About Ella Carmichael:
I was born in Ireland in the 1960’s, but only toyed with writing when I was young. Toyed might be too kind. I goofed about with a pen and paper when I was a child and teenager, but never wrote anything longer than a silly poem. You really have to fight for your dreams in this life, and I didn’t fight for mine. The thought of doing so never even crossed my mind back then.
What inspires you to write?
I love to take the simple everyday incidents that we all take for granted and turn them into an adventure. A queue at the bank. An overheard conversation on a train. Women griping about their partners. I often flip individuals that I meet. A short rather plain man often becomes a tall glamorous woman when given the Carmichael touch. 🙂
Tell us about your writing process.
I just sit down and write. I do tend to outline, although it would be almost impossible for me not to do so, given the nature of my novels.
Take an average looking woman with an office job. Give her an eye watering sum of tax-free cash and unleash her on the world. Then let slip the secret that this is no ordinary person. This lady will read your mind and probe your soul if you allow her too close.
Now write her story, starting in January 2011 and finishing in December 2012. Her fears, challenges, adventures, highs and lows. Don’t forget the great overpowering love affair that threatens to consume both parties. Now carve up that story into 10 fairly equally sized chunks and call them novels. Do you think you could do that without an outline? Unlikely.
I use a spreadsheet for my outlines so that I don’t forget a crucial scene. I am fascinated by the idea of other writers using whiteboards. Crikey! Kudos,guys. Way to go with the technology. I have a charming collection of scraps of paper that say things like, ‘Find Roy a hot girlfriend’ ‘Examine Jack’s medals’ ‘Is tantric sex boring or just very very time consuming?’
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I follow my characters. Simple as that. They lead me a merry dance but I know better than to try and reign them in or get in the way of their journey. This is their story.
What advice would you give other writers?
Create an imaginary circle in your mind. Put all your friends, family and those closest to you into that circle. Slowly walk around the perimeter and pause to enjoy the occasional smile or nod at a close pal or relation. Now, slowly but deliberately turn your back on them all. Still standing on that imaginary borderline, face the rest of the world.
These are your readers. These are your prospective audience and possible future fans. Write for yourself and your readers. Do not attempt to impress those closest to you or expect support from them for it will only end in disaster and disappointment. This is your journey and nobody can take that away from you. Always look outwards and to the future.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Publishers and agents aren’t interested in a series unless the writer follows a number of very strict criteria. I have broken those rules. My books are best read in order. The story progresses in each one and spans the two year period between January 2011 and December 2012.
Once I understood that no publisher would touch me, I decided to go it alone. I am too old to sit around and wait for a letter that will never drop onto the doormat. I signed up with KDP and uploaded every manuscript except the final one. It’s finished. I’m just not ready to let it go.
Some new authors get lucky, and many more are young enough to hang around and wait for a traditional publisher. If you feel that you don’t have time to waste, then don’t waste it! Get it written and get it uploaded. The process is an adventure in itself.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I don’t believe paper is going anywhere for a long time yet. That said, I do believe that traditional publishing will decline even future over the course of the next 20 years. Any business that refuses to take risks will stagnate.
The successful indie authors will continue to be offered deals, some good, some bad, some offensive. I say successful because an author does not have to be good in order to be successful, yet those are the ones who will ultimately be offered the deals.
What genres do you write?: Literary fiction, supernatural, adventure, contemporary fiction, romance.
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Ella Carmichael Home Page Link
Link To Ella Carmichael Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
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.
