Thank you to James for agreeing to feature on the Author chat’s strand of my blog. I asked James a few questions and here is what he said……..What was your favourite childhood book and why?
My favourite childhood book was Matilda by Roald Dahl because as a child it was the first ever book I read myself and actually finished all the way to the end. His imagination when writing books took the reader into a beautifully crafted world with amazing, memorable characters and I loved the idea of that.
Which current authors inspire you and why?
Harlan Coben, his style of writing is appealing to me as a reader. He keeps the stories that he writes, very basic with a small amount of characters but he writes page turner books.
JK Rowling, I started reading the Harry Potter series to my kids at bedtime and when they fell asleep, I carried on reading because they are written so well with believable characters and of course an amazing world.
Philip Pullman, his Dark Materials series was captivating, I read all three books. He builds amazing worlds with his words.
Where do you usually write and do you have a ‘usual timetable’?
I tend to write while I am out and about with my headphones on. I find that when I am walking and admiring the scenery it aids my creativity on a whole new level.
Can you sum up your most recently published book in just a few words?
Bloom – A roller coaster of emotions accompanied by abstract artwork.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am just finishing up my third book ‘Red’ which is due out Winter 2017/18
Do you use social media to promote and interact with readers?
Always, I have built a huge fan base over the years. I have over 30,000 followers on Instagram and over 10,000 followers on Twitter under the username @millsmc07. I post daily and people who like my work will comment and share and I try to respond to everyone on a daily basis to show how grateful I am for their support.
Any tips for aspiring writers?
Never give up, follow your dream. I could have given up many, many years ago but I kept at it and it really paid off in the long run. You have to think of the bigger picture and although that bigger picture might be years down the line, it is important to build up content on the social sites so when you get to where you want to be, your fans new and old will have loads to keep them happy.
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