What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
Jill Rowan. I was born in Hertfordshire, England but now live in Shropshire.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
The Legacy. Fallady Galbraith is left a mysterious house in the Welsh borders, but discovers there's more to the legacy than she anticipated. (That's 21 words!)
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
I'm close to finishing my second novel, but it's a completely separate, new and very different story.
How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
I've always loved writing but I've only been writing 'properly' for the past four years. I gave up work to concentrate on it as I found work stress was preventing me from writing. What gave me a real push was reading 'Misery' by Stephen King and realizing that the way he wrote about writing in the book was exactly the way I worked. I'd always thought there was a huge divide between published authors (especially of the fame and calibre of Stephen King) and wannabe authors. After that, I realized that if I worked hard at it, success was possible.
Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?
I would love to if I had enough copies and/or some money!
How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books? Who designed the Cover of your books?
The title became pretty obvious after a while, and has a double meaning, but the cover was designed by my editor, Anna Torborg, from Snowbooks.
Have you ever based characters on people you know or based events on things that have happened to you?
Yes and yes. There are no characters in The Legacy that are real people, but there are some who are combinations of people I've known. Sometimes I see a specific actor as a character, too. There aren't many things in The Legacy that have actually happened to me, but I've drawn heavily on my experience of New Zealand for my current novel.
Is there a certain Author that influenced you in writing?
Anne McCaffrey had a huge influence on me, but I don't think I write anything like her! Also Georgette Heyer and the humour she put into her novels.
Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback?
Paperback. I still don't own any kind of e-book reader.
What is your favourite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
Mockingbird by Walter Tevis is to me the perfect book. It has everything: great characters, enormous poignancy, a dystopian future with potential for redemption, a satisfying ending. I've read it several times.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favourite/worst book to movie transfer?
No I don't think they do, generally. I would name 'I Robot' as the worst. I didn't even recognise the book in it. 'A Clockwork Orange' is pretty good in the movie version. Maybe better than the book in some ways.
Is there anything in your book/books you would change now if you could and what would it be?
Not exactly. I'm happy with the story. I'm not sure any writer is ever totally happy with the execution. I still see words I'd like to change, or parts I think would read better worded slightly differently.
What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
Don't just think about writing; do it. Don't give up and don't lose faith in yourself. That's the hardest thing to do, especially in the present climate. If you read back over your manuscript and think it's awful, keep on editing until you don't think it's awful any more. It worked for me!
Where can readers follow you?
[URL=http://twitter.com/#!/JillRowan1]Twitter[/URL]
[URL=http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Legacy/176868932370303?sk=info]Facebook book page[/URL]
[URL=http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jill-Rowan/169219726480895?sk=info]Facebook author page[/URL]
[URL=http://jillrowan.wordpress.com/]Wordpress[/URL]
[URL=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5194554.Jill_Rowan]Goodreads[/URL]
Thank you Jill for taking time from your writing to take part in this interview.
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