As we gear up for this amazing event, I’ll be bringing you author interviews so you can get to know the attending authors in more detail! There are lots and lots of authors for you to discover, not to mention, hundreds if not thousands of books! Why not grab a cuppa and sit back and relax! All while hearing more about our writers and their writing lives, inspirations – and maybe even a secret or two!
What is the first thing people should know about you?
I hate making decisions and I’m the queen of procrastination.
Tell me which genre or trope you are most well-known for writing.
I write dark romance.
What is one thing people don’t know about you?
I’d love to go live in a converted van for a while and travel the world.
Name a book you’ve written that you wish more people had read, and why.
Ronan. He’s book 2 in the series, but I just don’t feel like he gets the love he so deserves. I loved writing his story (I loved them all) but I had to dig deep with Ronan.
What is your favourite book (not your own), and why?
I have too many favourite books (how can you pick just one).
Was there a book you wrote that broke you and made you feel like you’d never write again?
None of them made me feel like I’d never write again, but the book that broke me was Rory’s Last Act. I sobbed writing this book, literal tears. If you’ve read the series you’ll know why.
Are you one of those authors for whom music is EVERYTHING and without it you’d never write?
Music is almost everything. I definitely can’t write unless there is noise. I find the silence deafening.
Is your desk/writing space tidy or messy?
It starts out tidy, everything has a place. But about an hour in it turns to complete carnage.
Who or what inspires you as a writer?
My readers. Knowing that for a few hundred pages they got an escape from their reality. Knowing that they love my characters as much as I do.
Are you an introvert or extrovert? Or something else…?
Introvert. Until I’m comfortable, then you see the weird side of me.
The literary world moves fast, but what’s the one thing that never changes?
People’s desire to live in another world for a while.
What is your advice to authors just starting out?
I have 2 bits of advice.
1. Write the story you want to read. It is so tempting to write what you think others want to read, but it’s your story. Make sure you love it and the right people will find you.
2. Stay true to yourself, don’t be forced to follow the narrative. Forge your own path.
Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?
Barcelona and New York.
Your favourite place to read and/or write?
Read on the sofa, or in my bed. Writing: my office, or would you believe, on my sitting-room floor.
When you’re as old as Gandalf the Grey, how many books do you think you might have written?
Ha ha, when I’m his age I can only hope I’d have written my own mini library.
What did you always want to be when you were growing up?
A fighter pilot. Then an author.
If writing is your full-time job, have you ever been told to get a “proper job”?
It’s not my full-time job (Sadly).
Who is your biggest cheerleader?
There are a few amazing ladies who cheer me on daily (sometimes hourly). Without them I’d still be procrastinating in front of the TV or with my kindle in my hand.
BONUS QUESTION: Tell me a secret about one of your books that nobody else knows yet!
Some of my characters are loosely based around a couple of people. And I’ll never tell you who!
Thank you so much for your time, Toni! Connect with the author…
http://www.instagram.com/toni_kelly_author
If you want to meet Toni amongst others, click the graphic below! Authors at the Armouries is about inspiration for all!
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