What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
My name is SCD Goff - it's been
shortened from the real thing so that I can keep a bit of a barrier between my
writing life and my working life, which is in publishing. I was born in Dublin,
Ireland, and I live in Dublin now. I lived away from Ireland, though, for about
a decade. I was packed off to boarding school when I was seven, and stayed
there til I was 18, so as soon as I was free I strapped on a backpack and made
a run for it! I travelled all over the world and then pitching up in the
States, where I went to college before studying for a Masters in Publishing in
the UK. After all that I was really really happy to come home.
Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I think I did always want to be a
writer, but it wasn't something I admitted to myself until fairly recently. I
actually think I have a funny parallel there with Lady Languish, the character
in my book, who discovers something very dark about herself that she fights for
a long time ...
It doesn't seem possible, really,
when you're young and reading a lot to become a person who is read; at least,
it seemed that way for me. But I'm not sure I'd call myself a writer yet. One
novel does not an author make.
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 name of my latest (and first)
book is 'Lady Languish'. I recently tacked on a subtitle, 'An Irish Vampire
Novel' - this is to help people find it and because there were complaints that
they had no idea what it was about, as the cover is a bit weird! If I had to
summarize it in less than 20 words I would say, 'A sheltered Irish teenaged
aristocrat is packed off to boarding school, bullied, and reeks terrible
revenge ...' A bit like life, really!
What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the
same genre? Books of a different genre?
I'm in love with YA fiction; I think
that somehow part of my brain got stuck at being in boarding school as a young
teenager, and the kinds of books that I liked to read then are the kind of
books I would like to write now. I'm writing for my poor, lonesome teenage
self.
Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
This book is part of a series, and
I'm also writing another at the moment, again in the Irish tradition, but not
about vampires.
Do you have a favourite character from your books? and why are they your
favourite?
I think my favourite 'Lady Languish'
character is actually Malachy - I feel quite sorry for him, even though he's
kinda evil. He just never really had a chance in life, he's a victim of
circumstance as well as being a victim of himself. I also like Lorcan, who is
delicate and beautiful but also very strong and very interesting. I like the
boys you see!
Do you have anybody read your books and give you reviews before you
officially release them?ie. Your partner, children, friends, reviewers you
know?
Absolutely. For any writers out there
who haven't tried it, I'd heartily recommend being part of a writer's group.
I'm part of a small one here in Dublin - everyone is working on a novel and we
give each other advice, critical feedback, ideas, and hugs when it's not going
so well. Knowing that you have to submit something for the next meeting is
great too, as it means you have a deadline you've got to stick to.
Do you gift books to readers to do reviews?
Of course! As someone who works in
publishing, and does a little professional marketing, I know that giving a
reviewer a book and crossing your fingers that they'll read it and like it is
an extremely important way to get your book out there. And it's a lot easier
with eBooks than with print editions! I'm a huge fan of the online book
reviewers; they take the time out of their busy lives to read books that
frankly mightn't be very rewarding, and in probably 90% of cases they're not
being paid. So, kudos and thanks to the reviewers. I actually review myself,
too, just so that I feel like I'm giving something back. Unfortunately my blog
doesn't have many followers yet, I'm not exactly in demand.
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
Yes, and I will also try to make sure
that I write a thank-you note to the reviewer, whether or not he or she liked
the book.
Would you ever ask a reviewer to change their review if it was not all
positive about your book/books?
No! I think that's hilariously
unprofessional, and so not what authors should be doing! When you send out a
review copy you have to know that you're gambling; the reviewer mightn't read
your book, mightn't 'get' you, possibly didn't even finish it - maybe they read
the whole thing backwards and reviewed it in hieroglyphics. But once
you've sent them that copy and asked for their honest opinion, you have to take
what you get. And be grateful! There's a saying in the publishing industry,
especially amongst editors: 'The best writers love criticism.' I think it's
kind of implied there that the worst writers hate to be criticized. Even
if you don't agree with a bad review, if you're a good enough writer there'll
be something you can learn from it.
How do you come up with the Title and Cover Designs for your book/books?
Who designed the Cover of your books?
This is going to make a lot of people
squirm - myself included - but I actually designed the cover myself. I like to
draw, and love to draw pictures of my characters, so I thought if I kept it
simple it might work out. A couple of people really love it, but I know at
least one person hates it, so it's kind of a divisive issue! If any of your
readers have opinions on it I'd love it if they could say so on my blog or
Facebook page, or on Goodreads.
Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
In this case I was inspired by a
woman. There is actually a lady I know very slightly called Lady Languish, who
was friends with my grandfather. I loved her name, and just started thinking
about what her history might have been like. Then I had to call her up and ask
her if it was alright if I used her name for my novel, which was a very strange
and awkward conversation. She's an absolute champ though and wished me
luck.
What do you do to unwind and relax?Do you have a hobby?
I really enjoy kickboxing, though I'm
very new to it. I'm absolutely terrible - my punching bag beats me up on a
regular basis.
Is there a book you know you will never read? Or one you tried to read
but just couldn't finish?
I actually started reading Beryl
Bainbridge's 'According to Queeney' recently - being very embarrassed that I
had never read such an illustrious writer before - and couldn't make it past
the third chapter. I'm a little worried that reading so much YA has re-oriented
my brain ... or maybe it's just not a terribly engaging book. I think I'll have
to go back and try again though, I hate to leave things unfinished.
Where can readers follow you?
Please follow me on Facebook, or check out my blog below. I'm also on Goodreads and Twitter but I'm the worst tweeter ...
Your blog details?
Please follow me on Facebook, or check out my blog below. I'm also on Goodreads and Twitter but I'm the worst tweeter ...
Your blog details?
Your facebook page?
Your Goodreads author page? http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5821063.SCD_Goff
Your Twitter details?
@SCDGoff
And any other information you wish to supply?
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