I'm delighted to be joined today by author Lizzie Chantree. Lizzie is the best-selling author of three novels with a fourth published very recently!
Hi Lizzie! Thanks so much for joining me on my blog today! You are already
a successful published author – please tell me about the books you have already
had published?
Thank you for the compliment! My first three books are called Babe
Driven, Love’s Child and Finding Gina. They are about the love lives of
eccentric entrepreneurs, but are full of friendship, romance and surprises. My
aim is to write books that make people smile. I began my first business at the
age of 17 and the process of making the ideas work and the creativity and
support needed to keep the business alive, fascinates me. Through my writing, I
am able to imagine what it would be like to run some pretty crazy
businesses!
Sounds fantastic! You also have a new novel which has just been released. Please tell me a little bit about that.
My new release is called Ninja School Mum. It’s about a woman who is
trying to create a stable environment for her child, but she has a problematic
past that keeps crashing into her daily life. The main character, Skye, is
obsessive compulsive, she hates other people and yet she’s doing her best to be
a better version of herself the sake of her son. She’s a single parent with
skills! She starts a new business to try and ease her way into the lives of the
local community and then many unexpected things start to happen.
I love the sound of that! I've noticed you have a great online presence. What's your preference - Facebook or Twitter?
I like both Facebook and Twitter, but my preference is Twitter. You will
find me on there daily, as I like to see what everyone is doing and update my
readers about my latest work. I run a networking hour for creatives or anyone
who enjoys creativity. It’s every Monday and it’s very fast to keep up with,
but hilarious! The people are supportive of each other and they enjoy
networking, so it’s great fun.
I will have to log in for that! As for the writing side of things, can you tell me about
your writing routine – how do you settle yourself down to write?
I get very easily distracted by social media and the little notes I
write myself and stick around my studio. I’ve now bought a big notepad with 'To
Do’ lists in it, to try and be more efficient. It’s working so far! I tend to
begin writing at 9am and can still be there until 2pm, when I have family
commitments. I work from 6-11pm on a Monday too, on my networking session. I
can sometimes write 100 words a day and another time over 5,000 a day for a
week. There really is no routine to it. I write in my car while I’m waiting for
my children, at a desk while they do sports, in cafés, or anywhere! I don’t
have to be in a quiet corner of my studio.
Sounds very disciplined - good for you! How do you
balance your time between writing and marketing?
It’s tricky. I find marketing can take over, but I love to learn new
things about writing and have met some great friends through networking. It
takes dedication, but it’s really worth the effort. I try and get writing done
first, but always have lists of other jobs to do. My top tip for marketing is
that it doesn’t have to cost you money, just a bit of time. If you are
happy to learn, then there is so much information out there to help you.
What’s your
favourite thing about writing/ being published?
Meeting people who have enjoyed my writing. It’s such a wonderful
feeling when someone says they can relate to your story, or that they wish they
were friends with the characters in my books! I really enjoy discovering other
authors i’ve not met before too.
Do you have any tips for
aspiring authors?
Get the words onto paper. You can’t edit a blank page. Be more organised
than I am! Join book and author groups and make friends. These contacts will
support you on your journey to publication.
What do you love
doing when not writing?
When I’m not writing, I paint huge landscapes. I also enjoy reading
anything from design, architectural, fashion, technology, science books, to
fairy stories! I absolutely love going to the pictures with friends or family
too.
What was the
book you read that made you think “I’d love to write!”?
The Hobbit. I read it in school and I still remember holding the book
and thinking, wow!
Lastly – a fun
question – can you tell us about a funny/ embarrassing memory?
I embarrass my children daily, or so they tell me!
My daughter had just started a new school and had her first trip. I was
going with her and was stressed as I didn’t know anyone yet. I was chatting to
a lovely lady the whole way there about life and the children on the bus. As we
got off the coach, I asked her which year her children were in. She just looked
at me strangely and simply said …’I’m the headmistress.’
I’d only seen her from the back of the school hall before and in a suit,
so in jeans and a jumper I thought they appeared similar, but then thought
nothing more about it. I’ve been on so many school trips in primary school, but
the head of the school had never joined us, so it didn’t occur to me they could
be there. My daughter rolled around the floor in fits of giggles when I told
her, then proceeded to loudly tell all her friends on the drive home how her
mum had such a terrible memory, while I cringed in the corner and pretended to
be asleep!
Thank you so much for joining me today Lizzie, and wishing you much success with this great book! :)
Author bio:
Thank you so much for joining me today Lizzie, and wishing you much success with this great book! :)
Author bio:
Award-winning inventor and author, Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were little and now runs networking hours on social media, where creative businesses, writers, photographers and designers can offer advice and support to each other. She lives with her family on the coast in Essex.
Social media links:
Website: www.lizziechantree.com
Author page: viewAuthor.at/LizzieChantree
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzie_chantree/
Book links:
Babe Driven: viewBook.at/Amazon-BabeDriven
Love’s Child: viewBook.at/Amazon-LovesChild
Finding Gina: viewBook.at/Amazon-FindingGina
