In the spirit of giving back and connecting with my writing tribe I have scheduled monthly author interviews to showcase authors you may or may not have heard of. They will be a combination of indie and traditional with the focus being to give an insight on the writing life.
Alice, who is an online friend graciously asked me to be part of her interview group. I thought it only fitting that she be the first author in my monthly Author Interviews.
Please pick up her book and follow her blog.
Her social media links are provided, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (where she has some great pics!) drop by and kindly give her a hello! Please leave a comment on what you thought. If you know or are an author and would like to be highlighted in the monthly interview drop me a line or leave me a comment below.
Enjoy the interview!
Name: Alice J. Black
Age: 28
Where are you from? The North East of England.
Tell us a little about yourself ie. education Family life etc. I grew up and have spent my life in the North East of England. Ever since I can remember I have always loved reading and writing and though at times it hasn’t always been a priority in my life, I have always come back to it. More recently when I got my first role in my career I have gone back to writing which I love doing. I try to write every day!
When and why did you begin writing? I have always loved writing. From a young age I liked to write stories and I was always encouraged to do this by my family. I still have some of my really old scribblings now and it’s great to look back on. I can’t say why I started writing other than I really enjoyed creating a different world.
Do you have a novel/collection published? Would you like to tell us about it? My debut novel, The Doors, was published by Fire and Ice in November 2014. It was an idea that came from a dream and started as a short story. I got a lot of very good and positive feedback on it and it kept on growing. It was amazing the moment I got the email to tell me the publisher was going to accept it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would happen to me.
What inspired you to write your first book? I remember having a dream during which I saw these huge doors and I wanted to know what was behind them. When I woke up the next morning, all I could think about was the doors, what could be behind them and how I had to find out. And so the idea was born.
Do you have a favourite character from your book? If yes, who is it and why? Amanda is the main character in The Doors and as such she’s probably my favourite. She is such a curious young woman who is determined to find out what is going on despite the fact that nobody else believes her and she always tries to do the right thing too. I do have a soft spot for Arthur too however!
Is your book part of series? If so what can readers expect to find in your series? The Doors is a standalone novel and was always planned as such. However, I’m currently working on a few different projects all of which have several novels in the series.
Do you have a specific writing style? I don’t think I have a particular writing style. I have a no zero day policy and I do write most days (with the occasional off day when things are way too hectic to write). I find that writing every day has helped create a flow and means I find it much easier when I come to write.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? For me I find that creating timelines can be quite challenging. I tend to write something with a narrow idea in my head and need to go back and refocus on the timeline it happens for my own understanding. This is happening for me right now with a series of three novels I’m working on which span over many years as the background story is very important to the main story.
What are your current projects? I’m working on a set of three novels called The Devil’s Playground during which my main character Jake, is haunting by a recurring nightmare. I’m also working on a series around a demon hunter that is still very loosely in the works. In between my bigger works, I do try to work on shorter pieces too and I’m co-writing a novella with a friend of mine.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? I have to say that currently, no. I tend to day dream a lot and a lot of my ideas might come from tiny things I have seen but because a lot of my work delves into the dark and the supernatural, much of it is imagination.
What books have most influenced your life most? Do you have a mentor? I have always loved reading horror and Stephen King and Richard Laymon were two of my favourites. I still read their work now but I have also branched out quite a lot and I read a lot of young and new adult as well as some romance too. I find that reading different genres has helped open my mind a lot and has inspired me in many ways.
Have you ever been able to travel in regards to your books? What was it like? Unfortunately not but perhaps this is something I can hope for in the future!
Do you have any advice for other writers? Writing can be tough and it can be lonely. Make sure you reach out and create social networks and make sure you keep them. It’s been so important to me while I’ve been writing and I have a few good friends I know I can turn to. I suppose the other thing I would suggest is don’t forget to live your life! I work full time and write around that so sometimes it can take up a lot of my time and I have to remind myself that the world is still out there.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? A huge thank you for all of the support and encouragement you have offered me! Although I write because I love it, the fact that I can share my work and have other people enjoy it the way I intended it to be is brilliant!
What book are you reading now? Currently I’ve just started reading Divergent by Veronica Roth.
Do you remember the first book you read? If not tell us what your favourite book is and why. I’m not sure I can remember the first book I read but my favourite is The Hobbit. I’ve always loved Middle Earth and I have read that book over and over and went on the travels with Bilbo to the Misty Mountains. I love the idea of seeing another world entirely and I was always utterly absorbed when I delved into it.
Other than writing do you have any hobbies? I enjoy scrapbooking which I do to keep a memento of all the fun and big events going on in my life. I love watching films and gaming with my partner and I quite enjoy baking when I can find the time
Do you have a day job? If so, what do you do? I work with homeless people. It’s a tough job but I absolutely love it!
What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching? At the minute I’m watching quite a variety: the Strain, Penny Dreadful, Dowton Abbey, Bates Motel. I love the Walking Dead too and I’m going to watch the spin of series of that.
Favourite foods /Colors/Music. I have to admit that biscuits are my favourite food! I eat way too many of them but I do enjoy them a lot. I wear a lot of black and dark clothing (comes from my very gothic days) because I feel comfortable in it. I listen to rock and metal with a few of my favourites at the minutes being Devildriver, Machine Head, Hellyeah and Disturbed.
Links:
Blog: https://alicejblack.wordpress.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alice.j.black.doors
Twitter: @alicejblack
Instagram: alicejblack
Bio: Alice lives and works in the North East of England where she lives with her partner and slightly ferocious cats! She writes all manner of fiction with a tendency to lean towards the dark side, but she also likes to challenge herself and write out of her genre too. Dreams and sleep-talking are currently a big source of inspiration and her debut novel, The Doors, is a young adult novel which originally sprouted from a dream several years ago and grew from there.
Purchase links for my novel:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/493282
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-doors-alice-j-black/1120721873?ean=9781680460087
