𝑰𝑵 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑻𝑨 𝑭𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑪𝑬𝑺

INTRODUCTION

I live in Cardiff, Wales. It is home to castles, mountains, rugby, Doctor Who and Torchwood and I live with my partner and three little mad dogs. Living in Cardiff is glorious, because, for all its modernisation, there are still remnants of an old Victorian city so you are constantly making up stories in your head of past lives. I love writing and will always base my stories in Cardiff because it has such character. When I can, I go out to the coast and take photographs, we have a lovely castle in the city centre and a fairy-tale one just on the outskirts, so when I feel I can’t write anything, I take a ramble to those locations and it clears my head. 

 I have a TV production background. I used to be a professional photographer and decided to move into the TV world. I started off working on our local news programmes and then moved on to Arts, Factual, Drama, back to Factual, back to Drama (Torchwood, Dr Who and a few regional shows). From there I moved over to work for the Audience and Marketing side of the brilliant BBC National Orchestra of Wales who produced many soundtracks for some of the most well known TV shows - Doctor Who for example! I learnt so much from working there about Marketing and Promotions. It’s been an absolute blessing for promoting my own work. 

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What inspired you to start writing this latest novel? 

Blood Ties is my latest and is yet to be released. It’s a story that I’ve had in my head and in my book notes for several years and I wanted to get it done finally.

How long have you been writing? 

I’ve written most of my life. I used to love to write in school… my first ever story was written at the age of 8. It was pure fanfic but it was a story! When I left school and started college, my short stories were published in various magazines and it paid my way through college.

What comes first, the plot or the characters? 

The plot. I have an idea for a story and I go with that. The characters appear when I have a plan of what the story will be about. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t.

How do you come up with the title(s) to your book(s)? 

The titles always come to an author who has invested time in getting to know their story. Or it could come from a line in a song that I associate with my story.

Do you have any say in what your book cover(s) look like? 

 Oh yes. My publisher has a great graphic artist who follows the ideas I have and interprets them. I can change or leave it or give it a slight tweak. I have a specific idea and they will do all they can to find the images I’m thinking about.

What is the most difficult part about writing for you? 

Social media is a curse for writers, we are so easily distracted. Life also interferes and the most frustrating part is having an idea for a chapter and you can’t get to your laptop which is why I always carry a small dictaphone!

How do you do research for your books? 

It depends what the book is about. For this new one, Blood Ties, I had to research blood groups and also hospital procedures.  For Rhiannon, I had to have certain passages translated into old Welsh and I also had to research certain plants that would grow in the area Rhiannon lived in and would they be there in the 16^th century. For Judgement of Souls, because it is a trilogy, it started at the Crusades and followed human history through the years up until modern day. The dates and facts had to be correct, so history books were all I collected from the library and looked up on Google. I also had a few religious facts that had to be researched so I visited a few religious churches and synagogues in London and spoke to the experts. I visited many of the locations I used, London, Malta, Rome. It’s a lot of leg work and long nights.

What do you hope your readers take away from your book? 

I hope they can escape for a while. I hope they enjoy the story and take it with them in their memories for years to come. I hope they cherish each and every word and look forward to my next book.

What was the highlight of writing this book? 

FINISHING IT!  Blood Ties was a long time coming. This book has been in my head since I began to write it several years ago and then I left it for something else. It was rejected the first time I sent it to the publisher so I knew I had to get it done properly or finally let it go.

Are you working on anything at the present that you would like to share with our readers?

I am working on a new story called MADDIE STONE REVEALS ALL. It’s a story about a woman who has decided to tell all about her life. And it’s been an interesting life. You see, Maddie was a band groupie and she has a lot of stories to tell.

What are you reading now? 

Nothing. I never read when I write. Mainly because you can get these great ideas and then realise it was something you may have read earlier. I’ve already had that happen to me and had to delete a whole chapter. So I only read when I’m not writing. If I choose something, it’ll be Anne Rice, Stephen King or even an indie author whose story has captured my attention. I like to help other indie authors and have bought several books and reviewed them. We all need help so I hope it is returned to me some day.

What do you like to do when you are not writing or reading? 

I watch a lot of TV or I listen to music. I have 3 dogs so I am constantly running around with them. I help a few bands with marketing and do a lot of travelling.

How many books have you written? Which is your favourite?

• JUDGEMENT OF SOULS (Trilogy)
• RHIANNON
• ORDINARY WINS
• THE DECOYS
• TRANCERS
• THE PSYCHIC
• THE STORY OF MY HEART
• A CHRISTMAS EMBRACE
• A BRITISH CHRISTMAS
• SOON TO BE RELEASED- BLOOD TIES

My favourite is the trilogy Judgement of Souls. I have spent years with the characters so I’m very close to them both and very soon I plan to do a series of books following its main characters.