Questions and Quick Sneaks

A post with lots of things to share!

Firstly, I promised a quick sneak peek into what Alex and Cate are doing in Aphora - A New World so keep reading for a teaser at the end of this post.

In other exciting news I will be at a local school in Grantham on May 2nd for an evening about Aphora. This is a great opportunity to talk to the target audience of the book and answer any questions readers may have about Aphora. I'll be discussing how Aphora grew from an idea to a book, how I wrote it, the highs and lows and how it became a published item. As an insight into some things about Aphora, I thought I would answer some questions I have received already from Facebook, Goodreads and face to face contact with readers:
What made you start writing?
Reading, I believe, is the first step to writing, you wouldn’t start cooking without searching for some recipes! I have always loved reading ever since I was in primary school. My Mum would take me to our local library where I would sit in the children’s section and just read books off the shelves! It helped that my Mum read a lot so I had that positive influence. I was very much into all things supernatural and adventure so I have always written short stories when I had ideas and this evolved to longer stories. The thing about my writing is that I would start penning down ideas that would actually come in the middle of a story. It wasn’t until I was later into my teens that I understood the idea of an actual story arc - I have my English teachers to thank for that!
How long did it take you to write?
Aphora actually started during my GCSE’s when we had to write a narrative for coursework. I began the story of Aphora, the first chapter where the woman is running from the monster, for year 10 homework. I received a lot of positive praise for this and my English teacher encouraged me to continue writing it. This then became a personal focus during my A-levels (after a major re-write) and then I concluded Aphora during my degree. It was then left alone whilst I went into my final year at university and it wasn’t until two years after graduating that I went back to it. I remembered how much I loved it and how much passion I felt whilst writing it, even the dark hours when nothing seemed to work, and I decided to edit it ready for publishing.
How did you name Aphora?
To be honest, I think I made up a name whilst dreaming one night and it kind of stuck! The world Cate lived in I wanted to have a different name to ‘Earth’, something that implied a bit of mystery and magic.
What are the benefits of self-publishing?
There are many benefits to all routes to get a book published. For me personally, self-publishing is about getting your name out there.
How many books do you plan to write? Endless books! I have many ideas that I can’t wait to use but the sequel to Aphora comes first.
 
If you have any questions that you’d like to know the answer to then please ask and I’ll answer them in another post!
Right, as promised, here is a quick un-edited, excerpt from Aphora - A New World:
 
            “Cate!” a distant male voice shouted out, except the voice was from within her mind and not outside the girls’ toilet. “Please Cate, wake up!” it was muffled but the words were clear to her ears. The man behind the voice was panicked, concerned and…familiar. She shook her head and left the toilets walking straight out and into a solid wall of muscle.
            “I’m so sorry!” she started as she looked up and then stammered. The man was tall, broad shouldered with a tight dark green t-shirt stretching across his chest highlighting his well-defined body underneath. Dark brown hair sat ruffled on his head, as if he had just woken up, intense blue eyes sparkled down at her, winking mischievously.
            “Don’t you worry, nothing a pretty girl like you can’t help make better.” He spoke deeply – but something sounded off, not quite whole.
            “I just…I just didn’t see you.” She replied, now conscious of how close she still was to this man, his face familiar yet her senses quivering. A bang behind her. She spun to see the exit doors rattle furiously, the frosted glass blurring the outline of a man.
            “Cate!” she heard the voice again, it came from the doors and it was louder this time.
            “Do you think we should go help him?” she asked the stranger before her. When she faced him she took in a sharp breath, the man looked angry, dangerous even, but then his demeanour changed as he looked at her again.
            “No Cate, he doesn’t matter.”
            “How do you know my name?” she asked, shocked. He reached up and brushed the back of his hands across her cheek, she couldn’t help but shudder – his contact made her skin tingle.
            “Because, it’s me Cate, it’s Alex, don’t you remember me?” he caressed her mind with his smooth, silky voice whist his fingers traced her jawline sending sparks of electricity through her body. She lost all control of her senses when he lent in, she tipped her head up in response, waiting for him, sighing softly when his warm mouth met hers.