of it, but you should definitely listen to it. Don't rely on spell check for spelling and grammar - if you're uncertain you can find out a lot with a simple Google search, but it's best if you get someone to read your manuscript who knows the rules.
I found it much easier to write once I'd worked out where my story was going. Not everyone writes like this, but it certainly helped me.
A good tip if you already have a book idea and if you're planning to self publish using Kindle Direct Publishing is to download the relevant templates first - it will save a lot of time.
Susan J. Barrett
I love running and find that many of my ideas come to me while I'm running between Torquay and Paignton, on the beautiful English Riviera.
Susan J. Barrett
The second book in the Layla Garina series: Layla Garina and the Widgery Rooms. I'm aiming to have it ready to publish by summer 2019.
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