About M.L. Banks:
M.L. Banks is a writer and a teacher who lives in Ontario, Canada. She wrote a book in her early twenties, which, thankfully, never saw the light of day. After that she became a philosopher, went to law school, and eventually settled into teaching students why Aristotle is interesting and relevant no matter what topic you might be discussing. She loves the way you can explore philosophical questions in science fiction and fantasy. She is the author of The Curse of Starfall, which is her first fantasy fiction book.
What inspires you to write?
I got into reading at an early age. Fantasy, science fiction and mystery stories could capture my imagination and I would feel transported into the story within their pages. I love the feeling of getting so immersed in a story that I lose track of time, and what was supposed to be just finishing a chapter leads to reading until 3 am in the morning! Writing feels the same to me. I get lost in the world of my characters and a whole day can pass without my notice.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
This is a hard question, and the answer is always changing. At the moment I would say Brandon Sanderson, Martha Wells, T Kingfisher, Elise Kova and always Peter S. Beagle (for “The Last Unicorn” – one of my favourite books.)
Tell us about your writing process.
I spend a few days creating an outline for the novel so that I have an idea of where the story might go. However, as soon as I start writing, the story usually shifts, and I end up creating new outlines as I go along. I aim to write the first draft as quickly as possible, and then spend most of my time fixing that draft. A lot of my writing inspiration seems to come when I’m doing other things, especially walking around listening to podcasts. So, I have made this part of my writing routine.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Absolutely. The characters are real to me, and in the process of writing I feel as if I am simply learning more about them. There have been moments where a character has acted in a way that surprised me!
What advice would you give other writers?
There is a lot of writing advice out there, and it is all worth listening to. But at the end of the day you will find your own way to write, and you need to honour that. Listen to everyone, take what works, ignore the rest. It’s all about finding what works for you.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I tried to publish in the early 2000s and went through the process of trying to publish traditionally. It did not go well. Twenty years later I met a wonderful author who self-publishes and this changed everything for me. I love self-publishing. I love that the readers decide which books they like, rather than only certain books being able to get through to agents and publishing houses. I love that more people are writing and more books exist.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I’m curious to see what happens! What seems clear is that there is a demand for stories, and every year more people are reading. It’s exciting to see how accessible self-publishing has made being an author.
What genres do you write?: Science Fiction and Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
M.L. Banks Home Page Link
Link To M.L. Banks Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Instagram
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.
