About April Grace:
April Grace has always lived in Milton Keynes, and now lives with her boyfriend and, a few nights a week, his two cheeky sons. She has been writing young adult novels for twelve years now, which all started when she decided to write stories on Wattpad while she was supposed to be working hard on modules for her A Levels. (But she did go onto study Creative Writing at university the following year, so it all worked out in the end.)
She has worked for a popular UK bookstore, has temporarily worked for Ingram Spark’s Milton Keynes warehouse, was formerly the Head of Literature for a London based charity providing creative opportunities for young people, and now owns her freelance editing company, Hooked On Words Editorial. She loves both reading and writing anything inspired by fairy tales and mythology.
She couldn’t be more grateful for all of the love and support.
What inspires you to write?
I'm inspired by so many things, but I love watching films and shows like Willow, Labyrinth and Once Upon A Time that inspire my fantasy stories, and I'm also a big fan of a lot of AuthorTubers on YouTube, and BookTokers on TikTok. I also love browsing Instagram and Facebook writing groups, and the fantasy style artwork I find on Pinterest is always beautiful. Basically, other authors on social media, and anything and everything in day to day life.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
I have so many, but some old favourites are Malorie Blackman, Marissa Meyer, Teri Terry and Jennifer Donnelly.
Tell us about your writing process.
It honestly varies, but because I work Monday to Friday mornings I tend to write after 4pm ish and mainly on weekends, but I also have a freelance editing business so I always prioritise my client work first. But I love it when I don't have too much work to do and I can get into writing new chapters or scenes for something I'm working on.
I'm somewhere between a seat of the pants writer and a planner, I think you call it a plantser. I love to plan the beginning of my story, then write some chapters and see where my characters take me, and then plan some more once I'm happy with that opening section. I always use Microsoft Word, but I love to write in a notebook first and then type up. Something I've recently started doing is using the dictate feature on Microsoft Word to type up handwritten work, and it's really helpful as I find that I tend to think more in detail about the description and word choices when I'm speaking rather than typing. When I'm writing by hand, my hands can't move quickly enough. The dictate feature also makes my hands less tired!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Not really, but I have author friends who do. I always picture them in my head, even when I'm at work or doing other things, so it helps to have a lot of writer friends who I can discuss them with and not feel like a kid with an imaginary friend!
What advice would you give other writers?
Write the kind of book you would love to see on the shelf! It will feel right if you write something what you know.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I have used Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, and I still need to look into an audiobook for my first book, Steel Princess, which is a futuristic fantasy YA novel with androids and gynoids, but also mermaids, sirens and pirates. I spent many years querying my books to literary agents, but I love the creative control that comes with being an indie author. I wouldn't be against publishing traditionally in the future if the opportunity arose, but I enjoy writing with the support of other indie authors.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the indie world is becoming much bigger, and I love that publishers are starting to consider these authors and their work more.
What genres do you write?: YA fantasy, adventure, romance, futuristic, sci fi, fairytale retellings
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
April Grace Home Page Link
Your Social Media Links
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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.