About Vicky Garlick:
Vicky was born in North Yorkshire, which will always be her one true home. She studied English Language at Lancaster but ended up completing a masters degree in Object Conservation at Durham University.
An objects conservator by trade, she enjoys everything history related and loves the fact that she has been able to help restore some of the most amazing objects in Britain. She has dabbled in sword fighting and knife throwing and is a keen baker. A complete lover of books, especially fantasy, she’s also a self proclaimed geek and has always wanted a pet dragon, unfortunately she’ll have to settle for a temperamental cat.
What inspires you to write?
I’ve always loved writing and I’ve always had a bit of an overactive imagination, which is great for writing but bad for watching horror films! I have all of these ideas and stories swirling round in my head and want nothing more than to share them with others. That’s why I write and it’s what inspires me. Getting the stories down and sharing them with others is such a wonderful feeling
Tell us about your writing process.
The first thing I’ll do when an idea hits is see whether it can be fleshed out into something more so I’ll jot down a potential basic plot followed by main characters and their descriptions. From that point I might simply sit at my laptop, start writing and see what happens, which more often than not leads to a complete overhaul of the plot. Other times I’ll go further into the planning stage with maps, family trees and character images. It all depends on what I feel the story actually needs for me to be able to tell it to the best of my ability.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don’t talk to my characters but they talk to me…I definitely listen out for them when I’m writing. Sometimes when I’m in full flow I’ll write something that sounds good but is actually out of character for that person, so I rely on that little voice in the back of my mind (which is where I believe my characters reside) to tell me it’s ridiculous and that they’d never do something so stupid. Characters also evolve throughout the story so it’s important that you listen to them when they come to an important crossroads because they’ll probably react differently to a situation at the end of the book than if they were faced with it at the beginning.
What advice would you give other writers?
I’d tell them to never give up because if writing is something you really want to do then you need to stick at it. I would also tell them to write at every possible opportunity because, like anything, it’s important to practice so you can improve and refine your skill. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, if it’s your dream, then go for it.
I’d also advise them to develop a thick skin in order to deal with the bad reviews. As writers we’re obviously fiercely protective of our work, our books are like our children and when someone threatens them, we get defensive and occasionally offensive. But it’s important to remember that not everyone can like everything and if someone is negative then that’s simply their opinion.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I had always planned on trying to get published the traditional way and I even sent out my manuscript to a number of agents. If that didn’t go according to plan then I was going to self publish. However I actually became published through a twitter competition held by Wildwood Publishing, which I believe is going to be an annual competition. I think it’s important to explore every avenue when looking to publish; send your manuscript off to agents, but look at online competitions too and definitely check social media! If Wildwood Publishing hadn’t contacted me and suggest I enter the competition, then I might still be struggling to get published!
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think books will continue to be published in both paperback and ebook forms, through traditional and self-publishing ways. I can’t see either gaining the upper hand since I know that many people still love holding and reading a physical book (myself included). Ebooks are very handy, especially for going on holiday, but you can’t exactly get your favourite author to sign an ebook can you?
What do you use?: Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Horror
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Vicky Garlick Home Page Link
Link To Vicky Garlick Page On Amazon
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.
