Author Bio:
Lyneal Jenkins was born in Shrewsbury, England in 1980. In 1996 she left home to become a Medic in the British Army.
After three years she resigned the forces to start a family and begin her work with learning disabilities, which is when she was diagnosed with bipolar depression.
After a failed marriage, she moved to spain for eighteen months with her children, taking time to reflect on where she wanted her life to go. Since returning to the UK, she began her studies towards becoming a Psychologist.
In February 2011 she sat down at the laptop with one sentence and a basic concept in mind, with no idea that she was embarking on the biggest project of her life. Night of the Fae quickly became a novel and it wasn’t long before detailed notes for the remaining eleven books in the Ana Martin series were drafted up.
To date, Lyneal is currently living with her partner in North Yorkshire along with their seven children. Each day is a balance between normal life, completing a Psychology degree and writing. She couldn’t be happier.
She is looking forward to writing many more books in the fantasy/scifi genre as this is where her passion lies.
What inspires you to write?
People inspire me to write. Everyone’s personality is different, and they react differently to each situation. I love challenging my characters, placing them in situations that cause them to question themselves, and their surroundings. I love watching how they grow and change.
I also have an imagination that refuses to be contained. Before I found writing, I was constantly absorbed in some sort of creative project, anything from designing specialist cakes, to creating and making a toy for my children.
Tell us about your writing process.
I prefer to write by the seat of my pants as I love the process of finding out the story with the characters – its better than reading. However, once I find the characters and their situation, I will outline a potential ending and how they will get there. I very rarely write this down as the story is fluid and I hate to be hindered by my own notes, so it is more feasible to say that I have a prediction about where it will go, but I’m not always right. Luckily, I seem to be able to hold a massive amount of information in my head, though this can cause me to be quite distracted at times.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I quite often talk to my characters, and my children have often shaken their heads in despair as I wander down the street talking to myself aloud. I also often have conversations with characters about things unrelated to the story. It helps me find the full depth of their character and brings them to life.
What advice would you give other writers?
Perseverance. There will be times that you wont be able to ‘fall down the rabbit hole’ into your created world. The worst thing you can do here is walk away (unless you are only a few thousand words in with no story line, then there might be nothing more than a character there). Plod along until something happens that drags you back in. Remember, this is only your first draft and you can edit this bit out.
Write every day, even if its only a few hundred words.
Most importantly, read everyday. I always read before bed, even if I only manage a few pages.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I submitted to a few agents, and had some lovely rejections. I then went on to rewrite the book. However, during this time my partner convinced me to put my novel on Kindle.
I may apply to agents again in the future, but for now, self-publishing suits me. I have full control over every aspect, which suits the control freak side of me.
My advice is do your research before deciding how to proceed. Be aware that if you take the self-publishing route, you will spend a lot of your time researching, advertising, and admin work, which will take you away from the writing.
Do Not write for money, write for love. If you don’t, you will be disappointed. Not only that, unless you are extremely skilled, your readers will feel the lack of passion behind it.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
There have been many debates about regarding this. Firstly, I do not believe that actual books are a thing of the past. Although I can appreciate the convenience of an ebook reader, I feel that it takes something from the experience. There is nothing quite like curling up with a book, the feel of the pages under your fingers, and the smell of the paper. I cannot be the only person who feels this way, so refuse to believe that books will become redundant.
Secondly, and a point more relevant to authors, is the percentage publishers and distributers take of an ebook. Being a self publisher, I know how easy it is to upload your book to Kindle, Smashwords etc. Once on, you only have to concentrate on advertising. With the amount of ebooks now selling instead of paper books, Authors receive less money, and many cannot afford to leave their day job and concentrate on their writing because of it.
What do you use?
Professional Editor, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?
Predominately Fantasy, Science Fiction and Action, however, I will write anything that I feel passionate about. I’m a definate cross-genre writer.
What formats are your books in?
Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Lyneal Jenkins Home Page Link
Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6937753.Lyneal_Jenkins?from_search=true
https://www.facebook.com/anamartin/app_191387770912394
https://twitter.com/LynealJenkins
