About Sarah Downing:
Sarah was born and raised in England. She has a background in ecology and countryside management.
She is a member of a traditional English martial arts school, studying both armed and unarmed combat, including English country backswording, Cornish wrestling and even shin-kicking. Sarah also does the occasional re-enactment.
What inspires you to write?
I’m inspired by music lyrics, places I visit or work, myth, folklore, sagas, historical documentaries, architecture, conversations with friends and family.
Tell us about your writing process.
I tend to write outlines and then end up ignoring once I start writing. The major scenes for the story are always in the back of my head when I’m writing. When I get writers block, I tend to take it as a sign that I’m trying to force the story in the wrong direction. Skipping forward to the next major scene I have in mind, and then working backwards (with some re-writing) usually gets me past the block.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen to my characters, I have to, otherwise they refuse to co-operate and I end up starring at the same page getting nothing written.
I ended up splitting the narrative between my two main characters, written in the first person, because Coiran is shy and she kept trying to slip into the background.
What advice would you give other writers?
Keep writing, write every day. Read it through and re-write once you have a complete first draft. Use more than one spell checker to check for errors (they don’t all pick up the same mistakes) and read/listen to your work read aloud, it helps pick up additional errors.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I always intended to self-publish, originally just as an ebook. I’d brought a book on how to create ebooks, that was really straight forward and easy to follow.
I would advise new authors to look at several self-publishing services and decide which is best for them. I went with Lulu, as they have a wide distribution base. However, most of my sales have actually been through Amazon, so I’m thinking I might actually publish my next book through Kindle Direct.
I would also advise new writers to research how to market their books, before they publish as that is the hardest part.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think indie publishing will continue to grow.
As for ebooks vs. paperbacks. I can’t imagine ebooks replacing paperbacks. As much as I love ebooks (I hate getting rid of books as I re-read) as it give me more space, both my book case and desk are overflowing with books and I have more in boxes under my bed. It does make it difficult to share books with friends, so the books I really like I buy both electronically and in paperback.
What do you use?: Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Sarah Downing Home Page Link
Link To Sarah Downing Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Lulu
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
