#Interview with Carol Bond

1. Please tell the readers a bit more about you.

 Born in Adelaide, South Australia, this mother of three is following her passion for Fantasy writing.  She published The Unseen Promise in 2013, after revitalizing the urge to complete the first book in the Tarkeenia Sagas.  She is currently working on subsequent manuscripts and is involved in various writing and creative communities. She is editor and author with Terra Australis, a group of Australian Authors writing short stories for anthologies. Co-writing with a UK Author, Carol is excited to part of an exciting fantasy project, that is fast evolving into a epic series.

I am writing under the pseudonym of her children’s middle name - Ellen Mae Franklin.

2. What types of books do you write?

 I am most comfortable in the genre of fantasy. I love becoming lost in the worlds my imagination creates, it is pure unadulterated hedonism. Epic Fantasy is my favourite for it allows me to meander through on long stories, turning what I write into a series of books.

3. Who's your main audience?

 My focus is for adults. There is the odd explicit word or phrase in the story and I do not consider, that to be child friendly. Fantasy fans will like what I do.

4. When it comes to writing- what are your strong points? What are your weaknesses?

 The greatest strength I believe that works form me in the writing process is my imagination. I never know what comes next until I begin tapping the keyboard.

My weakness is making myself sit for long periods at a time in front of a screen. I get distracted easily, and find that I tend to fill my days with staggered sessions instead of a more consistent run with my words.

5. What do you think of this term- Writer's Block? How do you overcome it?

 I have ever only had one serious bout of Writer’s Block and it lasted for many years, but I believe that circumstances in ones life lends itself to inhibiting an individual from writing. Now that I am settled and happy with my life, I only ever come across stumbling blocks now. That is what I call it when I have to stop to work out a problem with a character or storyline. This is usually simple to solve. I go lap swimming to clear my head.

6 & 7. How many books have you written? How many are published?

Well, I have a release date of the 25th of March for my first book. I am currently working simultaneously on the next three books. Two of which will be published this year 2013.
 

 

8. Are you self published or traditionally published?

 I have researched in regards to becoming traditionally published and it has always come back to - that unless you have been previously published the big six houses do not look upon you favorably. I was very close to self-publishing when I was fortunate in being picked up by GMTA Publishing Co. They are a new publishing group, finding their way but the personal touch and hard work they do for all their authors is truly a blessing in this competitive world of writing.

9. What's the hardest part of the writing process for you?

 I have come across anything thing that I consider hard in writing. I am in love with the entire process and I suppose that in finding a publisher right at the time I wrote ‘The End’ in my manuscript only adds to the pleasure of this experience for me.

10. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

 I don’t necessarily have a favorite book as such. The book, I am currently reading though is called ‘Heroes’ by Joe Abercrombie.

11. Who's your favorite Author?

 I do have a fondest for some authors over others and I will give you a few favorites that I watch out for - Joe Abercrombie, George R.R. Martin, Fiona McIntosh, Sara Douglass, Stephen Donaldson, Guy Gavriel Kay, Robert Jordon, David Eddings, Robin Hobb and the list could go on.

12. What's your all time favorite book?

I tend to lean towards Epic Fantasy books, that has a series of 3 or more books in the story. I like fast, gritty reads that are complex with many different threads running across the storyline.


13. How long does it take you to write a book?

This question is almost impossible to answer in a straight-forward manner. My first book - The Unseen Promise took me 3+ years to complete. It is the first book from the series - Tarkeenia Sagas, so putting the framework down for something as complex and lengthy as this needed to be done carefully.

Currently I am co-writing a book and another author and it is racing along. I do believe we will have this first book completed in a matter of months. There are many variables in the writing process, so time cannot always be judged.

14. Out of all of your characters, which is your favorite? Why?

How can you choose a favorite out of 40 odd invented characters, it is almost impossible. So, I will talk about one that I am fond of. This character is a blending of Human/Animal and is called a Murdock. He is a smuggler by trade and reveres gold as much as he relishes being free. Master Sniff is his name and his animal half is that of a Rat.

I love his recklessness and risk taking nature. His love for those, that he considers are his friends and the sense of adventure that motivates him to travel the world of Tarkeena. He dodges and manipulates the King’s laws for his own sense of justice and I think he is a worthy character to talk about.

Everything about this character’s feature is long. Master Sniff has a long face and a long nose. Fine boned hands and considers himself a smart dresser. He as is intelligent, as he is as honest as any criminal can be.

15. What is one of the most surprising things you've learned as a writer?

The most surprising thing I have realized in writing that I should have never doubted my ability in the past. That I should have begun writing professionally a long time ago.

16. What does your family think of your writing?

I have an amazing support network under me in regards to the strong belief that as a writer I can achieve anything I put my mind to. I receive encouragement to push forward and I do not have to look very far whenever I am in need of a reviewer or a backboard to bounce some ideas off of.

17. What does your writing schedule look like? 

My schedule is a very busy one. I am involved in a serious group of Australian writers, co-writing another book with a UK author, whilst trying to find the time in between to work on the sequel to my new book - The Unseen Promise.

Just to overload myself - I am an administrator for two Facebook Groups. One is a promoting group, where I encourage all members to promote themselves and the work they do, or to chat and ask questions. It is called - Written a story, what’s the next step.

The other group is what I consider to be more or less a meeting place. I created it so that writers who need a particular service can enter the group and as a member, find what they need, whether it be an interview, a review or proofreading. Look of the service of a cover artist or an editor. If you host interviews then you may find writers to fill vacant spots. It is called - Interview Central.

18. Do you manage to write every day?

The answer to this question is a FAT YES! I don’t make myself write, far from it, for me it is a compulsive act. I am not overly discipline by any means, but the pleasure of writing drives me to at least spend an hour or more tapping away on the keys.

19. What's the latest news you'd like to share?

My book THE UNSEEN PROMISE will be released on the 25th of March. It is an Epic Fantasy novel and I am sure that if you love to let your imagination lose in a world that is on the brink of chaos, you will appreciate this read.

You can find information about the book on my website, plus interviews from a great many other good authors -  http://www.theunseenpromise.com

20. Do you have any advice for new writers? 

 My advice to all new writers is to believe in yourself firstly, know that what you have inside you is a story that is unique for it is coming from you.

Don’t push to write everyday is you are not feeling it, let the story come to you and in this way it will be a story worth waiting for.

Build a social media platform for yourself and your work a good 6 months before you release your book. Make other author/writers and people aware of your name long before you organize a book launch. Try to secure a place with a small publishing company if you can, although it is easy to self-publish, the time in marketing your book will take away the love and time you need to begin another. Let someone else do that side of the writing process and if they do not carry all of the promoting for you, at least some of that hard work is being shared.

Links

http://www.theunseenpromise.com
http://www.unseenpromise.blogspot.com.au
http://www.twitter.com/carolbondauthor
http://www.facebook.com/TheUnseenPromise