Author Bio:
Vanessa grew up in Cape Town, and still lives there with her husband of fifteen years, her baby daughter and plenty of furry, four-legged ‘children’.
Her passion for the written word started her career as an editor and copywriter, and she part-ran a writers’ critique group for close on seven years. She’s been writing ever since she learnt how, has always been an avid reader, and currently lives on coffee and cigarettes.
Her interests include reading, photography, the supernatural, life’s mysteries and martial arts, of which she has five years’ experience.
What inspires you to write?
I wanted to write ever since I could read, and the times in my life when I’ve stopped writing for an extended period left me feeling rather crazed!
Tell us about your writing process.
I have outlined some of my books, like Ashes to Ashes, but most of them write themselves, led by the characters. It usually starts off with a scene in my head much like a movie scene, and once I start writing that scene the rest just comes to me as I write. If I want to know what happens next, I have to write it.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I sometimes moan at them if they do things I didn’t want them to do!
What advice would you give other writers?
Set aside time each week to market your book. This includes requesting reviews, listing your books on free listing sites and writing guest posts for other blogs, among other things. Marketing is more important than most authors realise.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
A close friend had a rather negative experience with a traditional publisher, after which she published with Smashwords and had a pleasant experience. This and the long waiting periods with traditional publishers put me off them, so I published with Smashwords too. I must say, I love the amount of control I have over my books now.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
It’s hard to say. I just hope Amazon doesn’t squash all other retailers, or indie authors will cease to have so much control over our books and I think that would cause many to stop publishing.
What do you use?
Professional Editor, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?
Fantasy
What formats are your books in?
eBook
Website(s)
Vanessa Finaughty Home Page Link
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5044271.Vanessa_Finaughty
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vanessa-Finaughty/675304162554124?ref=bookmarks
http://www.twitter.com/VanessaFin
