About D. M. Baillie:
D.M. Baillie is a young Scottish novelist originally from Glasgow. His first novel Time To Kill, was published in late 2012, a crime thriller about a young man faced with drastic choices for something that happened in his mysterious past. His second novel, Zero Hour, is due for release on the 20th October 2014, a post apocalyptic story of a man trying to walk across the USA after a devastating nuclear attack.
Some of D.M. Baillie’s favourite authors include James Patterson, Chris Ryan, Terry Goodkind, J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin. A graduate from the University of Glasgow, D.M. Baillie has spent over ten years in the Aerospace Industry and has worked on various Aircraft Projects. Also an avid lover of outdoor pursuits such as rock climbing, gives him inspiration to create hair raising, thrilling novels that take you on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.
What inspires you to write?
I am inspired by everything around me. It amazes me simply how you can get inspiration from the simplest things. Sometimes just the act of driving leads you on a journey of discovery and you will find yourself thinking of new plot lines and twists along the way.
I am also inspired by the TV shows that I watch and other books that I read. They all have great plot lines and twists and turns along the way. I include some twists within my novels, and the fast pace of the writing pulls you along with character to discover the fate that awaits them.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am definitely a seat of the pants writer. I don’t really set out a plan of how I want the story to go, although I do have a rough idea in my head. I just let the words flow as they come to me and let the words do the talking.
I do write down a few things about each character, like body type, hair colour, eye colour and any distinguishing features.
I also find that listening to music helps to concentrate my mind and silence the other thoughts that always seem to pop in there to distract you. Ben Howard is my music of choice while writing, his low tones and melodic tunes take you away from yourself and let you wander through the fictional characters you have created.
Google maps also gives me inspiration for settings. Being based in the UK, but both books based in the USA I have found using google maps to help with locations that I am not familiar with to be a great help.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I tend to put myself into the characters shoes to see how they would react to a situation. I find it quite different trying to come up with a conversation between a few people as you have to try to think of how each character is thinking and feeling at that particular time. Sometimes you just have to let the conversation flow and see what comes along.
What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t give up, keep writing. I write to tell the stories that I have in my head, giving them freedom from my mind to explore the world on their own through the medium of print (or e-ink).
If you find yourself stuck, leave that story for a bit. Maybe jump to a different bit of your current story, or start a new one altogether. You’ll find that in time the next part of your plot will fall into place and you’ll eventually get there. Just keep going.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I had always heard the stories of trying to get published by the mainstream publishers and the literary agents. I only sent my first novel into a couple, some replied, most didn’t even bother so I decided to self-publish. There are a few things to learn, especially getting the formatting correct and coming up with an amazing cover, but I got there.
I never even considered anything else other than self-publishing my second novel. The only pressure you get is the pressure you put on yourself and everything is up to you. It’s a revolution in publishing and today’s technology is making it much easier for us all.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I am sure that ebooks are the future of publishing. We have to embrace this technology to make sure we are not left behind. I read a lot of books on y phone using a reading app, it is such a great way to read, plus you always have it with you. The fact that for ebooks most authors can publish themselves and gain more royalties this way tells me that a lot more authors are going to go this way for their electronic books.
What do you use?: Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Science Fiction. Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Crime Thriller, Mystery and Suspense
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
D. M. Baillie Home Page Link
Link To D. M. Baillie Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Smashwords
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