BLURB from Goodreads
Eighteen year old Erin Lustleigh is just starting university. She has no idea she's about to plunge into a world with werewolves, vampires, ghosts and, of course . . . hunters.
Erin's journey is one of heart ache, new experiences and dangerous dilemmas. She finds herself torn between sides, not knowing who to believe, or who to trust.
Erin's journey is one of heart ache, new experiences and dangerous dilemmas. She finds herself torn between sides, not knowing who to believe, or who to trust.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What is your name, where were you born and where do you
live now?
Hi,
I am M.D. Bowden (the M.D. stands for Mandy Diane). I was born in Barnstaple, Devon and
now live on the edge of Dartmoor (both in England).
Did you always want to be a writer? If not
what did you want to be?
No,
I haven’t always wanted to be a writer, although when I was a teenager I
remember wishing I could publish my diary, like Anne Frank. The main
careers I considered (there are a lot!) are forensic pathologist (X-files
influence!), doctor, volcanologist, palaeontologist and dietician. Before I decided to write novels I wanted to
be a science writer, as, regardless of my love of reading, it hadn’t even
occurred to me to do something non-scientific! I only decided to write books when I
discovered you could self-publish for kindle. That was just over a year ago, when I was
about to finish my degree in science. I decided I’d give writing a year
before trying to get a ‘real’ job, but writing is going quite well so I plan to
stick at it!
When
did you first consider yourself as a "writer"?
That’s
a tricky one. I would have called
myself a writer from the very moment I started writing my first book, although
I wasn’t sure the term was justified. I
feel I can justify calling myself a writer now that I’ve published quite a few
books and am making a living out of it.
Did
it take a long time to get your first book published?
24 hours! That’s how long it takes to publish on
kindle. I’ve never tried to get a traditional
publishing deal, as whenever I’ve read about it I always get put off by how
long it’s supposed to take, and how little money you’re supposed to make. I might try it one day though as I would
like to see my books in traditional book shops, not just online.
Do you work another job as
well as your writing work?
No, although it feels like I
do as I have two young kids.
What is the name of your
latest book, and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would
you say?
My latest release is ‘Tempted
by Fire (Hunters Among Us, Book 1)’. Hmm,
a less than twenty word summary, here goes. . . . It’s about a girl going to a London
uni. She’s about to become a vampire hunter, but
doesn’t know yet!
How long does it usually take
you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
Most of my books are long
novellas/short novels, and take 2-3 months. Editing tends to take approximately the same
amount of time as writing the book itself.
Which of your books were
easier/harder to write than the others?
I think the easiest book I’ve
written was ‘Dark Love’—the third book in ‘The Two Vampires’ series. I was on such a flow and just went with
it! The book I found hardest to write was ‘Bell
Stone: Gateway to Faerie II’. I
think this was because it was set in the land of Faerie. I found writing about a different world
hard—it really stretched my mind!
Do you have plans for a new
book? Is this book part of a series?
I finished the first draft of
‘Hunters Among Us, Book 2’ yesterday! After
I have edited and released it I plan to write a third book in the ‘Hunters
Among Us’ series.
What genre would you place
your books into?
Young Adult fantasy/paranormal
romance.
What made you decide to write
that genre of book?
It’s the genre I love to read,
and re-read, and re-read, and the one I become most easily lost in!
Do you have a favourite out of
the books you have written? If so why is it your favourite?
Hmmm, either ‘Tempted by Fire’
or ‘Gateway to Faerie’—both completely different books! ‘Gateway to Faerie’ is rural fantasy, and
the longest book I’ve written. It
is set locally, and the product of a gradually building idea in my head, making
a valley I love to walk in come to life with dark ideas. ‘Tempted by Fire’ is more like the books I
like to read myself—teen girl, city, college, vampires and romance!
If you had to choose to be one
of your characters in your book/books which would you be? and why?
Erin Lustleigh, from my
‘Hunters Among Us’ series, as she lives in London and I love London! Also she’s pretty powerful and I like her
love interest as the story progresses.
Where do you get your book
plot ideas from?What/Who is your inspiration?
The depths of my mind,
although what’s in there is very much influenced by books and tv shows I have
loved, for example—Buffy, Vampire Diaries (books and show), Garth Nix’s
Abhorsen series, Trudy Canavan’s Black Magician series, Terry Brooks’s Shannara
series, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
Do you have a certain routine
you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
Yes,
I must be somewhere quiet where I will not be interrupted. If I’m at home I write on my computer, if
out I write on a pad and type it up later. I write 2000 words a session. I never ever write at a table or desk. I write in bed, on the sofa, in the car, or
if the weather’s nice (which considering I live in England isn’t very often!) I
love to write outside.
Do you gift books to readers
to do reviews?
For the first time ever I have
done this for ‘Tempted by Fire’ although as yet the people I’ve gifted the book
to haven’t reviewed it.
Do you read all the reviews of
your book/books?
Yes! I check daily for new reviews. Good reviews are one of the best things
about writing. I love it when
someone has enjoyed my book enough to share it! I try not to be upset by bad reviews, and to
learn from them, although this is often tricky as everyone has such different
tastes. For example I’ve had reviews from different
people, on the same book, where one person says it’s ‘amazingly written’ and
one person says it’s ‘poorly written’, one person will say ‘fantastically
developed characters’ where another person will say ‘no character
development’. It’s a minefield.
How do you come up with the
Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?Who designed the Cover of your
books?
Titles are hard! I generally don’t decide on the title until
I’ve finished writing the book, and at that point I brainstorm ideas that are
related to the content until I come up with something that I think sounds good
and will give people a decent idea what the book’s about. I do my own cover designs, using stock
photos and Photoshop. I
do You Tube tutorials when I can’t figure out how to do something!
Have you ever suffered from a
"writer's block"? What did you do to get past the "block"?
Not
yet! Sitting down to write in the first place is
the hardest thing, but once I’m in front of the computer I can always write
something, although sometimes the writing flows more quickly than other
times. If I’m slowing up I decide I need to think
through where things are going, as it’s usually because I’m coming to a bit I
haven’t planned. When I’m working on
a book I usually do a loose plan, and only add details when I’m getting into
difficulty. I find the key to
not getting writers block is to ‘try’ not to worry about what other people will
think about what I’m writing, but to write what I want to and worry about
whether or not it works later!
What
piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
Just
sit down and write, and don’t worry about what people will think!
Your Facebook Page?
Your
Goodreads Author Page?
Your Twitter Details?
https://twitter.com/manderbowden81
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