A bit later than scheduled, here is the lady in question. One of my favourite authors, a great friend and someone who is taking the literary world by storm, Julieanne Lynch!
Introduce yourself.
Hi everyone, I am Julieanne Lynch, a thirty-something mother of four (soon to be five) who has a passion for the written word. I live in Ireland and am married to my childhood sweetheart. I love everything really, well except long queues, rude people and bad body odour. I have a good sense of humour (most of the time) and can be a little erratic and spontaneous – but who said we call have to comply with societal expectations? I love everything from the Horror genre, right down to YA, and no one can call me a one trick pony – why? Because I delve into more genres and to me variety is certainly the spice of life, plus I refuse to be pigeon-holed.
What is it you do?
I am a novelist and I write fulltime. I am working on several projects at once and have a few releases due out in 2012.
Tell the readers about your novel, In The Shadows.
My first YA novel “In The Shadows”, the first of The Shadows trilogy, is an urban fantasy of vampires and the supernatural, and much, much more. In the shadows you will find lust and passion, battles for power and for blood, and death and fear around every corner. In the shadows you are carried away to an unknown future. Your destiny awaits, and you are no longer who you thought you were. You have a thirst, for blood perhaps, but a thirst for very much more than that.
Giselle was a normal girl with an attitude common to most girls of her age. Her family might not have been perfect (whose is?) but she loved them, and her future looked bright. She had an awesome best friend and a steady boyfriend, but how could she possibly have been so wrong about someone she loved? And how could she have been prepared for the darkness and for what she was to become?
Giselle was a normal girl with an attitude common to most girls of her age. Her family might not have been perfect (whose is?) but she loved them, and her future looked bright. She had an awesome best friend and a steady boyfriend, but how could she possibly have been so wrong about someone she loved? And how could she have been prepared for the darkness and for what she was to become?
It is an adrenaline punched novel that takes a liberal stance on some issues that some might find offensive. It is certainly not for the fait hearted.
What inspired you to write?
Being bullied as a child inspired me to shy away from the real world, and I found solace in creating my own words, and that is when I fell in love with reading and writing.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I suppose my love of the classics - Dickens, Bronte, Shakespeare etc have helped form my way of thinking. I fell in love with Polidori and Poe at the age of eleven, and from there on in my passion for books, old and new has grown. I love horror and I like nothing more than psychological drama.
What is the best thing about writing?
I love the fact that it acts as way of escapism. It allows me to step out of my own world and head first into something that I love. Writing is therapeutic, and gives me time out from life’s stressful chaos, because let’s face it, not everything is so simple and when running a household and being a mother of four rather energetic children you can easily become “stuck” in the humdrum. So, sitting down and working through a storyboard or a few chapters is great for the mind and overall moral.
What is the worst thing about writing?
Sometimes it can be an isolated world. You can easily forget to keep in touch with friends, and often you become so used to your own company you begin to think that is the norm – far from the truth. But other than that, I love mostly everything my writing career brings me.
What specific goal would you like to achieve with your writing?
I don’t have any specific agenda, but I suppose my one personal goal would be to have all my completed work published, and IF I get a good following and readership, I shall die a happy lady.
If you could give any advice to a fellow writer, what would it be?
You need to keep reading and writing. Look at how other novelists, short-story authors construct their work and when given, query all constructive criticism. I believe each and every one of us who can dream and fantasize about creating something not done before, should try, and when we fail – try again. Never give up, and when it seems like it will never happen, learn to believe in yourself, because let’s face it, if you don’t believe that you have what it takes to succeed, who else will? Love what you do, grow a set of steel balls, and have fun.
What advice can you give to those who wish to be published?
Be realistic.
It is a tough industry to break in to. There are lots of charlatans out there, promising to make your dreams come true. You should never PAY to have something published – be very wary of vanity publishers, they are the scourge of the literary world.
Learn how to write a killer query, don’t attach or send samples until asked to do so, and have your work proofed by several readers before submission.
What was the most influential and/or life changing story you have ever read?
I have studied quite A LOT of works over the years, and whilst my love and passion lies within the Gothic era, there is ONE novel and author who still to this day makes me a salivate with awe – Alice Walker, author of the Color Purple. WOW, is all I can say. I re-read this novel quite often and after each sitting her words, her story-telling, and her voice continues to have the profoundest effect on me.
Whilst mostly everything I read hits or affects me in some way, there is a difference to how Alice Walker evokes such a strong sense of emotional chaos within me. I just love her, and will continue to gush about how wonderful and therapeutic her work it. If you have never read any of her work, I suggest you do so.
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That was the ever lovely and amazing Julieanne Lynch. One to keep an eye out for, she will be releasing several books in 2012 so watch this space!
