Sunday, February 3, 2013

#AuthorInterview Gemma Wilford #childrens #fiction & #chicklit



Hi Gemma, Thanks for visiting Rachelle's Window. Tell us a bit about your latest book.

Hi Rachelle and thank you so much for having me here! My latest book, The Ruby of Egypt is actually a second edition of a children’s book I wrote a couple of years ago. I am still fairly new to the Indie Author world and over the past 18 months, I have learnt so much that has enabled me to develop my work and progress this project. The second edition came about when I wanted a new eye catching cover – it spurred me on to review the entire book as a project itself; updating and revising the content before having it professionally proofread and edited.

The story itself is one of adventure that follows fourteen year old Ruby as she is taken back to Ancient Egypt to carry out an important mission. Ancient Egypt was one of my favourite topics we studied at school and I think this story has been carried embedded in my head since then, waiting to be nurtured into a book.

I was also intrigued by Egypt. What genres do you like to write in? Do you pay attention to genre rules or bend them?

Besides writing a children’s adventure story, I have also completed a first draft of a Chick-Lit novel Miss Pooshoe, a story that still hints of the sarcasm touched upon in The Ruby of Egypt but is very adult in theme and content. It follows a single woman who loses a job she loves to the recession and her battle to find a new job, peppered with her humourous escapdes along the way.

I like to bend the rules and I won’t be sticking to just writing in these genres as I have a head full of stories that are desperate to be unlocked and unleashed on the world.

Same here. What kind of books do you like to read? Which authors influenced you?

All kinds – I love to absorb different genres/writing styles. At the moment, I am supporting the self-published by reading a lot of Indie Author books.

Authors that have definitely influenced me are Marian Keyes –  her wit and ability to make you laugh and cry in the same book is outstanding. She tackles sensitive subjects and deals with them with such dignity while at the same time keeping a light hearted pace.

My childhood favourite was Enid Blyton. I loved reading the adventures of The Famous Five and The Secret Seven.
  
What keeps you up at night (besides reading)?

Characters and stories that bounce around my head and refuse to allow me to sleep until I have jotted what their little voices have to say onto a piece of paper. Oh - and the various typical female ‘to-do’ lists that seem to creep into my head just before I’m about to drop off to sleep.

Ha, ha, those pesky characters keep me awake too. What do you want your readers to walk away with after reading your novel?

That the journey I have taken them on through my story has led them to an ending with a sense of satisfaction and one that they have enjoyed. This is one thing I look for in books that I read and would like to bring out in my own writing.

Another is that the words that they read enlighten and inspire them. I love the way Rosamund Lupton writes her stories; her descriptions are so mesmerising and poetic and that’s one thing I hope to achieve.
  
Did you dream of being a writer or something else?

Oh I have always dreamed of being a writer! English was my favourite subject at school and I loved creative writing. I always had my nose in a book and as soon as I had finished it, I had an overwhelming urge to write my own. My childhood was surrounded my scrap bits of paper and journals with half written stories in. One of them I hope to revive in adulthood, Pottersville, which I started writing when I was eleven about a mining village.

Sounds like you're living your dream!

Yep! Thank you for having me here today Rachelle.


~Author Bio~

Gemma Wilford was born in Nottingham, England and grew up in Cramlington, Northumberland, where she still resides with her husband. Her journalistic achievements include being twice runner up in BBC Newsround's Press Pack competitions.

2011 saw Gemma self-publish her first Children's Book 'The Ruby of Egypt' and she is currently in the editing stages of her first novel, a humourous Chick-Lit recession based book 'Miss Pooshoe'. She recently had a short story 'Breaking The Rules' published in the I Am Woman Campaign Anthology Volume Two as well as spooky story 'Lady In Black' featured on GK Adams blog. Gemma documents her publication journey as an author to her blog 'Missuswolf's StoryLand

Gemma is a proud member of Melissa Foster's Awesome Support Team #GoTeamPIF.

Visit her at: http://missuswolf.wordpress.com/ or follow @Missuswolf on Twitter.

~Social Media~




~Buy your copy of The Ruby of Egypt here:~

Amazon US UK 


The Ruby of Egypt (Children/Young Adolescent Fantasy Adventure) Ruby finds herself being dragged by her over excited and rather embarrassing parents on a sight-seeing holiday to Egypt. Viewing the pyramids is the last thing a fourteen year old girl wants to be doing when she could be basking in the glorious sunshine by the pool instead. Her disappointment soon turns to delight when she curiously follows a black cat inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, where upon entering she is mysteriously transported back in time to Ancient Egypt. Aided by a talking feline. Guided by a dragonfly. Protected by a Falcon headed God. Ruby must embrace an important mission that will not only challenge her ability to amend her stroppy attitude, but will change the purpose of her life forever.


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