Ask the Author: A.J. Waines
Answered Questions (17)
A.J. Waines
Hi Jorge Thank you so much for your kind message. There are currently 4 Sam Willerby books: Inside the Whispers, Lost in the Lake, Perfect Bones and Cut you Dead - so you have a few more to read! Thank you
A.J. Waines
Hi Sue - thanks for your question. Cut You Dead will be going up by the publisher once it's had the cover reveal, which is due anytime from 26th March onwards. Sorry I can't be more clear - are you in the ARC group for the book, as they may have more idea?
A.J. Waines
You are so kind to point this out! Thank you - I will tell my publisher! Bless you.
A.J. Waines
'I was so sorry to hear about your brother passing away so suddenly,' I tell her, squeezing her hand as she leads me towards the drawing room.
'Well, there must be some mistake,' she laughs, 'he's been here for some time, waiting for you.'
'Well, there must be some mistake,' she laughs, 'he's been here for some time, waiting for you.'
A.J. Waines
What a lovely question! My instant response was to think of Narnia. I'd love to step through the back of a wardrobe and find myself in a wide expanse of white twinkling snow and go exploring. But on second thoughts, a lot of scary things happened in the Narnia books and I'd be just as likely to meet a wicked witch or queen as I'd be to come across someone helpful and intriguing. Maybe I'd have to take that chance!
A.J. Waines
Plenty of real 'goodies'! Including: The Beautiful Dead ( LOVE Belinda Bauer's writing), Never Alone by Elizabeth Haynes (Into the Darkest Corner was a top read of the year, for me) and I'm trying a new debut from author, Gillian McAllister, Everything but the Truth. You won't be able to shift me from my deckchair!
A.J. Waines
Gosh... I remember I came back from holiday once and found a pitchfork sticking out of the front door and blood on the door frame - that could make a good opening to a suspense thriller...
A.J. Waines
Hi Anne
Thanks for your question, Anne. I tend to take certain aspects of people I've met and roll them up into a new character - I haven't put a real person into a book, as such - not yet, anyway! As a former psychotherapist, I've met some unusual and complex people, but of course, I have to be very careful about using identifiable characteristics due to confidentiality. I hope this answers your question. Take care, AJ
Thanks for your question, Anne. I tend to take certain aspects of people I've met and roll them up into a new character - I haven't put a real person into a book, as such - not yet, anyway! As a former psychotherapist, I've met some unusual and complex people, but of course, I have to be very careful about using identifiable characteristics due to confidentiality. I hope this answers your question. Take care, AJ
A.J. Waines
It's got to be Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy - all that metaphorical 'dancing around' each other and not quite connecting - and don't get me started on THAT scene at the lake (although that's where the film version with Colin Firth, rather than the novel, takes centre-stage)!
A.J. Waines
Hi Marion
I started out very much a panster (making it up as I went along!), then I decided that was a bit risky. Now I try to get a balance between the two - if a book is mapped out too solidly, I lose the magic of discovering the direction of the story when I'm writing. I like to have room for shifts and surprises when I'm writing, so that it isn't all set in stone. I hope that answers your question and thanks for asking!
I started out very much a panster (making it up as I went along!), then I decided that was a bit risky. Now I try to get a balance between the two - if a book is mapped out too solidly, I lose the magic of discovering the direction of the story when I'm writing. I like to have room for shifts and surprises when I'm writing, so that it isn't all set in stone. I hope that answers your question and thanks for asking!
A.J. Waines
Hey - great question, Laurie. Mostly, I find characters quite hard to work with - I prefer people I can relate to, rather than odd or extreme characters. I tend to start with a 'voice' - such as Clara, in 'Dark Place to Hide' - she came to me so clearly. Starting next year (around September), there will be a three-book series all with the same lead character - Samantha Willerby, who is a clinical psychologist in London.
A.J. Waines
The Girl on a Train - the idea came orginally because I love trains, but I think level-crossings are treacherous at times. I wanted to have someone go under a train at one of those crossings (morbid, I know!) and for it to look like suicide. Except - there's one sole individual who questions it - and she digs deep into the victim's life and creates a stir about finding the truth.
A.J. Waines
I draw a lot of ideas from my experience as a Psychotherapist - I like exploring unusual psychological disorders. I also love secrets and lies - the hard part is finding about 50 good ideas (that's what a book needs - not just one) and then putting them together in the most dramatic order!
A.J. Waines
I'm working on a psychological thriller set in a remote area of Scotland - where a group get together for a reunion that goes wrong...
A.J. Waines
1. Read a lot and analyse what good writers do.
2. Read your own genre to find out how writers manage pace, character, twists and jeopardy etc.
3. Keep going...
2. Read your own genre to find out how writers manage pace, character, twists and jeopardy etc.
3. Keep going...
A.J. Waines
I'm really lucky - so far in writing fiction (6 years), I've never had this problem. I do have a few tricks - like never ending the day at the end of a chapter - I always leave the story hanging, so I have something to grab on to the next day.
You can read more on the subject of 'Writers' Block' on my Blog: http://awaines.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03...
You can read more on the subject of 'Writers' Block' on my Blog: http://awaines.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03...
A.J. Waines
I love the fact that I can get away with spending lots of time on my own, inside my own head. That might sound weird to an extrovert - but when I write, I feel like I'm transported into another world (like when I read a good book) and I can wander around there and explore and experience complete escapism!
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