Interview with The Writer - Vicki Wootton

It is my great pleasure to introduce several writers to you in a course of eleven fellow-writers who have agreed to be interviewed by me.

The aim is, to have a short introduction to a writer’s life, the honest Q and A which might interest readers in their books.

Today will be: Vicki Wootton Author

Introduction:

Today I went to the hospital because I have some internal bleeding. I don’t think it’s anything serious, but I went because my partner was concerned. For some reason, he doesn’t want to lose me.

I still have a few more books in me, so I don’t plan to pop off yet, even though I just entered my ninth decade.

Please, first tell us about yourself as a writer and a person:

I’m a gentle person, who doesn’t hold grudges and loves everyone she meets. I also have a horrible temper which flares and disappears like a candle in the wind. Nobody’s perfect.

I was born in Derbyshire. On his deathbed, my father revealed that he was the son of a famous and very prolific British writer. One of my siblings finally had the courage to ask him. Coincidently, I read all his books when I was in my teens.

What was your last book and what genre was it listed under?

For the past three years, I’ve been working on a trilogy of fantasy novels. I just finished the first draft the third novel. The trilogy is called the ‘Children of Light’. Book One is ‘The Whisperer’, Book Two is ‘Felindra’s Journey’, and the current one is ‘The Return of the Whisper’. It is a series of faith-based stories showing how Faith, combined with gifts of Light, can overcome the worst evil.

How do you determine what genre your story is listed under?

The characters have magic gifts, so it’s fantasy.

What made you decide to become a writer and who (or what) inspired you?

I was out of work and doing freelance word-processing. A man saw my advert and asked me if I could type the manuscript of novel he’d written. The novel was so awful, I gave up after a few chapters and took it back to him, telling him I couldn’t do it. He told me his agent loved it. I though, if he can get an agent with that drivel, I knew I could do much better. I sat down and started working on my first novel, ‘Disappeared’. It was based on a dream I’d had. I found a publishing company that wanted to publish it, but one member of the acquisition board vetoed it.

Are you self-publishing or going the traditional way?

Self-published

Who would you name as your literary inspiration?

Several science fiction and fantasy writers.

Are you reading the same genre as you are writing under?

Yes

Is writing your main income or do you have a different day job?

I’m retired with a pension, although I work full-time writing. I don’t make any money from my writing.

How do you fit writing into your everyday life?

It’s the only life I have and I relish it.

How do you deal with ‘writer’s block’?

Lay it down and do something else for a while, then try again.

What do you find easy about writing and what do you find the hardest?

Writing comes easily, the words just flow when I have an idea. Promoting my work is extremely hard, although I know I write well. It’s not easy to find people to beta-read, and to persuade readers to write reviews.

Who are your favourite writers and which books are your favourite ones?

My favourite book for many years was War and Peace by Tolstoy, then more recently, it’s become The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

I used to scorn fantasy, but lately I’ve become to like it a lot. I’ve read the whole Game of Thrones. I particularly like Arthurian legends by Mary Stewart, Stephen R. Lawhead, and Marion Zimmer Bradley. I also like, and write speculative fiction.

Do you think advertising on social media as a self-published writer is effective?

No. I doubt I’ve sold a single book through that medium.

If you have received any, how do you deal with negative reviews?

I haven’t had many. Just one I can recall and that was so ridiculous, I ignored it.

If you would have to spend an entire evening with a group of people, who would you like to spend it with?

I’m not very sociable. But I think I’d be comfortable among fellow Jesusonians, and maybe some writers.

What are your activities besides writing?

I love graphic design, and planting my little balcony garden.

Do you have a passion?

I have a passion for colour. I’ve studied colour for years and even written a book about it. It’s one thing I can’t live without.

How would your friends describe your character?

A harmless oddball. (I ran this by my partner and he says I’m anal-retentive, and a bully).

Do you think writers (as other celebrities in public life) have a responsibility to comment on subjects like war, religion and human/animal rights?

Yes, as long as their comments aren’t destructive.

What is your favourite colour?

Turquoise, but I also love lilac. (See my bathroom!)

What/who would you take with you to live on a remote island?

My computer, or at least a lot of writing paper and pencils, and several encyclopaedias.

What are you writing on at the moment and can you tell us about future projects?

I have several Speculative Fiction (futuristic) WIPs that I plan to finish as soon as the last Fantasy is published. I especially like Speculative Fiction because one can create any sort of future for the world and present one’s own ideas and philosophy about social problems and how to deal with them.

Thank you very much for answering the questions. For all your future projects I wish you much success and pleasure in your work.