By Sidrah Sheikh
The thriller and adventure genres are two very difficult genres to write, but from a reader’s perspective, they are also very rewarding.
I was extremely lucky to ask Amy Morse, Business Trainer by day but a self-confessed ‘relentless and aspiring author’ otherwise a few questions, which follow below:
Tell us a bit about yourself Amy! What have you written so far?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, ever since I was old enough to string a sentence together. I started my first novel when I was 15 and finished it about 5 years ago, having written 2 other books in between. Those first three books have never been published and in the future I plan to rewrite them for the young adult audience – they’re a series of fantasy novels, The Chronicles of the Colony. They’ll be like ‘Game of Thrones for teenagers’ when I complete them, but that’ll be a few years away I expect. I’m busy writing other books first.
I had to write three books so I could learn how to write a good, marketable novel and I published my first book, The Bronze Box last year. It’s a thriller about an archaeologist, Dr Sasha Blake, who is recruited by a covert organisation, The Agency, to locate a missing artefact, The Bronze Box, before the bad guys. I think of it like Indiana Jones meets Bourne, but with a female lead. It’s the first in a trilogy of books.
What are you working on at the moment, and what can we expect to see in it?
I am currently doing final edits for my next novel, Solomon’s Secrets, which will be out later this year. In this book, Sasha Blake is working at Bristol University studying a copy of an ancient manuscript. A wealthy silk trader, Jon Solomon, offers to finance her search for the original manuscript. But Solomon is harbouring terrible secrets. When Sasha becomes his latest victim, she wants revenge and returns to The Agency where she works as a double agent. She becomes the centre of a love triangle with Jon Solomon and her Agency colleague, Tom Sheridan. Together Sheridan and Blake try to stop Solomon, but will they fall into his trap?
When did you decide to become a writer?
I’ve always been interested in writing, but it was only when I returned to the UK about 4 years ago, after some time living in Bulgaria, that I started to take my writing seriously. I set up a writers network in Bristol and meeting other writers made me much more confident about putting my work out into the public.
Why do you write, and how often?
I write because I can’t help but write. I have loads of ideas and need to get them out of my brain to make room! I try to write every day, but even when I’m not physically writing, I’m writing in my head or learning about the business of writing.
What’s the best but also the hardest thing about being a writer?
The best thing is seeing your stories come to life and being able to share them with others. The worst thing is that it just takes so long to complete something. I’ve never got into short stories or poetry, I like to write long complex narratives and it’s exhausting, but fun at the same time.
Where do your ideas come from?
All over the place – locations, people I meet, news reports, something I’ve read etc. Usually it will start with a little spark of inspiration, often a ‘what if?’ scenario. It then marinates and combines with other ideas before it starts to form a whole story, character or event.
The inspiration for The Bronze Box started with a visit to the Varna Archaeological Museum in Varna, Bulgaria, and the thought that; ‘what if something dangerous was buried and forgotten for thousands of years then dug up by accident? What lengths would people go to possess its power?’
What are your favourite book(s) and what are you reading right now? What is your favourite quote (and why)? What is your favourite film (and why)
I love action, thriller, adventure and historic fiction books and this is what I like to write. My favourite author is Paul Sussman, he’s not very well-known. He was an Egyptologist who writes in the same genre as The Bronze Box and Solomon’s Secrets.
I’m currently reading Eyewitness by Stephen Leather which is a thriller about the search for a witness to ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. It’s dark and morbid but a fascinating read.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
I’d love to be travelling around Europe doing bits and bobs of work but getting a regular steady income from book sales, not a fortune, I’m realistic, but a few hundred pounds a month in sales would be good. Enough to keep me free to travel and write as I go.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Don’t stop writing (I did for a while and took ages to get back into it) and get support and advice from others, you can’t do it all on your own.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write. Read. Repeat. Practice, practice, practice and don’t be afraid of feedback from others – bad feedback is often more useful than good when it comes to improving your craft. Don’t wait until you publish your work to start building a platform as a writer. If you start creating hype and demand for your writing now it’s easier to sell your work later.
A huge thank you to Amy for getting in touch with me and taking some time to respond to my questions.
For me personally, it was an absolute pleasure to gain an insight in to an author such as Amy, who seems extremely persistent in her writing endeavours and gives fantastic advice to other writers too. We read an author’s book very easily but can often forget the sheer amount of time and effort that goes into making a novel so good, and speaking to Amy has definitely enlightened me on the creative process for writers.
You can learn more about Amy by clicking any of the links below.
Official website: www.AmyCFitzjohn.co.uk
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amy-Fitzjohn/e/B00DQBCQZM
Smashwords: Book Links: (* American, UK, etc.) http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00DQBCQZM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21838409-amy-morse
Blog: http://ideaism.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyCFitzjohn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomCatDesigns
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=117139483&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/amymorse184/
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