About A.S. Bond:
Bond is an internationally acclaimed travel writer and journalist. As the author of several traditionally published non-fiction books in addition to the Brooke Kinley Adventures series, her own adventures have taken her around the world, from the cloud forests of Central America to D.C.'s corridors of power. When writing the Brooke Kinley series, A.S. Bond draws on her own travel experiences, including leading an award-winning canoe expedition in Labrador, later the subject of 'Lost Lands, Forgotten Stories; A Woman's Journey to the Heart of Labrador', published by HarperCollins in North America and Eye Books in the UK (written under the name Alexandra Pratt). The first book in the Brooke Kinley series, 'Patriot', was a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic, a finalist at the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and one of Shelf Unbound's 'Notable Books of the Year', 2014.
What inspires you to write?
It's a compulsion. I see the world in terms of how I would write each scene, even the language would use to describe something I'm seeing. I started out as a travel writer and I think that visual sense really helps me create a sense of place in my fiction writing.
Tell us about your writing process.
When it comes to writing fiction, such as my new thriller 'Heroine', I have a fairly set process. First, I decide on the style (action thriller being a favourite), the location, main protagonist and so on. Then I start to work on the overall plot. What's the story about? I tend to thrash all this out with my husband, who is vital to all my fiction plotting. When I think I have a reasonable outline, I try to break it down into chapter outlines. Once I'm reasonably happy with those, I begin to write. Not necessarily at the beginning. If I have a very clear idea of a particular 'scene' from the book, that's where I start. I find that tends to set the tone for me. I can't write any chapter unless I can see it playing out like a movie in my head first.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Not so much; it's more like I observe them so closely, that I know them inside out. They are real people to me, but I don't interact with them, as I'm not part of the story.
What advice would you give other writers?
This is a massive topic!
Briefly:
Don't send anything to anyone (or self publish) until its been professionally copy edited and proof read.
Take your time; put it away for a while, then go back with fresh eyes.
Think about what you want to achieve with writing; a fun pastime, something for your kids, or global bestsellerdom?
How did you decide how to publish your books?
My first book was traditionally published when I was 24 and since then, I've written several books for small publishers, specialist publishers and even global publishers. The first time it was exciting. Yet, after I'd 'been around the block' a few times, I began to want more control over my own work and, of course, a larger slice of the profits. I love self publishing. Doing it properly – that is, as thoroughly as any publisher – takes a great deal of hard work, but I find I enjoy it. I'm also not afraid to bring in professionals to do the things I can't do or don't want to do, such as cover design, formatting, copy editing and publicity. My job is to write the book and then project manage it's route into the world.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think that, as publishing becomes increasingly concentrated in a few global corporations, we will see a huge gulf open up between a handful of familiar names, often getting deals beyond the time when they have done their best work, and a lot of indie authors. These are writers who would formally have been published by small to medium publishing companies, but those have now been gobbled up by the global corporations. This will only make good books very hard to find for readers and make make earning a living from books very hard for good writers.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Thriller/mystery/action
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
A.S. Bond Home Page Link
Link To A.S. Bond Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Smashwords
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
