About Rita Ames:
Don’t think bad of me but I use two difference pen names – Rita Ames for the romance and R D Mack for the Thriller genres. My day job requires a little anonimity as I work within the healthcare world and interact with children at work and within the theatre environment.
I live in the south of England near some of the most beautiful white beaches, although the water is really cold. I have the most understanding and supportive husband in the world and wonderful, children (not so little now). Any book royalties this year will likely go on my daughters wedding dress, so take pity on me and download!
From childhood I have been involved in theatre through performing (I love to sing, all the time!), scenery design and painting, and doing a little script doctoring. I am also extremely lucky to have written a family Pantomime called A Knights Tale which was actually performed by Poulner Players (Ringwood) – (To my surprise one of the characters from that got an award nomination with NODA).
I am a closet poet and love to rhyme words (a handy trick when writing song lyrics for a show) – I came out of the Peotry closet in June by entering the Goodreads July poetry competition. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me XX.
Everyone dreams and imagines the ‘what if’ of situations. I decided to put my stories out there and share them.
In real life I am a mother, wife, worker, friend and the most common comment I get is that you would never believe that I wrote the content of my books. Well, I am a good actress (cough), so I hope to continue to write about the many characters that are still battering down the walls of my imagination to get out.
I value and appreciate all my readers as they have taken a chance on me, an unknown author, and paid out a little of their hard earned money. I promise to keep working hard to produce more books that are worthy of it.
What inspires you to write?
Insomnia mostly. Overactive imagination and a need to empty it out onto a blank page. At first I kept it all private until….
On a more personal level, my brother and my best friend both went through cancer treatment at the same time. Both younger than me, it brought home the fact that life is fragile and if you don’t try for your dreams, then you will never have a chance to achieve them. Within 6 months I had submitted my first compete stage show and had two stories underway, now both on Amazon.
They are both now past their five years clear and I am working on my next couple of books, due out later this year. I breath a sigh of relief and grateful thanks that things turned out well.
Tell us about your writing process.
I start with a completely random idea. For ‘Love You To Death’ I included that idea in the synopsis – What happens to a serial killer when he loses his memory? It was an intriguing concept. I sort of wanted the reader to like ‘Carl’ during the middle of the book (almost against their will).
As the story unfolds the characters often take on a life of their own and I tend to let them lead the plot. It can be frustrating if I had a particular ending in mind and then the character decides he wants it different. Who am I to complain? I only put the words down.
When on holiday, if an idea comes to me, I can be seen beside a pool with a hastily purchased childrens notebook and pen scribbling away (I always promise not to take writing material and the shop usually only has a spiderman notebook for sale!).
Sometimes it results in a new story, sometimes not. It does however allow my husband to sunbathe in peace.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I like to get inside the head of different characters and re-enact their lives and decisions. In ‘Love You To Death’ I decided to write it in the first person and being Carl, a serial killer, was interesting, disturbing and emotionally challenging. I almost gave up until I realised that that response what exactly what I wanted for the reader. It would be unfair to not go through it too.
In ‘If The Shoe Fits’ I am sorry to say I was definitely in my post reading ‘Fifty Shades’ period. I wanted a strong herione and a man prepared to pursue her. What woman doesn’t secretly want that, even the Lady CEOs (be honest girls!).
The shoes connection are a homage to my mother who has always had an Imelda Marcos obsession with shoes.
What advice would you give other writers?
My first two books are shorter than I would like.
My main learning curve has been to include a better level of the descriptive without it feeling like padding. I write emotively and to the point. A door is a door, or so I thought. Now I acknowledge that sometimes saying that the door is large, forboding with flakes of paint falling to the floor like colourful dust motes, can give more depth to setting a scene.
That doesn’t mean they are not good books but you won’t be tempted to skip as every page says something meaningful (or so I am told).
I acknowledge that there is a fine balance with this and so I read everything I can and practice, practice, practice. Watch out for my next book (Freedom Run Series book 1) Eyes In The Mirror – R D Mack. I have also included a little of my poetry at the beginning of each chapter. It will launch later in 2015
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I discovered Kindle self publishing and went through a horrendous learning curve. Being a complete luddite I admit it took me several attempts to get the first book up there. It was, however the simplest way for an indie author and although I have since branched out with a paperback and other e-retailers, I would still recommend it as a first step.
If a publisher offered to represent me I would review it at the time but as a start-up for a new author this worked for me.
I have since had to get ‘into’ Twitter, Facebook, setting up a basic website, designing my own covers,the list goes on.
For any new prospective authors out there, please do have a go and get yourself out there. It does not need to have a large start up budget. In fact I did it on about £30.00 and am now in profit.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the choice of medium for the reader will continue to be as diverse as it is now. Some readers will always want the smell, feel, enjoyment of owning a Hard cover or paperback. Others, like me, will always prefer the instant fix of a kindle and that oh so tantalising downloading circle on the screen. I also read so fast that I need an endless supply of material and I switch between free books and paying for those that take my fancy.
The ‘Look Inside’ option is something that readers need to use in order to decide if a book is worth a purchase. Yes, there are some books that are badly written and hastily uploaded by authors trying to just make money. The market will be much more reader run in future. I hope that readers continue to support new authors – don’t just look at the top 100, scroll down and see what hidden gems you can find. By supporting them you will bring them up the ranks and your favourite authors will be able to spend more time writing books for you.
What do you use?: Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Adult Romance and Thriller although I have a long term project which is under Fantasy Fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Link To Rita Ames Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
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.>
