About Barbara Hawkins:
Barbara Hawkins is an out-back traveler, visiting six continents before adventure travel had a name. Her first book, Behind the Forgotten Front, is a WWI historical Fiction novel based in part on her father's WWII diary. She traveled to India and Burma for fun and fact check her book. She is currently writing a young adult science fiction series, The Reincarnation Trilogy. The first book takes place in Mexico and Turkey. Visit her at BarbaraHawkins-writer.com.
What inspires you to write?
Going to new places and wondering what people were like who lived there in the past or who may live there in the future.
Tell us about your writing process.
I write a first draft to develop the plot and get to know my characters. Then write a second draft flushing out personalities and placing clues early in the book. I have outlined. It works to a point but can become the end rather than the means to the end. I have also created character sketches but found that's no substitute for trying to put yourself in the character's mind.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Sometimes I hear the dialog of a character and say it out loud until it sounds natural. I read all my work out loud many times to see if it flows right. It helps to get feedback from others because what sounds natural to you may sound stilted or truncated to someone else.
What advice would you give other writers?
Have fun. Give yourself plenty of time. If you rush it and publish a book before it's ready, you can't pull it back.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I wanted my first book out before the 70th anniversary of WWII D-Day. I didn't have time to shop the book around for more than a couple of months so I just did what I had to do and learned not only a lot about publishing but how to market myself.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The big publishing houses have contacts that non-name authors can't imagine. I see that in competitions when I go against authors with their publishing company submitting their piece against self-publishers. If you are a self publisher you need to put more time into marketing yourself through short stores or blogs.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Historical Fiction, SciFi
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Link To Barbara Hawkins Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Twitter
Pinterest
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.
