About Abi Kay:
I am forty six years old, and live in Solihull, in England, with my husband of almost twenty one years, and our four children. I am a lawyer by profession and run my own successful law firm, but it is writing that has always been my true passion. I have been writing fiction for the last few years, finally finding the time between work home and family commitments, and now that my youngest child is ten years old.
‘That Thing Called Love’ is my first romance novel. The story is set predominantly in the county of Yorkshire, where I was born in 1969, and also in Henley-in-Arden, which is a village just a few miles from where I currently live.
As well as writing, I enjoy reading. Of the classics in literature, I love the works of Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy. Currently, I have a varied reading list but mainly enjoy mainstream romance books and literary novels that are female focused.
When I am not writing or reading, or promoting my book, I love to attend literary festivals, go for long walks, travel, bake cakes and do a spot of yoga.
What inspires you to write?
I have always wanted to write, and finally bit the bullet a few years ago and started writing ‘That Thing Called Love’. The inspiration for the book came from a lot of my own experiences of people and places I have encountered within the legal industry, and where I have lived, studied or worked. I have met a lot of real characters, and as far as places go, I am lucky enough to live in a country with beautiful landscapes and stunning old architecture. I have been greatly affected by the writings of classic novelists, such as Jane Austen, of whom my nineteen year old daughter is a super fan! So I think I have tried to embody the sentiment of old fashioned writing with a more contemporary outlook.
Tell us about your writing process.
I write as the feeling and mood takes me. I have a rough plot line and plan before I start, and a list of characters, places, key dates and so on. I simply use a jotter pad for this information at the start! The I build the story line by line, paragraph by paragraph until I have a skeleton of around 20-30,000 words. I always type and save, not write. Then I go back and add greater details, additional plot developments, extra characters/scenes if need be, then finally I chapter divide. Then I go back, proof read and edit, edit, edit!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
No out aloud, but yes, in my mind. I ask ‘would Isabel really do this?’ or ‘what would Edward think?’
What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t expect it to be plain sailing. It is hard work but very rewarding. For example, one reader told me she hadn’t read a book in over ten years, but decided to give mine a go, and she read it in four days! And she left a five star review on the UK amazon website. And my book has lured her back into reading. This is very satisfying, that because of my novel, someone is reading again.
Believe in your own work, and ooze positivity, because if you don’t, why should anyone else?
Persevere!
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self-publish on Amazon Kindle which is available now, and shortly the novel will be available to buy online as a paperback too.
This is because not many agents are willing to take on new romance authors. I believe in the quality of my story so I did not hesitate to go it alone.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the future is bright! People will always want to read books, although I do think the popularity of digital will continue to see steady growth.
What genres do you write?: Contemporary romance
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Link To Abi Kay Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
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.
