Next year, I’m hosting “Authors at the Armouries” which will be one of the biggest UK book signing events – if not the biggest multi-genre author event of 2023.
Over on my event site I’ve been interviewing attending authors so you can find out more about the depth and breadth of talent we will have on offer next year!
It only seems fair however, that I am interviewed, too. So, I asked my very talented content-marketer husband to pose a few questions that he thinks you guys might want the answers to.
So here goes . . .
Enjoy x
Which writers inspired you and does anyone continue to inspire you?
When I was young, I used to visit the library and go home with a stack of how ever many books I was allowed to take out on my one card. The next week, I’d be back for my next stack. It started from there but back then, there was no such thing as a celebrity author or brand name, except for Roald Dahl I suppose. I used to read everything and anything and that has pretty much continued. I would say I’m more Brontë than Austen. I’m more Pratchett than Gaiman. I’m more Lisa Jewell than Jojo Moyes. In fact, I remember reading a Lisa Jewell when she used to write romcoms. I was a teenager and thought they were great. I’ve had a lot of inspirations along the way but because I chew up words like nobody’s business, I don’t worship at any one altar. I’d say however, I have an affinity with the Brontë family. I’m one of four kids, three girls and a boy, too. We grew up between Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, religion played a big part in our lives, and sometimes things were tough. I really understood the sisters’ language, their burning passions. They were the classic introverts who made their way into the literary canon through nothing but imagination and hard work. I think if you’re a writer, with truth at your soul, you can’t help but find something in their work that sticks. If you’ve read my books, occasionally you’ll get a flash of that.
Alongside authors, what else inspires your writing?
Life, of course. I come up with new ideas on a daily basis because life provides all the material you’ll ever need. I’m also one of those people that others will spill everything to. They will tell me their life stories, maybe because I ask the right questions…? My husband always says, how did you get them to tell you all that? I don’t tell him my secret, don’t worry. There can only be one of me or else the world might implode!
People are so interesting and characters are at the centre of everything I do. I might detect a fragment of who someone is and think, wouldn’t it be interesting to write about them? And put a story to the person. I guess the only problem with all these ideas floating around my head and life being so busy – it’s a matter of selecting one story to tell at any one time. Sticking by that through hundreds of pages is a massive feat. Ideas are easy. Committing to writing them… a different ballgame.
Most people who meet me know something is different. I do have a way of reading other human beings instantly. If you have bad energy, I will know it and run the other way. I’m never wrong about that, either. If you’re anxious or unwell or angry, I will pick up on that and tell you. Sometimes people are offended by my directness, but I can’t help it that your closely guarded secret is really rather obvious to me. Sorry! But that ability to unearth truths is what has made me a writer. (And also, in every role I’ve ever held, a leader.)
What has been your greatest achievement as a writer?
There have been many proud moments, including being called one of the best of the British erotic authors. However, I did just write a trilogy of thrillers (pictured) through one of the most turbulent six months of my life – all while laying the foundations for this massive author event, too. Not to be sniffed at.
Are you still learning as a writer?
All the time. If you’re not, you’re not doing it right. The writer I was when I started wouldn’t believe the writer I’ve become.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a writer?
I think I mentioned this above. For me, it’s having a monumental amount of ideas whizzing around my head and sometimes having to force myself to carve out the time and proper headspace to pick just one to stick with. As an ultra-creative, I continually want to try new things and go in different directions. The practicality of that isn’t always possible. I know that my readers have books they prefer to receive from me, but, I have themes and topics that aren’t as popular but which I sometimes need to delve into for my sanity.
How do you put yourself in the mind of a reader when writing?
It’s simply not possible during the writing process. During this part of the journey, you’re a writer. And that’s different to being a reader. As a reader you have the amazing privilege of reading something polished and perfected. You don’t see the deleted scenes or the drafts covered in red pen. You never know about the foolish stuff your favourite character did before it got deleted (or maybe you do!). You never see the stage where the hero or heroine was more like a cardboard cut-out before they were made flesh. You never have to read the mountains and mountains of then, now, just, very, really, etc that eventually get deleted. All those errors though are part and parcel of an author making it to that final piece of work. Writing is the really exciting bursts of “ah-ha” moments and also the really crappy days or weeks of feeling like you’re banging on a brick wall for the ideas to come, when it all started out so well! And it is in those moments you have to remind yourself that every writer started off a reader – so maybe a bit of time spent reading for pleasure might spark your work back to life, and quite often, it does!
Writing is knowing that you might be writing something completely bonkers, but also knowing, maybe this will lead somewhere. That from the mayhem you may pluck out a kernel of absolute gold! And to a certain extent, a writer is completely alone with their work in the beginning, safe and secure – in a beautiful bubble of make believe. So while writing, I’m not imagining anyone is going to read it, I’m solely focused on the story itself. For that wonderful period of time, it’s just the work and you.
It is so very, very rare that a writer starts at chapter one and goes all the way through to the epilogue without encountering major changes along the way. As a writer, ideas might come to you in pieces. Maybe you have the plot, but not the character, or the other way around. I’ve known authors who find it easier to write the final chapters first, then they go back and start at the beginning because they have the stress of that “what am I doing?” bit out of the way. Most writers I know get it all out in stages for sure. You get it down as best you can. A few rewrites later, maybe then you give yourself some distance. It is the final edits when you start to think like a reader… You might then be asking yourself, “How will that be understood? Do I need more there, less here?”
One thing I’ve grown more and more aware of over the years is that readers do like to imagine a lot for themselves! They will skip a lot of over-description (I’m looking at you, Stephen King). Yet when it comes to the characters, you’ll find true readers tend to want to have the absolute full picture of the people they grow to love. So I find myself in the editing process making sure that the characters have become fully 3D.
Do you think that COVID changed our relationship with literature?
Not much, no. Stories are eternal. They have always been and will always be. I think obviously e-books did well during Covid because brick and mortar shops were shut and some of us started reading a lot more during the lockdowns. An e-reader weighs a lot less and you can hold it easily in the bath compared to the 600-page physical version. Escapism has always been a requirement and will continue to be. We take ourselves on a brain vacation while reading a book. It is the easiest way to download yourself into a different world.
How is Authors at the Armouries (AATA) going to be unique to other signings?
The scale of it for a start will be much bigger than what people are used to. I’m passionate about authors of all genres and especially Yorkshire authors so there will be a few more genres than usual, and quite a few local writers. Saying that we’ve got people coming from all four corners of the UK – and others from the US, Europe, Australia and Asia. As an experienced writer and an organiser, I understand what it is people want from both sides of the table.
With my first event last year, which I managed to pull off despite Covid, I found myself kind of crippled by the restrictions. Sort of like trying to keep everything as simple as possible so that it was ultimately achievable within the confines of “anything could still go wrong”. So with AATA (fingers crossed) I am hoping that I can finally take my foot off the brakes and unleash the full shebang.
What can fans and authors expect from AATA?
Over 100 authors to meet, buy books from, and laugh with, for a start. Also, a lot of extras and surprises. The full experience! I have a genuine wish for everyone, from reader to author to volunteers and whoever else tags along, to feel accepted, welcomed and part of something bigger than all of us. At events, you never know who you’re going to meet, what friendships you will forge that might last a lifetime. It really changes the game for authors who’ve never done this sort of thing before. It makes what you’ve accomplished seem so much more real… there will be a lot of emerging stars at this one.
What are you looking forward to most about AATA?
The Bridgerton Ball. Seeing happy, smiling faces. Hearing the unscripted nonsense coming out of authors’ mouths during the talks. Trying to manage my assistants who will be so excited they won’t know whether to laugh or cry. But especially, as the day wears on, I hope that most of the authors will have got into their rhythm and will feel a massive sense of pride in themselves and their work. Signings make it all seem real, even if just for a day.
Grab your tickets now folks! Click the graphic:
Sarah Michelle Lynch 