About Apple Gidley:
Apple Gidley, an Anglo-Australian author, whose life has been spent absorbing countries and cultures, considers herself a global nomad. She currently divides her time between Houston, Texas and St Croix, in the US Virgin Islands. She has moved 26 times, and has called twelve countries home (Papua New Guinea, Thailand, The Netherlands and nine others), and her experiences are described in her first book, Expat Life Slice by Slice (Summertime 2012).
Her roles have been varied – from magazine editor to intercultural trainer, from interior designer to Her Britannic Majesty’s Honorary Consul. Now writing full time, Apple evocatively portrays peoples and places with empathy and humour, whether writing travel articles, blogs, short stories or full-length fiction. Her first novel, Fireburn, set in the Danish West Indies of the 1870s, will be launched on October 1st, 2017 (OC Publishing).
What inspires you to write?
History has always fascinated me and I believe in order to embrace the future we must know our past. Writing, for me, marries that history with my love of travel and hopefully gives an insight into those different cultures.
Tell us about your writing process.
An event, or a word, drops the seed of an idea and I let it swirl around for a while until the characters start presenting themselves. Then I'm 'seat of your pants' writer. The end often presents itself through those characters who often take on a mind of their own. How dare they?
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen to them. I was in a fabric store the other day and as I passed a bank of yellow materials, from ochre to gold to primrose, I thought, "Oh, Anna would love that one!" It is slightly unnerving.
What advice would you give other writers?
So many of us talk about writing, but the only way it will happen is if we sit down and do it. I have some days when the words just don't flow, and I'm learning not to get upset. I find turning to a different kind of writing helps clear my mind. That's why I write a blog. And if that fails, I take the dog for a walk.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I have used hybrid publishers for both books. I liked the control I retained, and I liked the fact I didn't have to do all the tedious part of getting a book to market. And I get the royalties.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it is positive. In many ways the advent of the internet has made us available 24/7, we need a way to allow our minds to wander, to visualize things for ourselves. To give our imaginations space, rather than having images put in front of us all the time.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Historical fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Apple Gidley Home Page Link
Link To Apple Gidley Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
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.
