Author Interview on Mary Woldering's blog


An interview I did for Mary Woldering's blog.
What made you want to be a writer?
As a child of maybe 6, I drew comic strips til I realised that my art wasn't up to scratch. I have been writing since then. I wrote what would be today deemed fan fiction of tv programs, but back then I didn't have a name for it. I started writing my own stuff a few years later.
When is the release of your next novel? Name genre or if it’s part of a series. If your book is part of a series tell the readers about the others that are out for sale. How did you come up with the idea for the book or series, especially the title?
The Quantum Eavesdropper Vol. 1. It’s science fiction and it and volume 2 are 180,000 words long. It should be released Summer 2019. A year after losing his wife, a man gets trapped on the lip of a black hole. It’s 2095, but he finds that he can communicate at this point in time with individuals back on Earth at any point in the past from the birth of telecommunications to far into the future. He could call you on your phone right now. But can he save his wife from death?
How important is it to read books when you want to be an author?
To see what's possible and to appreciate the canonical are two very strong reasons to read.
Do you remember the first book you read?
No. An early inspiration was Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
What book are you reading now?
Beta-reading or editing as-yet-to-be released novels by Lynn Lamb, Saadon Aksah, Bianca Bowers and David Wells. I recently finished Life of Pi by Yann Martel (fiction, very impressive writing) and I’m reading War on Peace by Ronan Farrow (non-fiction, alarming insight into how Trump is gutting the State Department and the US’s diplomatic corps across the globe).
To craft your works, do you have to travel? Before or during the process?
No, although it would probably help.
Which character do you identify with most in your novel?
My current novel is The Perduror and my hero is a young man named Blythe who finds himself in a DaVinci Code style mystery. I’d like to think that I can relate to Blythe’s naivety more than I can relate to Keir Tremayne’s cynicism in my yet-to-be-released The Quantum Eavesdropper. 
How much of the book is realistic and are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Well, it’s all stuff and nonsense, isn’t it? There are certain things that are based on actual events, but they are exaggerated in my fiction. There is a “ship” / “sheep” mix-up between Blythe and his (French) love interest in The Perduror that sort-of happened in real life.
There’s a scene in The Quantum Eavesdropper where the top of Magdalena’s dress catches on her charm bracelet at a dinner party. The charm bracelet breaks apart, and she simultaneously pulls her breasts out over her dress. “My charms! My charms!” she shouts as the charms fall to the floor, with everyone looking at her exposed upper body, under the misapprehension that she is referring to her breasts. That didn’t actually happen, but there was a young lady whose charm bracelet caught on her dress (without the added exposure).
Tell us how the atmosphere needs to be for you to be able to write. Example, music on or quiet etc.
Music’s often good. My villain in The Quantum Eavesdropper is Zhinny Zhao, and the theme song I use for her is The Living Daylights by A-ha. In fact, Eavesdropper’s playlist would probably comprise more than a few Bond themes as there’s lots of political intrigue and industrial espionage.
What is one goody you must have at your desk when you’re writing?
Coffee. Unfortunate but true.
Which part of the publishing process do you detest most?
Probably formatting for publication.
What is the worst thing you’ve had to overcome before publishing your novel? IF it’s too personal just make a generalized statement if you can.
The worst thing is probably getting over the fact that traditional publishing didn’t work out for me. I have novels sitting on my desktop for years, and I was turned away by agents time and again. They would often ask for the whole manuscript before saying it wasn’t for them or they just weren’t feeling it. So four fellow indie writers were putting together a boxset a couple of years back, and Lynn Lamb convinced me to publish The Perduror with them. Since then I’ve only put out a short story collection, Fade to Black. Some of the short stories in that collection have won awards, been broadcast on national radio, or reached shortlists, so they have some provenance. But whether trad or indie, I’d rather be published than not, to be honest.
When you need some extra encouragement who do you turn to?
Yusuf Toropov provides a good ear. He’s a fellow author and he offers lots of encouragement.
How do you market your book?
I use Twitter and Facebook. Sales have not been great to be honest but I never developed a mailing list or anything like that. It’s something I ought to strongly consider as they say it’s the first thing a writer should develop. I have yet to buy any advertising for my publications.
Have readers ever contacted you? If so, tell us the best thing they’ve said to you.
A few quotes below from people who should know better!
“The story that cheerfully breaks the rules and gets away with it.”
“Thanks to the skill of this storyteller—who concocts a delicious blend of mystery and history—we are blown away by the premise and the structure. A delight to read from beginning to end.”
“One of the best opening lines I’ve read.”
“Brilliant comic timing!”
Dialogue that shows “remarkable command over the spoken word.”
“… a light touch to leave the reader both pensive and thoroughly entertained.”
“I think one of the best beta readings I’ve read.”
Tell us how we may get a copy of your book. (Kindle, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, paperback etc.)
Get The Perduror here:
And my short story collection, called Fade to Black, is here:
Social media links and websites?

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