❤ Interviewing Writers ❤

RachelChurcher

1) Could you tell us a bit about your most recent book and why it is a must-read.

"My most recent book is called 'Battle Ground'. It reached 9,000 reads on Wattpad earlier in the year, and in July it was published on Amazon. It's Book One of a YA Dystopian series, based in the UK after Brexit and Scottish Independence, and the reviews have been fantastic! The novel has been described as 'relevant', 'thrilling', 'thought-provoking' and 'scarily near the mark'. Jazzy Book Reviews called it 'engaging, thrilling, intense, and wild', and Radzy Writes called it 'awesome'. Writing with Wolves wrote my favourite review, calling it 'one of my favourite books of this year. A post-Brexit dystopia that I'm obsessed with! It kept me guessing until the very last page'. The series becomes more relevant and realistic with every breaking news story. Definitely this year's most relevant dystopia!"

2) What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

"This is such a hard question! I think the answer is that I know good writing when I read it. A good author understands the rules for plotting, pace, structure, Point of View, and language, but a great author knows how and when to break those rules, and create something unique. How to become a good author? Practice, practice, practice. Just write, edit, and keep writing."

3) Writing can be an emotionally draining and a very stressful pursuit. Do you have any tips for aspiring or young writers?

"Dive right in! Expect it to be hard and emotional and challenging. You can't expect the reader to feel anything for your characters and your story if you're not feeling it yourself! If you don't cry when you're writing an emotional scene, your audience won't cry when they read it."

4) What have you put most of your effort into regarding writing?

"I have a sticky note on my computer to inspire me to keep writing. It says 'Show up for work'. That's it. I make the effort to show up, sit down at the keyboard, and write something. That's the hardest part. Once I get started, and I'm inside the mind of my narrator, I'm hooked - but I have to show up for work every day, and it always takes effort and discipline and energy."

5) How many books have you written? Which is your favorite and why?

"I've written five novels in the Battle Ground series, plus a stand-alone prequel novella, 'Making Trouble'. I love all the books, but 'Making Trouble' is probably my favourite - even though I give it away free on my website! (freebook.tallerbooks.com). It was so much fun to tell a shorter story, and really concentrate on the characters, the decisions they make, and how they deal with the consequences."

6) What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your books?

"That I can do this, and that I can keep doing it! I didn't know, when I started, whether I would be able to write one novel. I was amazed when the two books I had planned turned into five, and I still had things to say and stories to tell. Now I have even more ideas - all I need is the time to write them down!"

7) If you could spend time a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?

"This is a lovely question, and it's really hard to answer. I think I would send my teenage self to spend time with Charlie, one of the adults in the series. She's great at helping the teenage characters feel good about themselves, even when they have tough decisions to make. I think everyone should have an Auntie Charlie, and I think my younger self would have loved to spend a day with her, talking and laughing and cooking something lovely to share."

8) What famous author do you wish would be your mentor?

"Well - I'm writing YA, so the obvious answers would be Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Holly Black, or Alwyn Hamilton. I love their characters and their ideas, and I love their tough female protagonists. I'd love to learn their secrets!"